Summer vacation is almost over and hopefully the heat wave we just endured is behind us as well. As you can imagine we're getting ready for our next pen show, the DC Super Show. As it is every year, this is by far the biggest show in the country, possibly even the world. I hope to see many of you there for the introduction of a slew of new and exciting products. For example, this past Thursday I had breakfast with Visconti's National Sales Manager, Ken Jones, at our favorite stomping ground the Ambrosia Restaurant in Rockville Md. Following up on the tremendous success of the Divine Proportion fountain pen, Visconti is going to introduce a second collection modeled off the original which will feature a unique orange-grey celluloid, unlike anything I have ever seen. The series will consist of a fountain pen, rollerball, oversize ballpoint, and sketch pencil. The series has the same spiral pattern as the original, however no silver inlay. I thought they could never out do themselves after the original, but this is a truly phenomenal new Visconti design.

Speaking of beautiful pens, David Oscarson plans to officially unveil his new heavenly celestial collection, and he will have them for order at the DC show. This striking sun and moon phase patterned pen will be available in five color combinations. See the latest Stylus magazine for details. This collection represents an artistic departure from David's previous work, and is not to be missed. Make sure to speak with David at the show, and if you haven't met him I'll be happy to introduce you. He's simply a great guy and an asset to the industry, and he will be more than happy to tell you all about his beautiful new creation.

Delta will also be unveiling some new pens for DC, in particular the "Peace Pen." Actually it's "Peace Pens," and comes as a matching 3 piece set of two fountain pens, one in sterling silver accents and one in Vermeil, and includes a matching ballpoint with sterling silver accent. Yair Greenberg, president of Yafa pen company and the US distributor of Delta products, will be on hand to show you this exciting collection.

To change tacks for a bit, for all of you old Parker Penman lovers out there, as suggestion I'd like to recommend Lamy bottled ink. The bottle comes with the same type of ink reservoir as the Penman bottle did, along with a generous supply of blotting paper with which to wipe your nib Lamy inks come in standard black blue and blue-black, as well as turquoise red and green. At $7.25 a bottle, this is by far the best value in quality ink today.

Anyway, do your best to stay cool as we endure this brutal heat, and I hope to see each and every one of you at the DC Show. It's always a great time for everybody, and is not to be missed.

Pen lovers just can't get enough of the Namiki Vanishing Point. This pen is so popular and is such a great pen that we had to suggest it one more time! The retractable nib is smooth and the pen fits nicely in the pocket. The Vanishing Point now comes in a wide variety of colors.

Through August 31, 2006 receive a free pack of black ink cartridges when you order a Vanishing Point!

Michael's Pens, creator of the famous Fat Boy Rollerball has done it again!

Introducing the Fat Boy Comet Fountain Pen Limited Edition!

This pen features:

• Aircraft-grade,solid aluminum barrel features four contrasting comets
• Laser engraved numbering
• Cushy black rubber rings give a firm grip
• Steel spring clip
• Well balanced for effortless writing
• Stainless steel German nib with iridium point(Fine, Medium or Broad)
• Comes with screw in piston converter (with metal bands)
• Uses bottle ink or accepts push-in international standard cartridges (short or long)
• Screw on cap (front and back)
• Diameter of barrel is same as Fat Boy Gel Pens
• Length is 6.5" with cap posted on end
• Made in U.S.A.

Jim is our resident pen guru. Jim is a "fountain" of knowledge when it comes to all things pens!

Question: The Rollerball?

Answer: As some of you know, I’m not the world’s biggest fan of the Rollerball pens, but they’re here to stay and they deserve mention as legitimate writing instruments. Created in the late 80’s to be a substitute for the fountain pen, rollers as a class have been extremely successful. There are two basic types of rollers, capless and non capless. Capless refills are used mainly in twist or click-action pens but are sometimes used in capped pens as well. This style of refill will not dry out when exposed to air, so they do not need a cap to protect them; the rollers most known for the use of capless refills include pens from Retro 1951, Rotring and Lamy. Some of the capless refills like those used in Retro 1951 (Schmidt P 8126) will interchange with Parker style Ballpoint refills. Non-capless rollers fit a majority of the capped rollers out there. For the most part the cap slows the evaporation of the ink, so it becomes very important to keep your pen capped when not in use. This is the system used by Montblanc, Waterman, Parker, Aurora, Visconti, and S.T. Dupont and so on.

So, what is a Rollerball?

In its simplest from it is a steel or plastic tube filled with ink similar to that of fountain pen ink. It is delivered to the paper by means of a smooth free spinning ball. The ball is usually steel, or in some cases, ceramic. The roller ink is delivered to the ball by a series of tiny inline discs (like in a fountain) or a fiber type wick, unlike a Ballpoint that has a divotted ball (like a golf ball) and a paste-type ink. As it spins it picks up the paste ink and deposits it on the paper in little dots that form a semi solid line.

The Rollerball is clearly the easiest and smoothest writing instrument to use out of the box. They are renowned for their dark line, smooth feel and quick writing, when new and fresh. The quality will diminish considerably as they get older or used.

The average life expectancy of the roller ball is approximately thirty legal pages. I like to refer to rollers as the sport cars of pens; they go fast on the paper but use a tremendous amount of fuel.

Some interesting variants of rollers include Cross gel Rollers. They use gel ink in a roller, these seem to last longer and to be a bit more water resistant. Schmidt Super Bowl is a Parker style Ballpoint refill filled with roller ink. This allows any Parker style ballpen to be used as a roller. The Pilot G2 which is a standard 5888/888 style European refill is also a Gel roller in colors that will fit a number of standard pens like the Aurora, Waterman, Visconti and Conway Stewart. The colors available are black, blue, red, green and purple.

Brand dedicated refills refer to refills designed to fit one brand of pen only. Examples of this are: Waterman, Parker, Sheaffer, Montblanc, Lamy, Tombow, and Pelikan. You may have some wiggle room here but very little. However, most of the Italian companies use some type of Schmidt refills be that capless or non-capless.

When using any capless refill, great care needs to be taken, as these have a tendency to wick in your pocket, even if they are closed. The tiny fibers in the seam of your pocket can stick up and become lodged in the tip of the pen. If these fibers make contact with the Rollerball they will wick and form a stain on the shirt; Capillary attraction at work.

I personally recommend that when purchasing a roller you give consideration to the cost of the refill. We have a standard five pack Schmidt 5888 that sells for $12.95, a single Aurora roller refill sells for $5.75 and they are basically the same refill. Check and see what refills fit your roller. You do not always need to purchase the same brand as the pen. Keep in mind; Schmidt makes 80% of the refills out there, most under private label.


Jim