July meeting reminder! (Thursday July 18th)

Vancouver Pen Club July meeting:

Where: The Branch Meeting Room of the Vancouver Public Library's TERRY SALMAN branch at 4575 Clancy Loranger Way, in Vancouver, BC. The library is located on the lower level of the Hillcrest Community Centre, by Nat Bailey Stadium (near Queen Elizabeth Park). There's no baseball game at Nat Bailey that night, so there should be plenty of free parking at the library!

Date: THURSDAY JULY 18, 2024 (this Thursday!)

Time: 5:00pm to 7:30pm

Primary Topic: Birthday Fountain Pens 🎂 (your favourite fountain pen received as a birthday gift ... or bought for yourself as a "self gift"!)

Secondary Topic: Newest Acquisitions!

If you don't have anything to show for either topic, please come to the meeting anyway! If you have any questions, drop us a line at vancouverpenclub@gmail.com

Hope to see you there!

Almost time for the Pacific Northwest Pen Show! (July 12-14)

When: July 12 - 14, 2024 (VIP event on Friday July 12th, followed by the actual pen show on Saturday July 13th & Sunday July 14th). 

Where: The Monarch Hotel & Conference Center in Clackamas, Oregon (suburb of Portland) (venue)

• Go to https://pnwpenshow.com for more info & discounted advance tickets to the pen show!

• Sign up for the VIP event, special classes & activities and more at the link above!

• Want to get the latest updates about the pen show?
Check their official Instagram account and sign up at this link for updates via email!

(For July excitement closer to home, check the blog post directly below this one for info on our pen club's July in-person meeting in Vancouver! 😀)

July meeting details!

Vancouver Pen Club July meeting details:

Where: The Branch Meeting Room of the Vancouver Public Library's TERRY SALMAN branch at 4575 Clancy Loranger Way, in Vancouver, BC. The library is located on the lower level of the Hillcrest Community Centre, by Nat Bailey Stadium (near Queen Elizabeth Park); this is the same place we had our August 2023 meeting.

Date: THURSDAY JULY 18, 2024

Time: 5:00pm to 7:30pm (please note: we have to leave the room by 7:30pm, as per the library's room rental policy)

Primary Topic: Birthday Fountain Pens! 🎂 (your favourite fountain pen received as a birthday gift, or bought for yourself as a "self gift" lol).

Secondary Topic: Newest Acquisitions!
Please bring examples of the primary and/or secondary topic if you have any; if you don't have any examples for either topic, please come to the meeting anyway!

Parking: There's free parking by the side of the community center, and overflow parking next to it. There is no Vancouver Canadians baseball game the night of our meeting, so there should be plenty of free spots in the library parking area!

Hope you can make it! Any questions? Please contact us at vancouverpenclub@gmail.com

Newest Acquisitions (Virtual "Show & Tell") ~ part 520

Hope you're having a nice Canada Day 🇨🇦 long weekend! For your reading pleasure, here's another blog post about a vintage writing instrument (this time, a mechanical pencil) that Christopher picked up not long ago; the fountain pen mentioned in his write up was actually featured here on our blog back in 2021...

Christopher writes:

"Years ago, I happened on the most lovely Parker Apple Green Pastel Moire Lady’s fountain pen, a true Parker Lucky Curve re: both the feed and the nib. Being from the late 1920s, it was a streamlined model and for the lady who originally owned it, a short ribbon ring top. On servicing the pen, I found that the button filler worked like a charm and when it came to laying ink down on paper, the 14K gold Parker Lucky Curve nib proved to be quite flexy. Frankly, I could not have been more pleased. Then the other day, while out and about, I came across the perfect mate for this Apple Green beauty. In this case, a matching Apple Green mechanical pencil, mint in its original display box:

(photo courtesy of Christopher ~ please click on image to enlarge)

"I guess what really caught my interest was the fact that the Parker company actually had dedicated boxes for their pencils. Not only did the box lid sport the words ‘Parker Pencil’ in cream on black, but on the two long side flaps, the words, “Parker – the Perfected Pencil”! The rest of the box was finished in a very smart and complementary forest green. Along with this packaging were the original Parker pencil instructions for use and, in a very small font, the words (also in cream on the box lid) “Lucky Curve”. So, the sum total of both these fine items equaled a late 1920s Parker pen and pencil set. A set I will be adding to my vintage pen collection and using from time to time with great enjoyment"

Our thanks to Christopher for sharing this find with us!

Info about our July meeting will be posted here on our blog as soon as the venue booking has been confirmed -- please check the top of each web page for this info (it'll be in big red letters :)
Cheers,
~Maja

A vintage Conklin restored

Last October, we posted Virtual "Show & Tell" part 514 (link), which was about Christopher's vintage Conklin 'Endura'. Well, earlier today Christopher sent this update about the restoration of the pen. Without further ado, here is his write up and a new photo of the restored pen!

Christopher writes:
"When this quite large Conklin treasure came my way, the cap was sadly in need of professional attention. The original clip was missing and there was quite an unsettling crack extending out of both the top and bottom of the clip mounting hole. To make matters even worse, there was a sizable chip out of the open end of the cap just below the cap ring. Although I am a restorer and servicer of vintage fountain pens, this cap damage admittedly exceeding my capabilities. So I turned to a colleague who had a very good and professional ability to restore plastics of all kinds and match material colours perfectly. Fortunately, I also had just the right replacement spring loaded clip in my spares and, with it, he mended the cracks (matching the surface colour) then replaced the inner cap--which was badly damaged-- with an aluminum one for strength before mounting the spring loaded Endura clip. He also filled the chipped area and matched the colour as well. And just to make the pen perfect, he repainted the barrel and cap coloured banding to the original colour ."

(photos courtesy of Christopher ~ please click on images to enlarge)

But, I am sure you are wondering, what all this fuss was about?! Well, the pen now restored to its original glory is a rare long oversized coral Conklin Endura finished in Pyrroline Celluloid plastic and dated 1927. The Conklin company originally produced this fine pen in hard vulcanized rubber but, in keeping up with the times in 1927, moved to a plastic finish. It is a lever filler and a small lever, to my mind, for the overall size of the pen. But even with a small filling lever bar, the pen inks well and takes a very responsible amount of ink. At the business end of the pen is one huge nib sitting on an equally substantial feed held firmly by a jet black section. The cap posts well and the pen sits very well balanced in the hand. Back to the nib, which offers a reasonable amount of flex. All in all, this is one nice writing instrument from stem to stern and a great addition to my vintage pen collection!"

Our thanks to Christopher for this update--the pen looks fantastic! :)

Pics from June meeting

I wasn't able to make it to our June meeting (which was held at the Vancouver Public Library's Renfrew branch), but Asifa was kind enough to take a few photos 😊. There were at least 21 members in attendance (Asifa and Stuart aren't in the pics) so it was a good turnout...and we had lots of new members, too! There was no theme/topic for this month's meeting, but I hope members enjoyed chatting about pens, inks and all things pen-related. Many thanks to all who attended!

(all photos courtesy of Asifa ~ please click on images to enlarge)

That's Shona & James (standing) talking pens with Bronson and Vladan (far right)

Andrew chatting with Paul (in short sleeves) in the background, while longtime VPCer Glenn Marcus checks his phone in the foreground

That's Yang (lower right corner) sitting next to Rumi...

... brand-new member Moses (center of background) testing a pen/ink ...

..and that's Melanie (dark top, in background) talking with two other brand-new members---Linda (sitting next to her) and Sheila (sitting across the table)!

Above: New member Francis (in the white shirt), and Andrea conversing with Anson.

Above: David C. (seated) talking with Jerred (far right)!

Stuart was also at the meeting, but must have had a cloak of invisibility on, because he's not in any of the photos lol. Many thanks to Asifa for being our June meeting photographer :)

Details about our July meeting will be posted on our website as soon as the venue is booked.

Have a good week, everyone!
~Maja

Don't forget--- meeting THIS THURSDAY!

Just a reminder that our next meeting is THIS THURSDAY!

Where: The Branch Meeting Room of the Vancouver Public Library's RENFREW branch at 2969 East 22nd Avenue (on East 22nd Ave, between Renfrew & Nootka), Vancouver.

Date: THURSDAY JUNE 20, 2024

Time: 5:00pm to 7:30pm

Primary/Secondary Topics: NONE- this meeting is just a chance to socialize and chat about pen-related stuff :) If you want to sell/trade pens/inks/paper, please feel free to do so!

Any questions? Email us at vancouverpenclub@gmail.com

National Ballpoint Day ! (Newest Acquisitions ~ Virtual "Show & Tell" - part 519)

Happy National Ballpoint Day! Although we're primarily a fountain pen club, we've had meeting themes that included ballpoints (modern and vintage), so today I thought I'd feature some modern handcrafted ballpoints I acquired in the last year. All of the ballpoints use a twist-action mechanism, but some take Cross refills and some take Parker-style ones. One interesting thing about them is that nearly all are made of unusual materials. Intrigued? Read on!

(all photos by Maja ~ please click on image to enlarge)

The ballpoints above were all made by Dylan Swain of The Pen Den (in Gatineau, Quebec), who uses a variety of materials in pen production. Among these are pen blanks he creates himself (using a resin 3D printer) from 3D-printed molds filled with colourful resins and glittery mica powder. Examples of pens made with these blanks are the bottom three ballpoints in the photo above - (top to bottom) "Another Dimension", "Chromatic Wavefront" and "Rainbow Harmonics".

The gorgeous ballpoint at the top --the aptly-named "Wood and Waves"-- was created from a maple burl/blue resin hybrid blank. The material was polished to a mirror-like finish and it's one of the nicest ballpoints I own (although I really like the bright colours & playful designs of the 3-D mold/resin pens). As a little bonus, Dylan often includes a LEGO minifig (such as the one above) with the pens he sells :)

(Above: "Chromatic Wavefront" ballpoint by The Pen Den)

The newest acquisition in this blog post--my "Rainbow Harmonics" ballpoint by The Pen Den (love the purple metal trim!)

This stunning ballpoint was created by Jeff Hattrup of Rustic Star Woodworks in Texas. It uses Parker/Parker-style refills and is made of a very interesting material called Fordite...

So, what is Fordite? I'll let my friend Wikipedia explain - Fordite is "a lapidarist term for polished pieces of finely-layered paint masses from automobile factories. The masses consist of automotive paint which has hardened sufficiently to be cut and polished. It was formed from the buildup of layers of enamel paint slag on tracks and skids on which cars were painted with acrylic lacquer, which have been baked numerous times." Many different Fordite paint colour combinations were created over the decades; the combos ranged from the muted colours used in 1940s Ford autos, the brighter metallic tones in 50s and early 60s Fords, to the wilder colours used in the late 60s and 70s.

Since Ford now uses a different paint processes (one that doesn't result in paint overspray), there isn't any more genuine Fordite being made, so prices for it are going up. Fordite is also difficult to turn on a lathe, so that adds to the price of the finished pen. In case you were wondering, I don't know which particular Ford model used the paint colours in my ballpoint's Fordite, but I know it wasn't the 1954 Ford Mercury Sun Valley model (vintage car buffs -- forgive me for using the wrong model car prop in my photos!). In any case, I think it's neat owning a piece of Ford history via this cool ballpoint :)

From Fordite, we move to SpectraPly, another repurposed material used in pen-making. SpectraPly is a dyed birch veneer laminate material that was used to make old skateboard decks, among other items. I got these two striking SpectraPly ballpoints (above) from Penwerkz, a small pen & bowl maker in Corona, Californa. I'm glad the pens' maker chose not to add any cap bands to the pens -- I love how the SpectraPly "flows" uninterrupted along the length of the pens-- and I appreciate the care taken to line up the wood pattern in the red & black pen.

The bright blue and yellow ballpoint in the upper left of the photo is from Casey of Artisan Alley CA in Red Deer, Alberta, and it's made of a hybrid pine cone/acrylic material.

The model name for this lovely ballpoint is "Golden Skies with Pinecone", and when you see it in bright sunlight, the light really brings out the highly-polished colours of the material. The pen came with the wooden storage box above, branded with the pen maker's logo on the obverse side.

The other three ballpoints in the group photo were all made by Brian Tearne of Tearne Canada Turnings in Ontario. The two pens resting on the red pen pouch were made by Brian using acrylic resins, which are more traditional materials. I normally don't go for really weighty ballpoints, but I loved the orange acrylic and whimsical adornments of the "Bass Fishing" pen, so I couldn't resist buying it. The ballpoint above it (the "Maple Leaf" model) is made of a swirly orange, yellow and dark grey resin called "Burning Embers". All three ballpoints made by Brian use Parker or Parker-style refills.

(Above: the fishing-themed pen's metal trim looks a bit over-the-top, but I think it works here :)

This is the newest pen I bought from Brian, a handsome "Nordic Style" ballpoint made from a hybrid blank consisting of maple burl and epoxy. It's a hefty pen, but I enjoy using it ... and I like staring at the coppery sparkles in the resin which complement the wood and copper-coloured trim so nicely.

Many thanks to all the pen makers for these wonderful handcrafted pens! I hope you have a good National Ballpoint Day today, and don't forget--our June pen club meeting is on Thursday June 20 at the Vancouver Public Library's RENFREW branch (all details here).

(~ Blog post by Maja ~)

Pacific Northwest Pen Show coming soon!! (July 12 - 14 )

The 2nd annual Pacific Northwest Pen Show is coming up soon!😁

When: July 12 - 14, 2024 ("VIP event" on Friday July 12th, followed by the actual pen show on Saturday July 13th & Sunday July 14th). 

Where: The Monarch Hotel & Conference Center in Clackamas, Oregon (suburb of Portland) (venue)

• Go to https://pnwpenshow.com/registration/ for more info & discounted advance tickets to the pen show!

• Sign up for the VIP event, special classes & activities and more at the link above!

• If you're a vendor interested in booking a table at the show, info is at this link.

• Want to get the latest updates about the pen show?
Check their official Instagram account and sign up at this link for updates via email!

June meeting at the RENFREW branch! (Thurs. June 20)

Where: The Branch Meeting Room of the Vancouver Public Library's RENFREW branch at 2969 East 22nd Avenue, in Vancouver, BC. The library is located on East 22nd Avenue, between Renfrew and Nootka.

Date: THURSDAY JUNE 20, 2024

Time: 5:00pm to 7:30pm (we have to leave the room by 7:30pm, as per the library's room rental policy)

Primary/Secondary Topics: NONE!
I thought we'd do a non-structured meeting in June, to give members more time to socialize. I think it's also a great opportunity to sell/trade pens/inks/paper as the meeting room at Renfrew is large and has lots of tables and chairs.

Hope you can make it! (no need to RSVP)
Questions? Email us at vancouverpenclub@gmail.com