There Are Pandas, and Then There Are Pandas.
And this isn't either of them! The Pandas we're talking about here, are watches, not bears. And what got me thinking about them (again) was a link posted this morning by @cm.rook who pointed a few of us to the very attractive (and not terribly priced) Yema "Rallygraph" Panda which, in it's most traditional arrangement, looks like the one on the left, but can also be had in the version on the right: The model on the left is a true Panda, while the model on the right is called a reverse Panda. The reason for that distinction is clear--Panda bears, only come in the first arrangement. Now at this point, everyone should be thinking about the most well-know Panda, The Rolex Panda, which is actually a Daytona, and among Rolex Daytonas, the most famous of which is the Paul Newman Daytona, which was famous first, because it was Paul's, and second because it sold at auction for $17.8 million (US Dollars). The story of that auction is well-known so I'll only...
Nov 8, 2019
One-of-a-kind hand made black celluloid from Carolina Pen Company, fitted with JoWo 1.1 stub. I came across this pen at last year’s show, and I’m glad that it was still available. It was meant to be. It was also a pleasure working with Jonathon Brooks, highly reommended.
The second pen is green and yellow ebonite blow filler fitted with a John Holland vintage Fine nib, from Peyton Street Pens. I wasn’t looking for vintage gear, never heard of John Holland, and didn’t find the color combination attractive. Once I tried writing with it, the way it held in my hand and the beautiful line variation I saw in my writing, I couldn’t let it go.
I also bought a stash of Private Reserve inks.
I wanted to identify what my Grail Pen should be, so I tried out the Sailor King of Pens and hung out at the Nibs.com booth featuring all Nakaya pens. Well, it certainly didn’t help me narrow things down.
Other noteworthy mentions: You probably knew about this already, but Jim Rouse from Franklin-Christoph has passed away. I had the pleasure of meeting him last year when I bought my F-C, and watching him prepare my purchase was a learning experience. As a result the S.I.G. Nibs are no longer available, but they may be sold at a fund raising auction for his family.
Vendors are meeting our demand for flexible writing indifferent ways. I tried out the latest from Pineider, a flex nib with elongated tines. Because of the extra length, it will take some practice and getting used to.
At your next show look for Ralph Reyes of Regalia Writing Labs. He makes the Cross Flex nib used in the Additive Pens that @Theroc is lusting after. He is constantly refining that design, and I had a lot of fun with it. You can really apply pressure and create crazy-wide lines. Best of all I really enjoyed talking to him, and to try out some of his other outrageous multi-nib creations.
Well, that’s it, just was there for a day. If you plan on going next year, drop me a line.