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Note added on February 2017: There is a basic mistake on this text--the pen I called "Volex" is, in fact, a Myu-25, released in the mid 1970s. The only Volex on these text is the one on the far right on the first picture. Please, check the following Chronicle: http://estilofilos.blogspot.jp/2017/01/family-portrait-viii-myu-25-at-al.html.


Pocket pens have already been mentioned in these chronicles. In the West, dare I say, they are known because of two models—the Pilot Myu 701 and its close relative the Pilot M90. However, there is a myriad of pocket pens in all colors, and materials and, to a certain extent, even shapes.

Several Pilot Pocket Pens. The first three pens on the left are Volex Myu-25.

The Pilot Myu 25 Volex model followed, in some sense, the idea of the Myu 701 without the extensive use of stainless steel. Myu-25 Volex and Myu share most of the design features—clips, dimensions,… And section and nib are streamlined, albeit the Myu-25 and Volex nibs are not made out of the section.

Pilot Myu 701 on top. Pilot Myu-25 Volex in black on the bottom.

Myu 701 and Myu-25's nibs.

A variation on this theme are the transparent Myu-25 Volex—the demonstrators. The caps, however, were the same as for the regular models.

The black Myu-25 Volex and the demonstrator Myu-25 Volex (with black cap).

I cannot say much more than this. I do not know how common or popular they were at their time in the mid to late seventies. Or if they were only intended as selling tools for the Pilot salesmen of the time, as was the case with the original demonstrator pens.

Two transparent Myu-25 Volex.

Those demonstrators on the pictures were manufactured in 1974 and 1975. Both have fine nibs.

(Pilot Elite Pocket Pen with crosshatched cap (H187) – Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-guri)

Bruno Taut
(Shinjuku, October 1st, 2010)
[labels: Pilot]

Dyes

Sailor, we already said this, changed its marketing strategies last year. As a result, this company eliminated the line of old inks –some of them very popular—and launched what they call “seasonal inks”: four new inks per season. Having already passed the autumnal equinox, the fall inks had to be ripe for release.


These are the new four inks:
Chu-shu: Full moon in mid autumn. A grayish blue.
Oku-yama: Inner mountains. Red-violet.
Kin-mokusei: Fragant olive (Osmanthus fragans). Orange.
Yama-dori: Mountain bird. Blue.


These seasonal inks are, in actual terms, limited releases. Some of them –Sakura-mori and Yuki-akari, of the Spring and Winter collections, respectively— are no longer available in the shops in Tokyo.

This is indeed a great trick. Great and not completely fair. By doing this, Sailor raises some anxiety in all those fond or obsessed with inks—buy now, as soon as possible, for tomorrow they might not be there. And on top of that, their prices are 66% higher than the old line of inks.

Ink is becoming a luxury good. Fancy inkwells, creative names, low production costs, high profits… All for a quite simple product after all. Annoying.

The good news are that there might be room for cheap inks. Fellow blogger Julie (Okami) reported recently on this new line of inks: the Silk Route Inks. 50 ml. of ink at USD 3.50 (plus shipping charges) in functional plastic inkwells. And cheap does not mean, apparently, non-poetic. All power to them!

(Pilot Elite Pocket Pen with crosshatched cap (H187) – Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-guri)

Bruno Taut
(Shinjuku, October 1st, 2010)
[labels: Sailor, tinta, Silk Road Ink]

Number 5

In the West, Swan is known as the brand created by Mabie, Todd and the Bard Brothers in 1884. But in Japan, Swan was a company created by Nobuo Itô in 1906. By 1912, this company had a number of pens in its catalog resembling those of Swan in Britain. Lawsuits followed in Japan, but Nobuo Itô got his way and Swan Japan became one of the leading pen companies in its country. In 1918, Itô’s Swan had 60% of the market share in Japan. It died, in actual terms, with the Second World War when its factories were destroyed, although some unsuccessful attempts to resurrect it took place in the 1980s.

The Swan Number 5.

This pen is an ebonite eyedropper, possibly from the 1910s. As was common in most Japanese eyedroppers, a safety valve was implemented “to avoid ink stains in their valuable kimono…” This valve sealed the connection between ink deposit and section.

The safety valve in this pen.

Cap, section, and barrel.

The barrel is nicely engraved with the company logo –blatantly similar to the Mabie-Todd Swan’s— and the inscription “THE ‘SWAN’ FOUNTAIN PEN MADE IN JAPAN A NO. 5”.

The barrel with the inscription.

A sticker adds the information that the nib is iridium tipped. The nib itself is engraved with a “WARRANTED” and, as shown in the picture something like “SWANFENKI4” whose meaning escapes me. It is possibly made of steel and is quite springy. An overfeed guarantees the correct supply of ink.

The nib with the overfeed.

The cap is very interesting, and makes this pen very Japanese. Its top end has a small sliding cap that hides a soft white stone in which to carve the personal seal (hanko, 判子). We should remember that East Asian countries do not rely on the signature but on personal seals to stamp your agreement or understanding in a document.

The white stone to carve the seal in.

From left to right, a cheap seal called mitome (認印) for informal occasions, the receipt of registration of the formal seal before the city hall, and my personal hanko, on the right.

This pen might have been a very convenient instrument in its time: after writing any text, the author could also sign it with his personal seal. He only needed the inkpad.

Now...

To ink… or not to ink?

After all I said some days ago, I have no option other than inking this pen. “Por la boca muere el pez”, as we all know.

(Sailor Profit 14, burgundy color – Noodler’s Old Dutch Sepia)

Bruno Taut
Inagi, September 30, 2010
[labels: Swan Japan, Japón]

Novedades

En los foros estilográficos suenan rumores o se dan noticias con pocos detalles sobre las nuevas estilográficas que Pilot tiene pensado lanzar al mercado en breve. Y genera especial expectación la posibilidad de que una de ellas sea una pluma con llenado por pistón dado que en la actualidad son contadas las estilográficas japonesas que no usan el sistema de cartucho y conversor.

Con esos rumores en la cabeza me di un paseo estilográfico a ver qué podía averiguar. Y éstas son las novedades de Pilot para el otoño de 2010 que encontré.

Foto extraída del catálogo de novedades de otoño de 2010 de Pilot. Plumas maki-e FD-3MP.

La primera de ellas son tres nuevos modelos de plumas con decoración en maki-e (modelos FD-3MP) que ya están en los comercios. Estas plumas son, salvo en la decoración, iguales a las maki-e más baratas de Pilot (modelos FD-2MP). Estas son sus características y sus diferencias con los modelos anteriores que continúan en el mercado:
--Plumines en oro de 14 quilates, rodiados.
--Puntos F y M ligeramente flexibles.

Este es el plumín de estas plumas maki-e con la salvedad del material. El de la foto es oro de 18 quilates y las que aquí describo (modelos FD-3MP) emplean oro de 14 quilates.

--Anillos decorativos y prendedor rodiados.
--Llenado por cartucho y conversor.
--Capuchón a presión.
--Motivos maki-e más modernos que en los anteriores. En las nuevas se trata de patrones repetitivos.
--Precio en Japón sin impuestos (según catálogo): JPY 30000.

Los modelos anteriores –que no desaparecen del mercado— que comparten forma y tamaño con estas novedades tienen los plumines y la decoración en oro y su precio es de JPY 20000.

Foto extraída del catálogo de novedades de otoño de 2010 de Pilot. Pluma, bolígrafo y portaminas modelos Custom Heritage 912.

La segunda novedad, también disponible en los comercios ahora mismo, es el modelo Custom Heritage 912 (FKVH-2MR). A efectos prácticos, esta pluma es una Custom 742 con algunas variaciones:
--Plumines en oro de 14 K en tamaño 10, rodiado (la 742 los lleva en color oro).
--Puntos disponibles: los 15 plumines de tamaño 10 de Pilot. Desde el EF al "coarse", lo que incluye los menos habituales: "falcon", musical, “posting”, “stub”, “waverly”…

Plumín musical de una Custom 742. La Custom Heritage 912 puede montar este mismo plumín, pero en acabado rodiado.

--Prendedor y anillos rodiados.
--Llenado por cartucho y conversor.
--Color negro.
--Capuchón a rosca.
--Extremos achatados.
--Precio en Japón: JPY 20000, lo mismo que la Custom 742.

Foto extraída del catálogo de novedades de otoño de 2010 de Pilot. Pluma modelo Custom Heritage 92 (FKVH-15SRS).

La tercera novedad es la Pilot Custom Heritage 92 (FKVH-15SRS). Ésta llegará a los comercios en Japón a principios de octubre. Se trata de una pluma de demostración –transparente— con llenado por pistón. Éstas son sus características:
--Plumines en oro de 14 K de tamaño 5, rodiados (la Custom 74 los lleva dorados).
--Cuatro puntos disponibles: F, FM, M, B.

Plumín de tamaño 5 como el instalado en las Custom Heritage 92. Las diferencias son que el de la foto no está rodiado y es ligeramente flexible (punto "soft fine").

--Anillos y prendedor rodiados.
--Llenado por pistón.
--Realizada en plástico transparente.
--Capuchón a rosca.
--Extremos achatados.
--Precio en Japón sin impuestos: JPY 15000. La Custom 74 con esos cuatro plumines cuesta JPY 10000.

Es decir, Pilot valora en JPY 5000 el uso del pistón y de material transparente.

(Waterman Lever Filler made in Canada – Sailor Red Brown)

Bruno Taut
Inagi, 29 de septiembre de 2010
[labels: Pilot]

500

I had already seen this pen in previous pen clinics, but I cannot help showing my admiration for what I consider a beautiful pen.


This is the Pilot Super Ultra 500, from 1959. It was designed by Shigeki Chiba and won several design awards. But its production was too expensive and the model was short lived.


In 1995, Pilot made a replica of the original, albeit with a different filling system. The 1959 model used the switch or quarter turn filler whereas the replica was a cartridge/converter pen.


Mr. Niikura brought two variations of the original pen. One with a gold plated cap, and another one –more interesting in my opinion— with a black cap with golden accents shaped as the inlaid nib inside.


Currently, these pens are highly priced in the second hand market.

With thanks to Mr. Niikura for showing these beauties.

(Pilot Elite Pocket Pen with crosshatched cap (H187) – Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-guri)

Bruno Taut
Inagi, September 28, 2010
labels: evento, Pilot

Dissipation

This month’s Wagner Pen Clinic was more crowded than in previous occasions. The weather was very nice in Tokyo this past weekend and it invited to go out after the humid Turkish-bath-like days of this past summer.

To this event, Mr Noguchi, the expert in commemorative editions, brought the pen Sailor marketed on the occasion of its 90th anniversary in 2001. It is called “Mannenhitsu Doraku” (万年筆度楽), which could be translated as Stylographic Dissipation. That really seems an apt name for all us stylophiles.


This is a very beautiful pen. It is made of carefully treated rosewood. Only 200 units were produced.


However beautiful, its main feature is the nib. Sailor opted for one of its specialty nibs created by master Nobuyoshi Nagahara—the two-fold cross nib. This is a very wet and broad nib, a real pleasure for the senses—might this be what Sailor meant by “Stylographic Dissipation”…


One of the usual attendees to these pen clinics is another creative craftsman—Mr. Yamada. So, comparing the Sailor cross nib to the two folded creation by Mr. Yamada based upon the Pelikan Souverän M800, already mentioned in these chronicles, was only natural.

On the left, and on top on the last picture, the Mr. Yamada's re-creation of a Pelikan M800. On the left, bottom on the last picture, the Sailor cross nib by master Nagahara.

The writing experiences with those pens are difficult to judge, and personal preferences will play the most important role in this call. What is very different, and very significant is the filling system on each of those pens. The Pelikan uses its traditional piston filling system whose ink capacity is about 2 ml. On the other side, Sailor chose a cartridge/converter system with an ink capacity of about 0.6 ml for the converter, and 0.9 for the cartridge. These values are fairly small when dealing with ink guzzlers like these nibs.

The somehow disappointing insides of a beautiful pen.

That is a major problem among Japanese pen manufacturers. And only recently this is changing with pens like the Sailor Realo and the Pilot Custom 823. Now, these two companies have the possibility to combine exciting nibs with interesting –and generous— filling systems.

With thanks to Mr. Noguchi.

(Waterman Lever Filler made in Canada – Sailor Red Brown)

Bruno Taut
(Inagi, September 28, 2010)
[labels: evento, plumín, Sailor, Pilot]

Dilemma

There's a big dilemma
About my Big Leg Emma, uh-huh, oh yeah

(Frank Zappa)

To ink or not to ink: that is the question.

Now Old Stock (NOS) –for those who are not familiar with this jargon— are goods no longer on production that have never been sold at retail. Therefore, NOS goods are nominally new—mint in their condition. Consequently, in the second hand market, they are higher considered than any used equipment, no matter how perfect its condition.

Then, should we ink NOS pens or not? Every stylophile has his own opinion. Personally, I do ink them—I buy pens to use them and that is my reason to buy more pens. And in doing so, I have encountered some that did not perform well at all and needed adjustment.


The last of such cases was a Pilot Murex (MR) whose ink flow was quite dry. Nibmeister Paco, a regular at the Wagner pen clinics, took good care of the problem. That Pilot now writes wonderfully. But this reluctance to ink pens poses an interesting question: How many of those NOS pens, so valued by some collectors, do actually write?

This coming Sunday –September 26th—the monthly meeting of the Wagner association will take place at the usual venue near Ebisu Station in Tokyo from 9:30 to 17:00.

October will hold, other than the usual Wagner meeting, the yearly Fuente Pen Show on the weekend of the 23rd and 24th. Presumably, it will be celebrated at the Scandinavian Crafts Gallery “Hokuo-no Takumi” (北欧の匠) in Ginza (Chuo ward, Tokyo).

And given the offer of pens in those events…

To attend or not to attend: that is the question...

(Pilot Custom 74 with music nib – Sailor Red Brown)

Bruno Taut
(Inagi, September 22, 2010)
[labels: evento, estilofilia]