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The TIPS (Tokyo Pen Show) is HUGE this year, it has way more venders than last year, I am very excited for it! Tickets will be open for sale soon ( 23th Sept GMT +9 ) , so I am creating this thread, hoping to help for those who are planning to attend, or those who are interested in Japan FP market to navigate a little bit easier. Basic Information: Tokyo Pen Show 2024 tokyo-international-penshow.com November 2nd (Saturday), 3rd (Sunday), and 4th (Holiday/Monday) Regarding to crowd-control and queue up: Just for your reference this is my experience from last year, I am not sure if it would be the same this year, but the basic should be similar. ( I will update here if they announced different type of queue up methods) - Japanese events are VERY punctual, queue up for entrance usually happen 30mins before the event starts. If you have certain items you intend to buy, and they only have limited quantities, it is very important to arrive early. - The show will be held in the 4th and 5th floor of Tokyo Metropolitan Industrial Trade Center. The main entrance should be in either one of the floor. You will need to show the QR code of your tickets to the staff (the QR code should be in the page or the email of your purchase) - There should be a number shown in your purchase, and that number would be your queue up number. - There will be space especially prepared for queue up. Queue up will be separated by rows (eg. From 1-15, 16-25). Ask the staff if you are not sure or cannot pick up the announcement. - The row, then will divide into “going to the 4th floor “or “going to the 5th floor”. So make sure you have check out the floor map ( it has not been released yet) and decide which booth you will visit first. - You will then be led to the corresponding floor and led to queue up on the front of the booth. - You won’t be able to shop until announcement is made. Here below are some of the vendors that I personally enjoy using their products or admire their visions. I am writing this as an individual FP/Stationery lover, I do NOT have any kinds of affiliation with any of these venders. ++ Atabo ++ https://atasta.shop/ Atabo creates a huge varieties of Manuscript paper(原稿用紙) Manuscript paper has been a very important writing tool in the early era for writers to keep track of their word counts. Every sheet of the manuscript paper has 400 squares(マス目), one kanji for one square. Atabo has lots of different manuscript paper designs; the 3D design specially requires a 3D glass to see how it looks! Or rounded shape type They are all FP friendly, shows shimmer and sheen well. The other popular product of Atabo is the accordion calendar for Techo https://www.atasta.shop/product-list/10 ++ BUNGUBOX ++ https://bungubox.shop/ I don’t think I need to say more, though I do want to emphasize how beautiful their Maki-e convertors are. I was hesitant to buy a Maki-e TWSBI ECO, but a convertor is price-friendly enough. Especially they are all hand-painted by Mr. Hino who lost most of his home and tools during the Noto earthquake in Jan 2024. A few weeks ago I visited the Bungubox and found a teeny tiny stamp with their trademark ink bottle. I hope they will bring them to TIPS. ++ Kobayashi 文具館コバヤシ ++ https://www.kobabun.net Kobayashi is located in Shizuoka, there are total 6 actual and mortar stores. (I have yet to visit all of them!) These are their original SE FP https://www.kobabun.net/5787 You will find a big amount of original inks from them, Shizuoka ink is produced by Sailor https://www.kobabun.net/5627 While the Katana ink series and bechori-san collaboration ink are made by Tono Lims https://www.kobabun.net/5685 One of the products I will bring every time when visiting their stores is : Yuyu san Nuritakuri-e postcard(ぬりたくり絵 see information on Noto) https://kobabun.shop-pro.jp/?pid=167592557 ++ Frame Work ++ https://gensou.shop-pro.jp/ They have INCREDIBLE craftsmanship of glass pen. I remember how shocked I was when I first saw their products. Dragon pen rest, glass pens with wings ! OMG. I will let you see for yourself https://www.instagram.com/flame_works_jp Every piece of their works are masterpiece. I personally do not particularly write with a glass pen, but the joy of looking at these gorgeous creation, reminds me why attending a pen show is highly recommended! ++ Galen Leather ++ https://galenleather.com/ There are some controversial opinions about Galen 's products, this is the perfect choice to check out their products, maybe even take them in hand, touch the leather, and decide whether you like it or not. Last year they sold the single pen sleeve in a very affordable price, perfect gift for other stationery/FP users. I enjoyed a great deal having some intensive conversation with the owners last year. ++ GaniCalligraphy 文画師Gani ++ https://ganicalligraphy.tokyo/ Gani is an award-winning artist and calligrapher; he created amazing graphic using his own calligraphy https://jp.pinkoi.com/product/xGuvQ8eV You can find postcard, T-shirt, A4 file folder of his creations. It was such a pleasure to talk to him, exchanging our love for certain historical figure. In some of the events, he would write your name in his beautiful calligraphy for you. ++ Hachimonjiya 八文字屋 ++ https://hachimonjiya.com/ Hachimonjiya is a stationery store located in Yamagata . They have a lot of original pens https://hachimonjiya.com/collections/original_pens and inks https://hachimonjiya.com/collections/original_ink also these beautiful LE LIFE notebooks which I highly recommend. https://hachimonjiya.com/collections/original-notes I am buying this cute little sticker in TIPS : https://hachimonjiya.com/collections/original-notes/products/book-car-sticker Yamagata is so far away that most of us might never visit, so this is a good chance to see their products in person. ++ HOUSHOKU KOUBOU KYOMARU宝飾工房京丸 ++ https://www.instagram.com/nishibayashi_shigeki Kyomaru specializes in decorating stationery. I love seeing their display; every piece is an art work. A friend has commissioned a decorated lighter from them and it is a feast to an eye ++Ishimaru Bunkoudou 石丸文行堂 ++ https://www.ishimaru-bun.co.jp Ishimaru is a stationery store located in Nagasaki. They have released lots of Nagasaki original stationery https://www.ishimaru-bun.co.jp/original/ FP and Ink homage for Nagasaki https://www.ishimaru-bun.co.jp/n-bikei/ Ishimaru original stationery https://ishimarubun.shop-pro.jp/?mode=grp&gid=2509431&sort=n Color bar Ink which has a wide color chart of choices to choose from https://www.ishimaru-bun.co.jp/original/colorbarink/ The SE Pilot 742 I bought from them remains to be one of my most treasured Pilot pens https://ishimarubun.shop-pro.jp/?mode=grp&gid=2509431&sort=n ++ Japan Brown Promotion Association 日本茶色普及協会 ++ There will be a few workshops this vendor providing. Including - "Put fountain pen ink into your ballpoint pen" -"Let's make a leather cover for notebook" As the title says, the gentleman loves anything in brown color. From his T-shirt to his hand towel and even his mask, all are in different shades of brown. If you show him your belongings (techo, pen case etc) in brown color, he will give you a tiny sticker like this: https://www.instagram.com/p/C6ivEEWpXQ-/ Last year he gave me a sticker for my gold-brownish dyed hair lol ++ 神戸派計画 Kobeha ++ https://kobeha.com I simply love their GRAPHILO notebook. It offers a different kind of performance than Tomoe River or Iroful. They might not be the most affordable notebook, but they sure are unique. I also recommend checking out the CITO for those who prefer white pages https://fromkobe.jp/?mode=grp&gid=1779060 and the Graphilio name card is my go-to for ink swatches https://fromkobe.jp/?pid=181032790 ++ kohunkan kappansho 廣運舘活版所 ++ https://kohunkankappan.jp/ Kohunkan is a letterpress company. They sell classy letter sets/ memo pads etc. I love the texture of their paper. ++ Laban Pen ++ https://www.instagram.com/labanpen/ Laban pen is a Taiwan FP manufacturer. I personally own a dozen of their pens, they are well made and good looking. I am not sure if the brand themselves are coming or their distributors are attending, either way, it is a great chance to look at some of their designs such as the Skeleton series, which I highly recommend. https://laban.com/collections/skeleton Their latest release - A Sanyu in Hand, is unique and gorgeous https://laban.com/collections/a-sanyu-in-hand-collection ++ Mart ++ https://lit.link/mart https://www.instagram.com/mart.jp Mart is a multi-talented artist who created the new trend :ink mascara. He has also released many original iron gall inks. In his words : "Those are for lazy FP people (who doesn’t like to clean very much) I have his Compass(羅針盤 ) inked in my Mini Diamond 580 for over a year, never have any problems even without usage for months. https://www.instagram.com/p/CvmXlZPJl26/ My other favorite product of him is the cassette tape motif M5 refills . https://www.instagram.com/reel/CyxI9ogpW4X/ ++ Mita Sanshodo 三田三昭堂 ++ Mita Sanshodo's billboard product is their ink, with a gorgeous kirie glass bottle. Several of their inks are must have IMO: Olive (gorgeous shading) , Jyako( similar to Lamy Dark Lilac) and Hakka (beautiful sheen) https://www.mitaclub.co.jp/html/topics/original.html 館林紬「日日凛」カラー万年筆インク６色セット is a LE ink set. One of the best assorted ink sets I have ever bought. 館林紬「日日凛」ミニ原稿用紙 is made by Masuya(満寿屋). Their paper is SUPERB for FP. ++ Nagasawa ナガサワ文具センター ++ https://kobe-nagasawa.co.jp/ Neednot to explain further. There are a few SE items that you may have missed : NAGASAWA x Kakuno https://www.nagasawa-shop.jp/shopdetail/000000004813/original/page2/price/ NAGASAWA x Kobe ink pin badge https://www.nagasawa-shop.jp/shopdetail/000000003927/original/page1/price/ 満寿屋(Masuya)×NAGASAWA　Techo refill https://www.nagasawa-shop.jp/shopdetail/000000000616/original/page1/price/ NAGASAWA Kokuyu field notebook 神戸測量野帳 https://www.nagasawa-shop.jp/shopdetail/000000004866/original/page1/price/ ++ Noritama のりたま_ ++ https://x.com/noritama_star Noritama is a foil-stamping and engraving service in very affordable price. There are a wide selection of fonts, sizes and foils to customize your notebook, case cover etc. I absolutely love the iridescent colored foil stamped on my cover. ++ nouto.co ノウト ++ https://nouto.co https://www.nouto.shop/ Nouto is renown manufacter of the ぬりたくり絵(ink swatch card). They can be found in name card and postcard size. https://www.nouto.shop/categories/5722264 Last year there was a "ぬりたくり絵(nuritakuri-e)詰め放題" (fit all you can) which you can push as many ぬりたくり絵(name card size) into a thin transparent pocket as possible. There are two thicknesses of transparent pockets to choose from. It was fun and a great chance to get different types of ぬりたくり絵 in one go. The ぬりたくり絵 for M5 techo refill https://www.nouto.shop/items/88740802 and the alphabet types are my rec's https://www.nouto.shop/items/77410942 Their original inks are produced based on a funny joke/idea: “most of the cute items in the world are made by Ojisan(uncle) " https://www.nouto.shop/categories/5898180 The other main product of Nouto is the nombre Notebook N https://nouto.co/products/nombrenote/ The notebook used 菁文堂(Seibundo) paper and each page is marked with a page number. Nombre notebook has all sort of cover colors, and it lays flat. https://www.nouto.shop/categories/3646607 PS I heard that there will be a new product for FP lovers being released in TIPS ++ punpukudo ぷんぷく堂 ++ Punpukudo is an actual stationery store that opens after 7pm. There have a lot of original stationery https://punpukudo.shop/?category_id=60a924571945c74d18dd1ee5 I especially love the Punpukudo x Tsubame notebook https://punpukudo.shop/items/637c9078bd5e4d0829b40bdb the notebook made with bamboo paper. https://punpukudo.shop/items/5e12d5370cc8de1a09185895 ++ SEY soporta ++ www.seypen.jp I have talked to the owner in several shows in the past 2 years. Their products are very eye catching, very colorful. They also take customized orders on pens. ( I am sending my 912 to be made!) Their new released pen tray with kimono fabric, are great tool to store your pens. I am happy with mine! ++ Studyo Agackakan ++ https://www.studyoagackakan.com Studyo Agackakan is from Turkey. They have a wide range of ebonite to urushi pens. I have a Studyo Agackakan x Galen Ebonite pen which I love every part of it. https://www.galenleather.com/products/galen-x-studyo-agackakan-fountain-pen-v1-ebonite-yellow-green Last year they had those lovely cat shaped pen rest. The cutest well made pen rest ever ! https://www.instagram.com/p/Cozyg4pDqwn/?img_index=1 ++ Teriw テリュー ++ https://teriw.jp/ Teriw 's writing boards completely changed my writing style and habits. I am the kind of person who cannot proper write a sentence without the line goes all the way up to the top on a page. I have tried those grid guide sheet but they never stick well enough beneath for me to keep writing. Teriw's board has a small clip function to keep the grid guide sheet ticked, and the brass board offers incredible smooth and textured writing experience that I cannot get enough. You can write on both sides of the board: brass vs a soft pocket on the top of brass. The brass ages and patina are very beautiful. https://teriw.jp/board/ Teriw then released the Mat series, while it doesn't have the grid guide sheet attached , it provides the most amazing cusion for writing in my FP. https://teriw.jp/mat/ You should be able to test writing in Teriw's booth. I strongly recommend you experience yourself. Teriw's writing board is literally one of the stationery items I packed in my evacuation bag. No kidding ++ Toyooka Craft 豊岡クラフト ++ https://toyocraft.com/en/ Many of you may know Toyooka, their pen rest/cabinet are top notch. TIPS is the best place to see their collection as not many stores stock them (STAs -STATIONERY Station in Nihonbashi does, but only a few types) Last year there was a tiny pen rest in indigo color for sale, it was perfect when I used up all my budget but still wanted to have one of their creations. ++ 日本手帖の会 Nippon Techo No Kai++ https://x.com/nippontecho The Nippon Techo No Kai will be holding a "general election" of over 100 Techo-es. You will be able to test with these techo-es, touch the pages and test if they feather/bleed etc. The Nippon Techo No Kai is a group of "hardcore(in a good way)" Techo lovers, multiple techo events are held every year among all area in Japan and even in Taiwan. Please note that this is NOT an official guide. Once again I do NOT have any kinds of affiliation with any of these venders; I just want to share the fun and joy of attending Japan stationery shows with you.

Hi all! I've just joined the forum, as I'm looking for help with a vintage Cross ballpoint (classic century?) such a Beautiful pen and I fear I've ruined it... Was trying to get the refill out (I know I know, read the instructions) and somehow unscrewed the refill *holder* instead of just the refill. The spring and 2 little washers came out as well. For the life of me, it won't all go back in! It's like the refill holder is too big. . Is this how it stays in..? Friction? And once it is out, can it ever be put back? I am beyond annoyed with myself.

Aloha Everyone. This is my first writing sample. Does anyone know what style it is? How can I improve? What style or method should I practice to improve it? Thank you, jim

The India Pen show 2019 held at Mumbai concluded today. Here are some pics: The event was held on 2nd and 3rd of February 2019 at the Nehru Centre, Worli. http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj582/hari-317/tips2019/DSC_3285.jpg http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj582/hari-317/tips2019/DSC_3187.jpg The registration desk. Entry fees was 200/- per head. One fountain pen was free with every ticket. http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj582/hari-317/tips2019/DSC_3286.jpg http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj582/hari-317/tips2019/DSC_3190.jpg http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj582/hari-317/tips2019/DSC_3191.jpg A workshop in progress... http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj582/hari-317/tips2019/DSC_3193.jpg http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj582/hari-317/tips2019/DSC_3196.jpg http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj582/hari-317/tips2019/DSC_3197.jpg The exhibitors were in a separate hall. Rytol, a new company based out of Kochi. http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj582/hari-317/tips2019/DSC_3198.jpg http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj582/hari-317/tips2019/DSC_3199.jpg

THE INDIAN PEN SHOW India's first ever international fountain pen exhibition: "The India Pen Show" is being organized at Mumbai and following are the details Venue Location: Nehru Centre, Mumbai Date: 2nd and 3rd February 2019 Few highlights of the show are : The Show will be paying tribute to Kaifi Azmi Saheb on his birth centenary. The show will be inaugurated by Javed Akhtar and/or Shabana Azmi There will be an audio-visual tribute to Kaifi Azmi Saheb followed by Kaifi Azmi limited edition fountain pen launch (made by Constellations88 and limited to just 100 pieces). Few of these will be given to special people including Javed Akhtar, Gulzaar Sahab, Shankar Mahadevan, Aamir Khan, Shyam Bengal, Naresh Goyal among others. About 45 exhibitor tables, featuring 50+ brands Pens ranging from INR 50 to 5,00,000 Calligraphy and doodle workshops every hour at the venue. About 100+ colors of inks and ink testing table. Guided tour of the history and evolution of fountain pens including demonstrations of various ink filling mechanisms and first-hand experience of writing with a few types of fountain pens. There will be a "write a letter, say it better" booth for people to write a handwritten note to their loved ones and we shall post it on their behalf, we will also have calligraphers to assist with handwriting and letter writing if need be. kids section for them to be introduced to fountain pens and 50 kids between 8 to 12 years of age will be given a free fountain pen on each day. 5 giveaways each day by way of the raffle which will.include pens, journals, pen cases, inks etc Return gift for every entry pass holder at the show. there will be a couple of pens at each table for great discounts, early birds can get the benefit of the same. The show is organized by www.constellations88.com and www.magnacartapen.com The title sponsor of the show is William Penn (The largest retail store network in India) and is co-sponsored by Kaweco India. We will be receiving pens from Conid to be included in the guided tour, we will be getting pens from Alan show as part of giveaway, we will be getting few inks by Robert Oster for giveaways, a new ink will be launched by Krishna inks and samples will be given, a few more pens will be up for grabs. Follow the entire development of www.theindiapenshow.com Facebook: theindiapenshow Instagram: theindiapenshow Blog: www.inkedhappiness.com

I got a new toy for my birthday, a digital microscope. I decided to test it out with a bag of unsorted dip pens I had on hand and so I took pictures of the difference between a turned-up tip and a Oval or Round or Ball or Dome point tip. (depending on branding). These types of tips were originally made to create a smooth-writing pen. Instead of a sharp tip resting on the paper, the deformation of the very tip of the pen created a broader surface and allowed for smoother writing across the paper. The earliest form was the turned-up tip. This was just by turning up the very tip of the tines to create the broader surface. This is a Barion Pen #45. It's harder to see from the tip view, but the side view shows it very clearly. And on the bottom you can see the slightly broader, more rounded surface. The next is a Spencerian #42 Gilt Point Dome Point. This is the Spencerian version of the type of point made by using a very small and very hard punch to create a small bowl shape into the very tip of the tines. This creates a round shape on the bottom which makes for a very smooth writing experience. And then the bottom of the Spencerian. The last pen is an Esterbrook 902 Oval Point. You can see the shape of the bowl or indentation is slightly different, but the effect is basically the same. These various kinds of tips were quite popular. Esterbrook's 788 was one of its best sellers. But because of the slightly broader surface area, you can't use these pens to get very fine hairlines. They will always make a slightly broader line than a sharp-pointed pen. As a result these were pretty much exclusively used for business, correspondence and other general uses, and not calligraphy. I think I'm going to like my new toy.

Henlo! My handwriting is not the best and using fountain pens have improved it quite a bit but I am always seeing beautiful post of people's handwriting and I am really struggling with having my handwriting look so nice. Any tips that could help me out?

I would love for this to be made a pinned topic so all who enter can quickly find tips on photographing their pens.

Hi everyone, I plan on going to my first pen show sometime soon. There's one coming up in San Francisco that's relatively close to where I live. What should I expect at the pen show and how should I prepare? What kind of pens show up there? Is there any sort of etiquette I should follow? I am a beginning collector that has recently ventured into the Lamy 2000, Pilot VP/Decimo, Platinum #3776, Pelikan M200 range of pens. I have never spent more than $150 on a pen and have no experience with vintage pens. I would appreciate any tips or suggestions. Thanks!

I recently received a new TWSBI mini with an italic nib. I love the effortless flow and ease of writing, but I've never learned how to write with italic and feel like I'm waisting the nib's potential! If anyone could critique my handwriting or suggest sources to learn proper italic handwriting, that would be amazing. I know I need to work on keeping my lines straight and spacing even.... It's a work in progress. Thank you in advance! I apologize if the quality is poor

Hello, Being a ballpoint generation and having used ballpoints since the first day I went to school, I had difficulty in transitioning to fountain pens. Loosening up the grip and using the whole arm movement were like learning how to walk all over again. In the end, I finally found what works for me, and hopefully this may be helpful to others who are having similar problems. Note that this is not the only way. I am pretty sure that others may have discovered various ways of holding fountain pens. Figure 1 shows how I hold ballpoint pens. The pen is held/pinched by the index finger and the thumb, and the pen rests near the first joint of the middle finger. Notice how much my index finger bends and how my index finger meets my thumb. When writing using this grip, I rely a lot on finger movements and downward pressure, both of which are unsuitable for writing with fountain pens. Figure 2 shows my fountain pen grip. First, notice that I slide my thumb position backward (Always remember to pull back your thumb when using fountain pens). Second. the pen is held by my middle finger and my thumb. The pen rests near the first joint of the middle finger and held in place by the thumb. The thumb is positioned slightly backward towards the rear. Third, the index finger simply rests on the pen. In fact, I can actually lift my index finger up and write (as shown in Figure 3). Forth, when writing, do not use any part of your palm as the pivot. Instead, use the fleshy part of your forearm as the pivot and let your arm move freely. When using this fountain pen grip, you will rely less on finger movement, and more on wrist and whole arm movement, which is the ideal according to Palmer. The only caveat is that you cannot use this grip when you need to exert downward pressure. So when you are writing using ballpoint pens or you need to write on carbon papers, you need another grip. I hope this helps.

If there is already a section for this, please let me know. I have yet to find one though on Storage and Organization for fine writing tools and materials. It would be nice to have a section for this for people to ask questions in reference to storage and organization, pose ideas, tips, or tricks, post photos of how they organize and store things, and attach instructional files, such as a word document, to their post if they should wish to do so. Just a thought Again, please let me know if a section such as this exists. Thanks! ~gracefulpen

How is my handwriting, in this post you all good people will tell me that is my handwriting good or not and help me choose my final handwriting and by time to time you guys will give me tips on improving my handwriting. Thanks. See the file attached below in which there is one of my handwriting style.

I have always used ballpoints/gell/rollerball/pencils etc. I have recently started on fountain pens, but quickly found out, much to my surprise, that the ink does not dry instantly. I always rub the side of my pinky against my letters, making them smudge as I write out the line underneath the previous line. The only cure I found so far is to turn the paper slightly sideways or do double spacing or to just lift my hand off the paper as I write. All of those postures are either tiring, makes the writing ugly, very uncomfortable to use, or all three. Is there a proper way to use fountain pens?