Mitaka

[troglokev]

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4059/4314713803_9a33a1e0ac_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2760/4326130562_0610247581_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2714/4326132348_2ea464b829_b.jpg

Edited February 2, 2010 by troglokev

[jlepens]

Beautiful writing and a very nice pen!

[ethernautrix]

Oo! I love that nib shot, Kev.!

 

I got to try a Mitaka at Pen Posse -- I think it was Sayan's or Ricky's. I liked it! Not to have, cos I won't take advantage of the flex, but it was a very nice pen.

[troglokev]

Beautiful writing and a very nice pen!

Thanks! A lot of it is down to the nib: it has the right springiness for me, and improves my writing considerably.

 

Oo! I love that nib shot, Kev.!

Coming from you, that's high praise indeed, EtherX. Thank you

Edited February 2, 2010 by troglokev

[Cloud]

Thanks for the review. I was interested in that exact same pen recently. Having a review sure helps.

 

Also, beautifully done with the pics and handwritten review.

[ToasterPastry]

I would be interested in seeing pictures of the rest of the Mitaka pen.

[Lloyd]

I have one of these, too. I found it a bit too dry at first; then, I realized that the nib needed to be pushed on further. Now, it's not dry at all.

 

How do you apply silicone grease at the blind cap/knob?

[troglokev]

How do you apply silicone grease at the blind cap/knob?

In much the same fashion as for a Sheaffer vac-fil. Unscrew the knob until it comes free, and apply a smear to the rod itself.

 

Best done with no ink in the pen: it will displace a small amount of air, and therefore ink, if present.

[hari317]

Very nice review Troglokev! and very nice handwriting too!

[Ondina]

The looks of the nib are very appalling, and the handwritten review is very nice, many thanks!

[Ed Ronax]

Great review, thanks.

[fuchsiaprincess]

Thanks for the lovely review, Kev! I really like your beautiful hand-writing.

 

Warmest regards,

Soki x

[significantpass]

I was tempted to buy this pen, but decided not to. Wish I had...

[AltecGreen]

I was tempted to buy this pen, but decided not to. Wish I had...

 

 

Fear not.

 

 

The Mitaka pen is just one example of a typical Japanese pen from that era. I own a number of similar pens including this Mitaka. You can find a number of alternative pens with similar nibs and body styles. Unlike the present, there were many pre-war Japanese manufacturers. Many did not survive the war and those that did ended up getting absorbed or forced out by the current Japanese big three. So just keep an eye out. Ron often sells pens like these on eBay although the deal on the Mitaka is really good. The ones he sells on eBay usually go for $120-$200.

 

I like using the Japanese nibs from this era. They are flexy but have a lot of spring and a very fine nib that's perfect for calligraphy. The only problem with these pens is that after 70 years, the seal on the shut-off valve at the back usually will fail and will have to be replaced. If you don't want to deal with the Japanese ED filler, many pens of this era also were available as lever fillers.

 

I'll post some pics of Japanese pens of this era tonight.

[HenryLouis]

wow, that ink is nicer than i would have expected.

[troglokev]

wow, that ink is nicer than i would have expected.

 

Montblanc Royal Blue is an ink that performs well in every pen I've ever tried it in. The nib shot gives the best indication of how it looks on the page.

 

It's my "go to" ink.

 

For those who asked, I'll take a few more photos this weekend, and add them. Hopefully, Gary will add them to the original post for me.

[rachelcarpenter]

i am so craving this pen now! and have a question someone here might be able to answer - would silicone grease help the slight leak of ink i always seem to get on my esterbrook dip pen, between the section and the barrel? the thought occurs to me, based on the mention above - but i haven't even bought or used that grease yet so i could well be off my rocker on this. any thoughts much appreciated.

[rubyeyespenlover]

You write like a pro.

 

Great!

[troglokev]

As promised, here are a couple more photographs:

 

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2768/4336006774_eabeaa0747_o.jpg

 

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4031/4336007550_2f22e074a1_o.jpg

 

Enjoy!

[ethernautrix]

Aw... nice, Kev. That's a sweet pen!