FPD 2019 + Scriptus 2019 // My First Pen Show!

Happy (belated) Fountain Pen Day! I got sick this week so my whole life’s been a little groggy. But I feel it’s out of obligation to my hobby that I at least give a shoutout to this day. Additionally, I’ve had a stockpile of new things to share about, including attending my first pen show!

Last weekend – Oct 27, more precisely, I dropped by my first ever pen show! I figure I should make my way to one eventually. The experience was fun, I was there closer to the end of the show, trying to pick up the tail ends of things and my frail attempt to avoid crowds. Otherwise, it was enjoyable and of course I left spending more than I had planned to. I guess that was expected? I also, unfortunately and I berate myself for this, did not take ANY photos of my actual experience at the show. Clearly I was too enamoured with my surroundings and also was afraid to take photos of people. Anyway, without ado, time to do a quick recap and present my haul from the Toronto Pen Show, Scriptus. (Welcome back Eggy)

Glitter Glass dip pen from *shrug emoji*
$20 CAD

This one was discovered by recommendation from a friend, and I hopped in and swooped up two right away (one for said friend). Of course, I was able to test them with ink first and found it to be quite enjoyable. It isn’t quite as thin as my Bortoletti but it’s a good medium range for a dip. These are getting quite enjoyable to use because of the multi-ink options. I can just dip, clean and try a new ink for fun! Along with the pens I also picked up some sparkly ink samples from this stand, have given them a try but they look a little muddy aside from the sprinkles. Still a neat experiment though, glad they came in sample size!

TWSBI Ink Set
$45 CAD

Six new inks!  18ml each for a decent price. In the set comes six pretty basic colours, which I have to say I don’t really own much of. I like to use the more varied tones like turquoise or indigo instead. But regardless, this little set was hard to resist, and I liked the little packaging as well. I’m a fan of smaller ink bottles because I just can’t use ink that quickly and I’ve amassed way too many large bottles.

Here they are tested in a swatch

Diamine Rushbrooke Blue
$20 CAD

This was the Scriptus pen show exclusive ink. I guess I have to buy it if it’s exclusive right? It’s a beautiful blue with some hints of red sheen. Really vibrant but also laid back enough to be used at work regularly.

Fine Writing International – Gold Armour Fountain Pen
$150 CAD

This was the one unplanned purchase at the show. It caught my eye because of a few things:
1) It’s gold
2) It’s a demonstrator pen
3)It’s got a super cool pattern etched on the gold
I haven’t given this a whirl yet, so a review is probably further down the road, but it certainly has piqued my interest and really looking forward to testing it out!

Lamy Studio – Lx All Black Fountain Pen
$180 CAD

This was partially a planned and unplanned purchase. I had planned to get the basic Lamy Studio because of all the raving reviews about it. Also I have not purchased a Lamy in a while since my last Lx Rose Gold, so it seemed about time. Of course, I was goaded into getting the All Black, simply because it is stunning looking in its all round black finish on top of the fact that they had only one left at the Phidon Pens table, AND it was an EF nib. The stars have aligned, my heart gave in. It’s inked and in use already, and it’s been excellent.

NOT part of my pen show purchase, but I did pick this one up also within the month:
Ferris Wheel Press – Brush Fountain Pen v2.0
$180 CAD

Not a cheap puppy, but there are so many bells and whistles included with this pen it’s hard to say no eventually. The packaging is top notch, and the bonus single pen sleeve was a nice touch. I also picked up an ink charger set of three 5ml bottles of ink to try out. Again, I love the smaller sized ink sets. The pen itself is actually great and always gives me an unexpectedly pleasant experience when using. A review and comparison to the old one perhaps in the future?

So that’s it, thanks for staying tuned and really hoping to get the next review out sooner than later. It takes me a while to do all the planning, drawing, photographing and writing so I thank you for your patience if you’ve been dropping by!

Cheerio~