Pilot Super Ultra 500 Photo Thread

[PenHero]

Hi, Folks!

Had the opportunity to photograph the Pilot Super Ultra 500 this weekend. There are two versions of this pen. Wow what an amazing pen. Please show yours if you have one!

This is a Pilot Super Ultra 500 fountain pen in black c. 1958-1959. This just under 5 1/2 inch long pen was designed by Shigeki Chiba with a 14 karat wrap around inset nib that reminds of the Sheaffer conical Triumph nibs. The nib is stamped PILOT over MADE IN JAPAN over 14K. The barrel is stamped PILOT over SUPER 500 just below where it meets the section. According to Fountain Pens of Japan by Lambrou and Sunami, the cap and barrel is coated with five layers of urushi lacquer. The clip is stamped PILOT. The barrel end has a gold filled trim button. The pen has a knob filler unit, a rubber sac inside a metal sac protector with a pressure bar that is operated by flipping the lever on the end of the unit, similar to a button filler. Filling the pen requires unscrewing the barrel, inserting the nib in ink and flipping the knob to compress the ink sac.

http://www.penhero.com/Temp/PilotSuperUltra500_2048_01.jpg

Thanks!

[hari317]

Lovely!

[ehemem]

This has been on my grail list for a while...

[TSherbs]

Never heard of this one before.

[stan]

 

Hi, Folks!

Had the opportunity to photograph the Pilot Super Ultra 500 this weekend. There are two versions of this pen. Wow what an amazing pen. Please show yours if you have one!

This is a Pilot Super Ultra 500 fountain pen in black c. 1958-1959. This just under 5 1/2 inch long pen was designed by Shigeki Chiba with a 14 karat wrap around inset nib that reminds of the Sheaffer conical Triumph nibs. The nib is stamped PILOT over MADE IN JAPAN over 14K. The barrel is stamped PILOT over SUPER 500 just below where it meets the section. According to Fountain Pens of Japan by Lambrou and Sunami, the cap and barrel is coated with five layers of urushi lacquer. The clip is stamped PILOT. The barrel end has a gold filled trim button. The pen has a knob filler unit, a rubber sac inside a metal sac protector with a pressure bar that is operated by flipping the lever on the end of the unit, similar to a button filler. Filling the pen requires unscrewing the barrel, inserting the nib in ink and flipping the knob to compress the ink sac.

http://www.penhero.com/Temp/PilotSuperUltra500_2048_01.jpg

Thanks!

 

There are more than two.

 

The black model also comes with a gold-filled cap.

There is also a gull grey model that also came with a gold-filled cap.

As I recall there were two version s of the gold-filled cap - one plain and one with striations.

The gull grey is uber-rare. The real Holy Grail.

 

Outside of the pens (I had all three) the only other grey model of which I am aware was in the Pilot Pen Museum in Tokyo.

 

I sold my pens last year.

 

Am certain some others are out there.

Keep checking eBay -).

[KyleClapton]

So beautiful!

[liubrian]

I use mine every so often and the nib is a joy to write with, but I find that ink gets caught in the seam between the nib and the barrel - it's not a leak, but residue from filling. Perhaps there was sealant there that has since deteriorated.

[PenHero]

Hi, Folks!

This is a Pilot Super Ultra 500 fountain pen in black with a chased rolled gold cap c. 1958-1959. This just under 5 1/2 inch long pen was designed by Shigeki Chiba with a 14 karat wrap around inset nib that reminds of the Sheaffer conical Triumph nibs. The nib is stamped PILOT over MADE IN JAPAN over 14K. The cap has a repeating set of seven lines, alternating 4 straight with 3 waterdrop lines. It's stamped PILOT R14 at the cap lip opposite the clip. The clip is spring loaded and stamped PILOT at the top face. The barrel is stamped PILOT over SUPER 500 just below where it meets the section. According to Fountain Pens of Japan by Lambrou and Sunami, the cap and barrel is coated with five layers of urushi lacquer. The clip is stamped PILOT. The barrel end has a gold filled trim button. The pen has a knob filler unit, a rubber sac inside a metal sac protector with a pressure bar that is operated by flipping the lever on the end of the unit, similar to a button filler. Filling the pen requires unscrewing the barrel, inserting the nib in ink and flipping the knob to compress the ink sac.

http://www.penhero.com/Temp/PilotSuperUltra500GoldBlack_2048_01.jpg

Thanks!

[PenHero]

There are more than two.

 

The black model also comes with a gold-filled cap.

There is also a gull grey model that also came with a gold-filled cap.

As I recall there were two version s of the gold-filled cap - one plain and one with striations.

The gull grey is uber-rare. The real Holy Grail.

 

Outside of the pens (I had all three) the only other grey model of which I am aware was in the Pilot Pen Museum in Tokyo.

 

I sold my pens last year.

 

Am certain some others are out there.

Keep checking eBay -).

 

 

Hi, Stan,

 

Thanks for that - was going to post a follow up.

 

What I have from postings of actual pens on the internet and collector discussions is this:

 

Models include:

 

All black cap and barrel, RW-500

Chased cap and barrel in black and gray, RM-W500

 

This image is posted elsewhere on FPN:

 

 

Ron Dutcher posted on FPN that there is a burgundy color pen, but I have not seen that one anywhere.

 

I have not seen anywhere a smooth, unengraved cap version. Would like to see one!

 

There was a release of the all black pen c. 1963-1964 that is slightly shorter that has a date code stamping and the gold trim ring on the cap lip is stamped PILOT R14K. Date codes would be D for 1963 and E for 1964. My opinion, not based on facts, is these 1960s pens were made from leftover parts.

 

There was also a 1995 cartridge / converter 350 unit limited edition reissue of the pen.

[Nyanzilla]

What nice a pen! Sadly it's not produced any more.

[stan]

 

 

Hi, Stan,

 

Thanks for that - was going to post a follow up.

 

What I have from postings of actual pens on the internet and collector discussions is this:

 

Models include:

 

All black cap and barrel, RW-500

Chased cap and barrel in black and gray, RM-W500

 

This image is posted elsewhere on FPN:

 

post-8178-1207686641-1.jpg

 

Ron Dutcher posted on FPN that there is a burgundy color pen, but I have not seen that one anywhere.

 

I have not seen anywhere a smooth, unengraved cap version. Would like to see one!

 

There was a release of the all black pen c. 1963-1964 that is slightly shorter that has a date code stamping and the gold trim ring on the cap lip is stamped PILOT R14K. Date codes would be D for 1963 and E for 1964. My opinion, not based on facts, is these 1960s pens were made from leftover parts.

 

There was also a 1995 cartridge / converter 350 unit limited edition reissue of the pen.

Ron posted a number of speculative articles for the time he was into pens. I believe i would have seen the burgundy if it existed. The photos above are from the Pilot Pen Museum. If there was a burgundy model it would have been there.

 

Have not heard of pens made from spare parts. What is your source of this information? Have you seen such a pen with bands. I've been doing this for going on twenty years and have not. That does not mean it does not exist. Just that the odds are not favorable. That said, I have been surprised many time over.

 

They're good decent pens that write well. Enjoy them.

[PenHero]

Ron posted a number of speculative articles for the time he was into pens. I believe i would have seen the burgundy if it existed. The photos above are from the Pilot Pen Museum. If there was a burgundy model it would have been there.

 

Have not heard of pens made from spare parts. What is your source of this information? Have you seen such a pen with bands. I've been doing this for going on twenty years and have not. That does not mean it does not exist. Just that the odds are not favorable. That said, I have been surprised many time over.

 

They're good decent pens that write well. Enjoy them.

 

Hi, Stan,

 

Agree on the burgundy - have never seen it mentioned anywhere else.

 

Have a look at this article on the two versions of the original pen:

 

https://estilofilos.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-two-super-ultra-500.html

 

Thanks!