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Hello, In my recent trip (two weeks back) I bought two brand new senator president pens one for using and one for keeping in my collection, had inked the one for use with the penman sapphire, today decided i want to use another pen, so wanted to use another pen, emptied it from the remaining ink and started to flushed it with water few times, and as I was moving the piston to release the water, the nib and the feed just poped out, tried to insert them back and they fitted very easily with almost no friction, thought this one might be faulty, so went to the other brand new one (never inkd/used) and removed the cap and tried to pull off the feed and the nib, and they came out with no effort, actually removing the cap needed more effort than removing the feed and the nib. Does anyone else experienced similar problem????? This was really a very disappointing experience and will always look at this brand as a low quality. Best regards.

I finally took the plunge finally and bought an Izumo (Tagayasan) after going through some lovely reviews from my fellow fpners. I could not find a review of the matte version at fpn before buying this. Here is also a link to my blog with some more pics: Platinum Izumo Tagayasan - Matte Review The Izumo series was launched in 2010 to celebrate the birthplace of Platinum’s founder Shunichi Nakata. The Nakata surname of course reflects in all Nakaya nibs. Coming to Izumo, the Izumo province is located in the eastern coast of Japan and is famous for its political history as well as making traditional Japanese paper out of vegetable fibres (a sample of which is also included in a paper roll). The two variants of Izumo pens are Urushi-on-ebonite and Wooden versions. I am reviewing one of the wooden versions here. Some of the other versions have been rather marvellously reviewed by Hari1(had got mine on his recommendation), Hari2, & atomic_doug at FPN. This Izumo is called Tagayasan which literally translates into Iron Sword Wood (鉄:Iron 刀:Sword 木: Wood). More on this later. PRESENTATION The pen comes in a wooden box (IZU4000061) made of up Paulownia wood encased inside a handmade paper box. The box will itself feel very light which is characteristic of this wood along with high resistance to deformation, and it’s also used to make chests and boxes in Japan. This box also used for Nakayas and a few other premium pens of Platinum (Urushi Maki-e) with an RRP of JPY 50000 or greater. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B7KYVFMlZuk/VdGlYG3u0fI/AAAAAAAAFIw/bfiUzb6WrBk/s1600/aPack.jpg Once you open the satin lined top cover, you will find a green kimono encasing your Izumo, resting along with a standard platinum converter, a cartridge (though a complementary box was included by the seller), a paper roll made of traditional Japanese paper (Kiku) and a few other cards for maintenance & use. The one important out of them warns you against posting the cap. You will see later that there is a metallic insert for threading the cap and it might chip off the barrel wood, if posted. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8y7BZXL4Goc/VdGlbpicYvI/AAAAAAAAFI4/ZSBvDhdR7zk/s1600/apack2.jpg DESIGN - THE WOODEN CIGAR (6/6) The Izumo Tagayasan comes in two finishes : Matte (PIZ-50000T #20) and Gloss (PIZ-50000T #21). The word Tagayasan in Japanese refers to a wood which is as hard as iron, and to my delight, I found that it was produced in India. The scientific name is Dalbergia latifolia and it’s more commonly known in India is Shisham or Bombay Black Wood. As the wood is hard, durable and resistant to termites, it’s used in India to make premium furniture. The build is remarkably sturdy and for a wooden pen it’s heavy and quite comfortably so. You will find this to be a large pen and initially I was concerned about its dimensions. The wood has a dark brown appearance with still deeper streaks running horizontally across the length of the pen. The golden gleam coming solely from the clip supplies the pen with a simply amazing contrast. Doesn’t the pen look like a marvellous piece of art? I salute the Japanese craftsmanship behind this handmade pen. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CbnpPdS3trg/VdGlCk3-zwI/AAAAAAAAFHQ/8qv7eCnqUPQ/s1600/DSC_5213.jpg The cap feels substantial and unscrews with one and a half turns, revealing a stunning two-tone nib. The threads of golden glitter mark start of the grip section. The tapering of the section in someway ensures that your grip remains least affected by the metallic threads. Towards the nib a golden trim ensures the aesthetics remain singularly complete from top to bottom. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iay_4sCJZyk/VdGlIEzHmRI/AAAAAAAAFHg/YIbcLvU1wTs/s1600/DSC_5237.jpg The finial is in the shape of an elliptical dome and quite deftly conceals the clip-joint. The dazzling tension-fit clip is plated with gold and has some resemblance with a traditional Japanese double edged sword called Tsurgi or Ken. It sports the brand name of PLATINUM within a dome of etched squares. There is a smaller sculpted impression below mirroring the sword in the green kimono. The metallic thread insert inside the cap render the pen unsuitable for posting. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wUo-EoodEso/VdGk-oEKD9I/AAAAAAAAFHA/AUqTHBzvq78/s1600/Cap.jpg FILLING SYSTEM (5/6) As a cartridge converter filler, the supplied convertor is limited by a volume of 0.6 mL although platinum cartridges have an advantage with capacity of 1 mL or more. The Izumo also takes in proprietary converters and like other Platinum pens and there is an adapter available for international cartridges/converters, whose production is currently stopped. The proprietary converter does look good with its golden trims, but again you can see it only when you are filling up ink. The barrel unscrews from the grip section with four turns revealing the gold accented metallic thread section. The wooden barrel carries the opposite threads with a similar metallic insert, eliminating any chance of internal chipping of wood. The feed does draw ink even when the nib is not fully immersed inside ink. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dcHnwGYCYs0/VdGlIK5ZYBI/AAAAAAAAFHk/h9ApMJDh1gc/s1600/DSC_5286.jpg NIB - ALL THAT MATTERS (5/6) The nib/feed section is friction-fit and comes in a 18k two-tone design across three stock widths of F, M & B. I like the design of these nibs. Above the tail lies the brand imprint of PLATINUM specified with nib type i.e PRESIDENT (or 3776) along with nib-composition (18 K) and width (B). A hearty breather hole lies above the imprint. Three bands of rhodium decor run amidst the body and shoulders as an enhancement. These bands are limited to the tines. The nib lays a moderately wet and smooth line with a characteristic stiffness. I would have personally preferred a bigger nib given the price point of this pen. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mgtpCTtzEdU/VdGlLj4bZcI/AAAAAAAAFHw/5vZCFh5ytsc/s1600/DSC_5297.jpg The black plastic feed for the President nib has closely spaced fins and even with the cap open for a while, it does not take any effort to lay a nice and wet line. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UIHq32QBusE/VdGlNmM-P8I/AAAAAAAAFIA/O461HSTuDOc/s1600/DSC_5304.jpg PHYSICS OF IT (6/6) – RELATIVELY SPEAKING A comfortable length and weight ensures that the cap doesn't need to be posted while writing. With a cosy girth of around 1 cm, it poses absolutely no problems with extended writing times. Capped Length ~ 16.5 Uncapped Length ~ 14 cm Nib Leverage ~ 2.4 cm Overall Weight ~ 38 g Capped and uncapped comparisons with a pelikan m805 run below for your reference. You might be already noticing the giant cap with an elliptical dome finial, which contributes rather lavishly to the length of the pen. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jAKoO_FBARE/VdGlSWvVgyI/AAAAAAAAFII/_pPe2OhEaYE/s1600/DSC_5317.jpg Uncapped the Tagayasan is about 1 cm longer than a m8xx, making it a comfortable wooden companion. The threads at the section are located necessarily at an upper region of the section, which does not interfere with my grip, given the section taper. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9Ig9nj0XF1M/VdGlXHtQicI/AAAAAAAAFIg/r0pKXytek58/s1600/DSC_5338.jpg ECONOMIC VALUE (3/6) The Izumo wooden versions - Tagayasan retail around US$ 600, though they are available at much lower prices around US$ 400 with known Japanese shops like Engeika or Rakuten. I expected a bigger nib at this price point and I do have a sinking feeling that the usual President nib does not do complete justice either to this pen or its price point. OVERALL (5/6) This stunning 18k nib is smooth but not buttery, with kind of a controlled glide. It’s blessed with a moderately wet ink flow. There is a subtle bit of line variation, the horizontals being a tad thinner than the verticals. The nib is as stiff as a nail. Though, there is a hint of softness with this nib. Even being a wet writer out of the box, this Broad nib puts a line which takes around 30 seconds to dry on MD Paper. Ink used was Platinum Blue Black cartridge. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AK8OBMu_L9E/VdGlWmqbz3I/AAAAAAAAFIc/fZWtb49MDOk/s1600/DSC_5343.jpg REFERENCES Platinum Izumos Hari’s Review of the Gloss Version Bombay Black Wood Thank you for going through the review. You can find some more pen and paraphernalia reviews here.

This stupid site; you can't spend any amount of time on it without deciding that you really need an urushi pen. So...that's where I am right now. I've had a little time now with my new Platinum Izumo Sora tamenuri pen and I've decided to write a little review. Obviously, I am not in any way affiliated with Platinum or anyone who sells pens or services them etc etc. http://s24.postimg.org/zdeto75ad/IMG_4717.jpg The Platinum Izumo has been around for a few years now. It is named after a certain prefecture of Japan where they, apparently, make really nice paper. The pen intended to compete (to some degree) with the Namikis, Sailor King of Pens (Kings of Pen?) and Nakayas of the world. It comes in ebonite in four urushi finishes (black -kuro-, red -aka-, greenish -sora*-, and maki-e -yamonoguri-). It also comes in a wooden version (tagayasan) which is apparently much bigger. *as far as I know, sora means 'sky', but the color is pretty green. Go figure. Packaging I don't particularly care about packaging. I would just as soon buy the pen if it came in a blister-and-card package. However, this pen comes really nicely packaged. A textured paperboard outer sleeve contains a nice paulonia wood box with some Japanese writing on it. Inside the box are the usual accoutrements like paperwork I will never read, a cartridge I will never use, and a converter. There is also a nice scroll of blank mulberry paper for your calligraphy projects. The pen itself is in a cute little "pen kimono". All in all, it looks like as much care was taken in packing the pen as in making the pen itself. http://s10.postimg.org/7lbvem2uh/IMG_4714.jpg Dimensions Length, capped: 155mm Length, uncapped: 137mm Length, section (not incl. nib): 32mm Width, at threads: 13mm Width, max.: 18mm Weight, capped (not incl. cart or converter): 33g Here it is in comparison to a Pelikan M800 and a Platinum #3776 Century, two relatively common pens. http://s8.postimg.org/6ngqenjnp/IMG_4722.jpg http://s9.postimg.org/941pfd70v/IMG_4724.jpg Impressions & Design No way around it. This is an enormous pen. That hit me first. However, it's very light, since it's made of ebonite (hard rubber) and has very little metal in it. It's nice and wide at the section and is comfortable to hold. The metal threads are far enough back that they don't interfere with your grip. It is very nicely balanced and hours of writing do not yield any appreciable hand fatigue. (I didn't post the pen, since there was a warning in the box not to do so; plus, if you need to post this pen, you must have hands like Johnny Bench.) http://s21.postimg.org/z3xcuxlbr/IMG_4715.jpg The shape of the pen is superficially like a traditional cigar shape, but it has smooth, dare I say, sensual curves. The body is a deep brown-black with greenish coloring appearing at all the joints and edges. The color is like a much darker version of Nakaya's heki tamenuri finish. The clip is very uniquely shaped and says 'Platinum' on it. It is of moderate stiffness and is made of folded metal. Par for the course for Japanese pens but it would feel cheap on a European pen of this price range. The section and barrel have a metal-on-metal interface with precise threads. http://s7.postimg.org/6qb1mcz57/IMG_4716.jpg The cap screws on and off with a single twist and feels secure. The threads on the section are metal while the threads in the cap aren't. It does not appear to have anything like the Slip-and-seal system. The section and barrel interface with precision-cut metal threads (so no eye-dropper conversions). There's a nice long metal sleeve that the converter or cartridge slips into so you never have to worry about inserting the converter off-kilter. Overall, there is a great feel of a piece that was made with care and precision. Nib The Izumo series uses the nib and feed from the Platinum President series. A plastic feed supplies ink to an 18k gold, two-toned nib. (Mine is a fine.) The nib is stiffer, but it is both wetter and smoother than other Platinum (particularly the 14k #3776 Century) nibs I have used. I read in an article once that the President nib was designed for Western writing, not Japanese writing, but it didn't say how. I don't know exactly they did that, but I can assure you the President nib lays down a nice, wet line and it never has a problem with hesitating or skipping. http://s22.postimg.org/dmkodpkpd/IMG_4720.jpg I can also point out that my Izumo's idea of "fine" is noticeably wider than my 3776 Century's "fine" with the same ink. http://s21.postimg.org/jh63hk7jr/IMG_4725.jpg Straight out of the box, this nib performs better than any Japanese nib I have ever experienced and equals the performance of an OMAS in terms of smoothness and precision. (I am almost at the point where I'd say it actually is better than a lot of nibs I have had tuned by nibmeisters. It is that good.) Its smoothness feels like a cross between the glassiness of a European pen and the feedback-y smoothness of a Sailor. http://s27.postimg.org/6bu9s6rhv/IMG_4721.jpg Filling System You know that converter that Platinum pens come with? Yeah, it's that one. How do you feel about it? Just pretend that I am transcribing in this section of the review what you're thinking about that converter and that you totally agree with me. I like you too. http://s15.postimg.org/z5rz27ajf/IMG_4719.jpg Value This is not a cheap pen. It costs about what a non-custom Nakaya would cost. Is it the most sublime writing experience ever? Of course not. It's just a pen. That said, it's very nice to look at and comfortable to write with, with a truly brilliant nib. If you want to get the same nib for a fraction of the cost, buy a Platinum President. Final Thoughts This is a pen that does not get a lot of love on the forum. Perhaps that is because when you can afford one of these, why don't you get a Nakaya? A lot of pens fall into that trap: if you can afford X, why didn't you just buy X instead of something that costs the same? Personally, I love this pen. It's the best all-around Japanese pen I've ever owned and certainly one of the prettiest regardless of place of origin. Its enormous size makes it a little impractical for taking to the office, but I write more at home anyway. How does it compare to a Nakaya? If you didn't skip ahead, you probably asked yourself this anyway. I've been asked this question more than a few times already. Now, I'm not going to say one is better than the other because that's not fair and there are so many subjective things that go into an opinion like that it would render the answer pointless. However, I will say this. They write differently. The Nakaya uses a tuned #3776 nib and feed, while the Izumo uses a tuned President nib and feed. If you like one over the other, then that difference will be magnified comparing a Nakaya and an Izumo. Nakayas are obviously far more tailored to the individual. That's their point. The Izumo is not. The Izumo is meant to be a flagship pen from a large company. Personally, I like the President nib and the sensual curves of the Izumo more than I value the customization options of the pen body that Nakaya offers me. You may be the opposite. In either case, you are going to be getting a hand-made ebonite-bodied fountain pen with a wonderful nib and lovingly- and expertly-applied coats of lacquer. (And it's STILL just a c/c) You're really choosing between Rolls Royce and Bentley and you can't go wrong. http://s15.postimg.org/aqjr15bmj/IMG_4718.jpg

Hi pen enthusiasts, my mother kindly provided me with a fountain pen that she had purchased some decades ago, probably in the 60s or 70s, which has a "s-n" logotype and the words "president" and "RK14" on the cap. I understand this pen was made by the japanese manufacturer "Platinum" but am interested in knowing more about it. It has a filling mechanism which I assume is a variant on the Parker aerometric system. On Platinum's website there is a "President" line of fountain pens, but they are traditional cigar type pens and are marketed as the company's "flagship" pen. So, does anyone know anything about this particular pen? It writes well, although by miracle it produces black strokes when filled with blue Parker Quink . (I didn't flush it before filling so I guess there was some old clogged up black ink left in it..) http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x231/baxtrom/image_2.jpeg

As I read on the FPN, I found my niche. It's been covered here several times, but the website links don't often work. I think it'd be interesting to get a replica of pens (some are classics, still made. Some aren't fountain pens), the presidents used to sign bills. I want all politics put aside. It's not cheap, but it's interesting. I watched a video of Obama write, He seems to trace his letters with his fingers, then sign. I'm going to do a Google search tomorrow, no time today, I don't be near a computer. Any helpful links? -Rhonda

This Venus President is my first foray into vintage fountain pens and restoration. It's in excellent shape cosmetically with the lever fully functional. I removed the barrell from the section and took off the old sac and ordered a new one along with shellac and talc. But until those come in I wanted to try out the beautiful 14k nib. Just dipping in the ink I was surprised, given that the nib looked in perfect shape, to find it very scratchy and with pretty much non-existent ink flow. Adding a little flex produces actual ink, but it's still not exactly wet and easing off the flex reverts to no ink once again. I've inspected the nib closely and the tines appear well aligned with tipping material, though not as much as my modern pens (this seems to be the norm I gather?). The feed appears to be in contact with the nib and while I did soak the nib/feed/section a while today, that should not be an issue when merely dipping since ink doesn't need to travel from the sac to the nib, correct? There's a small and barely visible slit from the breather hole to just before the tipping material starts, at which point the tines appear to meet. This seems to be in line with my TWSBI 540 which writes just fine, though my Custom 74, Levenger L-tech, and Retro 51 do not appear to have any visible distance between the tines when observed from above. Any ideas on what I can do to fix the flow issue? It seems to me that the problem must lie with the nib and not the feed since I'm only able to use it dipping until I get the replacement sac, but I could be mistaken on this.

I am a Mumbai resident. However, I have to sometimes travel to Bangalore on work. Last week I was being driven to a place on Mysore road. Just as we were exiting Bangalore, I spotted an old run down stationery box stall (kiosk) on the road side. I immediately requested my driver to stop and went back and had a look. I asked if they had fountain pens, he said only old ones, no one is interested in FPs anymore. I asked him to show them to me anyway. The one or two shelve in the shop were packed with old pens kept in polyethene packets, mostly junk. I spotted a packet that looked interesting and asked him to take that one out, this packet had around a dozen celluloid pens from different Indian makers, I was getting late so I just paid what the shopkeeper wanted for the bag of pens and went my way. Later I asked my driver about the area where this shop was located, he told me the area was called Kalasipalaya, so here are some pictures of the Kalasipalaya haul of Indian celluloids. I ran out of patience to photograph all the pens and the imprints, here is what i managed, enjoy!! The haul contains Wilsons with Vac filling, President with Vac filling, Plato 66 from 1952, the 60s etc.. all pens the are of the nitrocelluloid variety. Some have suffered the typical shrinking found with this gorgeous material. The material is of the typical rolled sheet into a tube construction. http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj582/hari-317/IndianCelluloids/IMG_0079.jpg http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj582/hari-317/IndianCelluloids/IMG_0080.jpg http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj582/hari-317/IndianCelluloids/IMG_0081.jpg http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj582/hari-317/IndianCelluloids/IMG_0082.jpg http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj582/hari-317/IndianCelluloids/IMG_0083.jpg http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj582/hari-317/IndianCelluloids/IMG_0084.jpg http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj582/hari-317/IndianCelluloids/IMG_0085.jpg http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj582/hari-317/IndianCelluloids/IMG_0086.jpg http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj582/hari-317/IndianCelluloids/IMG_0087.jpg http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj582/hari-317/IndianCelluloids/IMG_0088.jpg http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj582/hari-317/IndianCelluloids/IMG_0089.jpg http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj582/hari-317/IndianCelluloids/IMG_0090.jpg http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj582/hari-317/IndianCelluloids/IMG_0091.jpg Cheers! Hari

ran across this pic from the britannica website of calvin coolidge signing a document with what seems to be a small baseball bat the year is 1929 and the document is the kellogg-briand pact. http://media.web.britannica.com/eb-media/33/125933-004-6E30354E.jpg what pen do you suppose it is?

Hello fellow FPNers, I am taking the excuse of perfect natural light conditions to write a short overview of S.T. Dupont's top range, the Néoclassique line. (I am willingly forgetting about the Tournaire pieces, that are, in my opinion, just expensive sculpture which mistakenly got given a nib for unknown reasons). This line is available in two sizes: the normal, Néoclassique size, and the oversize Néoclassique Président size. http://i.imgur.com/qeMVbZt.jpg From Left to right: Néoclassique Président : Magnétisme, Samouraï, Second Empire, and Shanghaï. Néoclassique : Dragon and Samouraï http://i.imgur.com/YPupHa3.jpg Here is a view of the sections, and the nibs. These pens have the biggest and most responsive nibs offered by the brand. The Magnétisme model, which is the only one not to be numbered (albeit being limited), is available in all the regular line widths: EF, F, M, B. I have an EF nib on this one, and it simply is the smoothest extra fine nib I have ever written with. It is comparable to my early 1990's Montblanc 149 EF nib, as it also has a particular grounding, which gives a vertical stroke that is finer than the horizontal one, and the nib is flexible enough to give a B line. It is just closer to a average EF (the Montblanc one providing with a larger line). The limited editions are only available in the M size, which is a pity, if you ask me). They come in sets (with a pen stand and an inkwell) or as standalone pens. Of course, these pens aren't cheap, but are not unaffordable either, and they offer everything a pen collector may ask (except for a piston filling system, but this isn't one of my priorities). There are even more exclusive pens for each of the Président limited editions - a limited edition inside the limited edition, if you like - made of solid gold, and limited to two or three dozens, but there, we are reaching the 50k€+ range, so I don't think I would ever be interested, even if I had that kind of money). I hope you enjoyed this short introduction to an undeservingly underrated line of pens.

Am i misstaken to identify a bunch of Montblancs on the table, during the meeting of the president of the USA and the primeminister of Sweden, in Stockholm today? (4th september 2013)