King Of Pen Urushi Query

[lgreen]

Hi

 

From time to time I like to dream that I could afford a King of Pen in either red or orange urushi... I have the standard black ebonite one and it is the perfect pen!

 

Whenever I look at pictures (CFP, Pensinasia, Andy's Pens, etc.) I see examples where either the red or the orange ones have the section and cap thread unpainted and it looks very poor compared to pictures showing the pens fully painted. Can anyone tell me why some pictures show this unpainted section? Have Sailor really made some pens like this and presumably if I could ever afford one it is possible to get one which is fully painted? Though with a long wait?

 

I have read a couple of comparative reviews against the Namiki vermillion urushi and some of the Nakaya models which suggest the quality of the urushi lacquer on the KOP maybe higher - anyone have or seen models care to comment?

 

Many thanks in advance for any comments

[shuuemura]

Hi there, I think you might be referring to some of the reviews I wrote in the past. Just to clarify, it's the orange urushi version that has a black section (not sure if it's just plain or if there's black urushi lacquer on it). The crimson/red urushi version has a fully lacquered section. AFAIK all other Sailor KOP urushi models have fully lacquered sections as well. I'm not sure as to the reason for the difference, but the Aka-Tamenuri urushi version of Nakaya pens also has a black section as opposed to the Heki-Tamenuri or Kuro-Tamenuri urushi versions which have fully lacquered sections. Maybe aesthetics played a role in the design decision?

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/251423-sailor-king-of-pen-in-crimson-urushi/

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/259003-battle-of-the-big-reds/

 

Very subjectively (because I'm hardly an expert in urushi lacquering), I would say that Namiki and Sailor have very good lacquer on their pens. Nakaya is quite good but not to the standard of Namiki and Sailor, in terms of cleanliness of finishing. Unless you spring for the top maki-e models, the urushi lacquer on Danitrio is even more flawed on the odd few examples I have handled. The above conclusions are drawn from both the pens I own and the pens I have personally handled. Others who are more experienced than me will have more to say on the matter, I'm sure.

[lgreen]

Hi 'shuuemura'

 

Thanks for the links - the two reviews/comparisons you have written here are pretty much 'the bible' on the urushi KOP - I haven't found anyone anywhere to have written in detail [and with marvellous photographs] on these pens... I assume that the price being so high there aren't that many sold...

 

I also thought as you say that the black thread on the orange model must be some sort of design choice [though one which I think ruins the look]. But if you look on nibs.com they show a fully painted orange model

http://www.nibs.com/sailor-king-of-pen-orange-urushi.htm

 

and a red model with the black thread [even though i know from your reviews that the red model was/is fully painted]

http://www.nibs.com/SailorKingofPenRedUrushi.htm

 

I see they have introduced a new 'bordeaux' model which is quite fetching:

http://www.nibs.com/sailor-king-of-pen-bordeaux.htm

as well as a couple of beautiful LEs which really are for 'rich people' only.

 

I guess when I saved up the money for one I can ask at nibs.com and will see what they say - I just wondered if this was something there was an easy explanation about... and also if anyone else owns one of these pens and would like to comment on them

 

Thanks

[lgreen]

anyone else have any knowledge of the arcana of KOP urushi details?

[Tombstone]

I can just repeat what the representative stated:

 

- in the beginning, the pens were made with the black section - just based on the fact the the section is the same with all the KoP. Even your ebonite KoP has the standard plastic section like all the others. He explained it that this makes it easier to change the nibs in the production. Based on this also a dedicated Urushi can come with any nib you want directly out of the shop. If I remember well, also the thread was black.

 

- then they decided just to paint the section, but not the thread - based on their fear of losing the colour at that area after a certain time based on the use of the thread

 

- at the end, based on customer requests, they painted the pens completely.

 

From my point of view I prefer the old ones - on the pictures in the links you can see that the threads already start to loos the colour...

Edited August 18, 2014 by Tombstone

[lgreen]

Thanks Tombstone - that explains it perfectly and it makes sense! I'm really grateful for your comments and those of shuuemura... if only they weren't so darn expensive that it will take an age to save for one...

[Painterspal]

I'm also interested in this topic; an urushi KOP is probably the only pen I plan to buy at the moment - it could even be a last pen for me as I like them so much. Tombstone's explanation certainly adds up. For a while now all the urushi KOPs I've seen pictures of have the section lacquered. However, on, for example, the nibs website, the red version is still shown with plain black threads. Is this just an old photo and are they all now fully coated? I'm not ready to buy so I haven't bothered to inquire but it would be interesting and useful to know. Another question I haven't seen answered is whether the urushi painted sections are still plastic or made or ebonite. It would be great if the latter as I like the warm feel of ebonite much better. Does anyone know?

 

Personally, I like the threads painted much more. I think having the threads unpainted just draws attention to them and breaks the otherwise perfect lines of the pen. I rather like that the thread lacquer gradually wears with use - it links nicely to the idea of wabi-sabi.

 

I think the KOP is about as perfect as any pen can be, I just love mine.

Edited August 21, 2014 by Painterspal

[shuuemura]

To answer one of Painterspal's questions, the urushi-painted sections are made of PMMA resin. See Sailor's UK site for details. I agree with the aesthetic qualities of having the threads and section fully painted. Finally, I haven't really noticed much wearing of the thread lacquer over five years of ownership - urushi is really tough!

[Painterspal]

Thanks Shuuemura, much appreciated.

[Tombstone]

To answer one of Painterspal's questions, the urushi-painted sections are made of PMMA resin. See Sailor's UK site for details.

 

Yip, this is also based on the fact that - not mentioning the urushi-surface - the sections of all KOP, no matter what type, are all identical.