Maki-E Dragonfly

[Algester]

[inkstainedruth]

Beautiful pen. Don't want one, myself, because of the issues with me and urushi (not to mention the price of them) -- but I can appreciate the artistry and craftsmanship of the maki-e pens.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[ca49reber]

Issues-what issues?

[Mew]

Issues-what issues?

Allergic to Urushi. Some people have that issue.

 

Regarding the pen, if I have to put my money on a Maki-e, it'll be a Namiki, always. Never a Pelikan.

[PAKMAN]

Beautiful pen, I'd love one myself. However not in my current budget.

[sargetalon]

This is one that has grown on me the more that I've seen it but sadly not in my current budget either.

[Calabria]

In my next life, which I'll dedicate entirely to pleasure.

[inkstainedruth]

Allergic to Urushi. Some people have that issue.

Urushi lacquer is made with the same stuff that is in poison ivy (urushiol oil). And I'm HORRIBLY allergic -- it goes systemic on me, and I'll have it literally for weeks. The last time it took a run of prednosolone (which did *nothing*) plus TWO runs of prednisone to knock it out of my system -- which took 6 weeks (the first run of prednisone suppressed it but didn't get rid of it entirely and it came back; the second run, prescribed by an allergist, started with 5 pills a day and tapered down to half a pill a day).

I can't take that kind of risk with a pen -- beautiful as the maki-e pens tend to be -- and I can't be spending my life wearing rubber or latex gloves when I'm trying to use such a pen (or washing my hands every twenty minutes to get the oil off my hands) either. So those pens are, for me, "look but don't touch".

I read an article once about a 5000 year old Chinese casket found in an archaeological site in which the lacquer was *still* reactive.... And a few years ago, someone posted about continually getting a rash on his or her chin -- from rubbing the end of the pen up against it. And I just KNEW I'd have an even worse problem....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[asegier]

Funny you should post this. We recently acquired one. Perhaps I'll do a review & closer look later on.

 

 

Allergic to Urushi. Some people have that issue.

Regarding the pen, if I have to put my money on a Maki-e, it'll be a Namiki, always. Never a Pelikan.

 

I'm going to be doing a review on the Namiki Maki-e Kingfisher tonight actually. What a coincidence this post came up!

[debraji]

Urushi lacquer is made with the same stuff that is in poison ivy (urushiol oil).

 

Wow. I'm just as allergic, so I guess I'll have to take a Namiki Maki-e (or other urushi lacquered pen) off of my grail list.

 

Not that I'm ever likely to have the budget for one. <sigh> But imagine forking over one's savings for such a beautiful pen, only to be unable to use it! Better to know now.

[inkstainedruth]

 

Wow. I'm just as allergic, so I guess I'll have to take a Namiki Maki-e (or other urushi lacquered pen) off of my grail list.

 

Not that I'm ever likely to have the budget for one. <sigh> But imagine forking over one's savings for such a beautiful pen, only to be unable to use it! Better to know now.

 

Yeah. It sucks though, doesn't it?

Several years ago I found some website just full of maki-e pens. They were absolutely gorgeous... but....

I told my husband "Look dear! I just saved you twenty thousand dollars!" Somehow though, he just didn't appreciate my sacrifice....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

ETA: Oh, that was $20K per pen, BTW....

Edited January 9, 2018 by inkstainedruth