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Posting A Nakaya (Or Any Urushi Pen)?


cnjackson

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will posting a Nakaya or other Urushi finished pen damage the finish?

 

If so, I assume that the balance of the unposted pen must feel pretty good? (I've never seen one in person, but I gather that Nakayas are somewhat large pens?)

 

Thanks!

 

C

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Nakayas come in many sizes, big and small.

 

Just checked my Nakayas - a Piccolo and a Decapod Cigar. You can post them, but the cap doesn't stay on the pen. I also bet that posting will damage the Urushi quickly.

 

Erick

Using right now:

Visconti Voyager 30 "M" nib running Birmingham Streetcar

Jinhao 9019 "EF" nib running Birmingham Railroad Spike

Stipula Adagio "F" nib running Birmingham Violet Sea Snail

Sailor Profit "B" nib running Van Dieman's Night - Shooting Star

 

 

 

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I own two Nakayas - a Decapod and a Mini-Decapod, and I don't post either. I agree completely with Erick (a/k/a langere) and would also note that the folks at Classic Fountain Pens, where I bought my Nakayas, generally recommend against posting.

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Ditto,

I asked Classic pens that very questions a couple of weeks ago. They did not encourage posting the pens on the Nakaya's.

 

 

Take care,

John

"Churn the Butter"

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I've wondered this as well. I have one urushi pen (Hakumin), and I don't post it because it's more comfortable for me to use it unposted, but it would really surprise me if posting did much harm. I mean, urushi is tough, right? They make/have made things like dishes, armor, and weapons out of the stuff. They've found urushi-coated objects that are thousands and thousands of years old. Would posting a cap (especially one made of something like ebonite) really hurt a substance that lasts dozens of lifetimes?

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My first 'real' fountain pen is a Pilot Seigaiha. It is ebonite with a lacquer finish purchased at Itoya in a department store in Shinjuku, Tokyo. I asked the sales clerk who sold me the pen if posting would hurt the finish. She said that it would eventually but that she posts her lacquer pens for the feel of the pen. I presume she is referring to balance. This pen BTW, is some what small. I do not post it and have no problem writing with it except for what to do with the cap.

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I should add that my wife has a red lacquer Ohashido pen. Actually it has a relatively thin layer of red atop many layers of black. The red will eventually wear away reveling more and more of the underlying black. This is considered desirable.

 

This technique is common for Japanese lacquerware in general, I would guess that it is a feature of at least some of Nakaya's pens, but I do not know if this is so.

 

When I next run across them at a pen fair I will ask. Itoya in Ginza sell Nakaya pens, when I am in the area next I could ask them too.

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Thank you, everyone. This is very helpful. I've had a small windfall, and this has let me start looking at Nakayas with a bit more seriousness.

 

I hope others will chime in!

 

C

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I have 3 Nakayas and I do on occasion post my pens so far I have not noticed any wear or scratching that I can attribute to the posting. The Neo-Standard (Aka-Tamenuri) posts the best as far as security and balance. My Heki-tamenuri is a bit less secure, partially because I do not use any force, just a gentle setting in place, it is not in any way secure just sitting in a posted like position. The Portable Writer, Ishmi-kanshitsu posts over high but is quite secure but because it posts so high it leaves the pen feeling very long and rear heavy.

 

Before you all get out the pitchforks and torches I am not advocating posting as a regular practice and in fact I only rarely have done so. However, if I am on the road and there is no safe place to put the cap I will.

To me a pen is made to be used, and if I can't use it it becomes a bit pointless and I just can't spend my money on pointless. I accept that carry and use will cause wear and any wear that occurs becomes part of the pens history. I also don't worry about the "Value"of my Nakaya's as I just can't envision selling them, so for me the value is in how they perform and in the joy I get from using them.

Amos

 

The only reason for time is so that everything does not happen at once.

Albert Einstein

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Not all Urushi pens are the same or designed the same way with the user preference kept in mind.

 

Pilot/Namiki Urushi pens have a special felt covering on the inside surface of the cap lip that prevents marks if you decide to use the pen posted.

 

Dani Trio literature and Platinum Izumo Urushi Literature expressly prohibit posting the cap on the back of the pen. I like to post pens but no problem for me wrt to the Dani since I use their Mikado and Genkai size pens which are already very huge pens and the Izumo is no pushover when it comes to size.

 

Bottomline, follow the company instructions of use, if you don't like their restrictions, don't buy their products, that is what I have been following.

In case you wish to write to me, pls use ONLY email by clicking here. I do not check PMs. Thank you.

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I wouldn't post one, too risky IMO. I don't think Nakayas are designed to be posted and balance well unposted.

D A N i T R i O f e l l o w s h i p

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I do not post my Nakaya pens. There is no need since my pens are larger in size. The balance of the Nakaya pens are setup in my opinion for writing without the cap. I have not tried a Piccolo, so it may be different.

 

Do not think that the urushi will not scratch. I have a Decapod Twist that I owned for two days before it had a small scratch on it. I am not sure how the scratch got there but it is there. When I saw the scratch it was really disheartening. After accepting my new pen was scratched, it allowed me to use the pen more freely without worrying about scratches. There have not been any other scratches on the pen. Perhaps, maybe the pen was newer and the urushi had not hardened or cured enough. I'm not sure what happened.

 

My Neo Standard Hairline and Ishi-me finishes do not show any scratches. If you are worried about scratches, then the Ishi-me finish is the one to get.

 

Another thing about the shiny urushi is the pen will always show finger prints on it. If this type of thing bothers you, then a shiny urushi pen may not be the best.

Edited by JustinJ
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Again, thank you everyone. It looks like the basic consensus is that you should not post Urushi finished pens (unless they have some special provision, like the felt Hari mentioned).

 

It also sounds like people feel that Nakayas are nicely balanced without posting.

 

I think this answers my questions--I appreciate the wisdom of the forum!

 

C

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I have three Nakaya Urushi pens. I post them all, a black long piccolo, a portable cigar kuro-tamenuri and, the daily used, portable cigar blue dragon. No problems with any of them after 18 months of intense usage.

 

Indeed, the only pen I have which displays any ill effects of posting is a plain black Pelikan M805. All my other pens are fine, some after very many years of posting.

Edited by TDL

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

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Both Nakaya and nibs.com discourage posting. I'll occasionally post the Mini Decapod, gingerly putting the cap on the end. It fits securely. I don't know. I've read about how durable urushi is, so... I'd be curious to see if there is long-term scuffing as there tends to be with other materials.

 

I suppose that if I don't mind about the pen scuffing with other brands... shouldn't mind about the Nakaya. However, posting Nakayas tends to throw the balance off for me. Might be different for others (probably).

_________________

etherX in To Miasto

Fleekair <--French accent.

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A belated reply!:

 

Thank you TDL and Ethernautrix! In the days since I've last looked at this thread, my attraction to Nakaya pens has only increased! (I know, Ethernautrix, that many people have said this, but your enthusiasm is infectious...)

 

My heart's delight is the Dorsal Fin 1 with the silver ishime finish--but that is out of reach right now. I then started to look at the Naka-ai model, whose lines really appeal to me. But it turns out that Nibs.com is all sold out of the colors I would like. And this has led me to look with fresh eyes at the portable (or perhaps the Piccolo) in the black ishime.

 

More and more, I am drawn to the ishime finish. Somehow, I feel that I would just want to handle the pen all the time... sigh!

 

Chris

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A belated reply!:

 

Thank you TDL and Ethernautrix! In the days since I've last looked at this thread, my attraction to Nakaya pens has only increased! (I know, Ethernautrix, that many people have said this, but your enthusiasm is infectious...)

 

My heart's delight is the Dorsal Fin 1 with the silver ishime finish--but that is out of reach right now. I then started to look at the Naka-ai model, whose lines really appeal to me. But it turns out that Nibs.com is all sold out of the colors I would like. And this has led me to look with fresh eyes at the portable (or perhaps the Piccolo) in the black ishime.

 

More and more, I am drawn to the ishime finish. Somehow, I feel that I would just want to handle the pen all the time... sigh!

 

Chris

 

If you like larger pens, then the Dorsal Fin is hard to beat. I have it in the Ishi-me midori finish. I swear the color has changed on it. There is a good size difference in the Dorsal Fin and Nakaya pen models. The 17mm Nakaya may be close to the Nakaya Dorsal Fin. I have not had a chance to see or use the 17mm Nakaya. I posted a picture of my Nakaya Dorsal Fin, Neo Standard, and Decapod Twist to give you an idea of the size. One nice thing about the Dorsal Fin is it size with the cap on. It is actually smaller in length than the Neo Standard and Decapod Twist.

 

I also took some quick photos today of a Pilot Custom 823 and a Lamy Safari next to the Nakaya pens. I assume most people have a Safari pen. This will give you an idea of the different sizes of the Nakaya pens. When I first started looking at Nakaya, it was hard to judge their size. Measurements are good but when you can compare another pen to it, it gives a better idea of the actual size of the pen.

 

I think that I've had my Decapod Twist now for more than a year. The first picture is when I received the Decapod Twist new. The other pictures are today. If you click on the second picture, you can see that the Decapod Twist is turning color. I use it everyday and noticed today that where my fingers sit on the pen are lighter than the rest of the grip. If you look at the lines in the Decapod Twist from the first photo you can see the change. Also, the pen is kept in a pen wrap when not in use.

 

 

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6115/6335028049_9e0ee84994_b.jpg

 

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8225/8583064148_ece4afaab4_k.jpg

 

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8385/8583063960_bda31e6a40_b.jpg

Edited by JustinJ
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JustinJ--Thank you very much for your post (as well as your earlier one)!

 

The images help a lot: you have a beautiful collection of Nakayas. The Dorsal Fin is just gorgeous! Do you use it often? How do you like writing with it?

 

I actually hadn't realized the pens are so big--but that actually suits their being used unposted, I would think.

 

Also--what size nibs do you use, and how do you like them?

 

Thanks again for your insights!

 

Chris

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JustinJ--Thank you very much for your post (as well as your earlier one)!

 

The images help a lot: you have a beautiful collection of Nakayas. The Dorsal Fin is just gorgeous! Do you use it often? How do you like writing with it?

 

I actually hadn't realized the pens are so big--but that actually suits their being used unposted, I would think.

 

Also--what size nibs do you use, and how do you like them?

 

Thanks again for your insights!

 

Chris

 

I use the Dorsal Fin everyday for writing. It is probably my favorite Nakaya pen for writing. It is a big pen but is very comfortable to hold. It does not feel big in the hand. There are several women on FPN who have a Dorsal Fin with normal size hands. So it is not a huge size pen that is hard to use.

 

I have a two tone soft fine on the Dorsal Fin. The nib has a nice give to it when you write. The Dorsal Fin is weighted perfectly. It is neither forward or rearward weighted. The Nakaya Soft fine is my favorite nib for writing. I can write for extended periods of time without my hand tiring.

 

The Dorsal Fin has a certain ruggedness to it that my other Nakaya pens lack. I do not worry about scratches or it breaking if it were to fall. It is a great solid pen. The Dorsal Fin does not get a lot of reviews or posts on FPN. I think it is an underrated and overlooked Nakaya pen model. The stone finish fits the pen's personality well. I had a hard time deciding between the tami-nuri and the ishi-me. I made the right choice going with the stone finish. My personal feelings are that the stone finish is the best choice for the Dorsal Fin. The simple green midori finish has a very nice organic feel to it. If I had to sell my Nakaya pens, the Dorsal Fin would be the last one that I would sell.

 

The Decapod Twist has a Nakaya Firm Fine Two Tone Gold nib. I had the pen setup for Mathematics. The nib is set at about a 4 on John's scale at nibs.com . It still writes very nicely. Also, I will use the Decapod Twist for puzzles, crosswords, or notes in a book while reading in bed. My Decapod Twist reminds me of an excellent made mechanical pencil. It is great for drawing.

 

My Neo Standard in the Black Hairline has a medium soft ruthenium plated nib. My Neo Standard is my least used Nakaya. For some reason, I find the grip section a little narrow. The weight is more towards the back of the hand. One thing that I love about my Neo Standard is the hairline finish. The finish is quite beautiful especially in the soft light by my desk at night. The shape of the Neo Standard is a very elegant shape compared to the Decapod Twist and the Dorsal Fin.

 

The writing experience with the medium soft nib gives a little more feedback then the two tone gold. It allows for a preciseness and has a different writing characteristic than the two tone gold nibs. The medium nib is a little broader than I like. Sometimes when writing with this nib there is a certain state of bliss, especially when the pen and nib are working together, there is something magical about it. The ruthenium plated nib has lots of character.

 

I have been thinking about trading my Nakaya Neo Standard for the last six months. I do not use it as often as my other Nakaya pens. It is just hard for me to think about letting it go. It is strange to say you have attachment to a pen but I do. I am considering trading it for another Nakaya but not sure which one.

Edited by JustinJ
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