Nakaya Naka-Ai, Long Piccolo, & Piccolo

[sansenri]

thank you, I'm in no hurry

this confirms that my preferable candidate is probably a long sigar

the decapod or the twist is possibly another but for the beaury of the shape

what about the nibs?

I understand there is an option for a soft nib, I'm not too fond of very stiff nibs

thanks

[ridiculopathy]

I'd like to try (read: own) a long piccolo one day...

 

I always enjoy seeing pictures of your Nakaya collection!

[Doug C]

I just got my Portable. My others were purchased about 10 years ago and there is a slight change in the nibs. The older ones had the family name (NAKATA) whereas the new one is labeled NAKAYA.

 

The new pen is much wetter than the older ones even though I specified that I am a slow writer and wanted it dry to medium.

 

 

I can attribute it to variation at NIBS.com

[whichwatch]

 

Which Nakayas have the longer sections?

 

Finally I can show you a picture that will illustrate what you wanted to see. Left to right are a Portable, a Neo Standard, and a Long. I think if you click on the picture it will enlarge.

 

As you can see, the distance from end of pen to step down is the same for Portable and Neo Standard, although the threads on Neo Standard are shorter, providing a longer grip section. However, the Long shape is longer in all dimensions. THis sounds like it would be a good choice for you.

 

 

 

http://www.fototime.com/%7B6FB0B37D-8BA4-45E3-AFE4-40E2544017B9%7D/origpict/IMG_2275.jpg

[sansenri]

Thank you very much, whichwatch, that direct comparison is really useful and confirms my assumption that the Long cigar shape is probably my best option.

 

could you also comment on the nibs? are they all stiff or is a soft version available?

what is your experience with the music nib? (the nib on the portable is a music nib, right?)

Thank you!

[whichwatch]

In my experience, nibs on Nakayas tend to be rather stiff. There are "soft" versions available, and these have a little more bounce, but are not really flex nibs in any sense of the word. Nakayas write beautifully, but if people prefer extremely smooth writing with absolutely no feedback or very soft and flexy nibs, Nakayas may not be their best choice.

 

The nib on the Portable in the picture is a Music nib with flex added via cutouts on the sides of the nib. Better pictures are below. I like Nakaya Music nibs (although I don't get along as well with Sailor Music nibs) and this one with the added flex is rather special and writes very nicely. It is not a commonly available nib configuration.

 

 

http://www.fototime.com/%7BE353C815-3767-4EBF-9F50-5667F2EDE728%7D/origpict/IMG_2270.jpg

 

http://www.fototime.com/%7B123AB2BF-B0A6-4512-943D-6D317012B62D%7D/origpict/IMG_2272.jpg

 

http://www.fototime.com/%7BC5153170-7E13-4CA9-B5E7-D0755EC98D45%7D/origpict/IMG_2271.jpg

[dms525]

 

what about the nibs?

I understand there is an option for a soft nib, I'm not too fond of very stiff nibs

thanks

 

I rather like the stiff Nakaya nibs ground to cursive italic, at least when the ink flow is just right. But I also like the springy Bock nibs that came on some of my Conway Stewart pens. So, I was curious about the Nakaya soft nibs. Unfortunately for me, the Nakaya BB nib, my preference for italic grinds, does not come in a soft version. The great news is that I was able to swap in a Nakaya BB ground to italic and customized to soft by John Mottishaw for one of my Naka-ai's. It is quite similar in feel to my well-loved springy CS Bock nibs.

 

So, if you like springy nibs, the Nakaya soft versions are a good choice, IMO.

 

David

[sansenri]

thank you both

I'm not looking for flex, but I do prefer some springiness, so the soft versions may be the way to go.

I'm not too choosy on nibs either, I use from F to BB depending on mood and often just depending on what's on the pen, I don't practice calligraphy, I just look for a comfortable ride...

I'm not too fond of very fine nibs (especially if they don't flex much), and I would understand that B-BB tend to flex even less, probably I would go for a soft medium.

I suppose I should refer to this

https://www.nakaya.org/images/manual/hikkisample_en.jpg

thanks

[ENewton]

thank you both

I'm not looking for flex, but I do prefer some springiness, so the soft versions may be the way to go.

I'm not too choosy on nibs either, I use from F to BB depending on mood and often just depending on what's on the pen, I don't practice calligraphy, I just look for a comfortable ride...

I'm not too fond of very fine nibs (especially if they don't flex much), and I would understand that B-BB tend to flex even less, probably I would go for a soft medium.

I suppose I should refer to this

https://www.nakaya.org/images/manual/hikkisample_en.jpg

thanks

 

 

I tried a soft medium at the San Francisco International Pen Show and was very impressed.

[sansenri]

thank you, confirms I'm on the right track

may I ask you for more detail on the impression you had?