CAPS ‘24: The California Pen Show (via The Poor Penman). A great recap of a great pen show. In many ways, I can see how people would consider this an ideal show experience.
Pen Show Recap: California Pen Show 2024 (via Well-Appointed Desk). Another great recap that captures why this show was so much fun.
Ultem Fountain Pens: Hype or Here to Stay? (via Dapprman). My own thought is that they are here to stay - Ultem is excellent material for pens if you like the amber color, which I do - but you will likely see the hype die down a bit.
A Watch Pen? (via Figboot on Pens). We talked about this product on our Patreon meetup last night, and while I’m not sure I would ever use something like this, I find the concept fascinating.
Iroful Fountain Pen Friendly Paper: Better than Cosmo Air Light? (via Blake’s Broadcast). The quest for a replacement for discontinued papers goes on! I’ve never tried Iroful paper (from Sakae Technical Paper), but should probably check some out. You know, “for science.”
“Oh! I like it when he uses the fancy pens.” (via mnmlscholar). I second the observation that a younger generation is definitely taking an interest in pens and other analog tools. California Pen Show attendees skewed toward younger new users, including many who had never held a fountain pen before going to the show.
17 Ink Questions (via Rachel’s Reflections). At some point I need to get around to answering the 17 Ink Questions!
Taking Myself Out of Choosing a Currently Inked (via mnmlscholar). Randomly pairing pens and inks can be fun, especially if you’re playing with inks already in your collection that you haven’t used in a while.
Journaling Series: On Starting a Journal (via Writing at Large). There are lots of posts on journaling prompts, etc., but not many on how to start a journal. As in, writing the first line.
TWSBI 580 ALR Black Fountain Pen Review (via Pen Addict - Jeff). The Black TWSBI 580 ALR is one of the better colors TWSBI has made in a long time, and in my opinion, a black 580 was long overdue.
In Case You Missed It…
This week on the blog I took a first look at the new Lamy Safari Special Editions, as well as the recently released Lamy Inks! Following my workshops at the recent California Pen Show, I also wrote a short piece on pen myth-busting, the main point of which is to keep revisiting generally accepted “internet truths,” as things change over time, especially as manufacturers make changes to formulations. There’s no substitute for your own personal experience! Finally, for those who attended my workshop at the California Pen Show, I posted details regarding the paper samples we exchanged if you didn’t get a chance to jot them down.
The colorful range of the Lamy econ ballpoint! Both these and the “Noto” take the M16 refill!
This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop
Among other things, as noted above, a bunch of new Lamy products have landed in the shop, including the new Safari Special Edition fountain pens and rollerballs in the “Pink Cliff” and “Violet Blackberry” colorways, as well as the ink (which unfortunately is now sold out but I will try to get more). We also added two new Lamy ballpoint options: the “econ” metal ballpoints and the “Noto” new releases in Deep Blue and Chocolate.
Don’t forget to visit our newly launched dedicated Pencil section of the store! We are rapidly expanding pencil-related offerings - both woodcase and mechanical, as well as erasers and sharpeners and other accessories.
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