​I want to start by wishing everyone well during this trying time.  While we are all heeding the warnings regarding washing our hands, social distancing and staying at home as much as possible, we can take some time to indulge in our hobby.  There are many fun pen related things to do:
1. Catalogue your pens – It’s good to know what you have, and you may uncover some pens that you forgot you had.  Some keep their pen records in a notebook, others use an electronic database – use whatever works for you.
2. Clean and test your pens – I periodically go thru and flush my pens with water.  This prevents the buildup of old ink, and you can test the filling mechanism at the same time.
3. Write letters – Since we cannot visit friends and family, sending a letter is a great way to stay in touch.  Take the opportunity to write letters with some of the pens you haven’t used in a while and perhaps try new ink with a bold color.
4. Start a journal – Record your experiences, thoughts or perhaps make it a diary.  It will be interesting to look back a year from now to read what we went thru during this time.
5. Hold a virtual pen meeting – Since we cannot attend our local pen meetings in person, arrange a virtual pen meeting.  It’s a great way to stay in touch and share information.
6. Join on-line pen groups – There are many on-line pen groups on Facebook, Twitter and other social media outlets.  There is a lot of information shared in these groups and you can make new pen friends on-line.
Have no doubt, we will get through this crisis.  In the meantime, we can enjoy our hobby and expand our horizons.
Happy Collecting!

​Once you start collecting pens of any vintage you will be face with storing them when not in use.  Given that we spend our hard-earned money on these pens we want to store them in such a way that they are protected from potential damage.  How to store our treasures?   One way would be to keep them in their original boxes.  That works for new pens, however, vintage pens and gently used modern pens often do not come with a box other than what they were shipped in when purchased.   I have seen some beautiful wooden boxes built especially for storage of pens.  Some have glass so you can easily see what’s inside.  I have seen old wooden cases with drawers which were used to store maps or prints fitted with slotted pen trays.  I have such a piece of furniture fitted with slotted pen trays I purchased from Gary Lehrer at gopens.com.  I used Elmer’s glue to secure them into the drawers.  I have pens organized by manufacturer such as Parker, Sheaffer’s and so forth.  In this way if I want to write with a Parker 51 I go to the third drawer from the top, for example.  Regardless of how you store your pens be sure to flush thoroughly with water if you plan on putting a pen away for an extended period.
Happy Holidays and Happy Collecting!

​More and more I speak with people who write in a journal daily.  I recently spoke with someone who writes in journal as part of a college course she is taking.  One of the people in our local pen club writes in a journal daily and uses a variety of pens each filled with a different color of ink.  I take a journal with me when I travel to record my experiences.  This goes for both business travel and vacations.  Recently I needed surgery and spent 4 days in the hospital.  I started a journal to keep a record of my experiences and have continued to do so while I am at home recovering.  I have a very nice journal with fountain pen friendly paper that someone gave me to try out to record my experiences.  Some people use leather bound books and some people use ordinary notebooks.  Does anyone else out there write in a journal on a regular basis?  If so, what are you using for the journal?  I would love to know!
Happy Collecting!

​I can’t believe how quickly the summer has gone by.  Living in the northeast portion of the US my entire life, I am still amazed at how long winter lasts while summer flies by.  On a positive note I had the good fortune to return to China, visiting Shanghai and Beijing.  Fountain pens and ink are plentiful in both cities.  You can find them in book stores and art supply stores.  I did buy several pens & some interesting bottles of ink which I will be selling at The Commonwealth Pen Show on Sunday, September 15th.  This is the sixth year in a row that we are holding the show at the Holiday Inn in Somerville, MA located at 30 Washington Street.  Hope to see you there!  Meanwhile, enjoy the rest of the summer 😊.
Happy Collecting!

We spend a lot of time discussing and blogging about fountain pens and ink.  An important aspect of our hobby is finding paper suitable for fountain pen ink.  What are some of the qualities of pf paper that make it fountain pen friendly?  The color of the paper maybe be important depending on the color of the ink you are using.  White paper is very popular because of the nice contrast of the ink against the page.  The thickness of the paper is important because we don’t want feathering or spreading of the ink thru the fibers of the paper.  Along with feathering, we don’t want the ink to bleed thru to the other side of the page.  Drying time of the ink is important as well.  As with many things we need to carefully balance these factors when selecting suitable paper.  Currently I prefer Rhodia notebooks and pads, however, I do enjoy trying paper from different manufacturers.  What are your thoughts on this topic?  Please share with the followers of the blog.
​Happy Collecting!

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​In the spring of 2018 I had an article published in Paul Erano’s Fountain Pen Journal about the merits of the brick and mortar pen shop.  Whether it is a vintage pen or a new pen, I prefer buying pens in a pen shop.  Why?  Because I can try the pen before buying.  I can see how the pen fits my hand and how it writes.  I had a friend recently tell me he only buys pens face to face.  That being said, there are a number of very reputable people selling pens on-line whom I patronize.  I also sell pens on line.  Buying on-line may be the only way some people can buy pens as they may not live close to a store or have access to a local pen group.  What do you think?  I would love to know your thoughts.
Happy Collecting!

​As we approach the end of the first full week of 2019 I thought it would be nice to reflect on pen activity in 2018.  It was a busy year for me – a trip to Shanghai in April afforded me the opportunity to purchase a number of inexpensive, good quality fountain pens.  The Commonwealth Pen Show in September was a big success for everyone and a lot of fun!  While I do love collecting vintage fountain pens and pencils, I did purchase a few modern fountain pens in 2018 which I do enjoy.  They include 2 Franklin Christophs, an Opus 88 Koloro with eye dropper fill and a big ebonite ASA from India.  All great writers and reasonably priced.  I would love to hear what your pen activities were in 2018 and any interesting purchases you made.
Happy Collecting!

​I hope the holiday season is treating everyone well and that you have acquired some wonderful new treasures.  I wrote the draft of this blog post with my newly acquired Wahl Eversharp circa 1929, a wonderful pen.  Another recent find is a beautiful Parker Duofold Senior in burgundy.  The Duofolds are a favorite of mine and I have been collecting them in various colors and sizes.  The senior burgundy has company, ie a Parker Duofold Junior in burgundy purchased a few years ago.  Somewhere along the way I found the smallest pen in the photo, also a burgundy.  The question is – what size is this pen considered?  I looked thru my copy of “Fountain Pens and Pencils” by George Fischler and Stuart Schneider.  From what I see it could be a Juniorette.  Or it could be a vest pocket Duofold.  What do you think?  Please chime in with your opinions.
Happy Collecting and Happy Holidays!

Normally when I am looking for a fountain pen I head to Bromfield Pen Shop in Boston, my local pen group and/or a pen show.  Recently I’ve come across fountain pens in unexpected places.  During a recent stroll along Charles Street in the Beacon Hill section of Boston we came across a very nice shop selling stationary and cards amongst other things.  In need of a birthday card I started looking thru the selection when something caught my eye.  It was a small selection of Ooly fountain pens.  I had never heard of this brand and there they were in 3 colors – green, blue and red.  Each pen came with 3 cartridges that matched the color of the pen.  And the price - $5.95!  I bought a green one and have enjoyed writing with it ever since.  Earlier in the year I was in Logan airport waiting for a flight when I saw a very nice bookstore.  While looking thru the books I bumped into a Lamy display.  There were pens and pads at the display so you could try them yourself without needing help from anyone.  And hey, if you are about to board a plane and forgot to bring a fountain pen – a Lamy Safari makes a great companion.  Have you come across fountain pens in unexpected places?  Please do let me know.
Happy Collecting!

I recently had the good fortune to take a business trip to Shanghai.  We went a few days early to do some site seeing and discovered Fuzhou street which has numerous stationary and book stores that sell fountain pens.  The pens range from inexpensive cartridge/converter models to some fairly high end models.  I did buy a 10 pack of Hero 616’s  which was turned out to be about $2 per pen.  Don’t let the price fool you – the Hero 616 is a very good replica of the aerometric Parker 51.  In another shop I bought a bottle of Hero blue-black ink.  I immediately inked up one of the Hero 616s and wrote in my journal.  We also stumbled upon a Parker store, check out the pic with yours truly.  While shopping for pens in the US has mostly been relegated to the internet, brick and mortar shops selling pens in Shanghai are plentiful.  All in all it was a fun shopping experience in an amazing city.
Happy Collecting!