Vintage "special" Fountain Pen

[Mannyonpil]

I know nothing about vintage Japanese pens so I am hoping I might get some help. I just received a "Special" branded pen - an eyedropper with shutoff valve. Is there a resource online somewhere where i might be able to learn something about it? I read some Japanese although not terribly well - probably enough to glean some basic info if you all might know of Japanese sources I might consult.

 

I thank you in advance for y'all's generous help.

[gerigo]

A picture will be helpful?

While I am not an expert in vintage Japanese, you might want to ask Bruno Taut at https://estilofilos.blogspot.com/.

[awa54]

There are several pinned threads at the top of this sub-forum that cover quite a bit of ground. Bruno's site is excellent as well and "Tokyo" Russ Stutler's site is also worth visiting http://stutler.cc/pens/

 

If you post some images we may be able to help you ID it as well. Lots of mid-century Japanese nibs have SPECIAL, SUPER, HARDEST, WORLDS BEST, etc. blazoned on them and smaller makers may have used the same nibs as other manufacturers, same with clips, so it can be challenging...

[stan]

I know nothing about vintage Japanese pens so I am hoping I might get some help. I just received a "Special" branded pen - an eyedropper with shutoff valve. Is there a resource online somewhere where i might be able to learn something about it? I read some Japanese although not terribly well - probably enough to glean some basic info if you all might know of Japanese sources I might consult.

 

I thank you in advance for y'all's generous help.

Likely nothing will be learned. If there are no specific makers name don the pen, clip, or nib it is impossible to determine who made it. assuming your pen was made in the 1930s or 1950s there were, literally, hundreds of small vendors throughout Japan that made, assembled, sold, or fabricated parts for pens.

[Mannyonpil]

Thank you all for your comments. I may have to simply enjoy the pen without knowing its pedigree. I can do that.

 

I am trying to upload pics but it is not working out so well.

[aurore]

Thank you all for your comments. I may have to simply enjoy the pen without knowing its pedigree. I can do that.

 

I am trying to upload pics but it is not working out so well.

1) go to https://imgur.com/upload?beta

2) upload the photo

3) next to the "copy link" in the right upper corner you have three dots, click there

4) choose "get share links"

5) choose "BBCode (Forums)" and copy

6) insert it in the message here

7) post the message

Edited February 26, 2020 by aurore

[sansenri]

OR

 

if the image is on the hard disc on the PC, do this

-top of the page: click the upload tab (a new tab opens called manage uploads)

-click browse

-browse to your image on you HD (pic not larger than 2 Mb otherwise it won't load - before selecting it you can if needed open it in an image modifying app - which needs to be installed on your PC - and resize it)

-select it and click "open"

-click add image

-when the image loads, scroll to the bottom of the image, right click BBCode, copy

-now go back to your post (it's the previous tab)

-position the cursor where you want your image to show, right click, paste

you're done

before posting, click more reply options, the message will show and you will be able to see if your image has loaded correctly

Edited February 26, 2020 by sansenri

[Mannyonpil]

Alright. I think I have something for you all to look at. Please excuse my photography...

[Mannyonpil]

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[Mannyonpil]

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[Mannyonpil]

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[awa54]

I can't really say any more than that it looks like many other (likely) post-war Japanese, ink-shutoff ED pens with shiro nibs... The Parker-esque clip is common in second and third tier pens the world around and Japan is no exception!

 

The biggest issue with pens like this is the seal on the valve shaft; at this point most of them seem to have failed and repair, while conceptually quite simple, is often something that requires an experienced restorer's touch to accomplish without damaging the pen.

 

If the nib is a great performer and you just want to write with it, then you could "restore" it by cutting off the valve shaft and sealing the base of the ink chamber, so it functions like a conventional ED pen. I personally hate to see an intact historical artifact damaged this way, but I'm torn, since I own a few pens like this that I would like to write with, but can't find a restorer who works on them.

[Mannyonpil]

Thank you for the reply, Awa. So far this pen works just fine. The valve works, there are no leaks, and the nib is only getting better the more I use it. It has been inked for about a week now and now sign of any leaks.

[awa54]

That's great! I wish that even one of mine was operable

[Mannyonpil]

I did not know how lucky I was to get one that worked. This is the first vintage Japanese eye-dropper I have purchased. I just assumed they were all this way.