Ink Color or Ink Properties?

Now we know that the Pilot Tsuwairo inks –or at least the blue one-- do work in the water resistance department. And I will assume that the claims of being lightfast are also true, although I have not tested that.

So all is good and well, but do we really need all that? Is there a demand for inks with those properties?

Before the bath.

Some water resistance might indeed be useful. Back in 2015, the Peaceable Writer wanted her inks to “have decent water resistance, so that my pages survive an inevitable coffee ring or spill” (::1::). Do we need much more than that? And my point now is that the old fashioned Pilot Blue and Blue-black inks do show an acceptable resistance to water at a much lower price.

The bath.

Something similar can be said about lightfast capabilities. The usual action is to close the notebook or to file the document after writing. Then, how much more resistance to light do we need?

And more importantly, how much are we willing to pay?

And back to the first question—is there really a demand for inks like these by Pilot—or by Platinum, Sailor, etc?

After the bath.

I confess my lack of understanding of the ink market. The inflation in colors, brands, and also in prices defies any rational analysis, but the inkunuma creature –the dweller in that colorful swamp of inks—seems driven mosre by the ink color than by the actual characteristics of the ink.

And that is why I do not understand these new inks by Pilot.

Parker 51 — Sailor Yama-dori

Bruno Taut
February 24th, 2023
etiquetas: Pilot, tinta, mercado

CON-70N

On the previous text I mentioned that the Pilot Tsuwairo inks should not be used in the old converter CON-70. I am showing side-by-side pics of the old and the new versions of this converter.

Top, old CON-70. Bottom, CON-70N.

The same modifications were applied to the black version common to the urushi-based decorated pens under Pilot and Namiki brands.

There are a number of differences between them, but the one that looks more significant is the internal cylinder right behind the rubber stopper. Pilot, in fact, points at it when warning about the usage of Tsuwairo inks. The ink capacities of both versions have not changed significantly—they are 1.0 ml (with a margin of error of +-0.05 ml).

Pilot Custom 74, Yamada Seisakusho — Diamine Teal

Bruno Taut
February 15th, 2023
etiquetas: Pilot, conversor

Old vs. New. Regular vs. Tsuwairo Inks by Pilot.

Abstract.

Pilot has recently released a new line of inks called Tsuwairo (see Fig. 1). Interesting as these inks might be, they also come with a list of inconveniences the old inks in similar colors did not have.

How do these two lines of inks compare?

That is the question I want to answer on this text.

Figure 1.

Introduction.

Among the big three Japanese pen companies, Pilot was the last one to release a pigmented ink. The reason for that was that Pilot already had a permanent ink—the Pilot Blue-black ink. But in 2022, Pilot finally marketed three pigmented inks under the series name of Tsuwairo (強色; literally, “strong color”).

Pilot declares these inks are lightfast and water resistant. But Pilot also warns about their risks (see Fig. 2):

– Not to be used in urushi-decorated pens.
– Not to be used in three Pilot pen models Custom Heritage 92, Custom 823, and Justus 95.
– Not to be used with the old converter CON-70 but only with the newer version CON-70N and with the CON-40.
– Not to be used with non-Pilot pens.

Figure 2. The instructions and warning of Pilot about the use of Tsuwairo inks. It also describes the differences between the old CON-70 and the newer CON-70N.

And their price is 2.5 times higher than those of the regular inks by Pilot—JPY 1000 vs JPY 400, taxes aside; 30 ml.

But if the Pilot Blue-black is also permanent, albeit by different means and possibly not lightfast, are the new Tsuwairo inks worth the extra cost and the extra risks? How permanent are those older inks?


Methodology.

To answer those questions I performed some simple experiments. In essence, three inks were tested against water immersion.

The inks were Pilot Blue, Pilot Tsuwairo Blue, and Pilot Blue-black. The paper was Pilot sample paper, manufactured by Life. (See Fig. 3).

The writing was done with Sailor fude nibs and with Pilot M and calligraphy (CM, stub) nibs made of steel.

The immersion in water was made at two different times: about 5 min after being written and after several hours after that.

Figure 3. The inks and the papers used on the experiments.

Results.

On figure 4 we can see the written sample made with Pilot nibs before (top) and after (bottom) immersion in water. On the left, the sample was exposed to water 6 minutes after being written. That on the right, after 4 hours.

Figure 4. Written samples. Pilot nibs (M and CM). Sample on the left immersed in water 6 minutes after written. Right sample, immersed 4 hours after being written.

And on figure 5, the results of a similar experiment but with Sailor fude nibs. The sample on the left was immersed after 5 minutes of written. The one on the right, 12 hours later.

Figure 5. Written samples. Sailor fude nib. Sample on the left immersed in water 5 minutes after written. The one on the right, immersed 12 hours after being written.

Pilot nibs, on figure 4, carry a lot less ink that those by Sailor (Fig 5).

The results are quite clear and do not change significantly with the variables explored on these experiments—time of the ink on the paper, and amount of ink in the nib and on the paper.

The Tsuwairo ink clearly performs better than the regular inks, and there are not major differences between the behaviors of the regular Blue and Blue-black inks re their resistance to water.

However, the traditional inks are perfectly legible after 15 minutes in water, and they do this at a much lower cost, and without the risks associated to the pigmented inks, as warned by Pilot.


Conclusions.

The Tsuwairo Blue ink is indeed water resistant, but according to the manufacturer it should not be use under certain conditions.

On the other hand, the traditional Blue and Blue-black inks show a remarkable resistance to water without any of those risks and at much lower cost.

Moonman A1 — Montblanc Burgundy Red

Bruno Taut
February 13th, 2023
etiquetas: Pilot, tinta

Curidas' Second Chance

The Platinum Curidas (::1::, ::2::, ::3::) was launched in the early months of 2020. Its release was carefully planned and Platinum managed to raise some anxiety in the market. But the pen, after those initial months, did not live up to the expectations—frequent problems in the release mechanism and in the sealing lid did not help to make this pen a success.

The old Curidas.

And now, three years later, Platinum has announced the release of some new variations of the Curidas in the next weeks.

This new Curidas departs from the transparent look of the first models an adopts what looks like a rubbery sheath. The color options are limited to three –black, blue and red. The nib points are reduced to F and M, leaving EF for the original model.

The new Curidas.

The price of this newer version is higher—JPY 9000 vs JPY 7000, prices without taxes. However, the new package includes the converter and a 20 ml inkwell.

The new package includes the converter and a 20 ml inkwell.

But the important question now is whether Platinum has solved the problems present on the first model released in 2020.


NOTE (April 25th, 2023): This new release of the Platinum Curidas is called Curidas Depth. The package including the inkwell is a limited release.

Parker 50 'Falcon' — Sailor Yama-dori

Bruno Taut
February 5th, 2023
etiquetas: Platinum, capless

Moonman vs. Pilot

Over a year ago, Chinese pen maker Moonman released the model A1, also marketed as Majohn A1. In actual terms, this is a capless pen remarkably similar –being polite-- to the Pilot Capless. So, how do they compare? Or, more precisely, how does the A1 compare to the older original by Pilot?

Size-wise, their dimensions are very close. The Chinese capless is slightly longer and thinner, and is a couple of grams heavier.

Pilot vs. Moonman. A1 vs. Capless.

Externally, the main difference between them is the central ring—almost flat on the Moonman, two toroidal bands on the Pilot. In fact, this flat central ring in the Chinese pen explains its thinner girth.

These are the dimensions of these pens:

	.Moonman A1.	.Pilot Capless.
Length closed (mm)	142	141
Length open (mm)	139	137
Max diameter (mm)	12.9	13.2
Weight, dry (g)	33.7	30.0
Ink deposit (ml)	0.9 (cart) 0.4 (conv)	0.9 (cart) 0.5 (CON-40)

The flat central ring in the Moonman A1.

Regarding the nibs, the Moonman comes only with a silver-color, stainless steel unit in EF. The Pilot, let us remember, can implement both steel and 18 K gold nibs with up to six different points –from EF to B, plus a stub— and three different finishes —golden, silver, and black— depending on the specific model. However, the most interesting feature is that Moonman made its nib units entirely compatible with those by Pilot: cartridges and converters are interchangeable between brands, and Moonman nibs can be used in Pilot pens, and the other way around.

The Moonman nib.

And all that at a fraction of the cost of the Pilot Capless. About EUR 30 for the Moonman, and between EUR 80 and EUR 140 for the Pilot. (Japan prices. EUR 140 is approximately the price of the matte black model (FC-18SR-BM). There are more expensive variations in the Pilot catalog).

Then, the question is whether the Moonman A1 is a copy of the Pilot Capless. I think it is, and the fact that the brand Moonman was clearly written on the nib and on the body does not really change anything. After all, nothing truly original can we see on this Chinese pen.

Now, is Moonman legitimized to manufacture this pen? Moonman is not the first company doing so. In Japan, about 100 years ago, Nobuo Ito's Swan was copying UK's Swan pens under the protection of Japanese laws and courts. After all, every industrial revolution –save the British- was made copying other's products. And then the idea of fairness depends on the side of the border we stand on.

The problem, then, is a different one. The current technological environment is very different from that at the heyday of fountain pens. In other words, fountain pens are no longer the essential tool they once were, and their market is not so driven by the necessity as by the craving. Not by the regular user but by the aficionado. And the Moonman A1 does not offer anything the Pilot didn't several years before... save an excellent price.

Is that enough? Regardless of the answer, Pilot –and others– should pay close attention to whatever might come out of China.


NOTE (Dec 30th): An anonymous commenter pointed out a detail I had overseen--there is a clipless version of the Moonman A1, and that caters the claims of a number of users of the Pilot model. This shows the attention Moonman --and other Chinese makers-- pay to the Net and what users and aficionados say in there. I reckon this Chinese clipless capless variation does offer something new, as Platinum did with the removable clip on its Curidas, and it can be an argument for some older users of the Pilot to choose it.

Thanks, anonymous commenter.

Moonman A1 - Montblanc Burgundy Red

Bruno Taut
December 28th, 2022
etiquetas: Moonman, Pilot, capless, mercado

Namiki Size 30

Well, Pilot finally did it―they took the newest fountain pen in their catalog –the Custom Urushi― and upgraded it with a maki-e decoration and the Namiki brand. That is, in essence, the new Aya series of Namiki pens.

It is composed of four different pens –named Gale, Daybreak, Limpid Stream, and Evergreen― decorated with the technique togidashi maki-e. The price, in Japan, is JPY 300,000, plus taxes.

The Namiki Aya.
Picture taken from https://www.pilot-namiki.com/en/collection/aya/.

Size-wise, these pens are placed between the Yukari Royale (size 20 nibs) and the Emperor (size 50). However, this togidashi maki-e decoration is a lot less ellaborated than those sported on the previous models (save for the urushi models 20 and 50), and it is signed collectivelly by the Kokkokai without the name of any particular craftsman.

Will this pen become a regular in the Namiki catalog? Only time and sales will tell. It might be worth to remember that the size 15 nib of Pilot´s is not part of the Namiki catalog; and that despite the existance of the urushi-coated model Custom 845. However, there was a very limited edition of size-15 pens with urushi-based decoration commissioned by Mitsukoshi department stores in 2004-05. They were branded as Pilot―Pilot Shun.

The Pilot Shun.

My thanks to Mr. AMB.

Parker 51, music nib – Waterman´s Serenity Blue

Bruno Taut
December 15th 2022
Etiquetas: Pilot, maki-e, mercado

From Sakai to Pilot

In the 1980s Pilot renovated the fountain pen lineup. It all started with the Pilot 65 in 1983—the first modern balance Pilot, save the Art Silvern pens of the 1960s.

Pilot 65, and its insides.

Those new balance pens were modeled after some pre-war models, thus predating some alleged master pieces. In fact, Pilot commissioned lathe master Sakai Eisuke (酒井栄助), of Ban-ei fame, to create some prototypes.

Such is the case of the following unit—a balance Pilot made of ebonite, coated with urushi. Its filling system is a Japanese eyedropper. It was made in 1983 according to the date on the nib.

A Pilot pen by Sakai Eisuke.

The engraving on the body follows the pattern seen on pen in the 1938-1944 time window:

“PILOT” / THE PILOT PEN (P logo) MFG. CO. LTD / MADE IN JAPAN.

Its dimensions are slightly bigger than the later-produced Custom models with size 5 and 10 nibs. One such example of them is the following pen with the maki-e decoration in the form of East Asian phoenix (Hôô, 鳳凰), signed collectively by the Kokkokai, the Pilot guild of maki-e artisans. Its nib is dated October of 1988, and the filling system is a pulsated piston, an early version of what later would become the converter CON-70 (some additional information on my chronicle "Carving").

Pilot Hôô. A maki-e decorated size 10 pen.

	.Sakai´s pen.	.Pilot´s Hôô.
Length closed (mm)	146	142
Length open (mm)	124	127
Length posted (mm)	176	165
Max diameter (mm)	15.0	14.0
Weight, dry (g)	18.6	20.3
Ink deposit (ml)	2.5	1.4

This model set the structure of contemporary maki-e decorated pen we still see today—balance models with nibs 5 and 10 (Pilot numbering).

But at the same time, in those late 1980s, Pilot made a number of urushi-e decorated pens. Masa Sunami, on his book Fountain Pens of Japan (2012), speaks about them as “museum pieces”. These were very limited runs –between 5 and 20 units— of pens decorated with Tsugaru-nuri decoration in sizes 10 and 50. They are indeed rarities worth of some special attention, and of a Chronicle.

Museum pieces. Picture courtesy of Ottomarkiv.

My thanks to Ottomarkiv and to Masa Sunami.

Moonman A1 – Montblanc Burgundy Red

Bruno Taut
December 8th, 2022
labels: Pilot, Ban-ei, maki-e, Sakai Eisuke