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Sailor Chalana- the cutest little pen! Hello folks, I got this tiny pen a while back, and as I couldn´t find many review of it I decided to make one. So, bit of history first ( mine, not the pen´s ): The first time I saw one of these was at Fountain Pen Hospital, in NYC. I thought it was really cute, but such was the amount of pen porn around I barely gave it a second glance. Months later, I saw it online again and found myself gazing longingly at it. After a long period of indecisiveness, I ended up buying it from Nibs.com. Customs took their usual month+ to release it, and it was finally in my hands!!. Packing: Small cardboard box, with “Chalana” written on. Meh. But inside was a nice pen pouch, in what appears to be real leather! Nice… Also containing a booklet, and some minuscule cartdriges. And the pen. Appearance and design: 5/5 First thing I noticed! It´s TINY!! Then I looked at the nice barleycorn finish, the clip, and the engravings on the cap band : “Sailor Japan Founded 1911”. Very precise, lovely texture. Funny, reminds me a lot of a Sheaffer Targa I once saw with the same finish. So, I pop up the cap and THAT´S SUCH A CUTIE LITTLE NIB!!! Arram. Yep, the nib is minuscule, and soooo cute. But the proportions are quite interesting, actually. On the nib has some engravings… I think… wait, lemme get my loupe. Ah, it says “Sailor-18k-1-750” I suppose the one stands for the size of the nib, and the 750…damned if I know. Here´s the Chalana and a Pelikan M200. Look at the Pelikan nib, it looks like Godzilla besides the Chalana nib!! Filling system: 4/5 The tiniest converter or the minuscule cartridge. Made especially for this pen. Don´t know how much ink they hold, but has gotta be less than 0,5 ml. Nib: 5/5 I can´t really say how it feels out of the box because I had Mr Mottishaw adjust it for me for extra smoothnes, moderate flow. And that precisely what I got, nearly buttersmooth, a bit of feedback, great flow. The guy is a ninja. But not quite X-F, more like a Japanese F. The reverse side is a XXF, a bit scratchy but quite usable. Writing experience: 3/5 Well, there´s the rub. Although the pen is really cute, and the nib is very smooth, it´s just too small and thin to write with. Feels like I am writing with a needle. It just disappears in my hand. Closing comments: 17/20 The Sailor Chalana retails for 170-180 dollars, almost the same as a 1911. For that value you get a lovely, cute pen; that writes very well, but it´s not an everyday writer. I have the impression it was never meant for that, can´t help but think it derived from a drunken bet of the top brass of Sailor: “Ogey, Nagahara-san, if I drink this whooole pint of sake while standing on one leg, you´ll make the tiniest pen in history!!!” Hope you enjoyed it!! Please, any comments or critics are welcome!! Best regards; TJP

Hello Pen Friends! First, thank you all for sharing your knowledge, I have been referenceing your information for a long time, it has been a great help. I have decided to go deeper into the hole and share what I know and find. While I currently work and live in Macau, I travel extensively in Asia and especially Japan. After using fountain pens for some years, I am getting into vintage pens especially Japanese vintage. Pen_Padawan

Some new Danitrio pens arrived with a new finish : the Kama nuri ! It is a techniek developed by the Danitrio artisans. It finds some similarity in the Kamakura-bori and Cho-Shitsu techniques. The result is a beautiful handmade structured surface. Available on Genkai, Sho-Genkai and Mikado. http://www.sakurafountainpengallery.com/en/boutique/detail/new-kama-nuri-red-genkai All welcome to take a look at these pens ! Catherine

Why do the clips of Japanese pens hang below the finial ring? On Montblanc Meisterstucks, for instance, the clip is attached the finial ring. But on similar Japanese pens, like the Sailor 1911, Platinum 3776, and Pilot Custom series, it looks like the clip is punched into the cap below the finial ring, making the ring purely decorative. This makes less sense and is less aesthetically pleasing to me, but maybe I’m missing something. Is there a reason for it?

In need of a little forum history here. Why are the Japanese "Big Three" (Pilot, Sailor, Platinum) mixed into one sub-forum, whereas the "Teutonic Trinity" (Montblanc, Pelikan, Lamy) divided into 3 sub-forums?

Hi, Some of you know me by name, some of you know me by face. My name is Matt, I work at Ito-ya in Ginza. Everyone on this forum has been extremely helpful and insightful over the last few years. I am not promoting anything for my company, but I would like to ask for your opinions and advice on an event that I am trying to plan for our main store in Tokyo. During the summer, on weekends, I would like to hold a Maki-e class in English for the many foreign customers that visit our store. In the past, we have held Maki-E classes for our Japanese customers, but Japanese people do not seem to be as enamored by the Maki-e technique as their foreign counter parts. I know that the people that subscribe to this section of FPN love Japanese pens and there seems to be a great deal of interest in the art of Maki-e. My plans for the class would be to give a 30-45min class, in English, about the different techniques used in the Maki-e process explaining why one pen may cost about $50 but another can cost upwards of $10,000. I also plan on covering the history of the process and its traditional uses other than the fountain pens that we are all familiar with. If there is only a class where we hand out a small brochure and or leaflet, we will be able to hold the class for free. However, if only being able to hand out leaflets does not draw people to the class we are thinking about doing an event where the customers will be able to make their own 'maki-e' souvenir. This, however, would end up causing the class to cost about 3000JPY. So, basically, I want to ask you lovely people and pen lovers, 'What would you like to see in a Maki-e class?' How important would making your own Maki-e souvenir be? Would just learning about the process for 30-40min satisfy your lust for knowledge, just wet you appetite or be mind numbingly long and tedious? Would including a breif history of Japanese fountain pens in general make the topic less dull and more interesting? Also, if you were in Tokyo this summer, is this something that you would like to learn more about? Is this an event that would interest you? I personally love Maki-e and want to share it with the world. I thank you all in advance for any opinions/advice that you can give me. Sincerely, Matt

http://www.iguanasell-pics.com/photos/logos/fpn_logo_45_45.png See all our items @ FPN Platinum Fountain Pen Izumo Gloss Tagayasan Wood #21 PIZ-50000-21Brand New in Box - Warranty by authorised Dealer - Free Shipping CHARACTERISTICS: Brand Platinum Description Platinum Fountain Pen Nib 18k Gold Finish Bombay Black Wood (Tagayasan) - Gloss Closure System Screw-on Filling System Converter/cartridge filling system Dimensions (capped/uncapped) 16,4 cm / 13,5 cm (6.4" / 5.3") Warranty (years) - Line Izumo Reference PIZ-50000-21 Retail Price 575€ / $750 / £490 Special features: Platinum pens are artisan made Japanese pens, finished with great detail and quality.The line of Izumo pens are larger sized pens with an elegant and bold personality and made of the highly resistant Bombay Black Wood (Tagayasan).The name Tagayasan means ‘that which is as hard as a ‘Sword of Iron". The pen has no extra finish aside for this wood, so it will feel warm in your hand!The design for this pens is #21, and the wood is highlighted and protected with a gloss coating.The pen comes with a nice Platinum 18K gold nib, and a gold plated clip.The pen comes in a wonderful wooden box with a Platinum pen pouch and cartridge. CONDITIONS:The item is brand new in original box and comes with all papers and warranty stamped at the moment of the purchase by authorised dealerList price: $750 - Contact us for a personalized offer Payment Methods: PayPalCredit cardGoogle CheckoutMoney Order (We have Bank accounts in the US as well as in Europe)Cash on Delivery (Euro Countries) Free Expedited Shipping (UPS or Fedex) to the US, Canada and European Union. Other countries, $18 (shared shipping costs) ABOUT US: We are an international company with more than three (3) years of experience in e-commerce, duly registered in the US and Europe. We are present on the most important Marketplaces such as eBay and Amazon, ecommerce sites: shopping.com, yahoo shopping... and our own website You can take a look at our eBay feedback here or read the opinions of other forum members: 1 , 2, or 3 CONTACT:To contact us, just write us a pm, orsend us an email to info@iguanasell.com http://iguanasell-pics.com/photos/E461/Platinum-Fountain-Pen-Izumo-Gloss-Tagayasan-Wood--21-PIZ-50000-21-PIZ-50000-21-1.jpg http://iguanasell-pics.com/photos/E461/Platinum-Fountain-Pen-Izumo-Gloss-Tagayasan-Wood--21-PIZ-50000-21-PIZ-50000-21-2.jpg http://iguanasell-pics.com/photos/E461/Platinum-Fountain-Pen-Izumo-Gloss-Tagayasan-Wood--21-PIZ-50000-21-PIZ-50000-21-3.jpg http://iguanasell-pics.com/photos/E461/Platinum-Fountain-Pen-Izumo-Gloss-Tagayasan-Wood--21-PIZ-50000-21-PIZ-50000-21-4.jpg http://iguanasell-pics.com/photos/E461/Platinum-Fountain-Pen-Izumo-Gloss-Tagayasan-Wood--21-PIZ-50000-21-PIZ-50000-21-5.jpg http://iguanasell-pics.com/photos/E461/Platinum-Fountain-Pen-Izumo-Gloss-Tagayasan-Wood--21-PIZ-50000-21-PIZ-50000-21-6.jpg http://iguanasell-pics.com/photos/E461/Platinum-Fountain-Pen-Izumo-Gloss-Tagayasan-Wood--21-PIZ-50000-21-PIZ-50000-21-7.jpg CONDITIONS:The item is brand new in original box and comes with all papers and warranty stamped at the moment of the purchase by authorised dealerList price: $750 - Contact us for a personalized offer Payment Methods: PayPalCredit cardGoogle CheckoutMoney Order (We have Bank accounts in the US as well as in Europe)Cash on Delivery (Euro Countries) Free Expedited Shipping (UPS or Fedex) to the US, Canada and European Union. Other countries, $18 (shared shipping costs) ABOUT US: We are an international company with more than three (3) years of experience in e-commerce, duly registered in the US and Europe. We are present on the most important Marketplaces such as eBay and Amazon, ecommerce sites: shopping.com, yahoo shopping... and our own website You can take a look at our eBay feedback here or read the opinions of other forum members: 1 , 2, or 3 CONTACT:To contact us, just write us a pm, orsend us an email to info@iguanasell.com More Platinum pens on our website Thanks for looking!----------------------------- Website: www.iguanasell.comJoin our newsletter for special promotions and news http://static.anuncios.ebay.es/images/dailydeals/dm/icon_facebook_24.png Follow us on Facebookhttp://static.anuncios.ebay.es/images/dailydeals/dm/icon_twitter_24.png Follow us on Twitter: @Iguana_sell

Last year July, I received an email from Hakase that sandalwood pen model 52230 had been shipped. The significant day is 14 July 2012. As you know, Hakase pens are not to be bought from stock, but made to order. I ordered this particular pen on 14 October 2010. Almost a two year wait before the pen was delivered, so perhaps it is not too bad to have one year after delivery a review.... It is one of the 50 pieces produced. Mysore Sandalwood I go regularly to Chennai, so I am familiar with sandalwood. Sandalwood is rather expensive wood, and harvesting sandalwood is heavily regulated by the Indian government. Because this pen has two elements that are important to me: India, and the quality of Japanese pens, I decided to order this pen. This pen is made from a log of sandalwood of 1965. By the way, should anyone be able to visit Mysore (and the palace of Maharadja), I would recommend doing so. To the south of Mysore, are the former hunting lodges of the Maharadja, currently available for tourists. This is one of the few places where one can see a tiger. http://www.rhkoning.com/penpics/hakase/52230/kabini-tiger.jpg Anyway, the material is sandalwood, a beautiful, light wood. The pen The pen was delivered in a box, well wrapped, with a leaflet describing the wood. All my (four by now) Hakase pens have been sent in a little wooden box, wrapped in soft paper. All pens come with a Pilot con 70 convertor, a pleasure to use. http://www.rhkoning.com/penpics/hakase/52230/hakase52230-in-box-at1000.jpg The description has information about the material of the pen. In the box was also a small pouch with sandalwood residu. http://www.rhkoning.com/penpics/hakase/52230/hakase52230-description-at1000.jpg One option with Hakase pens is to have the date engraved in the barrel of the pen. I have done so, the first pen had a date in number of years of the reigning Japanese emperor, the last three have the date as in the 'usual' calendar. The date on this pen is 20 July 2012. That is later than the actual date of delivery. It is my impression that Hakase plans production by month, and this pen is from July 2012, so the final date is the 20th. Production dates on other pens are 20 June 2011 (model 01014) and 20 April 2009 (model 29018). http://www.rhkoning.com/penpics/hakase/52230/hakase52230-date-at1000.jpg The pen has a regular torpedo shape, with a clip and ring at the end of the cap. The gold furniture is 14k gold, not gold plated, and is hammered gold. http://www.rhkoning.com/penpics/hakase/52230/hakase52230-closed-at1000.jpg Opening the pen, one sees a darker section, this is ebonite. The nib is the size of a Pilot #15 nib (as found in Pilot Cutsom 823 and Pilot Custom 845). The pen is ground by Hakase, this one has a fine nib, and it writes as in a dream. The nib has no flex, so it has a consistent line. http://www.rhkoning.com/penpics/hakase/52230/hakase52230-section-at1000.jpg Evaluation I have had this pen for a year by now. Do I like this pen? Let me say that this pen has gone with me every day for one year, it has been inked all the time. Mostly with Sailor Grenade or Pilot Iroshizuku Asa Gao. It lies a wet line and is so comfortable to use. The pen does not look very pretentious, but sandalwood and 14k golden trim is not standard. I love this pen, a highlight in my collection. Ruud