Posts filed under Fountain Pens

Nakaya Portable Cigar Ishime-Kanshitsu Midori: A Review

One of the pens on my “holy grail” list was a Nakaya in the Ishime-Kanshitsu Midori finish. I finally purchased one in June 2018 from Nibs.com and chose the Nakaya Portable Cigar model. I can honestly say this is one of the most beautiful pens I own.

Ishime-Kanshitsu is a special process that creates a stone-like texture on an ebonite pen. “Ishi” means “stone” in Japanese and “Kanshitsu” is the layering process. Creating an Ishime-Kanshitsu surface takes three months. Urushi powder is sprinkled on the body of the pen to create the texture. Charcoal is rubbed over the surface to sharpen the Urushi grains. Then, layers of lacquer are applied to harden the body. Finally, a silver lacquer is applied (Source: Nibs.com). The results are extraordinary--just look at the various colors and details in the picture below.

Obviously, this time-intensive process creates a writing instrument that is also a work of art. The Ishime-Kanshitsu texture feels wonderful on one’s fingers and it is extraordinarily beautiful in person.

I chose the Nakaya Portable Cigar model because I didn’t have another Nakaya in this model and because the simple cigar shape shows off the textured surface well. This is a large pen (5.9 inches/150mm capped, which is just a tiny bit longer than a Montblanc 149, and 5.1 inches/130mm uncapped), but the ebonite and Urushi composition means that it weighs very little. This pen is not meant to be posted.

I chose a 14K medium-soft Nakaya nib and had it modified by John Mottishaw into an elastic nib. An elastic nib is different from a flex nib. It is a very soft nib with special cut outs that allow the nib to curve up from the feed like a paintbrush on paper (see the photos below).

The tines don’t really separate much, but you can get a bit of line variation with this nib.

I enjoy writing with this nib more than any other nib I own. It is remarkably smooth, and writing each letter is like painting a tiny picture. Writing with an elastic nib is a soothing experience because you must write more slowly since you are essentially painting words. It’s unlike any other nib I’ve ever used, and it’s very zen-like.

That said, I initially had some difficulties with my nib. It seemed starved for ink. Writing (even with my preferred Iroshizuku inks) felt dry, and I encountered lots of hard starts and skipping. I sent the pen back to nibs.com and they worked some magic on the feed and the nib. When it came back, the nib wrote much better. It produces a lovely, wet line and it no longer skips. I do still experience some hard starts on down strokes, but overall the nib functions quite well.

One of the main weaknesses of any Nakaya pen is the converter (it is the same as the Platinum converter). I don’t know why Nakaya insists on this tiny converter that works properly only when it’s mostly full. Once you use half the ink, a huge bubble develops in the converter and you have to manually push the ink down to continue writing. They could, at least, insert a ball into the converter to prevent this from happening (in fact, I’m thinking about doing this myself using a ball from an unused cartridge I own). What would be better is if they would create a superior converter.

I’m quite happy with my Nakaya Ishime-Kanshitsu Midori pen. I love the texture, shape, balance, and nib on this pen. It is simply a joy to use. Of course, such beauty comes with a steep price. I paid $1,280 for this model with an elastic nib. As always, the question of whether or not a pen is “worth it” is dependent upon the person who uses the pen. I feel this pen is worth every penny because of its unparalleled beauty and because the elastic nib is so wonderful to write with (now that it’s been properly adjusted).

Here are a few more pictures of this beauty for you to enjoy. I must say, it is one of my most photogenic pens!

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Posted on January 4, 2019 by Susan Pigott and filed under Nakaya, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

The TWSBI Eco T: A Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

The TWSBI Eco T is a pen made especially for beginners--whether those beginners are new fountain pen enthusiasts or children who want to emulate their fountain pen addicted parents. The grip of the Eco T has a rounded triangular shape to assist beginners with proper finger placement. It is a very comfortable grip (much more comfortable than the Lamy Safari), and even experienced pen users will enjoy a grip that helps them position their fingers properly.

*You can see the shape of the grip here*

The Eco T is a transparent demonstrator. It has a stainless steel clip and cap ring. The cap ring is engraved with the words “TWSBI Eco T Taiwan.”

The cap finial is red with a raised TWSBI logo. You’ll notice that the cap has the same triangular shape as the grip.

Inside the cap is a plastic sleeve that keeps the nib from drying out.

The Eco T is a piston filler, so it is very user friendly. It pulls in a good amount of ink (1.5ml), and the ink is easy to see in the demonstrator body.

You can post the cap by pushing it over the rubber O-ring near the piston. I find posting makes the pen unbalanced, however.

The pen is a medium size (5.5 inches/139.7mm capped; 5.2 inches/132mm uncapped; and 6.3 inches/160mm posted) and should be comfortable for most users. The body weighs only 12 grams without ink.

I thought my pen came with a medium nib because the model number on the box started with an “M.” But I quickly realized that it’s actually a 1.1 mm stainless steel stub. It writes very smoothly and with generous ink flow. I had no difficulties with hard starts, skipping, or scratchiness. In fact, I am impressed with how beautifully this pen writes. The stub nib gives the lines character and a bit of shading (with the right kind of ink, of course).

One cool thing about TWSBI pens is that you can completely disassemble them for a thorough cleaning. Included in the box is a special wrench to unscrew the piston and silicone grease to lube it.

In addition, you can remove the nib unit to clean out the ink that collects in the grip area.

I’ll be honest. When I realized that the Eco T was a “beginner’s pen” I thought I would be disappointed with it and find it “toy-like.” I was wrong. This is one of the most comfortable TWSBI pens I’ve used. The triangular grip keeps my fingers in an ideal position for writing, and the 1.1mm nib is fantastic.

*The ink used in this review is Kyo-no-oto Adzukiro*

I highly recommend the TWSBI Eco T whether you’re just beginning to use fountain pens or you’re a pro user. The price point is really great for a piston-filling demonstrator. You can purchase a TWSBI Eco T from JetPens for $31.50 in EF, F, M, B, and 1.1mm Stub.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Posted on December 28, 2018 by Susan Pigott and filed under TWSBI, Eco, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Franklin-Christoph Pocket 20 Fountain Pen Review

I’m going to use a term to describe the Franklin-Christoph Pocket 20 fountain pen that I don’t use often enough in product reviews: Useful. This pen is useful, for many reasons I’ll get into below. Useful is a positive term in my mind, although some may not consider it very exciting. Stationery goods being useful is what keeps me coming back to them time after time.

My first F-C Model 20 was the full-sized Marietta, which was launched before this pocket-sized version. It has a classic, clean, shape and design, with its main feature being a slip cap, as opposed to the more common threaded cap. For those who don’t like threaded acrylic barrels, this keeps the grip section clear of any interference from threads while allowing for secure capping and posting.

My first thought was how secure could this be? The last thing I need is the cap of my fountain pen popping off and getting ink everywhere. I have to say, this slip cap design is as secure as any threaded cap I own. I’ve never grabbed any of my Model 20 pens from a pen case, backpack, or pocket and felt even the slightest bit of looseness in the cap. It has proven to be rock solid, and even unique when compared to most of my other fountain pens.

That uniqueness doesn’t come without surprises though. One main feature of Franklin-Christoph’s fountain pens - and a big reason why I like them so much - is their ability to be used as an eyedropper barrel, as opposed to using a cartridge or converter. With a little bit of silicone grease, the ink capacity of the pen can be increased exponentially.

With either of the F-C 20 models, that can be an issue. Out of habit, I want to twist open most of my pens. Hand this pen to a friend, and they will want to do the same. The slip cap requires you to pull the cap off the barrel. If you - or anyone else - gives it a good twist, you will unscrew the grip section from the barrel. And if the pen is eyedroppered, guess what? Ink everywhere.

If you own a Model 20 or Pocket 20 I can guarantee you have either done this already, or have come perilously close.

Eyedropper filling a fountain pen is useful for ink capacity, and downright fun. You don’t HAVE to eyedropper the Pocket 20 pen - it takes short international cartridges - but I think you are missing out by not doing so. Look at the ink sloshing around the barrel! And yes, it is as easy to clean as any other pen.

The Pocket 20 is useful because of its size. It fits anywhere, and goes everywhere. That’s why I love small fountain pens so much. Toss them in a pocket and go. I primarily use this model unposted, but the slip cap posts securely on the back of the pen for a full-sized writing experience. I opted for the clip on this model, since I normally go clipless, to mix it up a bit. Plus, I preferred the aesthetic.

Nib choice is another area where I find this pen useful. I bought this now-discontinued model from Wonder Pens and was able to choose a 1.1 mm steel stub nib. I own many Franklin-Christoph fountain pens, and like to have many different nib sizes on hand to try out different things. Having options makes this pen more … useful.

The Pocket 20 exemplifies everything I love about Franklin-Christoph. It is well-made, works perfectly, looks amazing, and is fun to use. I can load it up with fun inks to play around with, and swap in a nib to match my needs at the time. I wish I could get this much usefulness out of every product I own.

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