Saturday was a big day for me because with the arrival of Chatterley Luxuries I could now determine whether I was going to be leaving with a Nakaya or a Danitrio. In addition to all the cool stuff I saw on Friday, I repeatedly went back to view all the Nakayas at Classic Pens’ table and narrowed down my selection to either a Neo-Standard or a Dorsal Fin. But, once I saw all the Danis at Chatterley Luxuries’ table my first thought was that this decision was going to get much more complicated.
As soon as I laid eyes on it was actually a very easy decision. Please allow me to introduce you to the Danitrio Mikado in Nashiji-nuri:
So now that I had fulfilled my main goal I was pretty much riding on an urushi high for the rest of the show. The best part, here it is a week after the show and every time I use it I’m getting a small contact buzz.
After an hour of ogling the rest of Bryant’s pens, I wondered into the ballroom where a lively Andy Lambrou caught me and introduced me to the one and only Paul Rossi. Paul does a lot of custom work and his craftsmanship is impeccable. I would highly encourage you to Google “Paul Rossi fountain pen” and take a gander at the results. Paul was gracious enough to open up his pen case and show me some of the items he’s created. Pictures just don’t do it justice.
I continued to peruse the show floor and found the mecca of fountain pen repair:
Everything you could possibly dream of related to fountain pen repair could be found at Dale’s table. As expensive as some of these tools can get, it’s worth having the right one for the job.
It’s always a pleasure seeing Michael Sull. He’s the author of American Cursive Handwriting, a book I highly recommend if you’re looking to improve your writing. He also sells some unique oblique nib holders and will pen your name in Spencerian for free. He’s one of the nicest people to talk to, so if you have the chance, definitely stop by his table and say hello.
Pen shows are such a great place to find flexible nibs. John Corwin specializes in flex and you can easily find him because he’ll be the one with the big “FLEXXIES” balloon tied to his table. John neatly organizes and labels all the pens making it much easier you to find what you want. The best part, when you find something you’re interested in he almost always allows you to try it out first. When looking for flex, this kind of opportunity is priceless!
Just a few feet away from John’s table I found Luis who always brings lots of goodies, both pens and food! I was just in time to watch him break out some bread, cheese, and wine and then it was like a feeding frenzy! It was seriously like watching piranhas on the Nature Channel. Pen collectors were swooping in, ripping off chunks of break and slicing off pieces of cheese while guzzling as much wine as they could. But look at the smiles on those faces! Pen people know how to have a good time.
If I wasn’t dizzy after leaving Luis’ table then my head was sure to spin at Sarj’s. There’s a reason we call him the ‘one man pen show.’ Sarj has one of nearly every pen you can imagine and they’re all in pristine condition. From vintage to modern, American to Italian, and some urushi for good measure, if you can think of it, Sarj probably has it.
- Danitrio pens and vintage Montblanc 149 and 139 with silver cap bands. Lovely!
I’m not sure if it’s from the pens or the wine but the buzz is kicking in and I’m feeling good! Strolling past Roger Cromwell’s table I see a few Pelikan Toledos and can’t resist grabbing a quick shot.
Continuing to enjoy the sites and sounds of the LA Pen Show I found myself at the new Wahl-Eversharp display chatting with Syd about vintage Wahls. I had a simple question about the name of my pen and quickly learned it was not going to be a simple answer. Syd was able to provide more details than I ever imagined about the model and why it was named the way it was. If you’re looking for complete esoteric knowledge of a brand and model, a pen show is the place to find it.
I ended up leaving the show mid-afternoon on Saturday to enjoy the wonderful LA weather with some friends and visit some photography stores. It was only about a 30 minute drive to the Leica store in West Hollywood, which made it a must see.
The staff was very friendly and let us handle a few cameras we were interested in. I tried bartering for some pens but couldn’t seal the deal. Maybe next time. The store has two levels with the upstairs being a gallery. After a thorough walkthrough we ended the afternoon by enjoying some coffee and watching all the lovely cars drive by.
