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Not unlike how things are in New Zealand, postage costs in Australia are almost prohibitive for exchanges and giveaways even when just sending stuff domestically, especially when they involve pens, which Australia Post has explicitly stated are not to be sent by letter post, which is far cheaper, but must be sent in parcels (Parcel Post minimum cost A$7.95) that are not subject to being stomped on by automated mail processing machinery. A better way may be to pass around a box of surplus and not-my-cup-of-tea-but-may-be-someone-else's items of up to 3kg, using a flat-rate prepaid mailing bag – costing A$13.80 to ship between any two points in Australia – and let participants take from it and add to it as they wish. I would like to gauge the level of interest in such an exercise. I'd be happy to put the following into a box, pay for the first leg of its journey and kickstart the process: 3 new Hero 395 pens fitted with converters; these pens supposedly have semi-flex steel nibs, which is a feature I personally don't care much about2 three-ounce bottles of Noodler's Baystate Concord Grape ink – one new, one mostly full1 three-ounce bottle of Noodler's Prime of the Commons blue-black contract ink – mostly full2 three-ounce bottles of Noodler's Polar Green ink – one new, one mostly full1 three-ounce bottle of Noodler's Polar Brown ink – mostly full1 three-ounce bottle of Noodler's Kiowa Pecan ink – newseveral 3ml samples (in plastic pipettes) of the new Sailor Nano souboku pigment ink; I just received my three bottles in the mail yesterdaya few 3ml samples of Sailor Nano kiwa-guro and seiboku pigment inksand possibly: one or two 3ml samples each of some De Atramentis scented, Diamine, and Pilot Iroshizuku inks I have.I'm still waiting on my eBay order of plastic pipettes to arrive from China, so it may take another three or so weeks before I'm ready to get the samples ready for shipping. I don't personally intend to track the box's travels, or who has taken or added what to it, but if participants could just post in this thread: that they want to be the box's next stopwhat is in the box, after they have received it, taken what they wanted and perhaps added to it themselves; andtheir commitment to sending it at their expense on to the next interested partyI think that ought to be sufficient to keep things moving. What do you think?

Can anybody tell me what this is worth (approximately) It's a Monteverde pen set with: (1) pen body with three replaceable front ends with Fine, Medium and Omniflex nibs (4) 1 oz 30 ml bottles of ink- black, 2 shades of purple and red (3) Converters (2) Ink cartridges (1) bottle of pen flush (1 oz 30 ml) All in a nice presentation box. I know what I paid for it, but I can't find any comparable sets. I also don't know if Monteverde pens are affordable or not. If they're worthwhile, I'll be listing some on here. Thanks in advance.

Are there any pen stores near Buffalo NY? I am really hoping to try a few pens but the only place I could find was an art supply store that carried overpriced Safari's and the uncomfortable Retro 51 fountain pens. They also had some pens in the $1000+ range but I really don't have that kind of cash to burn. I'm willing to travel across the border into Canada if that helps. Maybe anything around two hours out one way?

This is a review of “Kaco Master”. It’s the best Chinese Fountain pen I have come across till now.Kaco is a young company which makes some great products. Kaco since its inception in 2011 have launched many pens & accessories . This “Kaco Master” is among their most premium offerings .This has German Made Gold Nib , it doesn’t feel like it’s made by Jowo or Bock. It feels a bit different from those both. I think they are made by special order or made by some other company ! Pros- – Great 14k Gold Nib – Well Tuned Out Of The Box – Soft & Springy Nib – Minimalistic Design – Top Notch Construction – Great Price – Great Packing & Presentation – Hourglass Shaped Section – Have Premium Look – Suitable For Long Writing Sessions Cons- – Only comes in one colour i.e. Black for gold nib. Although the steel nib version comes in many colors. – Don’t post securely. – I can’t expect anything more at this price !!! Packing- Great, The pen comes with a great grey metallic case, which comes in a black box over which “Kaco” is engraved. The metallic oval case has a foam insert in it where the pen can rest. This foam ensures that the pen doesn’t get scratched with the sides of the metal case. Specifications- – Nib Size -Fine Nib 0.5mm – Filling Mechanism: standard cartridges and converter – Capped Pen length: 154mm – Section Length: 25mm – Section Diameter: 12.5 mm – Uncapped Pen Length : 133mm – Diameter: 16.5 mm – Pen weight: 27.5g Appearance & Design- Good, The pen has a classic design. It’s made of great quality black resin which has been highly polished. The clip is of gold color & fit into a clip-shaped recess in the cap & almost aligns with the cap of the pen .The clip is strong & is very functional. It is unique & looks good in my pocket. The clip has a small logo of “Kaco” over it .The pen size is around 133 mm uncapped & 154 mm capped. It doesn’t cap securely.This pen is made in very nice black resin, it is super shiny & feels premium in hand . I wish they had other colors too. It has an hourglass-shaped section & a number #6 14k nib in Fine with “Kaco” logo engraved over. It has a plastic feed. The section is long & threads of the cap are precise. This nib looks good & is similar to JOWO nib but it’s not JOWO. The nib suits the pen size & looks good. This pen is very comfortable for long writing sessions too. Construction- Very Well Made, The construction of this pen is top notch.The pen has been polished well & has been given a mirror like finish on both clip as well as body. It looks pleasing to the eyes , but as a result it attracts dust & micro scratches may be noticeable. The pen is elegant & is a perfect minimalistic office pen. Filling System- This is a simple C/C pen. The converter is interchangeable with a Schmidt K5 converter. It has metal reinforcements in the mouth & it is perfectly functional. You can use standard international cartridges too Nib Performance- Amazing , Kaco Master has #6 nib which is very springy and relatively soft.It is surely better than JOWO/BOCK nibs. This nib has a slight forward curve which makes a different writing angle which is different from others, I think it’s some unique Chinese grind. This is very smooth & gives a distinctive feel while writing. The nib is similar to European Fine Nibs.On the box, it’s written the nib is made in Germany but nib doesn’t look like common nibs i.e. JOWO or BOCK . Conclusion- True Master, This is the best Chinese pen I have ever used & one of the best pens available at this price. I bought it for around $120. The pen is very well made & has a great 14 k gold nib. It has a minimalistic look,which is amazing. The glossy black color looks good but I feel there should be more color options in this pen. I really can’t expect anything more at this price. It is true value for money given the quality, ergonomics and writing experience. It’s a masterpiece about which most people don’t know about !

I have a few old Conklins, and I've looked at many online, and it's very hard to find one with an intact nib: I see many with the tipping broken off. I dropped my little ringtop Student Special on a carpeted floor the other day: it didn't land on its nib, but the nib cracked right across. I love Conklin nibs, but they seem weirdly fragile compared with other nibs of the same vintage. Does anyone know enough metallurgy to give an informed answer to this perplexing question?

Hi, I usually like to always have a pen on my person when I go out, run errands, or whatever and I usually keep a pen or two or on occasion even three clipped to my shirt neckline. I was just wondering what the most amount that y'all do.

Every October 4th through 10th is World Space Week. I found a cool graphic for it, which is below, along with a link to read more about World Space Week. I downloaded this graphic several years ago. https://www.space.com/world-space-week-2022-sustainability-events

This is the first of a couple. Perfect for a beginner, a generous soul who would like to pass these around to friends, a teacher looking to reward students by introducing them to the joy of fountain pens. At least five, maybe more, pens, ink cartridges, samples, cards, pipettes. Here's the first, including a Wing Sung piston-filler, a heavy pen that takes standard internationals, and some Pilots, including Petits. I'll leave this up a while. CONUS only, and no one who's gotten a PIF from me before. Thanks, and have fun.

Happy 2023! To start the year right, here is a grab bag PIF: Several sample vials and cartridges of ink, including a Sailor and a Robert Oster. Notebooks. A surprise or two. A pen or three, one of which is a Pelikan Pelikano. And, at absolutely no extra cost to you, a Waterman Kultur! Amaze your friends, confound your enemies! Yes, you too can be the proud owner of the pen people love to hate, the pen that tried hard but failed to be a Phileas, and watch it spew its entire ink contents into the clear cap! Don't miss out on this one! CONUS only, no one who has won from me before, and please tell me a little about yourself and why you would like this PIF in your post. Winner selected by the highly scientific Eeny-Meeny Method. Thanks for looking!

Hi, I am justin and I am from a small town called leesburg Texas, I have formed a pen club for individuals from around the area. Called the East Texas Pen Club if anyone is interested, we would love to have several new members. We meet on the first Saturday of every month in Longview, although this one is being rescheduled due to the severe weather we had. You can message me or you can find us on Facebook if you would like some more information. As I said we are new and have only had one meeting so far. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1073648183520263/?ref=share_group_link

I got the Diamine InkVent Calendar and there are a lot of glitter/shimmer inks in there. And I have been gun-shy of those since I clogged the feed of a Preppy with some orange glitter ink. Any recommendations for a pen that can take it? Nothing expensive, please. Not even as much $$ as a TWSBI. Oh, and I tested the InkVent glitters, 'scuse me, SHIMMERS, with a glass dip pen. 😜 But I would like to load an actual pen with some because most of them were intriguing. Thanks!

Hi folks, I'm thinking of purchasing a lathe so that I can try to make my own tools, create custom cap bands, create custom cap band bushings of PEEK (e.g., to follow Fountainbel's swaging techniques) etc. I'd only be using the lathe for pen repair. I'd greatly appreciate any recommendations for specific models you have used with success for pen work. Thanks, Richard

I am a long-time fountain pen user/collector. i am new to forums and chat though. I hope this is the proper way to announce this new pen show. I am excited and I don't even know where to start🙂. It will be held September 8 to 10 in Orlando Florida. I think the location is perfect. The Florida Hotel and Conference Center at the Florida Mall is located a short distance from the airport, Disney World and all the other theme parks and attractions. The room rate is $115+tax (resort fee has been waived for us) free parking. One side of the hotel lobby opens into a large vibrant shopping mall. The hotel has agreed to allow our special show rate up to 3 days before the show and 3 days after. This means you can bring the family and enjoy a pen-cation, enjoy the show and all the area has to offer. They also will extend your stay longer at the show rate if rooms are available. All Access Pass: This is the best deal for the serious pen enthusiast. It allows 2 people early entry to show days Fri and Sat and includes a meet, trade, sell pens and a pizza party Thurs night. Door prizes will be given out at the pizza party. It also includes a dessert party Sat night. This pass allows you meet and hang out with vendors and other serious pen people. Price is $50, if you book your 3-night hotel stay early it will be $45. Passes will go on sale in the near future. You must book hotel room first to get discount and be eligible for door prizes. Vendors who book hotel room early will be eligible for door prizes of their own. One lucky vendor will win their 3 -night hotel stay for free! AT THIS TIME ONLY HOTEL ROOMS CAN BE BOOKED TO GET THE EARLY BIRD DISCOUNTS AND PRIZES LATER. PASSES AND VENDOR TABLES WILL GO ON SALE SOON. Hotel rooms can be booked now by calling 1-800-588-4656 or clicking the link below. A website is being developed right now you can follow Orlando Pen Show on Facebook or Instagram. http://www.tinyurl.com/Orlando-Pen-Show-2022 Please share this show info with all your pen friends, thank you all so much for your support! Joe

We've had discussions whether a woman can use blue ink, whether a man can use pink ink. But most pens are not really girl-friendly. Pens are equally used by both men and women, but it seems that the pens I see are mostly geared toward men in design. Colours are sombre, rather robust and bulky in design, without much fanciful decorations. You do get an occasional one like Marlene Dietrich, but those are very rare (there are pink Pelikanos and such, but I don't think corporate women would want to be seen with those...). So ladies! What is your "pen design" wish? Something thinner, or with filigreed barrel, or more colours? I personally want a thinner pen in brighter colours (yes, yes, I know there are Safaris, but the design of the pen isn't really... nice). Maybe a fleur-de-lis on the clip.

Can anyone explain to me why they like the designs so I can appreciate it more? I don’t mean to be rude or criticize people for what they like, I am just curious why you like the look of these pens. Just please reply! I really want to know what the appeal is. Thank you for your help! W. Major

Hello everybody Today I would like to start a conversation about EDC systems and which pens you carry everyday. I'll start: I have two pen pouches, one with 3 slots and one with 4 slots. Both of them are in brown leather. In the pouch with 3 slots (which has my last name engraved in the leather) I have the pens which have the 3 'basic colours'/most frequent used colours of ink: - Red: For the red ink I use Pelikan Edelstein Ruby, in my Parker Sonnet in red lacquer. Fine nib. Lovely pen but rigid nib, in the future I'd like to upgrade this pen to a burgundy sailor pro gear. - Green: The Diamine Sherwood Green is my favourite green ink. I use it in my Pelikan m400. Great pen but sometime I would upgrade it to an m600. - Blue: for the blue ink, I prefer dark blue. Montblancs blueblack or Pelikans 4001 blueblack is my ink to go. I use the Montblanc 146 with it. Great pen and great size! In the pouch with 4 slots I am planning to go with this pens: (note: some of the pens mentioned are yet to buy, but these are the pens I consider getting) - Brown ink: for this ink (which is the Pelikan 4001 brown, but I am planning to buy any of the other brown/sepia inks) I use my Visconti Opera Elements with a 23k pd dreamtouch nib. Awesome pen with buttery smooth nib. - Black ink: I'm not sure which pen I am getting for the black ink. Any suggestions? - A mechanical pencil. I am buying a Pelikan pencil in the lovely brown/green tortoiseshell colours. It should arrive next week, can't wait! - A demonstrator (not yet which one yet) with a highlighter ink. Not yet which ink I'll choose. As you can see, I still have to search for some pens/inks, but this (often endless) search for a pen that suits me perfectly is one of the great things in the hobby! Which pens / pouches do you have? Ruben PS: sorry for the bad English, I'm not a native English speaker

I started using fountain pens back in 2016 and I remember there being a huge amount of interest around the hobby and the community back then, to the point that I knew numerous people in my own life who began getting onboard and seeing article after article being amazed by the resurgence in the fountain pen industry. I also remember this being a huge time for smaller companies and it seemed like there was a new pen model coming out every day and hundreds of people buying new pens every hour. I stopped following everything as actively in the years after and I'm wondering what the state of the hobby is now. Is it still growing as rapidly as it was then? Has interest somewhat leveled off again to pre-2016 levels? What's the future looking like?

Hey Everyone, I just received this pen from my mother the other day as a gift. Its been her's for years but she's never used it. I'm new to the world of pens and would like to get some background info on this pen, and any thought you have on it. How much do pens like this normally buy/sell for? And is there anything special about this one?

Theblackpen asks a great question - which leads me to ask a follow-up question: what about the business end of the pen? The bit that keeps a Mont Blanc from simply being a plutocrat's pacifier? Who makes the best nibs? Who makes the mechanism that most perfectly expresses the personality of the writer? Or makes for the best experience of making little marks on paper?

Another UK exclusive from Noodler's - BREXIT! Available from Niche Pens/Pure Pens here in the UK. A smashing bullet-proof ink which is a deep/royal blue, possible with slight purple undertones. It reminds me a little of a 'dark' Diamine Imperial Blue or J Herbin's Bleu Nuit. Here's what Ross and his team say: New and exclusive Royal Blue/Purple Bulletproof Ink in 3 oz glass bottle (Approx 90ml) Nathan Tardif is a follower of world politics and current affairs, with a soft spot for the United Kindom. When the UK made the momentous decision and voted to leave the European Union, Nathan had the idea of making an ink to mark this event. A tongue-in-cheek label suggests that the UK have come around to the idea of independence from a sovereign ruler in another country, much like their own former colony did a couple of hundred years before! Incidentally, there's a lovely little story on the label which I'll type here. 'An Apology to His Majesty, King George III of The United Kingdom. We humbly regret that at long last we have come to agree with the rebels in the colony of Massachusetts that liberty is worth the risk of defiance to all the powers of the sovereign (particularly the bureaucrats in Brussels). So humbly and regretfully sorry about this, but we do send good wishes. The ink is royal purple, eternally bulletproof and pH neutral so as not to risk further offence to His Majesty.' Note: not my political views, one way or another - just what's written on the label! It's a nice ink but a little prone to a bit of feathering on some papers. As usual. the written review is on Rhodia 80g/m2 and the soak tests are on 'indifferent' paper. Soak test before... ...and after: 30 minutes soak followed by a rinse. I like this ink more than Monkey Hanger, as it is a deeper colour. It will make a nice change to Prime of the Commons!

First off, I wanted to give a big shout out for everybody that was able to attend the Dromgoole's Dallas Pen Show 2 weeks ago! We were extremely happy to put on an event like that, and you all helped make it a successful event. It was so great to get to see everybody! With that said we are doing a similar show in San Antonio November 6th-7th!. The show will be located at the Doubletree by Hilton San Antonio Northwest right off of Loop 1604 and I-10. 6809 N Loop 1604 W, San Antonio, TX 78249 There will be a special room rate of $82/night if signed up before the end of October, if you have any issues please reach out to us and we will be happy to assist. Copy & Paste this link in your browser to book your room! https://doubletree.hilton.com/en/dt/groups/personalized/S/SATJRDT-DRM-20201105/index.jhtml?WT.mc_id=POG The show hours will be as follows: Friday November 6th 10AM-7PM Saturday November 7th 9AM-4PM The show will not be quite like the normal show due to Covid. We are taking many precautions in relation to this. Due to Covid the number of tables are greatly reduced, and meet all CDC guidelines and social distancing procedures. Hand sanitizer will be placed all around the show in addition to face coverings being required. We will have face shields available at no charge at the door. There will also be restrictions in place as far as number of people allowed in the show, so a line could form. We want to make this show as fun as possible, but we are doing everything we can to make it a safe show for all vendors and attendees. Attached is a flyer we have created that has a list of current vendors that have committed to attend, we expect to have some more as time goes on. Kirk Speer (Penrealm) will be on site offering nib grinding/tuning services!

There's a pen up on ebay branded as a "Commander" (not a Commando); supposed to be Danish. It has a very pretty nib and a very Forties design. Has anyone heard of this maker?

Fountain pens are like quills, in that you never see them any more. So what do people say when you whip out that pen to make a memo? I've personally had things from "you think you're classy because you use a weird pen, don't you?" (?!?!?!) to "is that a weapon?". I've only had a few people identify them as fountain pens.