Hi FPNers!
I'm seeking anyone who also owns the lovely little Pilot MYU701. I've had mine for about 2 or 3 years, and I love it. Razor fine nib, happy with most ink, clean smooth profile.

I've noticed a really odd thing, though, and I'm wondering if anyone has seen this with their pen, or heard anything about it.

The pen itself is an integrated design; the barrel IS the nib from point to 'waist' threads, and there is a smooth, curvy, black feed tucked beneath the nib. That feed has basically three 'flats' to it; the bottom, leftside and rightside. To my memory, this feed arrived to me smooth and curved on all three sides, but as time goes on, it has developed what looks to be tiny bumps in random spots. More weird than than even, those bumps appear to migrate.. when I look at the bumps now, I'm positive they are not in the same places they were before... it's like they appear and disappear?

I've cleaned the pen and wiped it down numerous times, so I know it's not speckles of ink on the black shiny surface tricking the eye, but what's going on? Has anyone seen this with their MYU? Am I causing it, using inks it doesn't like? Am I crazy? ((dont answer that.))

Any idea would be superb.
thanks!

As far as I'm aware, the feed of the MYU 701 is ebonite, with a coating of urushi lacquer for protection. I have three MYU 701s and the surface of each feed is slightly different - one is almost perfectly glossy-smooth, the others have varying amounts of tiny bumps.

Your bumps aren't moving - but they are probably tiny particles of hard rubber dust trapped under the urushi.

I noticed these bumps too on my 701's feed but not on the murex, which has a smooth glossy surface.

Laura, how does these particles come about in th first place? Just curious.

Mike

If it is dust - during manufacture, I'd assume. I guess the hard rubber feed had probably had been shaped (perhaps with a sanding paper), and thus there were some dust/particles on the feed underside when the urushi was brushed on.

OR, they are simply tiny air bubbles formed inside the lacquer coat, which can happen for a number of reasons during application.

Now that I think about it... air bubbles is probably what they are.

look more like air bubbles to me too. thanks for the response.

Thanks for the thoughts, very appreciated!
I wonder perhaps would it be moisture creeping into/under the coating? If I'm as sure as I think I am about the bubble pattern changing over time, that would account for that event... as moisture builds up and causes the bubbles, drying the feed out would cause them to diminish and perhaps appear elsewhere.

Then again, I could be crazy. It's not like I've taken macro photos of these things and watched how they change over time, that'd be obsessive... then again.... that might be a great idea!
If there's anything I can do, it's obsess over some mundane little scrap of detail, right?

I had no idea the MYU and Murex had an ebonite feed. Thanks for the information Laura.

I have one MYU and one Murex which have the dreaded bubbles; I always wondered what the bubbles were. The MYU is a very well used old pen and in addition to the bubbles the lacquer has been rubbed off on the sides of the feed.

/Woody

Urushi lacquer doesn't change with moisture exposure. Once it has bonded to the surface - that's it. There is a reason why this substance is used to coat everyday tableware - it is very hard wearing and durable, the form does not change.

I doubt the bubbles are moving. If they are under a coating the coating would be loose and soon delaminate. Would this matter? No. It would not affect performance. Any coating is only a surface protectorant. Worse is the feed would be a dull matte dark grey. Over time the feed would appear more scratched. Feeds without coatings are used in countless pens so why worry.

If the coating is urushi, it would be an inexpensive grade. Higher quality urushi would be reserved for finishes on the barrel and cap. Bubbles under/in lacquer coatings are common on feeds and I've seen them on countless pens from the 1930s to present. Along the assembly line it is just slopped on and the workers move on to the next one. I cannot state for certain this is dirt or solid matter or air as I've never picked on one before. My guess it is some form of solid matter.

The Myu and Murex were not made as 'collector' grade pens. They are daily work horses. That they cost almost $200 today (and considered expensive pens) bears no relationship to how many were made (it's amazing how many are left and unsold!) or their place in the Pilot market hierarchy. The Myu was a sub mid-grade pen that did not sell well at the time. Quality and workmanship was, and should not be, not what one might expect from the Custom or Delux lines or the higher makie models that sold for much more. They were neat little pens made for everyday use that reflected their price point.

If you have one and like it, enjoy.

Thanks for the usual excellent information Stan. I have heard about the poor sales of the MYU and Murex back when they were introduced. It should be obvious from the never-ending supply of NOS pens on eBay. I have been watching them for over 6 years now and it seems they are always listed as "ultra rare... this is the last black stripe you will ever see!"

I am curious why Pilot kept making the MYU for 10 years if it sold so poorly? Any ideas?

BTW, I have a few and I love them.

/Woody

This is an interesting question. I'm sure they sold some. It poses a more interesting question regarding marketing strategy. My understanding is Pilot distributors (somewhere mid-level down the retail food chain) tell their distributors they have to take a stock of pens, or they might be cut back or even lose their ability to sell Pilot - something no stationary shop wishes to do considering the full line of pencil, erasers, pencil boxes, etc. sold by Pilot. Essentially, they are forced to take stock, or else. There might be some unique sense of Japanese propriety involved.

From what I have read Pilot pushed the Myu on their distributors who bought more than they could ever possibly sell. Further up the food chain the Myu must have looked like a winner. More were produced. Etc. The question is appropriate regarding all Japanese pens from the 1970s that are still abound. I sell tons of 1970s pens with stickers, etc. Almost all of them came from older stationary shops. Some of these shops will still sell the pens at original sticker. Amazing!!!

"ultra rare'? Schmultra-rare! This is a gimmick used by the sellers to milk every Yen they can from buyers. The only Myu ever, that might fall in this category, is the white stripe model which might be an anomaly. If anyone wants to see real rare, please write and I'll send pics on over.

Myu today go for over Y20,000 on Yahoo Japan and are mostly bought by one or two buyers. Why or where they resell them is unknown. Friends think they are resold to young women who are into a recent FP craze. Prior to this interest they sold for about Y12,000, max., and often cheaper.

With any Japanese pen always remember caveat emptor. Unless you know the market and what is over there, you will pay too much.

Ciao!

Thanks to you all for the comments and wisdom on this pen; all much appreciated.

I's still mysterious to me.

It's absolutely not dust/dirt/grit under the finish. Were that the case, it would have been visible from the start, and always been there. Upon purchase, the feed was smooth as could be imagined.

It's not air, unless the finish is 1) soft enough to allow an air bubble to form, while concurrently, 2) hard enough to resist any deformation to the pressure of a fingernail. Yeah, I tried to scratch at these things to see if I could chip it or break it or deform it in any way; the 'bubbles' remain firm, solid.

Regarding "movement". I stated before that I believed they could be moving. I wanted to clarify that they are not moving in the sense of sliding around from place to place as if you would push an air bubble around beneath a layer of tape. What I mean is that in January (sake of arguement), I'll see one big bubble and three little ones. Then in June (sake of argument), I'll have two medium bubbles in other places, and seven tiny bubbles in other places. So it's not malleable or flexible, but the bumps come and go at different spots over time.

I am really leaning toward moisture as an explanation. It's the only thing I can think of that could seep inside, cause a buckle or a bubble, then seep out over time, maybe seep back in at some other location again. I would, though, expect to see cracking and flaking at some point, but luckily, no "real" damage so far.

The only thing I can think of to do at this point is to put some real effort into documenting it. Gotta get out the macro, set up some good light, see if I can show changes over time in the size/shape/placement of these things.

As for the marketing/success of the pen... I can see how it would not sell. It's not a popularly styled design, that the average public would dig. It's quirky and weird, PLUS the fact that it's a fountain pen, which we all know, MOST people just don't want the hassle of. It's still odd, though, that the pen would have been pumped out as it evidently was by the manufacturer, but maybe it was more of a marketing ploy than attempt to sell the pen itself. I mean, if I want to sell hamburgers, it's not enough to sell great burgers; I have to have commercials about fantastic shakes and orgasmic frenchfries. Maybe the "crazy looking" MYU was just the diversion or the hook, for whatever other plans were in play at the time. Who's to know.

For all its quirks, though, I'm infatuated with my MYU. It's the all-steel, unlined sleek one. Looks great next to a Jotter. Travels well. Forgiving with inks, so far. I think I'll keep it hahaha. And for the reading/pricing I did, I think I got a fair deal on it. Didn't break the bank, but I did pay some loot. I think I'd love a M nib too. And the striped. And a striped M.........

More later but...

How long did Sony push Beta before giving in to the VHS tide?
Despite its quirks (and benefits) how long did Mazda go with the Wankel?
And, today, ......... HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray.

Sailor marketed the Trident, another loser for a number of years. They even tried to pitch a cheaper version in Taiwan.

Look at how many NOS Pilots, Plats, and Sailors are still around? Can we find a proportionate number of similar Parkers or Sheaffers?

Excellent point. I think in some cases, a company may see a deeply-enough committed investment should be really ridden out to the bitter end. On the books it may be a matter of "we've gone to far into this investment to not push as hard as possible and then some", before re-visiting the deal and deciding "best to cut loss and move on to the next project".

As a microcosm example, I worked once for a company that hired an out-source to build a database for them. That out-source was charging huge fees for every edit and revision, more cost, by the math, than would be balanced by actually hiring another employee for that function. Yet, the vision plan was hinging on that database being finished, so they stuck to it and pumped insane dollars into "stay the course", believing it would pay off once the project was complete. It did pay off in short term, but in the long run, it could be argued, and looking back, it was an overall waste.

In other words... I like my pen.
haha

Ok, so, I've cycled around to the point were I'm ready to flush the MYU and rotate on to another couple of pens for awhile. So, I snapped some (not fantastic) macros of the bumps in question. They're definitely bumps, not pits.. at one point, I really couldn't tell. And I know it's not some residue of manufacture, because I'm positive when I got the pen (NOS), that the feed was as smooth as could be. I'm going to let the pen rest and relax awhile, and see what happens.

I still suspect moisture, and I think that theory will be supported if these things diminish as time goes by (as the nib dries out). Also, there's a couple of these bumps that look to be, at least to my eye, bi-level... Looks as if moisture invaded beneath the finish, then receded, then invaded again, but not as far. I'll post more pics later, when/if things change.

I don't know if this help or not, but the first generation of Pilot Falcon (caled Elabo in Japan) had urushi-coated feed and had bubbling up problems. Sorry the following page is in Japanese, but it has photo of the first-gen Elabo that has damaged urushi coating on the feed.

http://zeak.air-nifty.com/main/2008/01/nam...on_el_6df5.html

Am intrigued by those bumps moving. I've sold a number of Myu in the past with and without bumps. I'm sure mine did not move. If, indeed, it is coated with urushi it should not move as urushi is not an eleastic material.

Regarding Taki's post directing one to pictures of the Pilot/Namiki Elabo/Falcon, I think it might be bad urushi with impurities that caused the bubbling. I've also heard Pilot has used a synthetic urushi recently and wonder if that could be the cause.

As an aside, we have a large piece of urushi coated furniture where moisture has entered from the one edge. Under certain angles of light that part appears whitish. Apparently the moisture migrated under the urushi and into the wood through capllary action. The urushi was not bad. the damage occured by scratching an edge and cleaning with water.

I forgot to add, because of the bubbling problems Pilot stopped coating Falcon feeds.

That reminds me...my grandparents made lacquerware for living. I heard once that they had to use synthetic urushi during the WWII, and they got a lot of returns because of the poor quality of the urushi. I have to ask my Mom what kind of problem they had with the synthetic one.

Thanks for that link, Taki, very interesting, given materials involved.

Ok, the update as of 1 day in time passage... Those bubbles on my feed are definitely receding. When I compare what I see now to the pics earlier, there's already a clear difference. No cracks or breaks, the finish does not look to be breaking up or becoming brittle or otherwise flaking off, but with that much change in that short of time, it seems to me like it must be moisture. I'm going to give it another day or two, then photo again for comparison.

One thing I find VERY frustrating, is that I can't find any repair manuals or documentation on the disassembly of the "nib/feed/section" component of this pen. After several rounds of vigorous flushing/soaking, I'm still getting strong spots of ink seeping from between components. How about this... the last round of inking (about a month's worth of use, on and off) was with a cartridge of blue ink. The ink I'm getting out from the components now is Noodler's black, which I had loaded in PRIOR to the blue run.

Any other Pilot MYU 701 owners have any tips (pardon the pen) at all for breaking this baby down to constituants? I would love to clean it properly. Also, I'm seeing my feed isn't quite in line with the nib; repair tips would help me get that on line.

thanks for any help, and i'll keep updating until my obsessive nature is once again stayed