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Siv

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reprieve Collectors Item

reprieve

Posted
Posted

I just checked my nibs. I have two rose gold nibs (B and BB) that have been reground to italics, as well as a ruthenium soft medium that was reground to a stub; they all show the plating underneath just like yours does. I have never noticed it until now--I only looked for it after seeing this post. All of my nibs write extraordinarily well, and I think they all look quite nice, too, even with that little bit of plating missing at the tip.

 

As for whether or not you should send it back... well, only you can decide that. If it truly bothers you (and I do understand why it might), I think you should contact John and see about getting a new nib. You should be able to enjoy your pen without something constantly niggling at the back of your mind.

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sadiemagic Extremely Rare

sadiemagic

Posted
Posted

Just checked my own Nakaya, a Blue Dragon portable cigar, with the BB ground to a stub by John Mottishaw. There is a tiny bit of gold showing on the top as well.

 

Doesn't bother me, not even sure I ever noticed it before this thread. The pen writes like a dream. Didn't want a gold nib, wanted a white metal to complement the cool color of the blue-green dragon.

Not all those who wander are lost. J.R.R.Tolkien

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Dillo Donor Pen

Dillo

Posted
Posted (edited)

Hi,

 

This is one of the issues with rhodium plating or nib plating. Any nib work done will disrupt any plating that is there. When you get nib work done, not only is the bottom ground, the top is also ground. In my shop, when I do grinds like this, I clean the surface well and replate the disturbed spot to restore the look of the pen. The problem comes with gold-plated steel nibs. There are so many colors of gold plating, and simply replating it will put a spot on the nib of a different color that would be noticeable since the eyes are so sensitive. What I do is carefully grind so as not to disturb the plating on the main body of the nib so that only the top of the tipping ball is silver and is polished to a mirror-like finish. This makes for a nib that looks more "professionally done." This works because the steel and the tipping are both of a similar color, so we don't see what we see with the gold nib.

 

Finish work on nibs is extremely important. One can't have scratches on odd parts. Everything has to be polished and look clean and perfect. In my early nib repair days, I wasn't as nit picky about these things (If I did a nib for you in the past and it wasn't well finished, I'll take care of it for you. Send it back to me), but for quite some time now, I consider it a high priority to make everything look polished. One should be proud enough of their work to take a picture of it with a good macro lense and post the picture on the wall in a large size. To my knowledge, Richard Binder of all people is very careful with how his nibs are finished. Greg Minuskin is another person who is also careful with this. These are things that are very important and need to be looked at. That said, I'm really wondering what is the best route for you to go with replating. I do rhodium, but I don't have as much experience redoing the other finishes that Nakaya uses on their nibs. I certainly don't know what shade Nakaya is using for their rose gold nibs. We don't want a shade mismatch.

 

Personally, if I had a ruthenium nib that was done that way, I would probably replate the entire nib to make it match. I don't have a source for ruthenium plating solutions and other things though. While I wish I could possibly help you all with that, I'm not sure I can. If you are like me, I can certainly see why you would be bothered with such a thing. I think it's a big deal.

 

Dillon

Edited by Dillo

Stolen: Aurora Optima Demonstrator Red ends Medium nib. Serial number 1216 and Aurora 98 Cartridge/Converter Black bark finish (Archivi Storici) with gold cap. Reward if found. Please contact me if you have seen these pens.

Please send vial orders and other messages to fpninkvials funny-round-mark-thing gmail strange-mark-thing com. My shop is open once again if you need help with your pen.

Will someone with the name of "Jay" who emailed me through the email system provide me an email address? There was no email address provided, so I can't write back.

Dillon

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  • 2 weeks later...
larsbj Mint

larsbj

Posted
Posted

Just checked my own Nakaya, a Blue Dragon portable cigar, with the BB ground to a stub by John Mottishaw. There is a tiny bit of gold showing on the top as well.

 

Doesn't bother me, not even sure I ever noticed it before this thread. The pen writes like a dream. Didn't want a gold nib, wanted a white metal to complement the cool color of the blue-green dragon.

 

Same with my Naka-Ai B stub from JM purchased last october. Have noticed it but never really paid any attention to it.

 

LBj

Favorite of the day: Nakaya Naka-ai Heki tame.
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TDL Rare

TDL

Posted
Posted (edited)

I have a Blue Dragon with a broad nib ground to cursive italic by JM, Ruthenium. I have just looked closely and cannot see any gold showing, but that might be just my eyesight. I suggest calling Nibs.com and having a chat.

Edited by TDL

The Answer to Life, The Universe and Everything? 42 or Good fountain pens and Ink?

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Siv Collectors Item

Siv

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I feel like I need to post an update here. Is this pen perfect? Nope. But it hasn't left my hand in the last 3 weeks. It's a part of my kit & routine and the imperfection is becoming part of its character.

 

What I'm trying to say is that this pen is not going back and you'll probably find it in my pocket when I go cold.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2752/4371168844_35ba5fb338.jpg

Danitrio Fellow, Nakaya Nutter, Sailor Sailor (ret), Visconti Venerator, Montegrappa Molester (in training), ConwayStewart Champion & Diplomat #77

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JustinJ Extremely Rare

JustinJ

Posted
Posted

I feel like I need to post an update here. Is this pen perfect? Nope. But it hasn't left my hand in the last 3 weeks. It's a part of my kit & routine and the imperfection is becoming part of its character.

 

What I'm trying to say is that this pen is not going back and you'll probably find it in my pocket when I go cold.

 

 

I found that my Decapod Twist grew on me. I was not overwhelmed with the pen at first, but found myself using it everyday. It is now one of my fountain pens that I would not sell. It is definitely a keeper for me. It reminds me of a lightweight agile sport car. It is the pen that I reach for when sitting down to do a puzzle, crossword or another relaxing task.

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