Namiki Emperor Urushi

[mke]

I read that these pens are available in Fine, Medium and Broad.

 

I know that some people here have this pen.

Is that Fine comparable to a Pilot Fine or more to a European Fine? How about the Medium?

Thank you.

[mongrelnomad]

I have a medium. Writes like a Pilot medium/ Western fine, just with a bit of flex.

 

(Your question made me pull it out of its cigar case. I almost forgot how huge it is, how wonderful the nib is, and how the filling system makes it usable still after sitting unused for months...)

Edited May 25, 2019 by mongrelnomad

[MCWB]

I have tried two with broad nibs. Both wrote like a Western medium, so pretty standard Japanese sizing.

[gerigo]

It really depends on the pen. It's pretty much a hand made pen and the eye dropper system has a lot to do with how fine it writes especially on the fine nib. I don't have a similar problem with the broad since a broad pretty much dumps ink on paper. Since we value the fine-ness on a fine nib, it is very dependent on how saturated the feed is, how much air is in the pen and the barometric pressure of the day. Sometimes it writes like a wet fine, and sometimes it's like a medium. Yeah seriously, and it's not a joke. I was at Eurobox and had the pleasure of seeing the owner tune the stopper mechanism of a Japanese eye dropper. It's an art that I don't know many people know about.

Edited May 31, 2019 by gerigo

[DCirjan]

I have a fine, and ... yep ... that's definetely a Japanese fine ...

[wanderlust]

The choices of nib in Japan are Fine-Medium, Medium and Broad for Emperor size pens. Is Fine nib specially produced for America and Europe?

[mke]

In English it says F-M-B

http://www.pilot-namiki.com/en/collection/urushi/lacquer-vermilion-no50/

In Japanese it says FM-M-B

http://www.pilot-namiki.com/jp/collection/urushi/lacquer-vermilion-no50/

 

> Is Fine nib specially produced for America and Europe

I can't believe that, I would think the other way round.

 

The Custom Urushi also has FM・M・B.

I talked to some senior Pilot people and they told me such big pens are not balanced if they have F or even EF nibs.

 

Hearing all these stories, I put it on my buying list.

Edited June 2, 2019 by mke

[rebcabin]

The broad is definitely a gusher. It overwhelms both Moleskine and Leuchtterm paper, but looks great on Clairefontaine. I haven't tried Tomoe River yet.

 

It really depends on the pen. It's pretty much a hand made pen and the eye dropper system has a lot to do with how fine it writes especially on the fine nib. I don't have a similar problem with the broad since a broad pretty much dumps ink on paper. Since we value the fine-ness on a fine nib, it is very dependent on how saturated the feed is, how much air is in the pen and the barometric pressure of the day. Sometimes it writes like a wet fine, and sometimes it's like a medium. Yeah seriously, and it's not a joke. I was at Eurobox and had the pleasure of seeing the owner tune the stopper mechanism of a Japanese eye dropper. It's an art that I don't know many people know about.

[mke]

Anything overwhelms Tomoe River.

I guess, I need to find a shop in Tokyo where you can actually try this pen.

[mongrelnomad]

Really? I find Tomoe River unperturbed by even the wettest pen.

[Betweenthelines]

Really? I find Tomoe River unperturbed by even the wettest pen.

 

Agreed. I find it to be the most resilient paper out there. Never have experienced feathering with it, even when a pen is so wet it's making Rhodia feather.

 

Per the topic - haven't tried the Emporer but I have a FM on my custom urushi and find it to be the perfect nib size for me - seems to be at about a Western Fine. I think a true Japanese fine on a pen that big would seem a little weird, but just my 2 cents.

[XYZZY]

I think "overwhelmed" can be applied in different ways: If you're using that to refer to ink bleeding through then it's one thing. If you mean the paper is slow to dry and hose of a pen with a wet ink will lay down a line that can be messy and smudgy for a while, then you mean a different thing. We care about different things, we use languages that are frequently imprecise.

 

I don't think wanting a fine nib in a large pen is any weirder than wanting a B or Stub in a small pen.

[rebcabin]

Oh, I LOVE the broad nib! By "overwhelmed" I mean I get a lot more feathering and bleed than I do with mediums and fines on the Moleskine and Leuchtturm. Europeans or Japanese mediums and fines. It's all manageable, but it means varying papers, inks, hand pressure, stroke speed, all the stuffs. That's what makes it fun for me, anywho

[mke]

The nib-ink-paper troubles are sometimes a bit too much. Meanwhile I chose for each paper a fitting pen-ink combination. And write it down that I don't forget it.

 

This pen is my Nr.2 of undecided pens. Number 1 is an LE which will come out next year. If I like it, I am 3000 Euro down and the Namiki must wait. If I don't like that LE, this Namiki will be ordered.

[TassoBarbasso]

Anything overwhelms Tomoe River.

 

Whaaaat? are you sure you've been using Tomoe?

 

 

 

[mke]

Overwhelming means for me that I can read everything from the backside. That is no paper, that is a transparent plastic foil.

Edited August 22, 2019 by mke

[rebcabin]

Oh, I LOVE the broad nib! By "overwhelmed" I mean I get a lot more feathering and bleed than I do with mediums and fines on the Moleskine and Leuchtturm. Europeans or Japanese mediums and fines. It's all manageable, but it means varying papers, inks, hand pressure, stroke speed, all the stuffs. That's what makes it fun for me, anywho

 

Just tried a pair of Nemosine Broads on the same papers (Moleskine and Leuchtturm) and they're about the same as the Emperors for feathering and bleeding. Just because I'm insane doesn't mean that Broad-point pens don't gush. More ink == better

[rebcabin]

I re-inked the Emperors with Iroshizuku Mimoji (red) and Murasaki-Shikibu (lightish purple) and the pens COMPLETELY changed character. Whereas they gushed all giggly wet with Herbin Rouge Grenat and De Atramentis Brilliant Purple-Violet respectively, they're now more sane and work even on Staples' Stock Steno Pad. Sample at

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/3wvmi1q76ziunql/AllInTheGoldenAfternoonLewisCarroll.pdf

 

I can't say whether I liked one situation or the other better. They're both useful and predictable, and the main surprise is how DIFFERENT they are, completely different.

[mke]

Namiki (Pilot) certainly uses Pilot ink for tuning. My guess. Like Pelikan and Pelikan.

 

What kind of shorthand is that btw?

[TassoBarbasso]

Overwhelming means for me that I can read everything from the backside. That is no paper, that is a transparent plastic foil.

Makes sense. I thought you were talking about bleedthrough, not showthrough. I actually like showthrough TBH, it reminds me of vintage letters