(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)
One of the vendors that I got to check out at the Philly Pen Show last month was The Someday Society. They had a variety of products like dip pens, notebooks, but what caught my eye was all the ‘zines! I picked up a couple for myself (and a couple for the Bossman too), and in the spirit of “use the things” instead of “hoard the things”, I’m going to write in the Philly Pen Show ‘zine to reminisce about the show.
Philly Pen Show ‘Zine from The Someday Society.
Inside the ‘zine. I love the different prompts, which makes me think a little differently from writing on a blank journal page.
Back of the ‘zine.
I was very curious to see how the paper behaved with fountain pens. Not gonna lie, I was worried it would either bleed through, or worse, not be usable at all, like where the ink would sit atop the paper and be easily wiped off.
TWSBI Eco, Pink, Fine, with Akkerman x GourmetPens Pink - not a problem at all!
TWSBI Precision, Gemini Blue, Medium, with Robert Oster Kids on the Block - this portion felt more waxy to write on, so I was convinced that the ink would smear as soon as I swiped it with a finger. I was pleasantly surprised that it didn’t smudge at all, but your mileage may vary with a broader nib, sheening inks, etc.
Sailor Pro Gear Slim, Nuts, Medium Fine, with Sailor Rikyu-cha. I didn’t get any of the interesting brown-green shading of Rikyu-cha, but that’s not surprising. It felt nice writing in this section.
Leonardo Momento Zero, Nuvola Lila, Stylosuite X-Wing Harpoon flex nib, with Pineider Violet. It held up fairly well with the flex nib.
The wetness of the ink, coupled with potentially scratching the surface with the flex occasionally made it feather a little. Also, the bottom portion of “Violet” wasn’t dry when I took this picture - you can see the ink pooling for a while before it dried. No feathering or ghosting there though!
It handled most standard pens and the one pencil I used, but a few had some issues.
Pens (and pencil) used: Pilot G-2 07, Sarasa Clip 05, Legami Erasable Pen 07, uni-ball One P Gel 0.38, Pilot Frixion Clicker 07, Sakura Pigma Micron 05, Spoke Pen 2 with Muji 05 gel refill, Caran d’Ache 849 Ballpoint, Lamy Tipo Medium, Parker Jotter (Gel Refill), Ticonderoga 2HB Soft, Jetstream 1.0, Platinum 3776 Kasumi Medium, uni-ball One 0.5, Parker Jotter (Ballpoint).
If you look closely at the 3 purple dots to the left of the yellow star, those were the result of a purple Sharpie that I used on the other side, which bled straight through. This is why I did not write with the Sharpie on this page. I did the same test with the Sakura Pigma Micron, which did not bleed through, so I did use it.
You can see that the paper didn’t love the G-2 or the uni-ball one in 0.38. I could barely get the uni-ball to even write on the paper!
The uni-ball one 0.5 was better but still wasn’t consistent. It also had a little problem with the Jetstream (see the underline of “Participating”), but not too bad as you could easily go over it again.
I would normally not swatch inks on something like this so I was nervous to say the least, but since it said “Use this area for...swatches”, I had to do it. For science.
I used my Kakimori steel dip nib to make these swatches of the Franklin-Christoph Ink ‘26 in Purple and Green. I did try not to be too heavy-handed, but it handled the ink well from both the swatches and the Franklin-Christoph 31 with the Gold Fine Flex SIG and Pennonia x Scriptus Lights of Niagara.
Holding the page up to the light, of course, you can see the previous page’s underlines, swatches, and writing.
But put it back on the desk and you’ll see that there is no ghosting or bleedthrough.
The Schon Full-Size Fountain Pen with Mondrian-inspired anodizing and Cursive Monoc, paired with Montblanc UNICEF Blue, wrote well and the ink looked lovely, too. It’s really tough picking just 3 moments to remember about the show, but I’d rather forget the 49er’s horrific loss though!
Wrote down a few pen show favorites, like this ‘zine, with the Esterbrook x TheCoffeeMonsterzCo Estie, Fine Journaler and KWZ It Smells Like Coffee (yes, it really does).
What a wonderful memento of the show!
This ‘zine isn’t available on The Someday Society shop, but they have digital downloads you can purchase. Their ‘zines are a great way to jot down some thoughts on a particular topic without it feeling overwhelming. The prompts and pre-decorated layouts make it easy to keep it short and sweet, while still being thoughtful about what you’re writing. I’m looking forward to picking up some more next time I see them, hopefully at Philly next year!
Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.
Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!
