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We will have friends visiting San Francisco and we've arranged a pen posse meetup at the Japan Center Mall in San Francisco's Japantown. The overall plan is to visit Maido and Kinokuniya. At 10:00am, the group will first meet at Andersen Bakery for some caffeine and perhaps breakfast. Then let's walk to the other side of the mall for some stationery goodness. Maido opens at 11:00am. Saturday, April 15, 2023 at 10:00am Andersen Bakery 1737 Post St Suite 304, San Francisco, CA 94115 Maido Stationery 1581 Webster St Ste 180 & 218, San Francisco, CA 94115

Peter's Cafe 10 El Camino Real, Millbrae, CA 94030 Sunday - November 27 at 1:00pm Take a break from shopping, food coma, or family - and hang out with pen peeps! Plus, someone’s back in town coming from two European pen shows. Curious to hear stories!

Back to our regular spot for another posse meet. Last Sunday, people were looking for Todd (who's not on FB). Also... there may or may not be a visitor from out of town. We will either be in the back area or the small party room. Just ask where the "Pen People" are. 😃 10 El Camino Real, Millbrae, CA 94030 Sunday - April 3 at 1:00pm The mask mandates may have been lifted, however, we request for anyone attending to wear a mask for everyone's safety and comfort. Thank you and see you there!

A change of venue for the SF Pen Posse next week! Cheryl was kind enough to reserve and host a meetup space for us at the San Francisco Center for the Book (SFCB). The SFCB has their own parking lot, and there are lots of street parking too. Per Google Maps, there are quite a few food spots within 1 to 2 blocks as well. San Francisco Center for the Book 375 Rhode Island St, San Francisco, CA 94103 Sunday - March 20 at 11:00am-4:00pm *** Per the SFCB website, they will continue to require that all students, instructors, and visitors wear a well-fitting mask (no bandanas or gaiters) while in the Center. *** We do request that for anyone attending to wear a mask for everyone's safety and comfort. See you there!

Hello Everyone, I recently was givien about 16 oz left over from a 32 oz bottle of this Flo-EZE Brilliant Carmine from Caldwell Ink Co. This bottle has a very old look to it, similar to the 1920's bottles. It says non corrosive and unaffected by steel pens. Does anyone have any information on such ink and the company before Caldwell became a printing company for present printers? Is it ok to use on fountain pens? The bottle states that it is from San Francisco and Oakland with a quote saying "Made in California under the most favorable climatic conditions in the world." I looked all over online and not a single picture or clue to this type of ink.

Dear all, some years ago I won in some kind of competition a Pelikan M 620 fountain pen, from the Cities Series, model "San Francisco". I have never used it, actually I have merely opened its box once or twice, since I am not a pen aficionado. I have just put it in some drawer and forgot all about it. Recently I had to make some space for new stuff in my room, so I came across the pen again. Since it is totally useless to me, I wonder if there is anyone in here who would be interested in buying this totally new, absolutely unused fountain pen. I could have put it in auction at eBay, but, to be honest, I do not know how much would sound reasonable to ask as a starting price. Any help from the honourable community of fountainpennetwork.com would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Thanks to all for the recommendation of visiting Maido in San Francisco - it is a wonderful store. Located in the Westfield Mall on one of the top floors, it has a breathtaking and entertaining array of pens, pencils, ink, cases, stationary, writing accessories, journals and greeting cards. They even have sushi shaped pencil erasers! They are wonderful, courteous people, and a joy to visit. Here are a few pictures of this week's purchase, including: -Minerva Box handmade leather pen/pencil rool in teal -Sailor inks in blue and orange -Pilot VP fountain pen and cartridges -Leather-bound mini journal (gift wrapped) -Ohto micro pen -Mini panda note pads -A4 1mm grid paper pad -Sushi erasers in Uni, Salmon Nigiri and Tekka Maki

Are there any groups for collectors in the Northern California area? Especially in the Sacramento area? I am also looking for local area pen shows.

Greetings from the Bay Area! I have now been living in the Bay Area for three years, relocating from my home town of Seattle. I became an enthusiast of fountain pens (and writing instruments in general) through the study of graphic design. I learned about the tools of the trade; the fountain pen was one of them. Several of my peers had used fountain pens and technical pens for illustrations, and I slowly became interested in them. I procured inexpensive Rotring models to start off and learned how to use them. Later, as I progressed into Graphic Design, I found work at a family owned stationery store, Sab-Tec Stationers- owned by Sabah and Liesel Al-Haddad, that let me grow in my knowledge in fine writing instruments. I started selling art supplies and office products, but began to gravitate towards the Fine Writing Instruments. Soon I became extensively knowledgeable on all the writing instruments and became one of the top sales associates of fine pens in the store. I presented all the pens we had with enthusiasm- Cross, Parker, Waterman, Sheaffer, Namiki, Visconti, Lamy, Rotring, Aurora, and Recife- and many other brands and models. I purchased my own, as well as was rewarded with well-regarded fountain pens. When I left to advance my career and education, my interest in fountain pens did not wane. I had inherited my father's and grandfather's pens, which were tucked away with their belongings. For a brief time, I drew with my father's Parker 51, but after a while, I decided to get my own pens to draw with for my own personal satisfaction. Thus my collecting resume. I bought an assortment of inexpensive and expensive fountain pens through the years, each being used for various projects and writing. Parker, Pilot/Namiki, and Sheaffer pens can usually be found on my person or on my desk, along with the many, many pens that I have accumulated from vendors and suppliers- roller balls, ball-points, mechanical pencils, etc. I joined this network to touch base with the community and glean knowledge about products, opinions, and to fill in the gaps of my knowledge on fountain pen lore. I want to expand my knowledge on ink, paper, handwriting, calligraphy, and techniques. I would like to learn a bit on maintenance and repair as well. I hope to share the bits of knowledge I have on Fine Writing Instruments as well. Thank you all for letting me be part of the forum!

Does anybody have any information? David