February meeting photos

(from L-R): Charles, Stuart, Christopher, Tony, Leo, Greg and Jerred (photo by guest Chris Tucker)

Many thanks to Tony (center) for this meeting's excellent theme! Looking on are (from L-R) Jerred, Bill K, Graham and Mindy.

Mindy gave a nice talk on her use of fountain pens in her artwork.

An assortment of stationery. notebooks, and journals that our members brought in.

A nice group shot (thanks, Richard!) taken during the meeting. From left to right: Leo, Tony, Graham, Bill K, Ralph, Bruce, Peter (foreground), Chris Tucker, Bill M, Alejandra, Maja , Stuart, Jerred, Penny, Aaron, Christopher and Charles (partly out of shot). Not pictured but present were: Richard, Charles, Mark, Ben R, Greg, Mindy, James and new VPC member Bob.

We had a grand total of 24 VPC members at our February meeting, and one guest---Chris Tucker from the Ottawa Fountain Pen Society.

Our topic was "What do you write?" and we heard a variety of uses for our fountain pens, as well as some interesting choices for paper. Thanks again to Tony for the topic!

Here is what those members who participated brought in for the topic:
--Tony uses his fountain pen for journalling and taking notes at work. He likes using a Rhodia Webnotebook.
--Jerred takes interview notes at work and uses Staples Bagasse looseleaf paper and Xerox 24 lb copy paper.
--Peter uses his fountain pens for journalling and marking exams, and he uses various journals and the Rhodia Webnotebook.
--Leo also journals and uses a Filodex.
--Ben R. uses his fountain pens for calligraphy, which he does at his friends' request.
--Christopher R. has been journalling since 1960, and also uses fountain pens for illustrations (something he did professionally).
--Charles does calligraphy with his fountain pens, and also writes in journals. He brought in a lovely leather-bound journal made in Florence, Italy (he bought it at Barnes & Noble)
--Stuart likes to send notes and likes Crane notecards. For other writing purposes, he uses Clairefontaine and Rhodia paper.
--Aaron uses his fountain pen for work-related notes and uses Rhodia and Clairefontaine paper.
--Alejandra is a big paper fan! She uses her fountain pen to jot down ideas and notes. Her preferred paper is G. Lalo (Verge de France), Notelets for journalling, Clairefontaine (she bought their Frida Kahlo edition) and her Midori Travelers Notebook.
--Penny also jots down thoughts with her pens, but she also does quick drawings with them. She uses Quo Vadis' looped notebook and Leuchtturm (thin paper)
--Bruce uses his fountain pens for meeting notes and likes Rhodia paper, and especially his Rhodia Meetings Book.
--Ralph only uses his fountain pens for letter-writing and he likes using bond paper.
---Maja also likes writing letters with her pens, as well as doing crossword puzzles with them.
---Graham likes using his Rhodia XE book.
--Bill K uses his fountain pens at work to write down orders, and he also loves journalling (having done it since 1961) in looseleaf lined paper.
--Mindy brought in some really cool drawings she did with her fountain pens.
--James K. uses his fountain pens for writing down formulas.
--Chris Tucker (from the Ottawa-area pen club) showed us some of his fountain pens and an interesting notebook called the “Decomposition Book” made by Michael Roger of Brooklyn, NY (info here), which he purchased at WonderPens in Toronto.

March meeting info

Date: Thursday March 17, 2016
Time: 6:30pm to 8:30pm (members may arrive a bit early---at 6:00pm---to chat beforehand)
Place: Perks pen store, 5844 Cambie St, Vancouver (the usual meeting place)
Topic: Green Pens!

Our secondary topic is always Newest Acquisitions so if you've received any new pen-related items, please bring them for us to see.

Many thanks to Richard of Perks pen store for hosting our meetings since November 2007! Please note Perks' new store hours are Wed - Sun : Noon to 5PM (changed from 11am to 5pm). The store is still closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

February meeting deets!

Many thanks to all who attended our January meeting; we had 27 members in total, including 6 new members (which I think is a record for our club). A warm welcome to newcomers Andrew, David R, Jerred, Patrick, Natasha & Richard W.

Many thanks to VPCer Bob Morgan for his generosity re: the door prizes he brought for the meeting. Lucky winners were: Bruce R, Mindy, and newcomers Andrew, Patrick & Richard W!

And now, here's some info re: our upcoming meeting:
Date: Thursday February 18, 2016
Time: 6:30pm to 8:30pm (members may arrive a little bit early--at -6:00pm---to chat beforehand)
Place: Perks pen store, 5844 Cambie St, Vancouver (the usual meeting place)
Topic: "What do you write?"

This topic is courtesy of Tony, who described it to me thusly: "Since we all collect lots of pens and ink, what do we do with them? What do we write and what do we write in? What different types of entries do we do with our pens? Do you use certain pens as EDCs (note: these refer to Everyday Carries--ie. those fountain pens you carry with you on a day-to-day basis), as journal entries, as drawing pens, or just work/school related note taking pens? Also, what do you write in? What paper or notebooks do you use? Is it different for different uses?
The topic is one that we've never done before, so I'm looking forward to seeing what members bring in as examples. Please bring examples of the things with which you use your fountain pen....be it journal entries, handwritten letters, artwork, whatever.... and show us what paper you prefer for this purpose---.e.g. a favourite stationery/journal/notepaper, etc. Thank you, Tony, for the topic idea :)

Our secondary topic is always Newest Acquisitions so if you've received any new pen-related items, please bring them for us to see.

Many thanks, as always, to Richard Clarke of Perks, for his gracious hospitality in hosting our pen club meetings for the last 8+ years! We couldn't do it without you, Richard! :)

Hope you can make it to the meeting this month! No need to RSVP for any meeting held at Perks.

January 2016 meeting info

Date: Thursday January 21, 2016
Time: 6:30pm to 8:30pm (members may arrive a little bit early--at -6:00pm---to chat beforehand)
Place: Perks pen store, 5844 Cambie St, Vancouver (the usual meeting place)
Topic: "3-5 pens (fountain, ballpoint, rollerball) that you would sell or trade" (and if you'd like to sell them at the meeting, please come with an asking price in mind). Many thanks to Charles for the topic idea!

Our secondary topic is always Newest Acquisitions so if you've received any new pen-related items (for Christmas/birthday/bought them for yourself), please bring them for us to see.

Hope you can make it to the meeting this month! No need to RSVP for any meeting held at Perks!

November meeting photos (finally!)

Happy New Year! A grand total of 16 VPC members showed up for our November meeting, which was held at Perks pen store in central Vancouver. Our theme was "'Tis better to give than receive!" and members were asked to bring a fountain pen received as a gift, as well as a fountain pen that they would recommend others buy as a gift.
Here's what our members brought (G = pen received as a gift; R = pen one would recommend as a gift)

Back row (Left to Right): Maja's red & chrome Sheaffer '100'(R) and Elysee 'Damascene Globetrotter'(G), and Charles' koa wood fountain pen (G).

Front row (L to R): Glenn M's OMAS Lucens 2013 LE (G), Visconti Novelli August LE (new acquistion)& his new-style OMAS Paragon in the Milord size (R); Bethany's TWSBI 580 in green(R); Glenn C's Pilot Vanishing Point(R), Faber-Castell Ambition(G) & Pilot-Namiki Falcon (R); Christopher's Parker prototype Jotter ballpoint (R) & Waterman '54' (G); Bob W's Lamy Al-Star (R) & Sheaffer Imperial (G); Leo's Laban 'Sceptre'(G) & TWSBI Vac 700 (G); Peter's bullet-antler ballpoint (G) & Pilot Custom 74 (R); Tony's Platinum 'Riviere'(G) & Pilot 78G (R); Peter's Platinum 3776 & Sailor 'Profit' (Peter brought these in to show us their relative size in relation to the Pilot Custom 74).

Photo above: another shot of the three Japanese fountain pens Peter brought in (see above), as well as his bullet-antler ballpoint .

Photo above: Charles' Laban "Mento", the pen model he would recommend as a fountain pen gift.

Missing from photos: Bruce's Bexley 'Americana' (G) and his Visconti 'Van Gogh' in the Maxi size (R)...and Aaron's Parker Duofold 'Big Red' (G) and his Parker 'Vacumatic'(G). Catherine meant to bring a Sheaffer fountain pen she won as a door prize but left it at home, and she said she'd recommend the Lamy Safari/Al-Star as a pen gift.

Photo credits: Maja (photo 1), Christopher (photos 2 & 3), Richard (photos 4 & 5).

Season's Greetings!

(fountain pen pictured is a Sheaffer 'NoNonsense' from my California cousins :)
Next meeting: Thursday January 21, 2016 at 6:30pm at Perks pen store (5844 Cambie Street, Vancouver, BC).
Theme : to be announced!

October meeting photos

Many thanks to all 18 VPC members who attended our October meeting and brought items for our topic---Unique Writing Instruments! I snapped a few quick photos and VPC member Mido took some as well, so here is what our members brought for the topic:

From top to bottom: Tiffany's cool UV marker/light pen and her erasable ballpoint (both of which she demonstrated for us), Mido's solid silver Pierre Hugo fountain pen in lovely tree bark design and his Waterman fountain pen with an unusual aerometric-filler mechanism that fills from the side.

From top to bottom: Bruce's Pelikan M800 with a modified piston-filling mechanism made of plastic (not brass) which has 20% increased ink capacity, his Visconti 'Metropolis' fountain pen with a retractable nib, Bruce's amazing CONID Bulkfiller fountain pen and his highly-unusual Parafernalia fountain pen.

Top to bottom: Peter's extendable pointer/ballpoint combo, his Pilot Parallel with 6mm (!!) italic nib and his Pentel Kerry mechanical pencil, whose lead advances when you press the cap top.

Peter's Pilot Parallel in action, as shown by Tiffany. A very interesting nib and handy for making large letters (e.g. posters, signs).

From left to right: Kristina's Online fountain pen/stylus combo writing instrument, Bill K's Stipula 'Passaporto" Fountain Pen Network limited edition pen, Charles' two Acura pewter pens---a dragon fountain pen & a snake ballpoint/rollerball, Stuart's Sheaffer ' Balance' fountain pen with an unusual cross-hatched cap band, and his floaty ballpoint made by the GE Secretary Pen Co. with an Oldsmobile car floating inside. In the background is Bill's one-of-kind ballpoint pen and stand, made by a friend from some laurel wood from Bill's own backyard. Great idea for writing instrument material!

Bethany's gorgeous custom-made Edison 'Menlo' Pump Filler fountain pen. The pen was made using the material selected by Bethany, as well as her preferred nib material and nib size.

From left to right: Maja's Lamy Safari with custom-made barrel made by Penchetta Pens in Scottsdale, Arizona, an Imperial lever-filler fountain pen made to hold a spare nib at the end of the barrel (and protected by the clear blind cap--note: the spare nib is missing), a Wearever fountain pen with a Sheaffer feed and a replacement nib. The last pen isn't unusual--it's Ben R's new acquisition (New Acquisitions is always our secondary topic), a Sheaffer Imperial.

From left to right: Kiyoshi's beautiful abalone ballpoint and his very cool Staedtler self-feeding mechanical pencil (and Ben's Sheaffer Imperial, once again)

All photos by me--Maja---except for the last three (Mido's).

Fountain Pen Day 2015 ~ Friday November 6, 2015!

From the official website :
Taking place on the first Friday in November each year, Fountain Pen Day is celebrated by enthusiasts worldwide as a time to embrace, promote, and share the use of fountain pens.

How will you celebrate Fountain Pen Day? :)

November meeting info

Well, there's only one more meeting for 2015 and it's the November one (since we don't have December meetings)...so here's what you need to know about it:

Date: Thursday November 19, 2015
Time: 6:30pm to 8:30pm (the usual time...but members may arrive a little bit early--at -6:00pm---to chat beforehand)
Place: Perks pen store, 5844 Cambie St, Vancouver, BC (the usual meeting place)
Topic: 'Tis better to give than receive!
For this topic, please bring a fountain pen that you received as a gift, as well as a fountain pen that you own and would recommend others buy as a gift for someone (up to a maximum of 2 pens per person total).
If you've never received pens as a gift (poor you :( then you can just bring up to 2 fountain pens that you would recommend others buy as gifts.

Many thanks to Bruce for this idea; we've never done it before, so I'm curious as to what our members will bring! Hope to see you at Perks on the 19th :)

They don't make 'em like they used to....

Here's another pen photo from Christopher R, whose discerning taste in fountain pens has yielded a fine vintage pen collection.

This one is of a lovely Sheaffer fountain pen desk set ca. 1951 in Brazilian Onyx material. The sticker price for this gorgeous desk set was $20.00 back in '51, which translates to roughly $180.00 in the present day---a tidy sum! Sheaffer made a lot of desk sets in their day, but this is definitely one of the nicer ones.

( click on image to enlarge )

Many thanks, as always, Christopher, for your contributions to our site!