Vintagising a Modern Pen - Pilot Custom 823 FA with Ebonite Feed Overview

[vPro]

This thread is not a full fledged review of the Pilot Custom 823, rather this serves the purpose of being a source of information about the Pilot Custom 823 with the FA nib and the Flexible Nib Factory three-slit ebonite feed. I will do my best to answer your questions and provide pictures as necessary.

 

 

 

The Pilot Custom 823 needs no introduction at this point. It's an elegant - yet simple - vacuum-filled fountain pen with a Pilot #15 nib (approx. #6 in the common sense of nib sizing) and only comes in the sizes 'Fine', 'Medium' and 'Broad' from the factory. It's a fantastic pen as it comes from the factory. It's reliable, writes well without any tuning or tinkering, holds a tonne of ink and is quite the looker IMO. 

I recently learned that a small boutique in Japan sells the Pilot Custom 823 with a FA nib - a nib I've long wanted to try for its softness as I find many modern nibs lack character. I contacted them twice with two weeks in between and didn't receive a reply. So I took matters into my own hands, bought a clear Pilot Custom 823 and a Pilot Custom 743 with a FA nib and swapped the nib myself. It's quite expensive to do it that way as you're essentially purchasing two pens, but I'm listing the unused 743 for sale so hopefully recoup a bit of my losses.

 

As I did further research, I stumbled across a gentleman - Joey Grasty who creates custom feeds and housings in ebonite out of the USA. Being quite intrigued with the idea of having an ebonite feed, a soft nib and the marvellous design, ink capacity and build quality of the Pilot Custom 823 I shortly after found myself placing an order for a three-slit ebonite feed and splurged a bit to get the red ebonite feed. 

 

And here are my thoughts!

 

 

First of all, a little bit of background. I understand the limitations of the nib and I didn't purchase it with the intent of having it perform 'Olympic Splits' as Bo Bo Olsen would say. Rather I would like to enjoy the occasional flourish, the added character that natural variation in writing pressure gives and have a dead-reliable pen with some vintage properties. And for the most part, this pen achieves just that.

If you've had the same thoughts about getting a Pilot Custom 823 with a FA nib and the ebonite feed, there aren't many ressources out there - and lets touch on some important aspects before you commit yourself to the long waiting time - or going the expensive route. 

 

First point to touch on - the FA nib.

 

The nib shape is gorgeous and reminds me in some way of the nose of the Concorde supersonic aircraft. Maybe that correlation just stems from my fascination of that aircraft.

 

 

 

 

How does it write? Unflexed, it writes a lovely fine line. The nib is tactile but smooth and feels much like Pilot's fine nibs do - which is one of the best compliments one can give a nib. As for the springiness of the nib. It will spread its tines with some pressure, but doesn't do so uncontrollably. I don't judge nibs by how wide open they can spread, but rather how easy it is to get line variation with a moderate hand and how responsive the nib feels. This pen offers plenty in terms of line variation, gives great feedback and snaps back wonderfully - sometimes even with a 'click' from the tines snapping back together. With no pressure applied, the pen is perfectly useable for journalling and lays down a nice fine line. 

 

So in summary, this nib is great if you want a fine writer for your daily writing and want to be able to get some line variation out of the nib with minimal effort. The nib is not suited for the thick swells you may have seen on YouTube and the like - at least not if you value longevity of your nib. This nib's weak spot is around the breather hole - if you push it too hard, it can and will crack. If you can afford it, it's still better to crack a contemporary nib than a vintage one, but the beauty of calligraphy doesn't lie in the swells of the letters but in your control of your motions as you create them.

 

Second point: The three-slit red ebonite feed from Flexible Nib Factory.

 

Is the Ebonite feed a necessity? No, in my opinion absolutely not. Utilising the flexibility of a nib to create thicker lines has always involved finding the right combination of pen, ink and paper. Many people pick up the Pilot FA nib and complain about it not writing properly with their favorite inks, but you can find plenty of vintage pens that don't work well with some inks. Ever tried pairing Sailor Yama-Dori with a Waterman's 52? Talk about having a firehose of a nib, the way that pen gushes that ink out! So in my opinion, one should choose the ink carefully - the ink that pleases the eye, brings out the hairline upstroke and doesn't railroad on the downstroke.

 

I found the stock Pilot feed that came with the FA nib to work wonderfully with inks, we generally classify as being 'wet' inks. Never had the pen railroad once and ink flow kept up nicely. But that's with wet inks such as Rober Oster's Fire & Ice and Pilot Iroshizuku (which largely behaves the same way). For most use cases, the feed is perfectly adequate.

 

But the red ebonite feed is something special. First off, look at it! I think it's a gorgeous feed that contrasts beautifully with the gold of the FA nib. The feed has a popping red color when it's brand new, but will absorb some ink over time and become slightly darker, so be aware of that.

It's a custom made feed made by people with passion for pens and flexible nibs, has the hygroscopic character of ebonite feeds and has a much wider ink channel, allowing for some serious pooling. And boy does it change the character of the pen!

There's something special about combining a vintage pen with a boring, dry ink such as Pelikan 4001 Königsblau. How that relatively watered down ink suddenly comes alive when it's being put down in large quantities. Pairing the Pilot Custom 823 FA with the three-slit ebonite feed revives that feeling instantaneously. It makes you enjoy inks you otherwise would put off as being too boring. It's the vintage formula - a wet pen with a dry ink and a magic one at that. And among the many reasons this feed is worth its price, this is the biggest one for me. 

 

I have a reliable, modern fountain pen that writes largely the same way my vintage pens do - without being finnicky, as vintage pens can be. Pair that with the large ink capacity, being able to shut off the ink chamber and the nice design, it really makes for a great pen experience. And that is why I thoroughly enjoy the pen and use it as my daily carry pen. 

 

 

 

 

[Jamerelbe]

Great review, great pictures, lovely penmanship - thanks for posting it!

[Gloucesterman]

I enjoyed your comments and learn a lot. I have a regular 823 with a fine nib and decided to leave it in it's original condition for now. However, that may change in the future.

 

Again, thank you for the new info and insights.

[TheDutchGuy]

Nice read, thank you! The pictures alone make me want that pen… 😉

[Paul-in-SF]

I did the same thing you did when I wanted to change my Custom 823 nib (although not to an FA), I bought a Custom 743 from Japan. So I rewarded Pilot for their nib policy by buying two pens. Oh well. I was able to sell the 743 on and, as you say, recoup some of the expense. 

 

I have a #10 FA nib on a Custom Heritage 912, and I went for the 2-slit (black) ebonite feed. It writes very well, but I don't do calligraphy so I wasn't that interested in anything bigger or wetter. It's probably overkill for ordinary writing, but I was curious to try it out. 

 

And before I forget to mention it, congratulations on your penmanship and calligraphy, it's a pleasure to look at. 

[vPro]

Thank you for your kind comments! The calligraphic writing could be better - it was performed in a rush.

 

11 hours ago, Paul-in-SF said:

I did the same thing you did when I wanted to change my Custom 823 nib (although not to an FA), I bought a Custom 743 from Japan. So I rewarded Pilot for their nib policy by buying two pens. Oh well. I was able to sell the 743 on and, as you say, recoup some of the expense. 

 

I have a #10 FA nib on a Custom Heritage 912, and I went for the 2-slit (black) ebonite feed. It writes very well, but I don't do calligraphy so I wasn't that interested in anything bigger or wetter. It's probably overkill for ordinary writing, but I was curious to try it out. 

 

And before I forget to mention it, congratulations on your penmanship and calligraphy, it's a pleasure to look at. 

 

I don't quite understand why they don't sell their specialty nibs on the Pilot Custom 823 line - is it really a case of keeping every pen model unique and prevent the 823 from potentially cannibalizing the sales of the 743? I think the 743 is a fantastic pen in its own regard and I do know a few people who actually prefer the cartridge/converter system to the vacuum filler.

 

I've heard the #10 FA nib actually feels different to the #15 FA. As for two-slit versus three-slit, a two-slit would honestly suffice for most people. The three-slit does make the pen quite wet which is something I enjoy, but isn't necessarily the best for everyone.

 

[barutanseijin]

I prefer Pelikan BB  over monotone  saturated inks.  How dull.  As much as i like Pelikan BB, i would choose something else for an 823 with the metal rod exposed to the ink.

 

I tried the 3 slit feed in a 742 and thought it was too much.  It was so wet it overcame the line variation, even with dry inks. Similarly, i thought the stock feed was inadequate even with wet inks. Lots of railroading and skipping.  The 2-slit ebonite feed hits the Goldilocks zone.

[vPro]

2 hours ago, barutanseijin said:

I prefer Pelikan BB  over monotone  saturated inks.  How dull.  As much as i like Pelikan BB, i would choose something else for an 823 with the metal rod exposed to the ink.

 

I tried the 3 slit feed in a 742 and thought it was too much.  It was so wet it overcame the line variation, even with dry inks. Similarly, i thought the stock feed was inadequate even with wet inks. Lots of railroading and skipping.  The 2-slit ebonite feed hits the Goldilocks zone.

 

I agree that using an iron gall ink isn't the best idea with a metal rod inside the pen, but I'm a huge fan of the Königsblau which is a washable blue. 

I'm happy you've found your sweet spot with the 2-slit ebonite feed, but I'm very satisfied with both the stock feed and the 3-slit ebonite feed

[Honeybadgers]

On 3/6/2022 at 7:14 AM, vPro said:

 

I agree that using an iron gall ink isn't the best idea with a metal rod inside the pen, but I'm a huge fan of the Königsblau which is a washable blue. 

I'm happy you've found your sweet spot with the 2-slit ebonite feed, but I'm very satisfied with both the stock feed and the 3-slit ebonite feed

 

I'd ask pilot what that rod is made from.

 

Interestingly, the rod inside visconti's vac fillers is titanium (confirmed with visconti) 

 

I wouldn't fill the demo 823 with iron gall just because it's a pain in the ass to clean. Getting all that residue out of the converter of my permanently inked registrar's 3776 is already annoying.