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Numbers On Pilot Custom 823 Nib


Aetheric Continua

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Hello, all!

 

I finally received my Pilot Custom 823 <M> today and I'm super excited. Haven't been able to ink it up yet, as I'm currently at work.

 

So I'm spending (probably an abnormal amount of) time looking at every detail of this beautiful writing instrument.

 

On the nib, I understand that "14K" is the same thing as "585" (gold content) and the "15" is the nib size, but on the bottom left I see the number "115." What does it mean? A few searches didn't seem to lead me anywhere (not to say I didn't miss something).

"I have nixed all Noodler's inks in large part because of their feel, but also their behavior, etc. When I put Iroshizuku or Sailor ink into my pens, it's like the ink, pen, and paper are having a 3-some with smooth 'n sultry 70's jazz playing in the background." ~ Betweenthelines

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Manufactured in January 2015.

These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives everything its value.--Thomas Paine, "The American Crisis", 1776

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Manufactured in January 2015.

I figured it would be something simple :) Thanks!

 

Looking at my VP, I see that it was apparently manufactured in April 2014. Are all Pilot nibs stamped with such dates?

 

"I have nixed all Noodler's inks in large part because of their feel, but also their behavior, etc. When I put Iroshizuku or Sailor ink into my pens, it's like the ink, pen, and paper are having a 3-some with smooth 'n sultry 70's jazz playing in the background." ~ Betweenthelines

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Not sure when it started, but I have a Myu701 from the 70s with such a date code.

 

Oh, and I hope you enjoy your 823. Mine is an absolute favorite!

Edited by Dr.Grace

These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives everything its value.--Thomas Paine, "The American Crisis", 1776

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Not sure when it started, but I have a Myu701 from the 70s with such a date code.

 

Oh, and I hope you enjoy your 823. Mine is an absolute favorite!

I hear almost nothing but praise for this pen so I think I will enjoy it more than a little :)

"I have nixed all Noodler's inks in large part because of their feel, but also their behavior, etc. When I put Iroshizuku or Sailor ink into my pens, it's like the ink, pen, and paper are having a 3-some with smooth 'n sultry 70's jazz playing in the background." ~ Betweenthelines

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Pilot Custom 823 is probably my favorite pen. At least one is in my shirt pocket almost every day, along with a few of its friends. Here is a video showing how to fill it completely:

 

 

Here is another video showing the physics behind the vacuum filler concept:

 

 

These are fun pens with a big following. I hope you enjoy yours as much as I enjoy mine.

"One can not waste time worrying about small minds . . . If we were normal, we'd still be using free ball point pens." —Bo Bo Olson

 

"I already own more ink than a rational person can use in a lifetime." —Waski_the_Squirrel

 

I'm still trying to figure out how to list all my pens down here.

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So mine says A509 ...

 

Wow ...

 

 

PS congrats! It is indeed an awesome pen.

Wow, have you had yours since 2009? Does it still work well?

 

Pilot Custom 823 is probably my favorite pen. At least one is in my shirt pocket almost every day, along with a few of its friends. Here is a video showing how to fill it completely:

 

[snip]

 

Here is another video showing the physics behind the vacuum filler concept:

 

[snip]

 

These are fun pens with a big following. I hope you enjoy yours as much as I enjoy mine.

I've seen the first video but not the second :)

 

Unfortunately, my 823 hardly wrote when I finally inked it up (I'd gotten it from an ebay seller, supposedly new). But I found out yesterday that I'd gotten my tax refund, so I ordered another from John Mottishaw...

 

So now the question is do I return the first pen and use the money to start saving for a Pelikan M800 or have two 823s and get the nib worked on at the pen show I'm attending in May...

"I have nixed all Noodler's inks in large part because of their feel, but also their behavior, etc. When I put Iroshizuku or Sailor ink into my pens, it's like the ink, pen, and paper are having a 3-some with smooth 'n sultry 70's jazz playing in the background." ~ Betweenthelines

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did you open the rear knob to allow the ink to flow?

I did (I've had a TWSBI Vac 700 for months so I have plenty of experience with the vacuum mechanism).

 

I'm 83% sure its the nib. It looked nearly pinched close at the tipping when I first got the pen. I spent the last two nights messing with the nib and cleaning it and the feed and I'm seeing improvement. I wonder if the medium nib would benefit at all from Pendleton Brown's BLS grind...

 

 

"I have nixed all Noodler's inks in large part because of their feel, but also their behavior, etc. When I put Iroshizuku or Sailor ink into my pens, it's like the ink, pen, and paper are having a 3-some with smooth 'n sultry 70's jazz playing in the background." ~ Betweenthelines

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Wow, have you had yours since 2009? Does it still work well?

 

I've seen the first video but not the second :)

 

Unfortunately, my 823 hardly wrote when I finally inked it up (I'd gotten it from an ebay seller, supposedly new). But I found out yesterday that I'd gotten my tax refund, so I ordered another from John Mottishaw...

 

So now the question is do I return the first pen and use the money to start saving for a Pelikan M800 or have two 823s and get the nib worked on at the pen show I'm attending in May...

 

It never hurts to have two (or 10) Custom 823s. I would either take it to the pen show or send it to Pilot USA in Florida. They do excellent work and have never charged me for it. They haven't said anything if the pen came from Japan instead of through the US distributor. You might want to peel off the little sticker with the Japanese on it; the US pens have the same sticker, only in English.

 

The Pelikan M800 is another nice large pen. I like them a lot. Before ordering, you might consider checking them out at the pen show, the M600 and M1000 are very similar, but different sizes. You might prefer one over the others.

"One can not waste time worrying about small minds . . . If we were normal, we'd still be using free ball point pens." —Bo Bo Olson

 

"I already own more ink than a rational person can use in a lifetime." —Waski_the_Squirrel

 

I'm still trying to figure out how to list all my pens down here.

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It never hurts to have two (or 10) Custom 823s. I would either take it to the pen show or send it to Pilot USA in Florida. They do excellent work and have never charged me for it. They haven't said anything if the pen came from Japan instead of through the US distributor. You might want to peel off the little sticker with the Japanese on it; the US pens have the same sticker, only in English.

 

The Pelikan M800 is another nice large pen. I like them a lot. Before ordering, you might consider checking them out at the pen show, the M600 and M1000 are very similar, but different sizes. You might prefer one over the others.

I emailed Pendleton Brown and unfortunately, he won't be attending this pen show after all. But I've decided to keep the trouble 823 and send it off to him tomorrow to have it tuned and turned into a BLS :D

 

I definitely won't have enough money for a M800 before the show, so I'll definitely check them out :) I'm considering the M800 because of apparent heft, though I don't know if it'd become tiring after a lot of writing, so I'll definitely do some comparison handling at the show.

"I have nixed all Noodler's inks in large part because of their feel, but also their behavior, etc. When I put Iroshizuku or Sailor ink into my pens, it's like the ink, pen, and paper are having a 3-some with smooth 'n sultry 70's jazz playing in the background." ~ Betweenthelines

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If it's just a matter of the tines being close together (which is something you see with most brands of new pens these days) it's not that difficult to widen them yourself, with some care.

These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives everything its value.--Thomas Paine, "The American Crisis", 1776

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If it's just a matter of the tines being close together (which is something you see with most brands of new pens these days) it's not that difficult to widen them yourself, with some care.

 

I've spent quite some time working on the tines, and it at least writes now, though with hard starts (I have to add a bit of pressure on my first stroke in order to get the pen writing) :/ I'm wondering if opening the tines yet further will solve this.

"I have nixed all Noodler's inks in large part because of their feel, but also their behavior, etc. When I put Iroshizuku or Sailor ink into my pens, it's like the ink, pen, and paper are having a 3-some with smooth 'n sultry 70's jazz playing in the background." ~ Betweenthelines

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"If in doubt, send it out!" is my motto, especially when it comes to pens like the 823 that are no small investment and should perform well. If you get a Pendleton grind, so much the better.

These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives everything its value.--Thomas Paine, "The American Crisis", 1776

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Wow, have you had yours since 2009? Does it still work well?

 

I've seen the first video but not the second :)

 

Unfortunately, my 823 hardly wrote when I finally inked it up (I'd gotten it from an ebay seller, supposedly new). But I found out yesterday that I'd gotten my tax refund, so I ordered another from John Mottishaw...

 

So now the question is do I return the first pen and use the money to start saving for a Pelikan M800 or have two 823s and get the nib worked on at the pen show I'm attending in May...

 

I have only had mine a month or so. I got it second hand obviously. But yes it writes wonderfully and flawlessly. Everything works exactly as it should. So I would say it has certainly held up VERY well. Looks new to this day.

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I got my Custom 823 from John Mottishaw when I was at the 2009 Chicago Pen Show. He didn't have any more with him so he took my order and ground it to a .7mm cursive italic for me when he got home after the show. The nib is dated 0609. The pen is so nice that it has been my daily writer ever since. When the ink gets low (a rare event with this pen's large capacity!) I just refill it. I did finally flush it a couple of weeks ago before refilling it again. That was the first time and I have not noticed any difference so I don't know that it was even necessary. The only ink that's ever been in the pen is the Pilot Blue ink that came with it, which I really like.

Bill Sexauer
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