Friday, March 29, 2013

more on mechanical pencils

Thanks Maja for the write up on pencils seen at our last meeting. It was surprising - or perhaps it shouldn't be - how much we enjoy mechanical pencils nearly as much as we do pens. I attempted to lower the tone of the meeting by producing my favourite el-cheapo Paper Mate Clearpoint, a rather ugly plastic thing I found walking across the school grounds near me, only to discover that other members also agree a good mechanical pencil doesn't have to be an expensive, high end one. This one takes a sturdy 0.7 lead which is advanced by the handy purple button in the middle, has a good grip, a generous eraser supply, and works like a charm. There Maja, you dared me to post this, so I did! Bill K.

Sunday, March 24, 2013

March meeting photos

Just posting some photos from our meeting last Thursday taken by Bill K (first six photos) and Richard (last three pics). I didn't think we'd get as many members as we did, but 20 members showed up! Our March topic was mechanical pencils, and it was well-represented with pencils which ran the gamut from classic vintage examples & lovely but lesser-known vintage brands, to modern mechanical pencils used for drawing, drafting and carpentry. Many thanks to all who attended! The next VPC meeting will be held on Thursday April 18 at Perks (usual time & place) and the topic will be "Calligraphy Pens"!

(click on photos to enlarge)



Photo above: Derek (in denim shirt) talking about the amazing vintage pencils he brought in while Ken (far left), Dexter, and Mindy look on.

Photo above: Brian brought in his wonderful vintage Waterman pencil collection, as well as some classic mechanical pencils made by Wahl-Eversharp, Parker and others.

Photo above: Graham, Mindy and Glenn Collins listen while Maja shows her collection of vintage pencils from the "Big Four" vintage pen companies (Sheaffer, Wahl-Eversharp, Parker and Waterman) as well as some nice Eclipse pencils.

Photos above: A close-up look at the above pencils.

Photo above: Part of Derek's great collection of vintage pencils (yes, he has more!)

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

March of the pencils!

We're doing something a little different this month, and will be featuring mechanical pencils as our March meeting topic/theme. Mechanical pencils were often sold with fountain pens in sets (before ballpoints became popular), so we're going to shine our spotlight on them this month. Without further ado, here are the details about our upcoming meeting:

Date: Thursday March 21, 2013
Place: Perks pen store, 5844 Cambie Street, Vancouver, BC (ie. the usual place)
Time: 6:30pm-8:30pm ("early birds" welcome at 6:00pm to chat before the meeting).
Theme: "Get the lead out!" (Mechanical Pencils - Vintage & Modern)
"Newest Acquisitions" is always our secondary topic, so if you have some cool new pen, ink, paper or pen-related accessory to show, please bring it along, too.

No RSVPs necessary for any meetings held at Perks pen store. We're a very friendly, casual club with no membership dues or duties, and new members are always welcome! And please don't worry if you don't have any pencils to show---I'm sure we'll have plenty of examples to see. Hope to see you there :)