DIY

Para mis amigos estilófilos del Foro de Relojes.

Platinum pocket pens are easy to find in the second hand market in Japan. Originally, these pens could be used with either cartridges –Platinum proprietary cartridges— or converters. But this company stopped producing the short aerometric converters suitable for their pocket pens and now we are bound to refill their cartridges.

However, there is an easy way to adapt a current platinum converter to fit in a pocket size pen.

The first picture shows all the parts of the converter. On the top side, the modified, short converter. The original, regular length, at the bottom. To disassemble the Platinum converter, simply unscrew the golden metal part from the transparent ink deposit.

The only piece that needs to be modified is the hollow cylindrical handle that operates the internal screw and moves the piston up and down. This screw must NOT be cut—those last threads make the piston to reach the bottom end of the converter.

The modified cylinder is 7 mm. shorter than the original.

The final picture shows how the screw can pass through the cylindrical handle. When used in a pocket pen, this screw should not be pulled all the way out—just to the end of the cylinder. Needless to say, the converter will not be filled to its maximum.

In a number of pocket pens, this converter has the whole transparent window hidden by the pen section, thus hiding the amount of remaining ink. But modified, this converter can be used in any Platinum pen.

(Platinum Silver Cap pocket pen – Platinum Brown)

Bruno Taut
(Inagi, June 26 2010)
[labels: Platinum, conversor, soluciones técnicas]

German Pocket

To the regular reader of these chronicles, pocket pens are well known and need little introduction. Suffice to remember now that the first of them was launched by Pilot in 1968. But that might not be the first time the idea of a “pocket pen” came to light.

Kaweco is a German pen company in business since 1883. As early as in 1908, the model Sport was created—a dip pen of very compact dimensions: 10 cm when capped, and 14 when posted. A 1909 patent allowed the company to create a safety pen that did not leak, and in 1911 a new safety Sport was marketed.

Pilot pocket pen and Kaweco Sport in aluminum. Posted, the Pilot is 148 mm long, and the Kaweco is 130 mm. Capped, 118 mm for the Pilot; 105 for the Kaweco.

The year 1934 model was a safety pen made either in artificial horn or in ebonite in a shape very much alike to the current Kaweco Sport. Since then, the Kaweco Sport has preserved that basic style while changing the filling system -- safety, piston, and cartridge-- and the materials –ebonite, celluloid, plastic, aluminum, etc.


This Kaweco Sport model and the typical Japanese pocket pen have some similarities: both are very compact pens when closed, and they have unusually long caps. And posted, they become long enough for a pleasant grip.

Now, the construction of both pens is completely different. Might them be different interpretations of the same idea.

(Kaweco Sport with 1.1 italic nib – Diamine Evergreen)

Bruno Taut
(In exile, December 14th, 2010)
[labels: Kaweco, Japón]

23

Long time ago I spoke about the gold fever in the pen industry. The basic idea of the text was that the use of gold in nibs was justified by its good resistance to corrosion by the ink, but higher gold purity is not better. Very high gold purity, in fact, results into plastic (as opposed to elastic) deformation of the nib.

However, a number of pen manufacturers over the years have made nibs with high gold content, probably pushing the idea of jewels with a nib over that of a useful pen…

Sailor was one of those companies. In fact, the big three Japanese manufacturers competed in that area of the market in the early 1970s. In that competition Sailor made nibs of 23 K gold that are, nowadays, relatively common in the second hand market. Higher gold purity were also used by Sailor, up to 23.99 K, but they are hard to find.

A green pocket pen by Sailor.

Originally, it cost JPY 6000. This one implements a fine (細) nib.

The more-common 23 K gold nibs are mostly found in pocket pens, like the one on show today, although they were also implemented in other models, including some with maki-e decoration.

These pens were upscale models with a number of luxurious features:
-- The nib is larger than usual. Other Sailor pocket pens implemented basically the same nib, but smaller in size and poorer in gold content.

On top, the pocket pen with the 23 K gold nib. Its diameter is 14 mm, and it weight, dry, 18 g. On bottom, a much more common unit with a 21 k gold nib. Its girth is 11 mm, and its weight, 11 g. Note the absence of decoration on the section in the later.

-- This bigger nib makes the whole pen thicker in diameter and more substantial on the hand.
-- Finally, the decorative damascene on the section was reserved for more luxurious models.

As is often the case with Sailor pocket pens, this model can only be inked with Sailor-proprietary cartridges. In this model, not even modified converters could be used.

This pen can only be inked with Sailor cartridges.

The original price, as can be seen on the sticker, was JPY 6000. That was around 1973. These are its dimensions:
Length closed: 118 mm
Length open: 103 mm
Length posted: 149 mm
Diameter: 14 mm
Weight: 18.0 g (dry)
Ink deposit: 1.2 ml (cartridge)

The battle over gold content of nibs ended up by mid 1970s, but during those years a number of makers marketed pens with 22 and 23 K gold nibs. I will cover some of those on future Chronicles.

Pelikan 400NN (Merz & Krell) – Platinum Black

Bruno Taut
Chuo (Tokyo), August 27th, 2013
etiquetas: Sailor, Japón, mercado

Matching (XIV)

Which one is the original and which one is the copy?

It is well known that the big three Japanese pen companies keep a close eye on each other, and we can see startling similarities on some of their current products. That, in fact, is not new. The original idea of the pocket pen, for instance, is disputed between Sailor and Platinum —Pilot’s first pocket pen came later, in 1968—, but the final result was by the end of 1960s all three of them –and even some other smaller brands— had their own version of a black and formal looking pocket pen well suited for the Japanese salary man.

From left to right, a Ferme, a Pilot, a Platinum (with damascene decoration, zogan in Japanese, on the section), and a Sailor. All pocket pens in black with golden accents. All four nibs of these pens are made of 18 K gold.

But not only that model was copied. Years later, by the mid 1970s, all big three offered pocket pens made of stainless steel—all clean and lean. Only one of them, however, dared to make an all-steel pen with integrated nib.

From top to bottom, Platinum, Sailor and Pilot pens. The Platinum unit uses a Pt-alloy nib. In other words, a white gold nib. Pilot and Sailor nibs are made of 14 K gold.

Which one is the original and which ones are the copies? Among the three examples shown today, the Platinum is probably the earliest of the lot given its Pt-alloy nib.

Inoxcom 77, steel nib – Platinum Black

Bruno Taut
Nakano, August 12th 2014
etiquetas: Japón, mercado, Platinum, Pilot, Sailor, Ferme

JIS 3232

After showing a luxurious pocket pen, a Yotsubishi with urushi-e decoration, it might be worth to describe a plain and functional workhorse with the same structure.

This particular pen carries a non descriptive name on the cap —”SUPER GOLD LINE”— which might be the brand name or not. The nib, however, is more informative as it is imprinted with the JIS number 3232. It corresponds to the operation of Haruo Kawakami, which, according to Masa Sunami, made parts to order. Therefore this might very well be a nib unit made for a pen produced and manufactured by some unknown company.

A Super Gold Line, according to the inscription on the cap.

Two details strike out as different on this pen if compared to most pocket pens. The first one is that the barrel and the section do not separate on the central ring —now almost just decorative—, but well down in the section. This geometry, though, is not unique—some pocket pens by Morison share this feature.

Two unusual pocket pens--Morison on top, Super Gold Line on bottom.

The other unusual element is a space in the barrel for a seal stone. Again, this is not unique to this pen. In fact, we had seen this in a Swan pen from the 1910s and in a wartime Asahi Tsubasa.

Under the blind cap of the barrel there should be a stone on which to engrave a seal.

Pen-wise we have a stainless steel nib associated to a cartridge filler. Trial and error attaching cartridges led to the old double-spare cartridge by Pilot. However, it is very possible this pen had some dedicated cartridge that could fit inside the barrel.

These are its dimensions:

Length closed: 119 mm
Length open:97 mm
Length posted: 145 mm
Diameter: 12.0 mm
Weight: 11.6 g

The steel nib with the JIS number 3232 registered by Kawakami Haruo. Under the name it reads "S63".

So all in all here we have a workhorse pen with some unusual features in pocket pens. And this pen also informs us of the ways of Haruo Kawakami in the 1960s or early 1970s.

Opus 88 Koloro — Pilot Iroshizuku Ku-jaku

Bruno Taut
Nakano, November 16th 2020
etiquetas: Kawakami Haruo, Morison

Sailor Converters

The Sailor Pen Company is arguably one of the most interesting pen manufacturers nowadays. The craftsmanship tradition –so keen to Japan— is alive and well in the company through the hands and expertise of Mr. Nobuyoshi Nagahara. His specialty nibs are –dare I say— the most interesting, and one of the few truly innovative, features in the world of fountain pens today.

The Cross nib by Nagahara for Sailor.

However, those nibs –many of which are voracious ink guzzlers— are rarely matched with equally generous ink deposits. Actually, Sailor’s policy regarding ink storage relies in small converters and cartridges, with the single exception of the Realo line of piston-filler pens. This is very unsatisfactory for many users.

That beautiful nib is accompanied by this sad converter... This pen is called “Mannenhitsu Doraku” (万年筆度楽).

And the pain of this limitation goes further as there is a great variety of behaviors within the brand. We could categorize Sailor pens in one of the following groups:

-- Pens that use very specific cartridges and converters—the ultra slim Chalana series. I will not speak about these pens on this chronicle.

-- Pens that use regular Sailor-proprietary cartridges –and only cartridges.

-- Pens that use proprietary cartridges and converters, but the later need to be modified in some way.

-- Pens that use cartridge and converters without any modification.

--Finally, some pens –the already mentioned Realo series— have their self-filling mechanism.

All these five Sailor can use cartridges, but only some of them can use converters, and in different ways.

The pens, from the previous picture showing their insides. From left to right: the first pen can only use cartridges; the second can use modified converters without the central ring; the third can use shortened converters; the fourth can use unmodified converters without the central ring; and the fifth can use untouched regular converters.

From left to right: a Sailor proprietary regular cartridge; a shortened converter without the central ring; a shortened converter with the central ring; an unmodified converter without the central ring; and finally the untouched regular converter.

Costs and capacities of Sailor cartridge and converters. Chalana cartridges and converters are not included.

All these categories might not be so unusual was it not because of the number of different modifications the converter needs to fit. And that shows some lack of consistency in the pen design:


-- Some pocket pens are so short that there is no room for the present converter to fit in no matter how short we might make it. Some sources say that an old converter existed for these pocket pens, but I have never seen it.


-- Another group of pocket pens have their section's bore too narrow for the converter’s metallic ring. Therefore, they need to have the converter shortened in the same way Platinum converters had to be modified to fit inside Platinum pocket pens, and the central converter's ring removed.


-- A third group of pocket pens need a shortened converter, but there is no need to remove the metallic ring.


-- Some full size pens have their barrels too thin for the converter’s ring. Again, the only option —other than the cartridge, that is— is to remove the converter’s ring.


-- And of course, there are some pens in which the converter fits without any modification.

All in all, Sailor shows a great interest in creating the most exciting nibs in the market and forgets about how to keep the ink inside the pen. The unbalance between those outstanding nibs and this poor looking converter is too shocking to oversee. Truly disappointing.

(Pilot Volex demonstrator H475 – Diamine Evergreen)

Bruno Taut
(March 3rd, 2011)
[labels: Sailor, conversor, soluciones técnicas]

701

Para Juanjo, por todo lo que nos dejamos en el tintero.

Pen review. Pilot Myu 701 (M-350SS)


Little have I said after almost 200 chronicles about one of the most popular Japanese pens—the Pilot Myu 701. On a personal note I can say that the Pilot Myu was responsible for my renewed interest on fountain pens. I was already in Japan and an Internet search produced one of the very few websites with information in English on Japanese pens and, more in particular, this pen. Its online price, though, looked totally unreasonable, but being in Japan I thought I could find it for much less. For once, I was right. That was in 2004. Since then, a number of things have changed and there is a lot more information on Japanese pens. The invisible hand of the market, on its side, did its share to reduce the price of a very common pen.

The Pilot Myu was launched in 1971 and was clearly inspired on the short lived Parker T1 for its basic feature: the integrated nib. On the other hand, this is a pocket pen, a concept created in 1964 and adopted by Pilot in 1968. It was on production until 1980. There existed three basic variations—the most common in plain steel shown on this chronicle; another in black stripes; and the very rare with non-colored stripes.

Interestingly enough, this pen deserves just one short sentence, and no picture, on Lambrou’s book Fountain Pens of the World despite being well known outside Japan and having become an icon. Arguably, this pen might be responsible for the popularity of affordable Japanese pens outside Japan. It certainly proves that Japanese pens are a lot more than just those decorated with maki-e and urushi techniques.



1. Appearance and design. (8.0/10)
I will start by admitting that I am positively biased towards this pen. I find its clean lines very attractive and being a pocket pen only adds value to it. However, I reckon that some users (strongly) dislike metallic gripping sections. This pen is clearly not for them.

Regarding the design, I am prompt to admit this pen has several weak points. The main one is directly associated to its streamlined look—the integration of nib and section makes the pen very vulnerable to defects and to accidents affecting the nib as there is no actual replacement for the nib. This is the inherent price to pay for pens like this.

Not so inherent are other elements. The beautifully looking clip is not spring-loaded and cannot be used with thick fabrics. Some would say that this was a pocket pen and, therefore, this pen was intended to be carried in shirt pocket, and this purpose is perfectly suited with this clip.

On this picture, both threads of the central ring are loose. Only one, that on the right, should open when inking the pen with anew cartridge or to access the converter.

A third weak point is the central ring. Section and barrel are hold together by this two-threaded ring. When opening the pen, only the barrel thread should come off. However, at times it is that in the section that comes off, and that exposes the spring loaded clutch —a very subtle detail— that secures the cap when closed.

These defects, though, do not affect the performance of the pen.

The central ring, completely disassembled from the section (top left) and from the barrel (bottom right). The clutch to secure the cap can be seen on the section.

2. Construction and quality. (9.0/10)
This pen is certainly well made. It is solid and has stood rough treatment in pockets and backpacks over the years. The fit between barrel and cap, essential for the writing comfort of a pocket pen, is still perfect. On the negative side, I will note that the barrel has become slightly scratched by the cap by the repeated process of posting the pen.


3. Weight and dimensions. (9.5/10)
This pen is a bit on the heavy side, but its very correct balance (55% to the tip-45% to the top, posted) makes it for its ease of use. And indeed this pen is a very good writer.

Diameter: 11 mm.
Length capped: 119 mm.
Length open: 105 mm.
Length posted: 143 mm.
Weight: 19.4 g. (inked, full cartridge)
Center of gravity: at 78 mm from the tip, posted.


4. Nib and writing performance. (8.0/10)
This pen is equipped with a very rigid nib made of steel. Its F point is very smooth despite being on the dry side. However, the ink flow is perfectly constant and never skips a bit. This Pilot is, in my opinion, a basic functional pen and this nib is accordingly reliable even if uneventful beyond its looks.

These pens had three nib point options: F, FM, and M. The second of them, though, is very rare.

Nib and feed of two Pilot Myu with points F (back) and M (front).

5. Filling system and maintenance. (8.5/10)
This is a Pilot-proprietary cartridge-converter pen, and of all the different converters of the company, only the bladder-type CON-20 actually fits in this pen.

Cleaning wise, this is not a difficult pen, as is the case with most cartridge-converters. On this pen, though, removing the feed is not straight-forward and the basic cleaning option is simply flushing some water through the section.

Minor corrections of ink flow are harder and riskier to carry out on this pen than in more standard pens, i. e. with non-integrated nibs. But this is hardly a real need given good quality control of these pens.


6. Cost and value. (8.5/10)
This pen cost JPY 3500 when it was marketed in the 1970s. The contemporary Capless (1971), on its side, was JPY 4000, and the fancier black stripped Myu (model M-500BS), JPY 5000. These relative costs make some sense after all—the Capless is a more sophisticated pen and includes a 14 K gold nib. The Myu was a more basic tool and was price accordingly. And, therefore, there is a steep overprice for the more appealing looks of the black stripped pen.

My grades reflect the current pricing in Japan, where the plain steel Myu is relatively easy to find.


7. Conclusion. (51.5/60 = 86/100)
Writing this review was a struggle between my high appreciation for this pen and the actual knowledge of its weak points, and the final score seems to reflect the first rather than the second. Nonetheless, I hope I had described the defects I have seen in this pen over the years, which, at the same time, do not compromise its very good performance.

(Pilot Myu 701 – Pilot blue, cartridge)

Bruno Taut
January 11th, 2012
[etiquetas: Pilot, Japón]

Platinum Converters

I already mentioned the fact that Platinum pocket pens cannot use the current Platinum converter. However, there are some options to this clear inconvenient:

From left to right, empty Platinum cartridge, current Platinum piston converter, modified Platinum converter, and old type Platinum converter for pocket pens.

— Use Platinum proprietary cartridges, either new or by refilling them.

— Use an adapter to use short international cartridges or short converters (squeezer type).

— Adapt the current Platinum piston converter to fit inside the pocket pen, as was already described on these chronicles.

— Finally, find an old Platinum converter.

The following table summarizes the cost of these options:

Prices in yen without taxes. Those of the old Platinum converter and the adapter for international cartridges are taken from the Internet. These prices can change a lot among sellers.

The old converter is hard to find, expensive and poorly made. But it holds more ink that the current converter, especially when the later is modified to fit in a pocket pen.

My choice is pretty straightforward—I refill cartridges with a syringe.

(Pilot Décimo – Sailor Yama-dori)

Bruno Taut
(Madrid, February 27-28th, 2011)
[labels: Platinum, conversor]

Sailor's Inlaid Nib

Among all the pocket pens made by Sailor I have shown there are some with a special interest. One of them was the already described steel pen with a Swiss, or wherever, gold nib. Another is this one with inlaid nib.

Another example of a pocket pen.

This is a typical formal looking pen in black and gold. Re filling system, there is nothing remarkable—nominally a cartridge-converter that actually is a cartridge-only pen. The 14 K gold nib on this pen is inlaid on the section and its shape resembles that of the accordion filler by Pilot (Super 500 G)—both nibs are formed by almost flat sections. The Sailor’s looks less extreme that the Pilot’s, and it is certainly smaller. On the more positive side, this Sailor nib is nicely springy, and provides what Japanese aficionados call a “soft touch”.

On the left, the Pilot Super 500 G; on the right, the Sailor's pocket pen with a similar looking nib.

These are the dimensions of the pen:

Diameter: 12 mm
Length closed: 121 mm
Length open: 104 mm
Length posted: 139 mm
Weight: 12.5 g

The section of the pen is engraved with a subtle sign saying 301. I do not know what this figure might mean. If a date stamp, it could be March of Heisei year 1 (1989), which seems a bit too late for a pen like this. The other option, January of Showa 30 (1956), is far too early for a pocket pen. My best guess is that this pen is from the 1970s.

(Sailor, 14 K gold inlaid nib – Montblanc Irish Green)

Bruno Taut
January 7th, 2012
[labels: Sailor, plumín]

Vortex

Pen review: Pilot Vortex.

The pen under review today is a cheap one. One of the cheapest made by Pilot but, still, a very reliable tool and, therefore, worth to look at.


1. Appearance and design. (7.5/10)
The Pilot Vortex is probably the last pocket pen still on production—other than the German equivalent the Kaweco Sport, that is. The Pilot M90, should we remember, was a limited edition no longer marketed.

So, this is a short pen with a long cap. But this time, contrary to the standard trend of pocket pens, it has a cheap plastic look. It is indeed a very informal looking pen, probably aiming at a young user.


The transparent cap screws in the barrel, and the pen, as a whole, is on the thick side. Both features make this pen unique among pocket pens. Posted, the cap secures itself tightly to the barrel with a clear sound. The section is made of rugged plastic with a soft feeling to it, making a pleasant grip, albeit not a nice look.


The Pilot Vortex is available in five different colors and two nib points.

Personally, I do not like the looks of this pen, but I reckon that its design works very well and is matched with a good construction quality.

In summary, it is an ugly pen with a good design


2. Construction and quality. (9.5/10)
Everything fits perfectly in this pen, and no clear signs of wear can be seen despite the regular handling of a pen that is never attractive enough to inspire any special care.

The thread for the cap, and the groove to secure it when posted. On the right hand side, the rugged section.

When posted, the cap leaves the thread uncovered.

3. Weight and dimensions. (9.0/10)
A compact pen, albeit bigger that it really looks—the long cap makes it look shorter than it really is. A Parker 21, for instance, is one centimeter longer.

It is also fairly thick, easing the grip for extensive writing. The balance is very correct either posted or unposted, although in this second case it might be a bit too short for some hands.

Dimensions:
Length capped: 125 mm.
Length open: 115 mm.
Length posted: 150 mm.
Diameter: 15.5 mm
Weight: 16.0 g.


4. Nib and writing performance. (8.5/10)
Only two very rigid steel nibs are available on this pen: F and M. But both are very smooth and provide a slightly wet flow.

In conclusion, a very correct set of nibs for an inexpensive pen.

M nib (top) and F nib (bottom).

5. Filling system and maintenance. (9.0/10)
Pilot-proprietary cartridges and converters (CON-20 and CON-50) are the way to ink this pen. Nothing fancy, but the right solution for a daily workhorse, for a pen to carry around at all times in a pocket or a purse.

The Vortex on the top was inked refilling a Pilot cartridge. The one on the bottom sports a CON-20 converter.

However, this pen could easily be transformed into an eyedropper. It even has windows on the barrel and section to check the remaining ink.

Maintenance-wise, this pen shows no problem other than the difficulty to remove the nib and feed set, which not many users attempt to do in any pen. Flushing the section with water is the standard procedure in any cartridge/converter pen.


6. Cost and value. (7.5/10)
This pen costs, in Japan, JPY 1500, plus tax. And you get a loud pen that never fails to write and seems almost unbreakable, with a very smooth nib. It is not a fancy jewel, but a reliable and pleasant writing tool.

Some points are deducted, though, due to the unappealing look.


7. Conclusion. (51/60=85/100)
The only weak point of this pen is the appearance. The rest is outstanding given its price. Many more expensive pens do not perform this well.

(Pilot Vortex, M nib – Sailor Red Brown)

Bruno Taut
March 24, 2011
[labels: Pilot]