Japanese Pocket Pens- A Question

[IlikeInksandIcannotlie]

Which Japanese pocket pens had removable nibs and feeds, if any? 

[A Smug Dill]

Most, if not all of them, I would say. How else would Pilot, Platinum and Sailor repair such pens when required? I'm not sure which ones may require the use of specialised or custom tools for the task, but chances are that the real gap for the average pen user is knowledge in how to remove the nib and feed safely from a particular pen, I assume for (perhaps unnecessarily) deep cleaning or servicing.

 

Being able to replace the nib and feed yourself, such as swapping to a different type of nib, is a different thing. First you'll need to acquire those other compatible nibs; and the Japanese ‘Big Three’ fountain pen brands are not known for making stand-alone nibs available to retail customers for tinkering by self-service.

 

That said, the nib and feed on Sailor pens in the Profit and Professional Gear lines are friction-fit and pull straight out; and the Sailor Professional Gear Slim Mini is a pocket pen. Of course, to acquire different nibs, you'd probably have to buy some other pen in those Sailor product lines that is fitted with a ‘medium-sized’ nib anyway; in which case you can just swap the entire section, inclusive of nib and feed, across if you don't care whether there are any colour clashes.

[IlikeInksandIcannotlie]

I guess you misunderstood the question. I was specifically referring to the pocket pens (or so they are called) made by the big three in the 1960s and beyond (most have stopped production of these, the E95s is only one still in production, I believe). They are a little too short normally for comfort, but when posted are more than long enough for most hands.Thanks to the K-tip war many sport nibs with unusual gold content (22K, 23K). 

Now for the part about nib removal, the Pilot Customs of the time had their nibs glued to the body ( the nib is the same type as on the Pilot Silverns of today), and some of the Pilot Elites had this design too.  I do not know anything about the nibs on the other Pilot models and any of the Sailor/ Platinum models. I am afraid that some of the nibs might be like the inlaid nibs on Sheaffer pens, those nib units cannot be disassembled without significant damage to the nib and the body.

These pens are available cheaply, and it would be nice to know if I can swap nibs in case I get my hands on a pen with a cracked body.

[A Smug Dill]

If you choose to classify the Sailor Professional Gear Slim Mini as not being a Japanese pocket pen… have it your way.  I'm out. Good luck.

[IlikeInksandIcannotlie]

4 minutes ago, A Smug Dill said:

If you choose to classify the Sailor Professional Gear Slim Mini as not being a Japanese pocket pen… have it your way.  I'm out. Good luck.

I was speaking more about the 1960s and 70s pens here, I should have clarified earlier . I am only vaguely aware of the Slim Mini, I seem to have seen a picture somewhere. 

 

[stan]

Pocket pens largely were furnished with inlaid 'thumbnail' type nibs. They are indeed difficult to remove but not impossible. 

 

The question that should be asked is why. These types of pens were not meant to have interchangeable nibs meaning you could not buy a different type of nib separate from the pen. You would just buy a pen with the desired nib. Even if one damaged the nib it would be more economical to buy a new pen. You could if desired buy another pen with the same section and swap it out. From several experiences in Japanese pen shops some sellers will swap out sections on like design models.

 

As you search through pocket pens you will find minor differences in the nibs. Each manufacturer had several depending on the model so you will need to replace the nib with one from the same model pen.

 

Should they be removed for cleaning? The sections of these pens should be cleanable without removing the nibs especially today with the enhanced power cleaning tools available to many nib tuners.

 

I've seen specialized 1960s-1970s tool kits from Pilot and Sailor for sale online. The Pilot repair kits were, I am told, numbered so that Pilot had some control over who worked on their pens. There was some specialized knowledge required for repair too. I've heard of literature explaining repair procedures and seen some online discussion. I've destroyed several sections to see how they were assembled and eventually decided it was not worth the effort.

 

Should you really desire to remove the section, feed, and nib from your pen? The feed is friction fit so you need a specialized tool for removal. There may also be a plastic ring securing the feed and/or providing a means to puncture cartridges. Maybe something appropriate is available through jewelry repair or hobby supply sellers. 

 

Good luck. IMHO, best to just buy another pen. Will be cheaper and less time consuming.

[IlikeInksandIcannotlie]

Thanks stan!

[Pale.Ink.Tom]

 

 

Thanks for the info Stan.

I enjoy my two 1970's Sailor pocket pens. Similar models in appearance to these from Bruno Taut.

No intention of disassembling. I like them just the way they are.

 

Really like the pleasing 'Recurve' clip design. My 'Champagne and Black' pen has an 18k nib.

 

Cheers, vf