Search the Community

Hi FPN, I have a 'like' new in box vintage Japanese fountain pen call "ART". Since I have never heard of this pen I am looking to see if anyone else has heard of this pen? If it were not for the box I would have thought it was inscribed with the owner's name Art. The box reads "Art Kogyo Co., LTD. Japan Tokyo. The cap clip has R14K, what does the "R" stand for? On the internet some jewlery says "R" stands for rolled gold, can someone confirm this is true? The cap band also has R14K marked. The nib reads: OSMIRIDIUM/ 14K GOLD/ 3231/ JIS/ PARLEY This pen is a squeeze converter. Thank you for any information that you can share, Pen_Padawan

I just recovered from influenza but I am so excited to tell you a story that I also just told my friends on Facebook. Around 15 years ago, Japanese Shippo artist 岡垣幸得 (Okagaki Yukie) presented me 2 big frames (1 of them is in second picture).They are handmade with Japanese Cloisonne or 七宝焼 /shippoyaki/.These two were supposed to be displayed in Museum but she chose to give to me.At that time, I thought, how wonderful it is to have this art on a fountain pen. But honestly, it seemed impossible haha.A few years later, that idea still hang over my head so I came back and talked with artist Yukie about this idea.She said "I can make a small piece of shippoyaki, but it will be harder".I was never more excited than that. I spent many more years researching and testing how I can make a fountain pen with this precious art.I tried with ebonite and plastic and celluloid but all failed. Ebonite didn't work out with piston filler mechanism I have, plastic was not a good idea for a traditional pen and celluloid is so hard to carve.But finally there was one material that made my idea become possible, it is bakelite. It is rolled up from many layer of paper.And it works best with piston filler. But most importantly, I can carve the Shippoyaki on top of the pen for forever use. Sadly, there are not many Shippo artists nowadays. I am already old and Master Yukie is also very old now but we really want to make this art continue.I would never expect that a small idea of 15 years ago would turn out to be real now. I just want to say that if we try, there will be good result. I feel thankful that master Yukie gave me this treasure.In Japanese, Shippo is written as 七宝 which means Seven Treasures. So I call this fountain pen Seven Treasures.Do you have any other name suggestion? If you might want to read more, you can go here.https://www.wancherpen.com/pages/shippoyakiI have a giveaway of one prototype for one of those who help me fill a survey about this pen.Please help if you also care about unusual arts and fountain pen. Thank you very much again!

Hello friends, how are you? Please allow me to share with an Urushi technique for fountain pen that I have been working on last three years. It is called 季映塗り or Kieinuri (季映is pronounced /ki ei/ which means seasons reflection) It is real leaf on Urushi and then gold powder and then matt Urushi. The process is double what it takes with making Urushi. In the second picture you can see the leaf veins after steaming and pounding process. Left is Camelia Japonica (さざんか）and right is Holly Olive (ひいらぎ） This is just one third way. Next is to dye with gold powder and continue with urushi coating to put on the pen. I would really appreciate any of your thought about this. Thank you very much!

Just a few new fountain pens from Japan. These two are interesting and I am considering which one to get. 1. Wancher Sailor Inca Rose progear. https://jp.wancherpen.com/products/professional-gear-demonstrator-inca-rose 2. Platinum Rokka https://www.platinum-pen.co.jp/e_fountainpen_century_rokka.html

I am a foreigner who live in Japan quite long. I love fountain pen and Japan was like heaven for me because I thought I would find a lot of fountain pens here as well as fountain pen friends. i did get a lot of Japanese fountain pens but sadly not many fountain pen friends. People around me don't really use fountain pen, some even got no ideas what mannenhitsu (fountain pen) is. Fountain pens are used mostly as gifts or for some conferences. Is this the same situation in your country? And do you have many fountain pen friends in your daily life. This is what I have wondered for so long and I think FPN is the best place to get an answer. Thank you very much in advance.

Hi All, I am thinking about buying a new ebonite urushi fountain pen. Most resin and some ebonite pen caps have a cap ring, my understanding is the cap ring is to prevent cracking and chipping. Is my understanding for the need of a cap ring correct? If the pen does not have a cap ring do I need to be more careful capping and more gentle with the pen? Does anyone have experience or photos of ebonite pen caps that cracked or chipped? (I prefer not having a cap ring)

Hi everyone, I am Taizo Okagaki. I am from Japan. Today I want to ask you what is your dream fountain pen? What is the pen that make you happy when you hold it in your hand? Let me know, please! Your answer is my motivation to make a dream fountain pen. I put the link to survey here: https://www.wancher.com/your-dream-fountain-pen Please help me by taking survey. Thank you very much for your time. Taizo Okagaki P/S: I am sorry that I could not speak in English in the video on the survey. I am afraid that you cannot understand what I said

Platinum un Nice Pur lim edition with a crisp Italic Hello FPN! It’s been a while since I wrote a review, but I think this pen demands one. I love italics, almost as much as flexible nibs. Therefore I own a bunch of italic nibs in all the spectra of smoothness, but only one customized by a nibmeister ( a B cursive italic by Mike Masuyama I bought from Franklin Christoph, wich is one of my favorite nibs of all time) so I have been looking around for another custom grind. I love my CI but wanted to try a crisp italic, because I prefer as big a contrast between thick/thin lines as possible. Another one of my passions are demonstrator pens. And one more are japanese pens. So, when Browsing nibs.com a nice day I found a Platinun nice pur with a nicely discounted price I jumped on it, and ordered a extra broad ( C nib )with a crisp italic grind and an inkflow of about 7/10. After a very brief waiting time for the grind the pen was shipped. Then came nearly a month at customs and 60% in taxes ( gotta love brazillian customs)... and it finally arrived at my hands. Nice box but nothing fancy. Then the pen... it looks like a beautiful demonstrator with silver details. Nice, but not spectacular. But as soon as I picked it up I fell in love with it. It has a kind of satiny texture thats feels gorgeous in hand. This pen is a delight to hold. And the writing experience... WOW, it is better than I thought. It is a really crisp italic but still smooth enough to write cursive, with an awesome line variation. And to my surprise, the reverse side is a juicy stub!!!! How cool is that??? So, to sum it up: Beautiful demonstrator with rhodium trims Delicious texture AWESOME NIB!!! My highest praise to Platinum for making this pen and the nice folk at nibs.com for the great costumer service and outstanding work. Bye!

Hi Everyone, Another unknown vintage fountain pen from Japan. If anyone knows anything about this pen I would like to know more. This pen has "Trade Mark Super" engraved on the barrel with an image of Mt. Fuji. It has a ink window at the barrel but is a squeze converter (I am about to repair). The nib is steel and reads: Special/ Bests/ P/ Smooth/ #3/ Pen. Thank you for any information, Pen_Padawan

Hi FPN, I have a vintage Japanese fountain pen, the only name is on the cap clip, it says "CAP CLIP". I do not know if this is the name or just a discription, but I will call it Cap Clip since there is no other markings on the pen. I was drawn to this fountain pen because of the filling mechanism, it looks like an ebonite cartridge, I have never seen any other pen with this system. The cartridge is sealed at the end but there is also a big notch cut out towards the end of the cartridge (not sure how this would work). The cartridge is threaded to screw on and off the section. The nib is steel and reads: IDEAL PEN/ HARDEST/ IRIDIUM/ POINTED/ 3. If anyone knows anything about this pen or filling mechanism please educate me, thank you. Pen_Padawan

Hi Everyone, I have an interesting unknown pen, if anyone has any information on this pen please let me know. The name on the clip says "New Style", the interesting part is the glass nib. I have seen glass nib dip pens but never with a cap. This one also works as an eyedropper. I found this in an antique shop that also provided a box of spare nibs. Thanks in advance, Pen_Padawan

Hello Everyone! Finally the moment we have all been waiting for! A new Maki-e fountain Pen adds up to the collection with the launch of the New Pelikan Maki-e Koi. A gorgeous Fountain Pen that honors the story of the Koi Fish, which swam decisively counter-current and became a strong dragon. It will be available next May and we cannot wait to receive it. Click here for more pictures of the Pelikan Maki-e Fountain Pen: Pelikan Maki-e Koi Fountain Pen Thank you very much for following! If you would like to have further information, please contact us to info@iguanasell.com Have a nice day! Kind regards Pilar Iguana Sell

Nearly 3 months ago, I ordered a Platinum 3776 Chartres Blue with extra fine nib from a Japanese online shop, but the pen is still not available. Apparently, the vendor goes through a distributor, who claims that Platinum is not giving the exact date for the availability of the pen. I'm quite surprised as I've read of others getting their 3776 pens from Engeika/Taizo (not the shop I'm using), but have not seen such a long waiting period. Is this common? I've been offered a refund or credit but I really want the pen.

FPN, I just returned from downtown Tokyo with my new FP purchase, the Platinum #3776 Century Sai. As an owner of the Shoji, I want to continue the collection of the five lakes around Mt. Fuji as they are released as part of my family's experience living in Japan. The pen comes in the standard Platinum white box. http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag22/augustfamily1/Platinum%20Sai%20Product%20Review/PlatinumSai-6039_zpsecdf956b.jpg Inside, you find the normal pen items: paperwork, two Platinum pigment inks (one blue and one black), and the Platinum converter (in silver). Different from the Shoji box contents is a stamp stating "Written Using Platinum Pigment Ink." Nice marketing idea, but not an item I will end up using at work or in a journal. http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag22/augustfamily1/Platinum%20Sai%20Product%20Review/PlatinumSai-6042_zps0fe7aefb.jpg The nib is a simply decorated 14k design with a simple #3776 and Platinum "P" engraved on it. Mine is a FM nib. http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag22/augustfamily1/Platinum%20Sai%20Product%20Review/PlatinumSai-6047_zpsc70f2d35.jpg The pen has a nice heft to it and is easy to hold posted or unposted. I prefer to write with all of my pens unposted. It's obviously a demonstrator style that was a Platinum design decision to "express the profound nature of Lake Sai, the central like in the five lakes around Mount Fuji that is surrounded by a sea of trees and mountains." The cap is the new Platinum "slip and seal" design that is supposed to allow pens to sit with ink in them for up to a year without drying out. I haven't owned one of them long enough to verify this claim, and I usually rotate through all of my pens on a regular basis to prevent ink from sitting that long. http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag22/augustfamily1/Platinum%20Sai%20Product%20Review/PlatinumSai-6044_zps9dc3834c.jpg Overall, the writing experience is a nice one that you could expect from Platinum. This is not an expensive Visconti Dreamtouch nib or wet European Pelikan or Onoto writing experience, and I won't try to compare this nib to those different styles of writing. I also won't compare the writing to vintage pens as that opens up far too many comparisons that are too difficult to encompass. Instead, this FM nib lays down a very comfortable line of wet ink. No skips, no hard starts, no scratching. Instead, you have a reliable companion with just the right amount of feedback on fountain pen-compatible paper, and a pen that is ready to write at a moment's notice with an easy, gliding touch that you would expect from one of Japan's big 3. I like the feel and weight of the pen as an all-day writer with a look at the remaining ink through the pen. http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag22/augustfamily1/Platinum%20Sai%20Product%20Review/PlatinumSai-6049_zps8dfb38ab.jpg My only critique of this pen is that I like the style of the Shoji cap slightly better. Inside the Shoji slip and seal cap is a list of the five lakes surrounding Mount Fuji. Shoji is presented in a reverse font and highlighted in silver. This is a nice touch for the pens designed to be collected in the series. As mentioned above, this was probably a design decision for the Sai, and the simplicity is nice. One unique item that came with my purchase is the Platinum pen cleaning kit. The salesman talked about the Platinum pigment ink (which I use in my Shoji) and the need for a good rinse every year or so. I like to practice good pen hygiene and keep my pens in use or flushed and dried, but I'll give this a try when the time is right. Buzz