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Danitrio Mikado eyedropper pen leaked-a comparison with a Namiki Emperor


jandrese

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One of my Danitrio Mikado (eyedropper filling model) pens leaked on me at work. That is Noodler’s Navy you see on the section in the first image. I collect Danitrio and this sort of thing happens more often than I care to admit on their eyedropper filling pens. I still collect Danitrio but stopped buying eyedropper models a couple of years ago. At this point I know all the potential ways in which a Danitrio can leak. This one leaked at the junction between the section and the barrel. Naturally, with a leak like this you don’t know it’s happening until you look at your inky hand so that’s nice. There is no obvious reason for the leak, which led me to investigate further. To do so I thought a comparison to a Japanese eyedropping pen that has never leaked on me was in order. Thus, I cleaned out the Namiki Emperor I had with me at work and set about comparing the two pens. What have I learned?

 

1)    That even compared to a Namiki Emperor the Danitrio Mikado is a big pen and looks great. Feels good to hold and to write with and that stub nib is extra nice. Seems to be on par with the Namiki on looks and feel but…

2)    The section engineering and machining execution is different between the two pens. The concept is the same—eyedropper with shutoff valve—but the Namiki has some advantages. 
a.    The Namiki threads are finer pitched and better machined inside the barrel and on the section. This can be felt when screwing in the section; there is a smoother feel and less play.
b.    The threaded portion of the section has a bigger diameter on the Namiki. The overall diameter is 10% greater and but the ratio between the diameter of the grip portion and the threading is also 10% greater on the Namiki.
c.    The o-ring on the Namiki is more precisely seated, that is, it has no room to move about.  
d.    Both o-rings fit into a slot in the barrel that is flat and smooth before the threads start up. The slot on the Namiki is not as deep.  

 

I have a gang of Danitrio pens that fill by eyedropper. One or two have never leaked on me at the section. This pen used to be one of them. The problem is at the level of the o-ring. There is too much potential for the o-ring to move about, get twisted, or otherwise compressed in an uneven fashion. It only takes an infinitesimal gap for ink to leak. Water always finds the path of least resistance. A little side pressure from your grip and the heat from your hand is all it takes to set the leak in action. 

 

Part of loving Danitrio seems to be leak mitigation. Changing o-rings has helped in the past on other pens but o-rings that fit are not easy to come by. Danitrio themselves does not seem to have consistently sized, readily available replacement o-rings. That bit about consistently sized o-rings may make more sense knowing that there is more variability between Danitrio pens of the same model than Namiki pens of the same model. I reckon Namiki buys only one size of o-ring that always fits like it is supposed to. I admit that it all is a bit frustrating, but I press on. 

 

51816935566_0e5d599ec8_k.jpgIMG_8517 by Ja Ja, on Flickr

 

51815985617_c02639bf83_k.jpgIMG_8529 by Ja Ja, on Flickr

 

51817282109_fea6057eb9_k.jpgIMG_8535 by Ja Ja, on Flickr

 

51816935296_c49724b0d9_h.jpgIMG_8539 by Ja Ja, on Flickr

 

51817047233_339eb773e9_k.jpgIMG_8541 by Ja Ja, on Flickr

 

51815985337_66488231d5_k.jpgIMG_8543 by Ja Ja, on Flickr

 

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Beautiful pictures and comparison photos!  Just excellent!

 

The Emperor Coral is possible the most beautiful pen I have ever seen (in pictures - not yet in person).  I sure hope to see one in person some day.

 

Danitrio artwork and nib stampings are superb but for whatever reason, I have never really found a Dani that I loved enough to keep.  Personally, I still prefer Nakaya.  

 

"Part of loving Danitrio seems to be leak mitigation."   -  you are a more understanding and patient man than I am!  

 

Your collection is amazing.   I never get tired of looking at your pictures and reading your posts.

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As a follow-up to yesterday’s post about a leaking Danitrio Mikado I grabbed four random eyedropper Danitrio pens on the way to work. Those four are pictured here. Three are Mikado pens and one is Bamboo Story. Note the variability in o-ring especially. If memory serves only the Bamboo Story pen has never leaked on me. The irokeshidame (matte brown) Mikado on the left has a replacement o-ring that was sent by Danitrio although it must be noted that Danitrio dealers don’t generally have a ready supply of o-rings on hand. For that matter neither does Danitrio. It was suggested that the pen body manufacturer supplies them installed on the pens and does not supply spares. O-rings don’t last forever. 

 

At this time, I only have confidence that the irokeshidame and Bamboo Story pens won’t leak. So why own these pens? There is no accounting for love.

 

51818928600_157165ef7b_k.jpgIMG_8554 by Ja Ja, on Flickr

 

51818556064_1148e51cae_k.jpgIMG_8550 by Ja Ja, on Flickr

 

51818928445_cf868888fe_k.jpgIMG_8551 by Ja Ja, on Flickr

 

51818556179_cf0ed8b409_k.jpgIMG_8552 by Ja Ja, on Flickr

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6 minutes ago, whichwatch said:

Beautiful pictures and comparison photos!  Just excellent!

 

The Emperor Coral is possible the most beautiful pen I have ever seen (in pictures - not yet in person).  I sure hope to see one in person some day.

 

Danitrio artwork and nib stampings are superb but for whatever reason, I have never really found a Dani that I loved enough to keep.  Personally, I still prefer Nakaya.  

 

"Part of loving Danitrio seems to be leak mitigation."   -  you are a more understanding and patient man than I am!  

 

Your collection is amazing.   I never get tired of looking at your pictures and reading your posts.

Thanks for your appreciation. The coral is totally amazing. I kind of feel bad about emptying the ink for the photos because now I can't write with it!

 

I like Nakaya too, and they have never leaked on me. Generally, Danitrio has superior urushi work and a certain lushness that Nakaya lacks. That said, I no longer purchase Danitrio eyedropper filling pens. 

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Amazon has *many* different sizes of silicone o-rings, the softer (lower durometer number) ones deform more and thus offer better gap filling than nitrile or fluoropolymer. I'd guess that they have a shorter service life, but a bag of 20-50 rings is usually less than $15, though you might have to try a few different sizes before getting an ideal fit.

 

Interesting how modern ED pens with added o-ring seals seem to be more leak prone than well made EDs from days past that relied on tight thread tolerances and prefect butting between the section shoulder and barrel...

David-

 

So many restoration projects...

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