Off to San Francisco!
And not without my handy dandy notebook!
Two more sleeps and I will be heading off to the airport to go from the Midwest to the West Coast for the San Francisco Pen Show! I haven’t been out to California in a few years and I am looking forward to being back! I visited this show for one day back in 2017 when I was working for Yosemite National Park. That was very early on in my fountain pen hobby journey where - get this - I only owned three Kaweco Sports and four or five bottles of ink. Obviously, I am in a much deeper level of the rabbit hole now.
I am very excited for this trip, not only is it my first trip since May, there are going to be some really interesting vendors at this show and I look forward to seeing all of the amazing things (and hopefully not hurting my wallet too much!).
What I have planned:
I will be attending the Nib Tuning class on Friday afternoon.
Getting a nib ground with Nib Tailor. I got a 14K M Kaweco nib in an auction on eBay for a really good price but the thing writes crazy dry… which means to a nib grinder it goes!
The Every Paper Has a Story class on Saturday with Yamamoto Paper (I am also definitely not missing their table at the show!).
Playing the scavenger hunt for the show ink on Saturday.
Attending the Pen Show After Dark/Stationery Cafe meetup.
Things I want to see (an abridged curated list… because it’s long):
Toyooka Craft - I am very interested to see what all the fuss is about with these pen stands, trays, and chests. I also really want that little keychain pen rest that they made for the show!
Gravitas Pens - I have been very close to pulling the trigger on one of their pocket pens for a few years, but I always hesitated because I wasn’t sure how it would feel in hand.
Franklin-Christoph - another pen maker that I want to see again now that an over $100 price tag on a pen no longer scares me. Online they’ve never had a material that grabs my attention and with my finicky-ness regarding resin pens I want to see how they feel in hand. I also want to pick up a bottle of their Honeycomb ink if they have it with them.
Tokyo Station Pens - I listed to CY’s podcast when it was regularly updating and was always interested in the different brands and Japan exclusives that he talked about on the show. It sounds like he is bringing some really cool stuff this year and I’m excited to see it.
Skogsy Pens mini-pens. They just look really cute and I want to check them out. Or hopefully someone who snags one will let me play with it at Pen Show After Dark.
All of the Japanese vendors bringing stuff. It will be really cool to see what they’ve brought across the Pacific.
And in all seriousness… a lot more!
Whew! It was hard to narrow it down and not just say everything! I know that I will need to pace myself and not get caught up in too much FOMO. I’m on the hunt for difficult to get inks in colors that I like and store-exclusives. I’ll definitely be sharing stories when I get back.
Since I’m traveling by plane I’m not bringing a whole lot with me, just my EDC stuff (I have prepared my TN with notebooks full of my favorite papers for pen and ink testing/swatching).
If you are heading to the show I would love to say hi! I was way too shy in Chicago to tell anyone who I was, but I promise I’ll be braver this time!
I’ve got onion skin, JetPens View Corona, Cosmo Air Light, Kokuyo Perpanep Tsuru Tsuru, Kokuyo Century Edition Thin Paper, and Tomoe River Paper all ready to go and cat approved!
Currently Inked
Currently inked and a side of notes about this blog post in Sailor Shikiori Shito Shito which I ran dry in my Esterbrook JR Paradise Purple over the weekend.
Kaweco Smoky Grey - Kaweco Sport Macchiato 1.5 - I’m really digging this as a header color for the month. It’s well-behaved and a really solid gray. Makes me want to try out staple inks more often.
Ferris Wheel Press Brilliant Beanstalk - Ferris Wheel Press Carousel Tumultuous Tides F - This ink will release Sept. 1st. While I’m not the biggest fan of green inks, this is one in the color tone I like for greens, more muted. The champagne shimmer definitely gives it some character. So far behaving well in the pen.
Ferris Wheel Press Cabernet on the Lake - Ferris Wheel Press Carousel Brilliant Beanstalk M - Pen and ink will release on Sept. 1st. I like red-toned inks in green pens, it brings me joy. This ink is a red leaning burgundy with what appears to be pink sparkles. Should be fun to test out.
Ferris Wheel Press Blue Yosemite Falls - Kaweco Art Sport Tiger’s Eye 14K BB ‘journaller’ - I did a refill of this combo from last week. This ink needs a nib with heavy flow to be readable since it’s such a light blue. Once the flow gets going it’s really pleasant to write with on bright white papers.
Sailor Pen Show Ink 2023 - Kaweco Sport Mellow Blue 14K BB CSI - Another refill from last week. This bright orange grew on me what can I say?
Ferris Wheel Press Golden Gate Glow - Kaweco liliput copper 14K B - Inked this one up to get me thinking of San Francisco. It’s a little muted, but a red-orange with a lot of shading.
Ferris Wheel Press Goose Poupon - Kaweco liliput fireblue 14K M ‘journaller’ - I decided to pick out something to be a ‘neutral’ during my trip and I’ve had a sample of this color forever. It’s a golden green brown and it has a hilarious name. Not sure if I love it, but I’ll definitely write with it for a bit.
Definitely heavy on the Ferris Wheel Press inks this week, will need to mix it up with some of my show acquisitions next week!
Disclosure: I received Brilliant Beanstalk (pen and ink) and Cabernet on the Lake from Ferris Wheel Press as part of their Creative Ambassadors program. If you want to try any Ferris Wheel Press pens or inks you can use my code DIME to get a free ink charger with purchase. Other retailer discount codes in bio.