In a special bonus episode of the podcast, Sophia and Mark bring you interviews with organisers, visitors, vendors, social media luminaries and everyone in between, direct from the Melbourne Pen Show 2017! 

The Nib Section is the official podcast of Fountain Pens Oceania.

Go like us on Facebook! www.facebook.com/TheNibSection/

Twitter: @thenibsection

Instagram: thenibsection

FORMAT

00:34—Melbourne Pen Show Organisers

Sophia chats with Max Braude, the 2017 Melbourne Pen Show organiser, and Marcus and Rebecca Lee-Steere, the husband and wife duo, members of the pen show organising committee.

14:35—Sally Siderio

Sally is President of the Calligraphy Society of Victoria.

18:41—Moya Carroll

Organiser of CalliCon 2017 (Calligraphy Convention) Melbourne, the first festival devoted to calligraphy. Moya is moyagraphy on Instagram.

21:13—Constance and Candace

Constance Wiebrands is at Flexnib and Flexnib blog. Candace is Pensivecandy on Instagram.

31:08—Nicholas Gold

Quillidyllic and the Quillidyllic blog.

33:52—Yagan Kiely

Co-founder of Fountain Pens Australia, Yagan also blogs at Macchiato Man.

36:10—Vendors

Vintage pen dealer Bernie Sweet, James Finniss of Pensive Pens, Debbie from Melbourne Pen Depot, and Tingo Ting of My Hearty Tingo Box.

45:14—Showgoers

Alasdair Daws (VIC), Tom May (VIC), Cassie Rogers (SA), Grant (NSW) and Lou.

54:08—Credits

Producers: Sophia Le, Mark Hopson, Diana Dai.

Recording and editing: Mark Hopson, Sophia Le, Denise Tang.

Special thanks this episode go to everyone at the MPS who took the time to chat to us.

Music: Michael Pearce.

Just in the nick of time for the holidays, our hosts offer their gift recommendations for all those special people in your lives, and Sophia brings us an interview with the owner of the Australian pen and stationery retailer, LarryPOST.

The Nib Section is the official podcast of Fountain Pens Oceania.

Go like us on Facebook! www.facebook.com/TheNibSection/

Twitter: @thenibsection

The hosts were Chuck Montano, Max Schumacher, Sharyn Zha, Patrick Antolovich and Diana Dai. Jenny Saunders was interviewed by Sophia Le.

FORMAT

01:26—What We Are Writing With

Diana: Pilot Custom 845, Diamine Schubert

Patrick: Omas Milord, Montblanc BMW Blue

Sharyn: Sailor Pent Professional Gear Realo Precious Aquamarine, Sailor Kobe #2

Max: Lamy 2000, Aurora Black

Chuck: Nakaya Naka-ai Polished Shu, Iroshizuku Yama-budo

Photos of the pens up on Facebook.

10:57—Mailbag/Reviews

14:40—Interview with Jenny Saunders of LarryPOST

Sophia Le interviews the owner and head pen specialist of LarryPOST, Jenny Saunders, to chat about why she started her business, how the Australian pen market has changed over the last 7 years, and also to get her gift recommendations for the coming holiday season.

LarryPOST offers some unique services, including a custom embossing service, a loaner pens initiative, ink samples, and paper samples.

CIAK leather-bound notebooks

For newcomers: Pilot MR (Metropolitan) or Faber-Castell

For kids: Pelikan Twist or TWSBI

For minimalist planners: Leuchtturm1917 A5 hardcover

Sophia’s hoping for a GvFC Classic Pernambuco this Christmas. *hint hint*

For even more recommendations, take a look at LarryPOST’s shopping guides

31:25—News

Melbourne Pen Show 2017

32:59—Holiday Gift Guide 2017

Fountain Pen Beginner

• Pilot MR/Metropolitan, Diamine Music Set and Flower Set

Fountain Pen Expert

• J. Herbin 1798 Amethyste de l'Oural, Franklin Christoph Penvelope, Dudek Pen Stand

Children/Young Adults

• Pilot Kakuno

Minimalist Planner

• Taroko Enigma, Caran d’Ache Leman A5 notebook cover

Artist/Creative Journaller

• Robert Oster ink sets, Platinum Maki-e brush pen

Self-gifting

• Omas Ogiva Cocktail Series

Check out the Pen Addict for more gift ideas.

1:12:20—Recommendations

Clickspring

Call Me By Your Name soundtrack

Michaelcthulhu

Amazon Echo Dot

Love on Netflix

1:17:29—Credits

Producers: Diana Dai, Chuck Montano, Sophia Le, Patrick Antolovich, Denise Tang.

Special thanks this episode go to Jenny Saunders of LarryPOST for speaking to us.

Music: Michael Pearce.

This miniature episode of The Nib Section covers the news from around the Fountain Pen world with Max Schumacher. From exciting new pens to tragically* discontinued ink ranges, Max rounds up the info you need to know, in particular with the upcoming Melbourne Pen Show.

*”Tragic” according to producer Patrick Antolovich, an avid Red Belly Black user.

Max’s Pen: Pelikan M200 Café Crème, Broad Cursive Italic Nib, Montblanc Lucky Orange

Max’s Instagram

LINKS

Melbourne Pen Show

Aurora Optima O’Sole Mio

Aurora 88 Marte

Aurora Optima 365 Calendar/Special Blue

Aurora 88 Minerali Diopside

Aurora Dante Alighieri Purgatorio

Delta Closing Down

Pilot Custom Urushi

Bookbinders Snake Ink Discontinued

This Episode on The Nib Section, our panel travel down a darker path of fountain pen ownership: Quality Control. Hosts Chuck and Diana speak to a wide range of guests to discuss the relationship between creator and customer. Brian Saputro comes in to speak about the art of Japanese Laquer that has made manufacturer Nakaya so popular, coupled with Sharyn Zha, a well loved and respected member of the FPO, known for her various collections. After, the panel is joined by Aidan O’Brien, a FPO leader and collector of Visconti and TWSBI, ready to answer repeated claims that both Visconti and TWSBI are lacking in the QC department. Flanked on all sides with knowledge is returning guest Taveet, ready to explain all terms further.

The Nib Section is the official podcast of Fountain Pens Oceania. 

Go like us on Facebook! www.facebook.com/TheNibSection/

Twitter: @thenibsection

Podbean: thenibsection.podbean.com/

The hosts were Chuck Montano, Diana Dai, Brian Saputro, Sharyn Zha, Aidan O'Brien and Taveet Sinanian.

FORMAT

00:19—Panel intro

What We Are Writing With: 

– Diana: Pilot VP: Raden Minamo

– Sharyn: Montblanc Boheme Paso Doble Rouge

– Aidan: Visconti Homo Sapiens Bronze Age

02:40—Tragedy Of Nakaya’s Success

The panel recollect the rise of Nakaya, a formerly very small team of Japanese artisan fountain pen makers, now much larger and more streamlined due to popular demand, and what that can mean for the loss of close attention to detail. Brian explains the artistry behind their processes, including his own endeavours into the world of Japanese Laquer.

There are at least three famous types of maki-e: Hira maki-e, which is a flat maki-e; Taka maki-e, where the design is firstly raised using sumiko, charcoal powder, followed by gold powder application; and Kaga maki-e which uses gold flakes or foils instead of powder.

Tamenuri, well, this is a bit less known i think. It literally translates to “pooling”. In lacquer-sense, this effect can be achieved by applying layers and layers of clear urushi, which is actually brown, on top of a coloured undercoat. However, this technique can be cheated by applying only a few layers of black urushi and sanding the corners down. Results won’t be the same, but from a distance it does.

Chinkin, is a peculiar one. It’s relatively new compared to the ones i mentioned before. This involves making incisions on cured urushi, applying maki-e to the incisions. This technique gives depth and perspective, depending on the artist’s design.

28:02—QC Woes of Visconti and TWSBI

Visconti is known as the pinnacle of Fountain Pen collection for many people. However, especially in Australia, it seems that it’s hard to come across a pen that doesn’t have a problem in some way. Aidan answers some questions about what’s happening, why it’s happening, and what you can do about it. Furthermore, TWSBI also is examined for potential QC issues.

– Visconti Service Address: [email protected]

54:44—Recommendations

– Sharyn: Planet Earth 2

– Diana: Wild Alaska, and an additional 40 hours of Planet Earth 2 footage

– Aidan: The Expanse

– Taveet: Penny Dreadful

– Chuck: Mister Lui

58:47—Credits

Producers: Diana Dai, Chuck Montano, Sharyn Zha, Patrick Antolovich, Denise Tang.

The Nib Section delves into the deep and diverse world of inks, providing not only a starting point for the beginners in the scene, but also answering questions from viewers in regards to various ink myths and mysteries, as well as looking ahead for what might be next in the industry of ink manufacture.

The Nib Section is the official podcast of Fountain Pens Oceania.

Go like us on Facebook! www.facebook.com/TheNibSection/

Twitter: @thenibsection

The hosts were Chuck, Jean and Taveet with special guest Joanne Pham.

FORMAT

00:20—Panel intro

What We Are Writing With:

– Tav: Vintage Japanese “Woden”

– Joanne: Franklin Christoph Pocket

– Jean: Platinum Maki-e Kanazawa

03:22—News With Max

One of our producers, Max Schumacher, goes through some of the happenings within the fountain pen market, looking at newly announced pens and inks.

• Sailor Jentle NOT out discontinued, 4 new colours

08:18—The Basics

The hosts speak with Inksperts Tav and Joanne to find out some of the basic aspects of inks – what they’re made of, what each type of ink is and some of the science behind it.

19:45—The Deeper

Ever wondered what the most recently discovered shade of blue is? Joanne happens to know, and the panel delve into what’s been happening in the innovation and development of new and exciting colours, some of them even coming from spiders (arachnophobia warning).

For iron gall inks with lower iron content, that are less likely to cause blockages, try Pelikan 4001 Blue Black and the Platinum Classic series of inks. The usual precautions for iron gall inks (regular cleaning, avoid contact with metal parts) apply.

25:46—Ink FAQs

The panel answer questions from our audience:

• Are Iron-Gall inks safe in vintage pens?

48:21 – Recommendations

From Jean: TV Show – Atypical

From everyone else: Sun protection!

50:18—Credits

Producers: Diana Dai, Chuck Montano, Max Schumacher, Patrick Antolovich, Denise Tang.

Music: Michael Pearce.

Originally published on October 10, 2017.

Our hosts recap the Sydney Pelikan Hub, and Diana interviews the Hub Master for Newcastle, Brendan Fraser.

The Nib Section is the official podcast of Fountain Pens Oceania.

Go like us on Facebook! www.facebook.com/TheNibSection/

Twitter: @thenibsection

The hosts were Chuck Montano, Jean Pearce, Christina Kowalin and Diana Dai.

FORMAT

00:20—Panel intro

What We Are Writing With:

Jean - Sailor Sapppro (Pro Gear Slim) Starburst Galaxy

Chuck - Lamy Safari Yellow

01:55—Sydney Pelikan Hub Recap

If you want to see photos from Hubs around the world, check out the Pelkan Hubs social wall.

18:38—News

Pelikan new releases: M605 White Stripe and Maki-e Dragonfly.

The Reddit fountain pen ink, Diamine Earl Grey. Reviewed on FPN.

Penlux post about Sailor Four Seasons inks being discontinued.

What looks like the new Sailor inks, in 20ml bottles.

26:40—Interview with Brendan Gazzard, Newcastle Hub Master

Pulp Addiction.

Check out photos of the TN inserts Brendan had custom-made on our Facebook page.

Brendan’s IG: thewinehabit

47:39—Recommendations

The Witcher 3

The Orville

Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles (and yeah yeah, we’re aware that Diana mistakenly called James Cameron “Ridley Scott” throughout this entire section)

Stonemen

53:50—Credits

Producers: Diana Dai, Chuck Montano, Max Schumacher, Patrick Antolovich, Denise Tang.

Special thanks this episode go to Brendan Gazzard for taking the time to speak to us this episode.

Music: Michael Pearce.

(This is a re-upload of Episode 5 - originally uploaded 26/09/17)

In a special preview episode for the 2017 Pelikan Hubs, Diana interviews two of this year’s Hub Masters - Leo Fok (Hong Kong) and Aidan O’Brien (Sydney) - about how they’re preparing for the event. The Hubs will be held around the world on 22nd September, 2017.

The Nib Section is the official podcast of Fountain Pens Oceania.

Go like us on Facebook! www.facebook.com/TheNibSection/

Twitter: @thenibsection

Podbean: thenibsection.podbean.com/

The hosts were Chuck Montano, Aidan O’Brien and Diana Dai.

FORMAT

—Panel intro

What We Are Writing With:

—Reviews

—Feature interview with Aidan O’Brien and Leo Fok

Fountain Pen Intelligence Agency (Hong Kong)

Fountain Pens Oceania

Pelikan Hubs Official Page

The Pelikan’s Perch

Leo Fok

IG: InquisitiveQuill

YT: Inquisitive Quill

—Poll

—News

Corsani The Octa90nal

Notemaker becoming Milligram

Milligram Studio

—Recommendations

Prey

Black Sails

Great News

—Credits

Producers: Diana Dai, Chuck Montano, Patrick Antolovich, Denise Tang.

Special thanks this episode go to Leo Fok and Aidan O’Brien for taking the time to speak to us this episode.

Music: Michael Pearce.

(This is a re-upload of Episode 4 - originally uploaded 12/19/17)

Tav talks to two calligraphers, Ruben and Ahmad, about their art (yes art!), while the roundtable discusses the difference between calligraphy and handwriting, and how using fountain pens has affected the way they write.

We apologise for the audio quality this episode. Sydney is in the midst of a flu epidemic and it was quite a trial getting everyone able-bodied and in the same location for recording. Hopefully the discussion will make up for it. :)

The Nib Section is the official podcast of Fountain Pens Oceania.

Go like us on Facebook! www.facebook.com/TheNibSection/

Twitter: @thenibsection

Podbean: thenibsection.podbean.com/

The hosts were Chuck, Jean, Tav and Chrissy.

FORMAT

00:37—Panel intro

What We Are Writing With:

Jean, Pelikan M400 Red Stripe M, Montblanc Shakespeare Red

Christina, Baoer 3035, Iroshizuku Take-sumi

Chuck, Nakaya Decapod Twist Heki-tamenuri SM, Aurora Blue

03:30—Mailbag

Thanks to John M. from Alice Springs for emailing us.

08:40—Feature interview with Ruben Tabuteau and Ahmad Mujtaba on Gothic and urdu calligraphy

Ruben

Instagram: SirScribe

Youtube: Scribe Life

Ahmad

Youtube: Writing Urdu with a 1.1mm stub

Additional resources

MrMuttaqi and omarnizamuddin on Youtube

Australian Society of Calligraphers Inc. and their workshops

29:55—The hosts discuss a bevy of topics, including the difference between calligraphy and handwriting, the importance of calligraphy in different cultures and traditions, and handwriting over the centuries.

41:14—News

Conid Pen

Gunther Werks

Email Jean to let her know of any repairers and restorers of fountain pens in Australia and NZ

Nagasawa Kobe

@yamada_leuf’s Kobe ink writing samples

46:39—How handwriting fits into our daily lives

50:00—Has cursive had its heyday?

52:44—Poll

Visit our Facebook to weigh in on the poll question, “What brand (other than Pelikan) would you most like to see organise events for the fountain pen community?”

55:03—Recommendations

Report of the Week

Vox Canvas will be performing in Melbourne, 8-9 September 2017

Plague Inc.

And don’t forget to call your parents!

58:12—Credits

Producers: Diana Dai, Chux Montano, Patrick Antolovich, Denise Tang, Taveet Sinanian, Jean Pearce.

Special thanks this episode go to Ruben Tabuteau and Ahmad Mujtaba for taking the time to speak to us about calligraphy.

Music: Michael Pearce.

(This is a re-upload of Episode 3 - originally uploaded on 29/08/17)

Chux and Chrissy chat with special guest hosts Mark and Sophia about their recent pen-related adventures in Japan, and their plans to hold a pen and stationery show in Sydney.

The Nib Section is the official podcast of Fountain Pens Oceania.

Go like us on Facebook! www.facebook.com/TheNibSection/

Twitter: @thenibsection

Podbean: thenibsection.podbean.com/

The hosts were Chux, Chrissy, Sophia and Mark.

FORMAT

00:32—Panel intro

01:04—What We Are Writing With

Mark, Lamy AL-Star with custom 14kt gold nib 

Sophia, Pilot Fermo Green with medium nib 

Chrissy, TWSBI Eco White with 1.1mm stub 

Chux, Pilot 823 Amber with broad architect nib 

02:02—Mailbag

Resources on nib tipping sizes: 

Goulet Nib Comparison Tool

Nibs.com Nib Tipping Sizes Chart

05:44—Mark and Sophia’s pen adventures in Japan

Shibuya, Tokyo - Bungubox. 

Kobe - Nagasawa Stationery and Pen and Message. 

Nagoya - Sankodo. 

Shout out to Daisuke from Pilot, who showed Mark and Sophia around Itoya and Maruzen. 

Pilot and Namiki factory tour. 

Top Sailor Store Exclusive Inks: 

Sankodo Forest Green 

Bungubox Imperial Purple 

Bungubox Sweet Potato Yellow 

Kobe 41 Suma Rikyu Rose 

Pen and Message Cigar 

To see swabs of these inks, visit our Facebook. 

18:40—Quick tip

20:30—Sydney Pen Show

https://www.facebook.com/SydneyPenShow/

Get in touch with the organisers: [email protected]

25:17—News

Organics Studio Elements Nitrogen Royal Blue 

Pensive Pens

Classic Pens NZ

The next Sydney FPO Meet-up will be at Dove & Olive, 1pm on 19 August 2017

34:38—Recommendations

Food Wars 

Beelzebub 

Fargo the TV Series 

Beastmaster 

A Confederacy of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole 

39:17—Poll

"Should cursive go the way of the dinosaurs?"

Visit our Facebook to weigh in on the new poll:

https://www.facebook.com/TheNibSection/

41:44—Credits

Producers: Diana Dai, Chux Montano, Patrick Antolovich, Denise Tang.

Recording and editing: Patrick Antolovich, Denise Tang. 

Music: Michael Pearce.

Logo: Will H. Smith.

Logo artwork: Melissa Graf.

Chux, Tav, Patrick and Jean reveal how they fell headlong into the fountain pen hobby, and recommend their top pens in each price bracket, in the very first episode of The Nib Section. 

The Nib Section is the official podcast of Fountain Pens Oceania. 

You can always email us at [email protected] 

Go like us on Facebook! 

Twitter: @thenibsection 

Podbean: thenibsection.podbean.com/ 

The hosts were Chux, Taveet, Patrick and Jean. 

FORMAT 

00:00—Panel intro 

What We Are Writing With: 

06:16—How we got started in fountain pens

14:20—Top pens in each price bracket

44:53—News / Poll / Recommendations 

https://www.facebook.com/TheNibSection/posts/1487501391296608 

49:14—Credits 

Producers: Diana Dai, Chux Montano, Patrick Antolovich, Max Schumacher and Jean Pearce. 

Recording and editing: Patrick Antolovich, Denise Tang. 

Music: Michael Pearce. 

Logo: Will H. Smith. 

Logo artwork: Melissa Graf.