Nashville T.G.S. Special Event Recap, Day One, Plus Saturday Details

It’s taken me about a year to get here, but a primary reason I wanted to open a store was so that I could host events like the current weekend pop-up with Vanness Pens and Newton Pens! While we have moved the main T.G.S. Shop to Suite 107 on the front of the building, making it easier to find, Suite 113 (the “old” store) will be opened for special events like this weekend, and will also continue to serve as our office, warehouse, and fulfillment location. Come see us today (Saturday) from 10-6pm!

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Sign work courtesy of Shawn Newton, Photo courtesy of Lisa @ Olive Octopus!

Friday turned out to be super busy! We kicked off the weekend with normal business hours, and everyone had fun shopping our normal offerings as well as Shawn’s custom pens and specialty inks, ink samples, rare pens, and accessories from Vanness. After the shop “officially” closed we had a special Middle Tennessee Fountain Pen Club event with food and space to spread out. As we get settled into the new store and organize our warehouse, I plan to add additional seating, table-space, couches, etc. so that it’s easier to plan and grow these types of events. If you’re in the Nashville area (or reasonably close by), be sure to join the Middle Tennessee Fountain Pen Club, which now has a website in addition to the Facebook Page, so you’ll receive the announcements.

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Pre-opening setup with some of the stuff from Vanness, including Rickshaw, Galen Leather, Robert Oster Inks, Nagasawa Pens, and more! There is plenty of stock so if you missed Friday you have all day Saturday from 10-6pm to catch up.

For those coming by today, there will be a sign on the sidewalk outside directing everyone to where we’re set up. Many thanks to all of you who came out to support us in the new location, and to welcome everyone who to visit from out of town. I look forward to hosting more of these events in the future and further growing the pen community in the greater Nashville area!

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Also: Diamine Inkvent Calendars Are Here In-Store!

The 2026 Diamine Inkvent Calendars arrived Thursday afternoon, and I was able to swing by to pick them up on our way in to Friday’s event prior to opening. They’re now available both in-store and online, but supply is somewhat limited so please be sure to grab yours while they’re available.

Our regular in-store hours are Thursday and Friday from 1-6pm, and Saturdays from 10am-6pm. Be sure to check our Google Profile or main store page for up-to-date hours and special event details.

State of the Shop Update, Part II: Build-Out Progress!

A couple weeks back we celebrated our first anniversary as a brick-and-mortar store, and thought it might be fun to share some progress photos from the ongoing buildout of our new shop area, which will be located on the front of our existing building. Why this new shop? Mostly because our online business is growing and we need to use our current location as pure warehouse/office space. It’s become too difficult to clearly separate the two, and we’ve had issues with customers trying to enter off-limits areas in order to “look around.” As noted below, after we get the store moved over, we still plan to open this space up for special events, but the primary location for picking up orders and in-person shopping will be the new showroom in Suite 107. This location will also be clearly marked and easier to locate on the front of the building. Our first date in the new space will be Thursday, October 16, so until then, you should continue to visit the current location (Suite 113).

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The new space will have a more traditional showroom/pen shop location, with enough space for most of the products that people tend to want to see in person.

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I’m looking forward to the new space being better organized, with clearly delineated “sections” for different product categories.

Don’t Miss Our Nashville In-Store Event Scheduled for October 17-18 with Vanness and Newton Pens!

Lisa Vanness and Shawn Newton will be in-store on Friday, October 17 and Saturday, October 18! Be sure to stop by if you are in the Nashville area, as we will be opening up the new shop (Suite 107, on the front of the building), as well as the existing T.G.S. entrance (Suite 113) which we will continue to use for special events such as this one. Lisa will be bringing rare inks and other Vanness Pens exclusives, and Shawn will of course have a selection of Newton Pens available to see and purchase!

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The shop will be open normal hours: 1-6pm on Friday (10/17), and 10am-6pm (10/18) on Saturday. Though no reservation or appointment is necessary, please do note that the shop tends to be busiest from between 12pm-2pm, so arrivals outside of that time slot may have an easier time finding parking. We hope to see you there!

New TGS Collaboration Pens: Introducing (or Re-Introducing) Two of My Favorite Smaller Makers!

Over the past ten years running T.G.S., the most fun I’ve had and the best memories I’ve made all involve getting to know various artisan pen makers and learning about their different processes and techniques, and what differentiates their pens from everyone else’s. No two small makers are exactly alike, and in working with many of them on T.G.S. Shop collaborations over the years, I’ve gained an even greater appreciation for their dedication to their craft. For today’s post, I want to introduce two new T.G.S. collaboration pens, currently available for purchase in extremely small quantities. If you can’t get one of these pens or the design just isn’t for you, I encourage you to visit the two penmakers below and support them directly!

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The engraving looks great against the crimson plating!

T.G.S. x Newton Pens Majestic Fountain Pen

The Majestic is one of my favorite models from Hot Springs, Arkansas-based Shawn Newton, with a comfortable, streamlined design. Our pen features a polished black cap and barrel with a red section, which leaves just a sliver of red visible when the pen is capped. For this release, we’ve outfitted the pen with a custom crimson-plated nib by Hinze Pens, which you may recognize from last year’s Hinze collaboration, only this time we’ve engraved it with the T.G.S. Logo! I’m truly pleased with how this pen turned out, and each one ships with a matching black and red pen sleeve from Elizabeth Newton Designs, as well background information on the pen’s design and a handwritten note from Shawn. These were made available to Patreon members yesterday and are available to the general readership today, priced at $210. Insured shipping is included. A handful of these pens remain available to ship immediately, and if there is additional interest after they sell out I can explore doing a second run.

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T.G.S. x PensByPasquale Hand-Turned Dip Nib Holders

For the second, extremely small collaboration (this batch will likely be it due to maker capacity and availability of the material), We’re releasing a hand-turned dip nib holder from Columbia, Tennessee-based Nicholas Pasquale, who you may know as “PensByPasquale” on Instagram. The material is a small-batch Jonathon Brooks acrylic which I find reminiscent of my favorite Iroshizuku Ink, Yama-Budo, and these nib holders feature Nic’s signature angled end. There are only one or two of these left in the shop as I post this, and there will almost certainly not be a second run, so don’t sleep on them if you want one. They are compatible with both Kakimori metal nibs and standard dip nibs, and priced at $135. The nib holders have been made, but Nic and I are both traveling some this week so they will ship on June 24 when our schedules once again overlap.

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Many thanks for all your support! We will have more exciting news to announce in the near future, probably next week, and greatly appreciate all of you. Stay tuned….

Pen Review: Newton Pens Hale Fountain Pen

When it comes to custom penmakers - especially those who display at pen shows - Shawn Newton is one of the originals. We've both been involved in the pen hobby/business for around the same amount of time (going on 13+ years?!?) and I've enjoyed watching Newton Pens grow and Shawn's lineup of pen models expand! To read more on the story behind Newton Pens, you can check out their website, as well as my earlier review of the custom Newton Shinobi I commissioned many years ago.

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What makes the Hale unique is that the cap threads on to the very tip of the section and sits flush, compared to a typical fountain pen where the section sits inside the cap. See the comparison photos with the Newton Orville, below.

The pen I'm reviewing today is the Newton "Hale", a cylindrical-bodied pen with a short cap that first caught my eye at the 2021 Chicago Pen Show. This year, Shawn kindly let me take one home from Arkansas for review. It may not go back. I discovered that I actually enjoy this style of pen ("Short-cap pens"?) and it's possibly opened up a new category of products for me to try.

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This “short-cap” style is a recent trend in penmaking, with many penmakers introducing variations on pens where, as here, the cap attaches to the end of the grip section, and, sometimes, where the pen features no traditional grip section at all and you hold the pen by the barrel. (Check out these pens from Tesori/HelloTello Studio, Mayfair, and Franklin-Christoph as additional examples.) The Hale does have separate grip area, though it's nontraditional in that it features a slightly tapered hourglass section that ends up flush with the rest of the pen and cap.

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The Hale isn't just visually interesting - I find it insanely comfortable to write with. Initially, I had my doubts about this particular shape, but it didn't take long for those concerns to disappear, at least with the Hale. This slightly contoured grip area works for me, and the pen is well-balanced. For purposes of this review, I chose a "Concord"-style nib unit ground by Mark Bacas, which has a VERY fine tip akin to a Pilot PO ("Posting") nib. This style of pen, with a wider grip, offers a lot of control over your handwriting - or at least it feels that way to me - particularly important when you are writing with such a fine point.

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Takeaways and Where to Buy

Count me a fan of the Newton Hale! Shawn's designs are well thought-out and well-executed, and this pen is no exception. The particular material used in the pen shown here is the same used in pens like the Leonardo Momento Zero Grande "Girasole/Sunflower", and one of my personal favorites. While I didn't use a Newton Pens nib for this review, it's worth mentioning that Shawn tunes all of his nibs before the pens ship, and they generally write very well.

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From Left: Newton Pens Hale, Newton Pens Orville, and Newton Pens Shinobi.

The Hale starts at $170, featuring a stainless steel JoWo No. 6 nib unit. Shawn typically has inventory available for purchase on his website and at shows. While you can also commission fully custom pens, Shawn's a busy man and has quite the wait list, last time I checked! Personally, I enjoy shopping his show stock. Between shows he keeps busy making pens, and part of the fun for me is selecting from the various options he's chosen to make for himself. Come visit Shaw Newton and Newton Pens to see the Hale for yourself at the upcoming D.C. Pen Show, which will be held from August 3-6, 2023!

The pen featured in this review was loaned to me by Newton Pens for review purposes, and I was not compensated for this post. The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. To support the site, please consider visiting our store and checking out our offerings, including our recent product collaborations!

Everyday Writing with a Modern Flex Pen

I’ve always been a “firm nib” person for the majority of my everyday writing. While I enjoy flexible nib fountain pens, my experience has been limited to the occasional review and playing around with vintage flex after-hours at pen shows. I use a combination of italic-style script and cursive for my everyday writing, so firmer nibs typically work better for my handwriting, particularly cursive italics and stubs.

But I’m still intrigued by the new “flex” nibs pen companies have been releasing over the past few years. I use the term “flex” loosely - in my opinion, there is no such thing as a modern equivalent of true “vintage flex” like you would find in a vintage Waterman pen from the first half of the 20th century. What you have today, rather, are softer nibs that can provide a fair bit of line variation if pushed, but you need to be careful and manage your expectations.

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Both of these nibs are No. 6 JoWo. The one on the left is a 14k fine nib custom engraved for Montegrappa, with carve-outs on the side to increase flexibility. The one on the right is a Franklin-Christoph stainless steel nib with an elongated nib slit, which also increases the ability to flex the tines.

For today’s post, I’m not so much interested in further discussion of “whether these nibs are truly flex nibs.” Each person tends to have their own opinion on that issue, influenced mainly by how much line variation they like in their writing and whether they have experience in the vintage market. I’m more curious about the practicality of these softer nibs and whether or not I can actually use one as a daily driver. Will I spring the nib? Will the pen write too wet, creating a feathering, bleeding mess? Given that I don’t write in pure cursive, will I even be able to notice a difference?

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Review Pen No. 1: A Montegrappa Miya 450 with a 14k Fine Flex.

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Review Pen No. 2: A Newton Shinobi with a Franklin-Christoph HPSteel Flex Extra-fine nib unit.

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For this experiment I chose two pens that sit on the firmer end of the flexibility scale: a Montegrappa Miya 450 with Montegrappa’s 14k “fine flex,” and my Newton Shinobi with Franklin-Christoph’s HP Steel Flex nib. I picked both up at pen shows earlier this year before everything shut down. As it turns out, I’ve enjoyed using these pens, including as daily writers, though I would advise anyone interested in these pens to take a few things into consideration:

• Use a lighter hand. Not only will this create more noticeable line variation, but you’ll avoid springing the tines. Less writing pressure will also result in less ink being poured onto the page - a key consideration if you need to take notes or do a lot of other writing where you need the ink to dry quickly. If, like me, you tend to use a fair bit of pressure when you write, consider a drier steel flex nib. I’m still getting the hang of writing with the Montegrappa 14k flex, and the Franklin-Christoph steel nib offered a more seamless transition for my writing style.

• Pay attention to your paper. Because softer nibs tend to lay more ink on the page (especially gold nibs), you will likely experience feathering and bleedthrough on cheaper and/or more absorbent paper. The writing samples for this review were done in a Write Notepads Dot Grid Spiral, which performed beautifully. Other paper options include Tomoe River and Clairefontaine. I’ve had mixed results on Rhodia with super-wet pens, and sometimes get spots of bleeding.

• Pay attention to your ink. While you might be tempted to use more flexible nibs to show off your highly saturated “super sheeners” and “super shaders,” be aware that these inks might not be the best choice for everyday writing in a super wet pen. If you plan on using the pen for notetaking or office work, consider an ink that dries relatively quickly and is known to behave well. Sailor and Montblanc make excellent inks, and the two used for this post (Montblanc Irish Green and Sailor Ink Studio 140) worked quite well, without complications.

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Takeaways and Final Thoughts

So could I see myself using either of these nibs as a regular everyday writer over the long haul? Yes and no. Since it takes more pressure to flex the nib, the Franklin-Christoph HP Steel Flex nib writes like a slightly softer, standard extra-fine JoWo steel nib that has the option to add line variation if you so desire. I could easily use this particular nib all day, every day, and it may have found a permanent home in my Newton Shinobi. While I enjoy the 14k “fine flex” nib in the Miya, it’s still slightly too wet for me to use as an everyday work pen. I typically have to take notes quickly which doesn’t allow enough time for the ink to dry before I need to turn the page. For me, the Miya will mainly be used for personal writing in my journal.

I acquired the pens featured in this review directly from Kenro (the U.S. Montegrappa distributor), and from Franklin-Christoph. Kenro provided me with the Miya as part of their generous sponsorship of The Gentleman Stationer; the Franklin-Christoph was acquired with my own funds for my own collection. This post contains links to paid sponsors and affliates.