"care And Feeding" Of Nakaya And Danitrio Pens

[RLD]

 

Bottomline: your pens will not be affected by indoor lighting, but you don't want to leave them out in the sun or store them by a window. As JLS1 pointed out, exposure to UV does affect urushi lacquer and will also lead to changes in color over time.

 

I thought that the gradual changing of urushi color--specifically, like the green in heki-tamenuri becoming more noticeable over time--was both natural and desirable. Is that not so?

 

thanks,

eo

 

 

Eo, you raise a good point. I've assumed that it is oxidation that is involved in the transformation of urushi on aging, specifically the change of the slight natural color of the top layer to coloress (allowing the underlying color to become more pronounced). It may be a photooxidation process that is involved though.

[kazoolaw]

"I had heard about the oxidization of raw ebonite, but had assumed that any notion of perceptible change of color was simply some sort of urban legend. How quickly does color change (to some sort of green, I assume)? Within a couple of years, five+ years, or eventually?"

 

If you translate "ebonite" to "hard rubber" you can see the change from black easily on vintage pens: Waterman, etc.

 

I never had one actually go to green, but the difference between the section and part of the barrel covered by the cap and the rest of the pen was quite noticable.

 

A Stipula Saturno, in green marbled ebonite, did the same thing within 12-18 months of normal use.

 

gary

[winedoc]

Ebonite pens without urushi coating will oxidize, but these were designed as users, to be knocked around a bit, so why worry. Enjoy the pen and what it "age".

 

variation of raw ebonite is the kurokeshi which essentially looks and feel, but does not smell like ebonite. This is because the pen is coated with matte finish urushi, and these should not oxidize.

 

Tame-anything will eventually lighten up the urushi colors especially around the edges by exposing it to natural light, but this takes a long time. So your tamenuri, tame-midori, Heki-dame, ki-dame, shiro-dame, tame-midori, kuro-dame, tame-murasaki etc will change colors.

 

Solid urushi that are not tamenuri will not change color unless you bake it under a Tuscan sun for months and not changing positions.

 

To care for urushi pens, occasional wipe down with microfiber cloth is good enough. DO NOT use ultrasonic cleaner. This WILL do permanent damage to the urushi. Avoid soaking in alcohol and avoid rubbing it with metal or sharp objects.

 

For normal, daily, routine use, there should be no problem with urushi. Hope this helps.

 

Kevin

[KarloT]

 

 

To care for urushi pens, occasional wipe down with microfiber cloth is good enough. DO NOT use ultrasonic cleaner. This WILL do permanent damage to the urushi. Avoid soaking in alcohol and avoid rubbing it with metal or sharp objects.

 

For normal, daily, routine use, there should be no problem with urushi. Hope this helps.

 

Kevin

 

Hi Kevin.

 

Do you advise against soaking urushi sections in water for a long time? I try to use gentle inks in urushi pens but sometimes, Platinum Carbon Black is what I need to use.

[ridiculopathy]

I do a lot of studying/note-taking, so I take my Nakaya with me all time. Then again, I keep it in its pen kimono...inside my pen case....so I guess it is babied

[winedoc]

 

 

 

To care for urushi pens, occasional wipe down with microfiber cloth is good enough. DO NOT use ultrasonic cleaner. This WILL do permanent damage to the urushi. Avoid soaking in alcohol and avoid rubbing it with metal or sharp objects.

 

For normal, daily, routine use, there should be no problem with urushi. Hope this helps.

 

Kevin

 

Hi Kevin.

 

Do you advise against soaking urushi sections in water for a long time? I try to use gentle inks in urushi pens but sometimes, Platinum Carbon Black is what I need to use.

 

 

Hi,

when you say for a "long time", how long do you mean? I have soak section in water for 20 to 30 min no problem as long as afterward it is air dried completely before capping. I would not suggest soaking overnight. Most inks are fine, I think the main thing is to flush the old ink out right away before changing ink or storing the pens away for a long period of time. But I think this rule works for just about any pens :-)

 

Best

 

kevin

 

[captain1796]

Urishi is about the most durable thing ever. They use it for bowls and cups. If you can eat out of something and scrub it clean then you shouldn't have a problem. Not to mention it was used on scabbards and armor. I wouldn't worry. Wabi sabi.

[TDL]

I use three urushi Nakaya pens each and every day, and I fly 60 to 80 times a year. They have no problems with everyday use.

[Texas42]

On 5/15/2013 at 5:48 AM, TDL said:

I use three urushi Nakaya pens each and every day, and I fly 60 to 80 times a year. They have no problems with everyday use.

Do you do anything special in terms of storage when you fly?