Sailor 1911 Realo's Arrived..

[Thymen]

Someone went to Japan, and asked if there was something he could bring back for me. I told him I was eyeing the Sailor 1911 Realo, but wasn't quite sure about an M or a B nib. He brought back both.... and they are here with me now! I asked for the Maroon colour version, but received the standard black with gold trim, as the maroon ones were not in stock in the pen shop in Tokyo.

 

After flushing/cleaning I inked the M with Iroshizuko Take Sumi, the B with Asa Gao. And at the first lines of writing on I was very disappointed with the nibs. I am a left-handed under-writer, by the way.

 

The M did not write on the upstroke. Not at all, and scratchy too. The down-strokes were ok, although more like an EF, the side-strokes were very scratchy. All in all, a very inconsistent line pattern, very unpleasant. Bummer.......

 

But the flow was great. With just a little pressure on the down-stroke it showed a wide, wet line, no railroading at all.

 

Upon inspection he nib tines appeared to have no gap at the tip at all. The tines were properly aligned, but too tight. I did not feel like messing about with the nibs, but the pen just wrote too poorly to use. So I took a 0.05 mm feeler gauge to very carefully spread the tines a little. Took multiple very careful attempts, until inspection with a loupe showed a very tiny gap. After that some very light polishing, flushing, I changed the ink to the more saturated Lamy Obsidian Black and I now have a pen that writes smooth and consistent in all directions. As expected more like an Western F then an M.

 

Phew! It really had me worried at first.

 

The B required just a little polishing to remove the scratchiness. Also here the flow is great, a wet, fat line with no railroading with just a little extra pressure, On Rhodia it writes somewhere between a Western F and an M, but on more absorbing paper it is a wet, fat B. Great for signatures and Christmas cards!

 

The pens are very light, post well, and now that they write well, I am happy with them!

 

 

 

 

[mke]

B?? Are you painting walls?

 

With B nibs, one can only write on expensive paper, not on paper from the real world.

With Sailor M already, I have to be cautious with paper. Below 80g/m2, I can read from the back.

[Karmachanic]

There's paper below 80gsm?

[mke]

Hehe. Yes, the loose leaf paper from stationary shops in Japan start at 65 g/m2 - no problem if you use EF nibs, with F still acceptable - with M you are out.

Simple notebooks are a bit better quality, not talking not only about paperweight but the surface coating, mostly 70g/m2.

 

Problem is that most makers do not indicate paperweight. Most time, I have to buy and weigh by myself. You need good scales with mg precision. Cut a square of 10 * 10 cm2, weigh and multiply the result by 100 - gives the weight in g/m2.

Samples from the same sheet can show a lot of variation.

[mke]

A pen maker said they usually sell EF nibs to Japanese if those intend to use the pen, and then B to those who want to just collect, display a pen on their desk and/or use it as a signature pen.

M-nibbed onward pens are also for export.

[Thymen]

You make it sound as if a 'B' nib is for show only. I do not think so. The B I have in that 1911 I find quite nice, although for general writing I prefer the M.

 

On Rhodia, which I normally use, the B writes like a pleasant moderate Western M; on standard College paper (from the 'real world', as you call it), like a somewhat fatter M. On more absorbing paper, like postcards and cheap copy paper, like a real B. But that is to be expected.

 

For painting walls I don't use fountain pens. Takes too long......

[mke]

In Japan B nibs are for collectors and yes, for show - this includes signature and memo pens - but not for normal writing.

Apparently, collectors want B nibs because they can be regrinded to smaller nib sizes - I was told but don't know if that is true.

I only see that B-nibbed pens get lower prices on Yahoo auctions. So, the want factor is smaller here.

[Thymen]

In Japan B nibs are for collectors and yes, for show ....

 

Ah... but I am not in Japan, and I do not write in Japanese characters. For Western script I find the B very nice: it shows the character of the ink better then a fine nib, and this Sailor B is more like a Western MF to M.

[mke]

Enjoy your 'B' nibs. It is just my opinion.

 

I am living now so long in Japan (>25 years), my taste is japanized.

In addition, Rhodia et al is also too expensive for the amount of paper I need.

There are only very few papers in Japan where you could actually use B-nibbed pens without the text being readable from the backside.

[Thymen]

I see.

 

I can get really decent college pad paper fairly cheap here. 5 pcs of A4 - 70 g/m2 - 100 sheets of spiral-bound pads for € 6.50. And this paper is just a tad more absorbing then Rhodia, but no bleed-through at all with most inks. Only Noodler's Borealis Black bleeds, but that ink also bleeds through more or less on Rhodia. It is my preferred every-day fountain pen notepaper.

 

For blank paper, I have 100 g/m2 extra-smooth copy paper, 5 packs of 500 sheets for € 25. Also not that expensive.

 

I just wrote the words 'paid' on an invoice, that paper was so very absorbing I could almost feel a ink vortex being created in the pen. IMO, for these papers one should better use ballpoint pens or pencils, not a fountain pen.

[Tseg]

B?? Are you painting walls?

 

 

You so mean. I mainly use to sign the back of checks.

 

[A Smug Dill]

In addition, Rhodia et al is also too expensive for the amount of paper I need.

There are only very few papers in Japan where you could actually use B-nibbed pens without the text being readable from the backside.

 

I'm not going to speculate either how much paper you need or how much you can afford to spend on it. However,

 

 

this MUJI notebook, which is listed (according to the sticker on the back cover) at JPY 120 – which is approximately US$1.10 – (excluding consumption tax) for 96 pages of 7mm-ruled B5 paper, does not present a problem with ghosting or bleed-through with the very black Sailor kiwaguro pigment ink, which I assume is very readily available from bricks-and-mortar retail stores in Japan, even when writing is done with it using a broad/stub nib. (I've also tried writing with Diamine Sherwood Green ink using a FPR Himalaya pen with a Stub nib on that paper, and the level of show-through is about the same as above.)

Edited January 2, 2019 by A Smug Dill

[mke]

This level is really acceptable. I have never tried this notebook. Next time at Muji, I will buy one.

It is this one, isn't it?

https://www.muji.net/store/cmdty/detail/4547315040124?searchno=5&sectionCode=S107010502

 

With notebooks, I have made good experience with Kokuyo Campus Notebooks

https://www.kokuyo-st.co.jp/stationery/campus/

I am using the A5 size (148*210mm): e.g. https://www.yodobashi.com/product/000000359109929980/

 

My main problem was that the typical loose leaf paper is either expensive or too thin. For most of this type of paper EF nibs are recommended.

However, I found one with a good price/performance ratio - Maruman L1201H (the H means 100 sheets, without, it means 50 sheets)

https://www.yodobashi.com/product/100000001001581385/

 

Just found out that Muji also carry the paper from the notebook in loose leaf:

https://www.muji.net/store/cmdty/detail/4547315265039

 

I will buy it this evening. Thanks a lot.

Edited January 2, 2019 by mke

[A Smug Dill]

It is this one, isn't it?

https://www.muji.net/store/cmdty/detail/4547315040124?searchno=5&sectionCode=S107010502

 

 

Yes, I think so.

[mke]

I'm back

 

from a visit at Muji - with a pack of loose-leaf A5 (190 Yen).

The label says "Bleed Proof Loose-Leaf".

And, drum-roll please, ...

It is!!!

 

Even a writing done with my Waldmann 100th anniversary pen with M nib (i.e. Bock) is hardly visible from the backside.

 

I also checked the notebooks and they seem to be the same paper.

Anyway, now that I have that good (and cheap) loose-leaf paper, I am fully satisfied.

I didn't buy the notebook because I still have many Kokuyos.

Edited January 2, 2019 by mke

[A Smug Dill]

The label says "Bleed Proof Loose-Leaf".

What's its product code?

 

<EDIT>Ah, I see you've updated your earlier post with the details. Thanks!

Edited January 2, 2019 by A Smug Dill

[mke]

A5 is 152 650 39

B5 is 152 650 22