Vintage Sailor Precious Woods Tagayasan Ironwood Fountain Pen with Damaged Nib

[fullfederhalter]

While at the Ohio Pen Show last weekend I bought this vintage Sailor Tagayasan Ironwood Fountain Pen because I love the look of it.  I could see that the nib was damaged, however, I purchased it for a very good price, and figured that some nib work by a nib meister was all that was needed.  While at the show I showed it to three people who do nib straightening and repair.  Two of them indicated that the damage was such that they would not even attempt to repair it, while the third said that he could attempt the repair, but had concerns that the one tine could break.  I was ready to roll the dice, but he suggested that I wait until he had a better opportunity to examine and consider the repair.  

I know that this is an uncommon pen, and that usually means that finding a replacement nib is nearly impossible.  However, I did read that this nib was used in other Sailor pens of the time.  My question is, what time period is the pen from, and which pens might have used this nib?  Any suggestions?  Also, will a modern Sailor converter work in this pen?  Thanks!

[Barry Gabay]

Great fountain pen in sad condition. I suggest following the advice of the nibmeister who said to wait until another opportunity appears. Maybe on a Japanese pen site you can locate a used front end to fit this model. 

 

Not certain of its age, but a friend from Japan brought me one around 2000 or just before. Each year when she came to the US, I asked her to bring me something interesting for which I paid her. The one just like yours was used but in excellent condition without a box or warranty. So it had been around for a little while at least.

 

Good luck. Patience with such a nice pen. 

[Toll]

I had one of these — maybe in rosewood — that I bought new in the early- to mid-2000’s. I sold or traded it — always regretted that decision a bit. Good luck with the nib. 

[Number99]

19 hours ago, fullfederhalter said:

While at the Ohio Pen Show last weekend I bought this vintage Sailor Tagayasan Ironwood Fountain Pen because I love the look of it.  I could see that the nib was damaged, however, I purchased it for a very good price, and figured that some nib work by a nib meister was all that was needed.  While at the show I showed it to three people who do nib straightening and repair.  Two of them indicated that the damage was such that they would not even attempt to repair it, while the third said that he could attempt the repair, but had concerns that the one tine could break.  I was ready to roll the dice, but he suggested that I wait until he had a better opportunity to examine and consider the repair.  

I know that this is an uncommon pen, and that usually means that finding a replacement nib is nearly impossible.  However, I did read that this nib was used in other Sailor pens of the time.  My question is, what time period is the pen from, and which pens might have used this nib?  Any suggestions?  Also, will a modern Sailor converter work in this pen?  Thanks!

I found this blog post.(Article in Japanese)

 

It compares the Sailor Mini 23k with the 鉄刀木 （Tagayasan Ironwood 18K）.

http://blog.livedoor.jp/nekopen23/archives/49158694.html

 

He took apart the 鉄刀木（Tagayasan Ironwood 18K）.

http://blog.livedoor.jp/nekopen23/archives/46208388.html

 

Review article. He states it is 1980's.

https://shigawakibara.com/eid-post-6032

 

As mentioned in the blog post, there were 21k 23k 18k variations in 鉄刀木（Tagayasan Ironwood 18K）.

 

If you have an image of the sailor mini 23k nibs exposed, you have all the pieces of the puzzle. But as it stands I guess you will have to roll the dice again...

😅

 

It seems to be called the World Famous Wood Series 鉄刀木(Tagayasan) 23k.

鉄刀木(Tagayasan) and rosewood are different. There was also a variation of ebony.

I do not know if there was a rosewood variation.

 

 

[stan]

Don't know the exact number of different types of woods used. My memory tells me there must be at least five. Maybe more. Less?

 

I have the older model that appears to be ironwood with decorated clip and 18K nib. Trim is gold colored. There is a heavy lacquer coating over the wood that accentuates the appearance of the grain. Elegant looking pen. Nib is fantastic. Soft, smooth feeling. 

 

An ebony model will be at my office soon.

 

Sailor also made several makie models with artwork over lacquered wood. Wood was not iron wood. Might have been ebony but color was too greyish. Saw them at the LA Show about fifteen years ago. Came in silver trim. Pricey. Have never seen any for resale anywhere.

 

If you are collecting pens keep an eye on this series and see what other variations exist.

[fullfederhalter]

4 hours ago, Number99 said:

I found this blog post.(Article in Japanese)

 

It compares the Sailor Mini 23k with the 鉄刀木 （Tagayasan Ironwood 18K）.

http://blog.livedoor.jp/nekopen23/archives/49158694.html

 

He took apart the 鉄刀木（Tagayasan Ironwood 18K）.

http://blog.livedoor.jp/nekopen23/archives/46208388.html

 

Review article. He states it is 1980's.

https://shigawakibara.com/eid-post-6032

 

As mentioned in the blog post, there were 21k 23k 18k variations in 鉄刀木（Tagayasan Ironwood 18K）.

 

If you have an image of the sailor mini 23k nibs exposed, you have all the pieces of the puzzle. But as it stands I guess you will have to roll the dice again...

😅

 

It seems to be called the World Famous Wood Series 鉄刀木(Tagayasan) 23k.

鉄刀木(Tagayasan) and rosewood are different. There was also a variation of ebony.

I do not know if there was a rosewood variation.

 

 

This is a great resource.  Thanks so much!

[Number99]

41 minutes ago, fullfederhalter said:

This is a great resource.  Thanks so much!

I found half of the last puzzle piece. (This time it's in traditional Chinese.)

 

https://pocketpens.wordpress.com/2018/09/16/sailor-mini-23-粗軸膠桿-23k尖/

 

A word of caution.

If you search for this pen (Tagayasan Ironwood 23K), you will see many scam websites selling pens at low prices.

They copy real product pages and sites and use them for their crimes.

 

Please do not be misled and buy the pen from a reliable dealer.

[stan]

https://pocketpens.wordpress.com/2018/09/16/sailor-mini-23-粗軸膠桿-23k尖/

 

That's a great site. Some people have made the short pens a specialty. Years ago I encountered a collector in Nagano who said she had over 400 different models from every conceivable manufacturer. She said the number did not include nib carat and size variations. Was amazed by the number.

[stan]

There Sailor Precious Woods series had a predecessor to the example shown. Note the bent clip and different nib. Wood used for this model is likely ironwood with clear lacquer coating.

 

 

[fullfederhalter]

On 11/9/2022 at 4:29 AM, Number99 said:

If you have an image of the sailor mini 23k nibs exposed, you have all the pieces of the puzzle. But as it stands I guess you will have to roll the dice again...

😅

 

You are correct about a roll of the dice.  I found a Sailor Mini 23 for sale and visually it looks like the nib on my pen.  But I consulted with Michael Masuyama (who worked for Sailor).  The pen is from before his tenure there, and he was unable to confirm if this would be a perfect swap.  The Mini 23 seems to be hard to find and somewhat pricey, so I'm not sure I want to roll the dice again.

[Number99]

On 11/20/2022 at 3:43 AM, fullfederhalter said:

You are correct about a roll of the dice.  I found a Sailor Mini 23 for sale and visually it looks like the nib on my pen.  But I consulted with Michael Masuyama (who worked for Sailor).  The pen is from before his tenure there, and he was unable to confirm if this would be a perfect swap.  The Mini 23 seems to be hard to find and somewhat pricey, so I'm not sure I want to roll the dice again.

Yes, the Sailor Mini 23K is a slightly less expensive pen than your pen.

Even if it were possible it would be painful to do.

 

I think you can expect expenses that rival or exceed the purchase of other ironwood or ebony unless you do it yourself.

 

Even if it were possible to repair the nibs, I don't think it would be inexpensive.

There was once a Parker VP with a damaged nib in the Parker 45 Coronet auction lot, but I gave up when I realized that it would cost me two Parker VPs to repair it.

Then a cheap donor pen appeared in my VP with damage other than to the nib.

 

I hope that in time good luck will come your way.

 

[fullfederhalter]

On 11/21/2022 at 2:35 PM, Number99 said:

Yes, the Sailor Mini 23K is a slightly less expensive pen than your pen.

Even if it were possible it would be painful to do.

 

I think you can expect expenses that rival or exceed the purchase of other ironwood or ebony unless you do it yourself.

 

Even if it were possible to repair the nibs, I don't think it would be inexpensive.

There was once a Parker VP with a damaged nib in the Parker 45 Coronet auction lot, but I gave up when I realized that it would cost me two Parker VPs to repair it.

Then a cheap donor pen appeared in my VP with damage other than to the nib.

 

I hope that in time good luck will come your way.

 

Fingers crossed.  Thanks to all.