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Why do #10 Pilot FA nibs have so many issues compared to #15 FA nibs?
MythrianXeras posted a topic in Japan - Asia
So I have both a Custom 742 and a 743, both with the FA nib, and while the 743 was pretty much a perfect writer out of the box, the 742 is pretty much useless, constantly hard starting and skipping and making writing an otherwise miserable exercise. I've tried every ink in my collection, including the obscenely wet Private Reserve Tanzanite, and it did pretty much nothing to improve the flow. I've gotten the 2-slit feeds as well from Flexible Nib Factory, and while the 743 went from an already good writer to a phenomenal one that can use pretty much any ink, the 742 only became just slightly more usable, now capable of a few words without skipping/railroading and still borderline unusable for regular writing because of the constant hard-starting. I've ordered a 3-slit FNF feed to see if that might remedy the issue, but I've largely given up on the pen, and from searching the forums and Reddit, this seems to be a pretty common issue with #10 Pilot FA nibs. What exactly is the reason these nibs perform so much worse than their bigger cousins, even for regular writing? -
A long time ago, Ron Dutcher posted A Field Guide to Japanese Nibs in this forum. It is an excellent article, and if you haven't seen it, you should read it. I have some, but not all, and I thought people might be interested in a comparison of the nibs in use. Fine nib: Soft Fine nib: Posting nib: Script Nib: Manifold nib: Coarse nib:
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This is the best blue ink (or even the best among all colors) I've used so far. Aurora and Waterman and Montblanc come in next on my list. I was wondering if there are blues from other brands that are at least as well behaved as this one. I'm not looking at PR or Noodler's because I haven't had pleasant experiences with their inks for the same reasons already discussed at length in other threads. My criteria for well behaved are: - wet - saturated, I absolutely loathe washed out inks. The color should stay the way it is or darker after drying. - very low feathering and bleed through - reasonable dry times - consistent flow till the last drop in a converter without having to prime the feed Asa Gao hits it out of the park for all of the above criteria and is currently my favorite ink. I haven't used Kon-Peki but I believe it is just as good. I hope there are inks from other brands that might be cheaper with similar or better characteristics.
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From the album: OldTravelingShoe's Random Pics of Japanese Fountain Pens
© (c) 2023 by OldTravelingShoe. All rights reserved.
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From the album: OldTravelingShoe's Random Pics of Japanese Fountain Pens
© (c) 2023 by OldTravelingShoe. All rights reserved.
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20230107 Pallas Cat w Pilot Elite 1G.jpg
OldTravelingShoe posted a gallery image in FPN Image Albums
From the album: OldTravelingShoe's Random Pics of Japanese Fountain Pens
© (c) 2023 by OldTravelingShoe. All rights reserved.
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From the album: OldTravelingShoe's Random Pics of Japanese Fountain Pens
© (c) 2023 by OldTravelingShoe. All rights reserved.
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From the album: OldTravelingShoe's Random Pics of Japanese Fountain Pens
© (c) 2023 by OldTravelingShoe. All rights reserved.
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From the album: OldTravelingShoe's Random Pics of Japanese Fountain Pens
© (c) 2023 by OldTravelingShoe. All rights reserved.
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From the album: OldTravelingShoe's Random Pics of Japanese Fountain Pens
© (c) 2023 by OldTravelingShoe. All rights reserved.
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Hello! I l've already posted this on the Far East section but I figured this is a better place to post this. I need help identifying these Pilot pens as I've searched everywhere with no luck. Also, sorry that the pictires are too lowres and have a watermark, couldn't do anything about that
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From the album: OldTravelingShoe's Random Pics of Japanese Fountain Pens
© (c) 2022 by OldTravelingShoe. All rights reserved.
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From the album: OldTravelingShoe's Random Pics of Japanese Fountain Pens
© (c) 2022 by OldTravelingShoe. All rights reserved.
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From the album: OldTravelingShoe's Random Pics of Japanese Fountain Pens
© (c) 2022 by OldTravelingShoe. All rights reserved.
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From the album: OldTravelingShoe's Random Pics of Japanese Fountain Pens
© (c) 2022 by OldTravelingShoe. All rights reserved.
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From the album: OldTravelingShoe's Random Pics of Japanese Fountain Pens
© (c) 2022 by OldTravelingShoe. All rights reserved.
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On a lark, I picked up an interesting PILOT pen. It's some kind of micro rollerball, probably equivalent to 0.3mm or 0.5mm. PILOT made these as a series of technical pens, as an alternative to using an <XF> nib fountain pen or a stylograph. PILOT discontinued the Hi-Tecpoint line, but they did "refresh" it with their "Precise" line with V5 and V7 pen refills (0.5mm and 0.7mm respectively). Anyway, while PILOT had made disposable pens that use these refill tips (incorporated into plastic bodies), there were also high quality stainless steel examples. I even saw a sterling silver one as well. What makes these rather exceptional is the tip of the pen. It has it's own "trap door" mechanism. I was able to observe this by rotating the mechanism and observing the opening end closing/opening. VERY cool! It would go a long way to help protect a refill from drying out. Also, when you install the refill, it is secured in place with a finely machined metal screw cap that "seals" it in. That must also provide some resistance to drying out. The only caveat is... PILOT says that they no longer make the refills for this! Thankfully the example I bought came with a refill, tucked underneath the red velvet lined plastic tray in the case, still sealed. It is marked LH-25EF. The model number of this pen is LHT-300S. I contacted PILOT corporation and they do not have an equivalent replacement. I'm very dismayed by this... given how terrific the quality. Now I've come to discover that sometimes there are refills that are discontinued, but because often there are plastic bits involved in the refill cartridge, it is sometimes possible to modify it to fit. I have done this a number of times with other pens. However, I don't have anything that resembles the refill requirement for this pen. And naturally, I'd prefer to use a needlepoint refill... installing a standard ballpoint would be a bit pointless (no pun intended). I'll take some photos of the refill packaging and refill itself with measurements, in case it helps. Does anyone here have any experience with PILOT Hi-Tecpoint pens and know of a possible refill replacement from another brand that might work, even if it requires some modifications?
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From the album: OldTravelingShoe's Random Pics of Japanese Fountain Pens
© (c) 2022 by OldTravelingShoe. All rights reserved.
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From the album: OldTravelingShoe's Random Pics of Japanese Fountain Pens
© (c) 2022 by OldTravelingShoe. All rights reserved.
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From the album: OldTravelingShoe's Random Pics of Japanese Fountain Pens
© (c) 2022 by OldTravelingShoe. All rights reserved.
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From the album: OldTravelingShoe's Random Pics of Japanese Fountain Pens
© (c) 2022 by OldTravelingShoe. All rights reserved.
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Here is a brief review of a double concentrated Pilot Blue-Black ink. A prelude. Or a kind of I have always been fascinated with this ink. For a bunch of reasons except one: it is rather lifeless. Then I used it in my modern Duofold (with the damn hole in the cap causing evaporation) and found out this ink can be gorgeous with a lot of gravitas, beautiful shading and some sheen... if evaporates a bit. Pilot Blue-Black standard concentration properties summary A couple of positives of this ink (in the normal 100% concentration): 1) VERY cheap if you get a 350ml bottle from Japan, it costs there roughly $12, 2) VERY water resistant, 3) (unlike most Blue-Black inks) when exposed to water it stays purely blue instead of black/grey, 4) flows well in any pen, 5) safe, 6) no strong smell, 7) while it stains, the stains disappear fully if well soaked/filled with a soapy (dish detergent) water with no other treatment required at all; it is also very easy to wash from clothes, leaving no stains. Aren't these 7 wonders of the ink? Well, yes, but despite all the positives this ink normally isn't what one would expect of a solid blue black. Honestly, it is quite dull. Say no to the dullness - let it evaporate So what did I do? I bought a 350ml bottle, filled my empty Edelstein Sapphire bottle (actually not the most lively ink either), folded a kitchen paper towel in 8 layers and fixed it with a rubber band to the bottle. Then put it in my desk (the place that is dark and dry - just like my soul). I had been checking it regularly, but cannot remember how long did it take to evaporate a half of the bottle, but roughly 2 weeks. And... see the result below. A lovely navy ink, very water resistant, with a sheen and shading. With no misbehaviour. And still very cheap. For this process the wider the open surface of the bottle is the faster is the evaporation. Sailor old style 50ml round bottle (reminding jar) would fit the best. On the contrary heating or exposing to sunlight would not be the best idea. Testing The paper used is Oxford 90g A4 optikpaper notepad (a coated paper like Rhodia etc.). The pen used is MB 146 from early 90s (1st gen. plastic feed) with M(edium) feed - a bit broadish but not the wettest. The photos were taken in a natural light (direct sunlight/2 sorts of a shadow). You can see the comparison of the ink in 100% and 200% concentrations, written with the same pen. The writing sample was kept in the notebook for 24 hours before performing the water test. It was left for 30 second under a tap. I went quite hard with cotton swabs, it even damaged the paper surface. UV resistance results (notebook vs. summer window) will be updated in 2 weeks. The inks does not bleed (except the cheapest paper in almost a toilet paper quality), does not feather. Conclusion While the standard Pilot Blue-Black is a very good ink it is not the best choice if you need a serious business ink. The double concentration will do the job. What a lovely colour, isn't it?! What a performance! And very, very cheap. As for the price, while the ink is cheap the shipping is tricky but for instance Mercari now and then offers discounts on shipping or even a free international shipping, like recently.
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From the album: OldTravelingShoe's Random Pics of Japanese Fountain Pens
© (c) 2022 by OldTravelingShoe. All rights reserved.
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From the album: OldTravelingShoe's Random Pics of Japanese Fountain Pens
© (c) 2022 by OldTravelingShoe. All rights reserved.
