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Yukio Nagahara And Specialty Nibs Of Sailor


The-Thinker

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I have heard that sailor’s nibmeister Yukio Nagahara retired, i was wondering what would be the future of sailor like (as a company know for their amazing nibs). Will their specialty nibs develop, or would the nagahara nibs never be produced again due to the retirement (king cobra , eagle ,...).I want to hear your thoughts and references regarding the topic!

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There are several.other fellows trained to make specialty nibs. I don't think the flow will stop, but I expect the most exotic nibs will be reserved for limited editions.

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There are several.other fellows trained to make specialty nibs. I don't think the flow will stop, but I expect the most exotic nibs will be reserved for limited editions.

 

i wonder if they were also trained to produce the more exotic nibs too (that are not produced now)

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i wonder if they were also trained to produce the more exotic nibs too (that are not produced now)

 

Well, I was not there, but I am sure it was covered in class before the final exam. :D

 

There are folks outside Sailor who could do it if they had access to more of the raw materials so it is not a skill to be mastered by one two or three people in the world. That said, there is a difference between ability and appetite for Sailor to produce the nibs. since they can pretty much sell as many of the Naginata Togi nibs as they can produce, the incentive to invest more time and testing in a specialty nib is going to be low unless the return is very high.

 

A skilled nib grinder can take a well tipped nib and turn it into a Naginata Togi grind say 15 minutes on average. (Some are faster I am sure, but we can be generous as I am sure repetition would slow production to ensure quality or focus.) How long does it take to make a King Eagle or a Cobra nib? i don't know, but i would bet almost anything it it a lot more than grinding a Naginata Togi. Maybe 3 or 4 hours to perfect it vs 15 minutes? (Speculation on my part!)

 

As long as the process involves a lot of hand work production will be limited or very expensive in my opinion. i do not have any inside knowledgeof Sailor's process, business model, or strategy. But i have seen Mr. Nagahara and many other experts up close and in person as they do more exotic grinds. Even with special equipment time and fatigue are factors. Once you start moving beyond just shaping tipping the amount of effort shoots up quickly. Even something as simple as making a Concord nib takes time to test, smooth, adjust flow, etc. You probably spend 30 minutes for what seems like a simple bed of the nib.

If you want less blah, blah, blah and more pictures, follow me on Instagram!

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i think things in japan are a lot more complicated than in other parts of the world. every art form has an apprentice period of many years and i'm sure an established pen manufacturer like sailor is no different and have apprentices who have been taught by the master for several years on the art of the specialty nib. i saw a documentary on a sushi chef last year. he had an apprentice that worked for him 6 years before he was allowed to select a piece of fish for the master to cut. the going is slow, long and drawn out for just about any skill.

JELL-O, IT'S WHATS FOR DINNER!

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Well, I was not there, but I am sure it was covered in class before the final exam. :D

 

There are folks outside Sailor who could do it if they had access to more of the raw materials so it is not a skill to be mastered by one two or three people in the world. That said, there is a difference between ability and appetite for Sailor to produce the nibs. since they can pretty much sell as many of the Naginata Togi nibs as they can produce, the incentive to invest more time and testing in a specialty nib is going to be low unless the return is very high.

 

A skilled nib grinder can take a well tipped nib and turn it into a Naginata Togi grind say 15 minutes on average. (Some are faster I am sure, but we can be generous as I am sure repetition would slow production to ensure quality or focus.) How long does it take to make a King Eagle or a Cobra nib? i don't know, but i would bet almost anything it it a lot more than grinding a Naginata Togi. Maybe 3 or 4 hours to perfect it vs 15 minutes? (Speculation on my part!)

 

As long as the process involves a lot of hand work production will be limited or very expensive in my opinion. i do not have any inside knowledgeof Sailor's process, business model, or strategy. But i have seen Mr. Nagahara and many other experts up close and in person as they do more exotic grinds. Even with special equipment time and fatigue are factors. Once you start moving beyond just shaping tipping the amount of effort shoots up quickly. Even something as simple as making a Concord nib takes time to test, smooth, adjust flow, etc. You probably spend 30 minutes for what seems like a simple bed of the nib.

well explained and rounded off (no puns intended). I agree with what you wrote, its true that more exotic nibs take more time to grind and perfect, since they have more factors involved to make it "work". I guess they will be producing the specialty nibs (the more exotic ones) just for fun in the future, but with very limited number, just to show off what nib meistes of sailor could do (at least that is what i think).

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i think things in japan are a lot more complicated than in other parts of the world. every art form has an apprentice period of many years and i'm sure an established pen manufacturer like sailor is no different and have apprentices who have been taught by the master for several years on the art of the specialty nib. i saw a documentary on a sushi chef last year. he had an apprentice that worked for him 6 years before he was allowed to select a piece of fish for the master to cut. the going is slow, long and drawn out for just about any skill.

yes so true! i feel that Japanese like to take care of their artisans and the skills that they have, they consider it as sacred and needs many years to perfect (which i agree). I feel that the price tag for those kinds of art works are valid and suitable ( as long as the profit is directed to the artist himself and not the company or dealer in general)

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