On the Paper Trail, Episode 2: Snowed In With Matthew Chen!

Episode 2 of On the Paper Trail is now available! We originally had intended to record Episode 2 live from the shop, but obviously the weather didn’t cooperate. We ended up snowed/iced in with Matthew, who was kind enough to sit with us for a brief interview in which we discuss the ins and outs of nib customization. Topics include the difference between nib tuning and nib grinding, the most popular nib grinds and why you might want to get one, and Matthew's favorite creations.

Episode 2 Show Notes

1. ⁠Pilot Custom 912 with Waverly Nib (Joe's Pen)⁠

2. ⁠TWSBI ECO Rose Gold (Lisa's Pen)⁠

3. ⁠Matthew Chen (Matthew's Nibworks)⁠

4. ⁠Matthew's Grinds, including Specialty Grinds⁠

5. ⁠Arkansas Pen Show, Part II: Watch Matthew Grind a Nib⁠

⁠In addition to this weeks’ episode, we also did a bonus YouTube Live with Matthew⁠ in which he directly answered listener/viewer questions and went into more detail on his grinds and processes!

On The Paper Trail: Where You Can Download the Podcast

As noted above, if you want to follow along and watch the video, On The Paper Trail has its own YouTube Channel. We have also uploaded the podcast to most popular podcast networks and apps, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and Overcast. We have submitted to additional services such as iHeartRadio, Pocketcasts, Audible, and others, and you should see On The Paper Trail Appear as an option once their review process is complete.

Please note that our Nashville location is currently without power due to Winter Storm Fern and we will likely be unable to open the in-person shop on Thursday. Please check the shop hours before coming by, and online orders are greatly appreciated this week. While fulfillment may take a day or two longer than our normal shipping time, we continue to process orders.

New Arrivals: Yamamoto Canopus Paper Restock in All Sizes, Plus a Weather Update

On Friday morning before last week’s event started, we received a restock of Yamamoto Canopus Paper, including the A5 Canopus Note Notebooks, A4 sheets (which are new to us!), and Yamamoto Bullet Journal Bible-sized pads. For those unfamiliar, Canopus paper was specially developed by Yamamoto to showcase fountain pen ink colors, so it’s extremely fountain pen friendly. In addition to Canopus, we carry a curated selection from the Yamamoto Paper lineup, including additional specialty papers in A4 sheets and smaller format “Paper Tasting” samplers.

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While we remain operational and orders are shipping, certain orders may be delayed as we are without power and the warehouse is extremely cold (though it remains above freezing). While we are shipping orders as fast as possible, we greatly appreciate the patience and grace many of you have shown. Our goal is to get caught up by the end of the week.

Please keep an eye on the website for in-store hours as we of course cannot open the Nashville location until power is restored. Right now my hope is that we will be in a position to open on Friday, but there will be no firm call until tomorrow evening. Thanks for your patience, and stay safe out there!

Sunday Reading for January 25, 2026 (Snow/Ice Day Edition)

1. 2026 Philadelphia Pen Show Recap (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). The first pen show of the year has come and gone. And yes, it snowed. Again.

2. My Mechanical Pencil Collection Is Out of Control (via dwrdnet). I definitely see room for more.

3. TaG Submarine (via Figboot on Pens). A cool design for a Kickstarter project! I’m glad to see David review some of these unique projects.

4. My “Fancy” Non-Fountain Pens (via Well-Appointed Desk). Everyone needs several quality non-fountain pens, whether

5. How I Use My Notebooks: Work in Progress Notebook - Debts and Lessons (via Writing at Large). I love series on how people use their notebooks in different ways, including this take on gratitude journaling.

6. Meet Your Maker: Gavin Hardy, Hardy Penwrights (via Pen Addict - Caroline). Gavin is keeping the Hardy Penwrights business moving forward after his father, Greg, passed away. You can read more about what he has planned for 2026 and beyond.

7. Digital Declutter: Step 5 The Analog Alternatives (via Well-Appointed Desk). If you’re looking to reduce digital dependency in 2026, check out Ana’s series on Digital Declutter techniques.

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In Case You Missed It…

We spent most of this week preparing for our in-store event with Vanness Pens, Pilot USA, and Matthew Chen, but ended up having to cancel the Saturday portion of the event due to the winter storm sweeping across the Eastern U.S. Friday, however, was a success! While we were all holed up at a hotel, Lisa and I recorded a Snow Day Livestream with Matthew in which we discussed nib grinding questions and techniques, and took listener questions! We also recorded Episode 2 of the On The Paper Trail Podcast, with Matthew as a special guest, and that Episode will drop next week.

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This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop

While we had to close the in-person shop on Saturday, the online store remains open. Please note that due to the winter storm, fulfillment and shipping will be delayed by a day or two, until we can safely get packages out the door and USPS and UPS resume shipping. We greatly appreciate those of you who have continued to support us and especially those who came to visit us in person. If you were in the shop on Friday, you probably have seen our fresh shipment of Canopus paper from Yamamoto, in A5 notebook, A4 looseleaf, and Bullet Jotter form. We also have new Roterfaden Covers in A5, a full restock of Diamine Ink including Lady Grey, Colorverse “Red Horse” and many different Pilot specialty nibs in the Custom 743 and Custom 912 fountain pen lines.

We will plan to be open normal hours this week, from 1-6pm Thursday and Friday and from 10am-6pm Saturday. Please watch the site and social media for any updates and announcements.

Yamamoto Paper

Colorverse

Pilot

Diamine

How to Support T.G.S. and Our Various Projects

If you enjoy our content (whether here on the main website, Instagram, YouTube Channel or elsewhere), and would like early/extra access to shop releases and special promotions, consider supporting us via Patreon. The T.G.S. Patreon includes early access and discounts on exclusive shop releases, a monthly updates newsletter, and of course our monthly meetups. As of this morning, ALL Patreon supporters (including non-paying free members) have access to one or more initial “practice” episodes of “On the Paper Trail”.

Saturday's Event with Vanness Pens, Pilot, and Matthew Chen: Saturday Cancelled

A huge thank-you to everyone who came out Friday for our in-store event with Vanness Pens, Pilot, and Matthew Chen! Despite having to scramble and reorganize things a bit due to the shifting weather forecasts, we had a full house all day Friday, and it was fun to watch everyone try out Matthew’s tester pens and nib grinds. (Apparently the Kodachi remains an extremely popular choice!) Please note that while the online shop remains open, our in-person shop in Nashville is CLOSED today due to the weather. Please do not come by as I am on-site now and the access road is getting covered with snow. Stay home!

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We are not like the grocery stores across the South - our shelves are not bare and we remain open online! :)

We will plan on doing more of these events, as it was fun hosting not only allowing people to peruse Lisa Vanness’s ink samples and Matthew Chen’s nibs, but Bill Pearcy of Pilot USA was on site with a full set of Pilot nibs in both the Custom 743 and Custom 912 sizes. We now carry a selection of the most popular Pilot specialty nibs, including the FA (Falcon semi-flex), PO (Posting), WA (Waverly) and SF (Soft-fine) and we will be expanding our selection in the future.

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Pilot’s Waverly nib features slightly upturned tines that write smoothly from multiple angles. I hadn’t spent a lot of time writing with this one until recently, and it may become a new go-to recommendation for those with challenging writing angles.

Thursday Drops: Huge Diamine Restock, including Lady Grey Inks, Canopus Paper, and More TWSBI!

This weekend’s event with Vanness Pens and Matthew Chen is going forward, but we are accelerating the nib grind portion of the weekend to Friday. If you have a Saturday appointment, you can reschedule to a Friday time slot or walk-in on Friday and we will make every effort to work everyone in. And just in time for the event, we have additional Canopus Paper from Yamamoto that arrived this morning, and Diamine Lady Grey! We also have the Colorverse “Red Horse” ink series, as well as Pilot specialty nibs and a general Pilot restock. Finally, TWSBI arrived this morning, with plenty of mediums and broads for nib grinds. We hope to see you this weekend!

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Yamamoto Canopus Paper is back in stock, in both Notebook and A4 Looseleaf format.

We will be open today (Thursday 1/22) from 1pm-6pm, and tomorrow (Friday 1/23) from 10am-6pm. If the weather isn’t too bad, we may try to open for part of the day on Saturday but right now we are planning on being closed due to inclement weather.

1. Canopus A5 Notebooks. Yamamoto Canopus Notebooks are back in stock! We have a healthy supply and these notebooks will be made available at this week’s event.

2. Canopus A4 Looseleaf Sheets. In addition to the Canopus notebooks, we have added Canopus paper to our range of looseleaf Yamamoto papers in A4 formats.

3. Canopus Jotters. The Yamamoto Bullet Jotters ship with one pad of Soliste and another of Sheep’s Cloud Bond, but we also have the additional papers including Yamamoto’s own Canopus and Meringue.

4. Diamine Lady Grey. We have both 80ml and 30ml bottles of Diamine’s recent “Lady Grey” release, as well as a significant restock of requested colors, including Ancient Copper, Sepia, and more.

5. Diamine 150th Anniversary Inks. We have a full restock of the wedge-shaped 150th Anniversary Diamine Ink Bottles, in all of the colors!

6. Diamine Ink Cartridge Assortment. Customers have been asking for an assortment of ink cartridges, and we have several of each of the various Diamine assortments.

7. Colorverse “Red Horse” Limited Edition Inks. Colorverse’s “Year of the Horse” inks feature four different riffs on a single dark red base, with added gold, purple-blue, and dark green shimmer, in addition to the standard red. The purple-blue shimmer is my favorite.

8. Pilot Custom 743 in Verdigris Green. I managed to snag a couple remaining Verdigris North American exclusives with the FA (Falcon) nib, which is one of the more flexible modern nib options on the market right now.

9. Pilot Custom 912 with Specialty Nibs. The Custom 912 is a relatively classic, simple pen, but Pilot uses it as a vehicle for their 14k specialty nibs including the FA, PO (Posting), WA (Waverly), and SF (Soft Fine).

10. Herbin Anniversary Inks (Including Emerald of Chivor). Need a special ink to use in your specialty nib? We have the Herbin Anniversary inks, including Emerald of Chivor, Opale Nocturne, and Kyanite du Népal.

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