The Custom 823 Reconsidered

[tinta]

Thanks Saskia!

 

In your first link I see your 823 is with a medium CI. (in the writing sample)

What nib did you fit into the 823?

 

What does a medium CI come out as, in mm? (Just roughly,... as I have discovered that manufacturer's or nib-tech's tip sizes are all over the map,... not very standardized, even when expressed in mm.)

 

As an example, I was ground a M stub (a firehose) that was supposed to be an 0.8, but wrote a whole lot thinner,... more like a 0.5 or 0.6. (taking paper & ink into account)

Tad small for me.

 

The Ebay link shows the nib attached to a pen

Can a Pilot nib be bought by itself?

 

Did you do the swap yourself or was it a tech that did it?

 

Cheers: Istvan

Edited March 13, 2014 by tinta

[saskia_madding]

I did the swapping, no tech is needed. It is an easy friction fit nib. Seriously, it pulls out very easily and is easy to slot back in. Don't pull just the nib out though - put you thumb on the feed, your index finger on the nib, and pull them out smoothly together.

 

That cursive italic acutally came with the pen. It was a hack job done by the person who first owned the pen, and that plus a small, harmless crack in the cap (below the place where it seals) is what got me the pen for $100 USD. Totally worth it, in my opinion. I ended up loving that CI nib, even if it is a bit odd looking.

 

Pilot nibs cannot be bought by themselves, unfortunately. I wish they could, I'd buy every fancy one under the sun for the 823! Instead, I buy the cheapest pens I can find with the nibs that fit. For the 823, that's the 743, which sadly, is NOT cheap (not in my estimation).

 

Sorry, but I don't know the size of the cursive italic. It felt wider than the original M on the down strokes, but is pretty thin on the cross strokes.

[tinta]

This is really helpful. Thanks a bunch!

[raging.dragon]

The 743 is also available with the C nib, which is broader than the BB. Short of custom retipping, the C tip is the biggest lump of tipping available on a Pilot #15 nib.

[parnesh]

I really want one of these, but man, that would be the most expensive pen on my desk. I would have to give up Scotch for a year to justify it.

 

They are not as expensive as you think.

 

http://www.stationeryart.com/pilot-pilot-namiki-custom-fountain-demonstrator-black-p-1173.html

 

Just satisfied customer.

[VladDracule]

My experience with the custom 823 has been extremely poor, almost downright awful. And I know im the oddball with this pen but, mine has skipped from day one. Whats troubling is I sent it back to John at nibs.com and he said there was a buildup in both the barrel and the feed. I had seen some odd gel-like substance in the barrel but figured it was the lubrication for the filling systems as i had head that from a few sources. Apparently it wasnt. However even after i paid $100 to John for a repair, he took it apart and cleaned it thoroughly, and sent it back, and it still skips. To me its the worst pen I've ever spent money on and kept

[Koyote]

My experience with the custom 823 has been extremely poor, almost downright awful. And I know im the oddball with this pen but, mine has skipped from day one. Whats troubling is I sent it back to John at nibs.com and he said there was a buildup in both the barrel and the feed. I had seen some odd gel-like substance in the barrel but figured it was the lubrication for the filling systems as i had head that from a few sources. Apparently it wasnt. However even after i paid $100 to John for a repair, he took it apart and cleaned it thoroughly, and sent it back, and it still skips. To me its the worst pen I've ever spent money on and kept

 

If you bought it from Nibs.com, why didn't they treat it as a warranty repair? Or advise you to send it to Pilot for warranty service?

 

I'm not doubting you, but it seems like there must be some information that I am missing.

[VladDracule]

 

If you bought it from Nibs.com, why didn't they treat it as a warranty repair? Or advise you to send it to Pilot for warranty service?

 

I'm not doubting you, but it seems like there must be some information that I am missing.

 

Time, I bought the pen a while back (a few years) and because of the problems i just relegated it to a do not use pile basically and never sent it in until now when i had to send several other pens back to him for a repair/regrind

[Koyote]

 

Time, I bought the pen a while back (a few years) and because of the problems i just relegated it to a do not use pile basically and never sent it in until now when i had to send several other pens back to him for a repair/regrind

 

Okay, I understand. I know it's a further hassle, but you should send it to John again. I think he provides a warranty on his repairs and will take another crack at it.

 

But for goodness' sake, don't just throw it in the drawer again! If you are inclined to do that, I will pay the postage so that you can send it to me! I will happily fiddle with it!

[nvbrennan]

I love my 823 and had the fine adjusted at the LA show a few years ago by John M. My only problem with it that reduces my use is having reassembled it from a complete strip down I noticed some very small fractures in the blind cap end of the barrel. I had read about this before and was careful to rescrew in the piston mechanism gently but must still have over tightened. Something worth being extra careful about. Thankfully it hasn't affected operation or water tightness but it still makes me a little wary.

[JonSzanto]

I really want one of these, but man, that would be the most expensive pen on my desk. I would have to give up Scotch for a year to justify it.

 

Let's not be hasty, then. Consider a garage sale or something...

[Koyote]

I really want one of these, but man, that would be the most expensive pen on my desk. I would have to give up Scotch for a year to justify it.

 

 

Let's not be hasty, then. Consider a garage sale or something...

 

I'm trying to convince my wife to get a second job.

[Inkling13]

I don't think it is so simple to sell a pen and recover the money you spent when you fully disclose as having tampered with it at home (e.g. I pulled the stock nib and put the stock nib from another pilot into this). YMMV. also you stand to lose whatever warranty you have on a new pen.

 

Also nib swaps with a BB nib needs some skilful set up post the graft.

Well, one doing nib swaps should always be aware of inharent risks. Also, I never once suggested that someone should advertise this swapped pen as new. All history should be disclosed.

[WilsonCQB1911]

I like the soft nibs on the Pilot pens, and this one is no exception. I also like the filling system on the 823, how it's airline safe once it's closed off, and how much darn ink it holds!! What I didn't like was how miserly the ink flow was. This pen was so dry as to be almost unusable. So I sent it to Greg Minuskin, and now it flows wonderfully. Now it's a wonderful pen.

 

For reference, I have a medium nib on mine.