Beautiful Nakaya Arrived, Urushi Dot?

[loddoss]

Finally!

 

My first Nakaya arrived! Extremely excited, fantastic writer. It is a Cigar Long in an Aka-tamenuri finish - I will be posting my first review soon but wanted to ask the forum regarding the finish.

 

These are obviously hand-made and each will have its individual flair. I noticed on mine with sunlight that there is a lighter coloured dot about 1cm from the join. Is this normal with urushi lacquers or is it a possible flaw in the urushi finishing? I appreciate all advice! Doesn't stop my excitement for this pen!

 

unedited pictures attached (actually, edited for size)

 

Also, first post!

[gerigo]

I also have a dot like this on my Portable writer. I assume it's the wabi sabi nature of the material.

[hari317]

I would be inclined to call it a defect and it looks noticeable enough to be unacceptable. YMMV.

Edited November 11, 2014 by hari317

[loddoss]

this is a new pen, so where is the question of wabi sabi. I would be inclined to call it a defect and it looks noticeable enough to be unacceptable. YMMV.

Just to confirm, it is noticible easily in sunlight. Without sunlight you can see it if you are looking for it/know where to look - although I did notice it on the day of arrival.

 

I mostly wonder if over the years when the top urushi layer lightens, if this will be clearly visible and look very much like a bright dot in an otherwise perfect pen

[Doug C]

the top of my Decapod has a cut that is not perfectly aligned on one of the facets. I noticed it right away, but it didn't dampen my enthusiasm for the pen.

Edited November 11, 2014 by Doug C

[proton007]

Just to confirm, it is noticible easily in sunlight. Without sunlight you can see it if you are looking for it/know where to look - although I did notice it on the day of arrival.

 

I mostly wonder if over the years when the top urushi layer lightens, if this will be clearly visible and look very much like a bright dot in an otherwise perfect pen

 

Urushi should evenly spread and achieve a consistent color. Not sure how that spot came about, and more importantly if it's so obvious to notice, why was it allowed to be shipped.

[mirosc]

I would be inclined to call it a defect and it looks noticeable enough to be unacceptable. YMMV.

+1

[Anachronos]

What a gorgeous color!

Would you post more pics of the full pen? I don't know if it is a "defect"or just the wabi sabi nature of Nakaya Pens, but it is still a beautiful pen and I wouldn't let any of the negative talk dissuade you from enjoying it. Of course if it bothers you every time you look at it you should contact Nakaya or whomever you purchased it from and let them know you are dissatisfied. They might not do anything about it (I would hope they would), but at least you would not be as frustrated.

I order my first Nakaya, a Neo Standard Writer in Shiro-tamenuri at the DC pen show and am quite anxious to see the one created for me, so I know your anxiety about getting something so precious that may be flawed.

Just remember you have a one of a kind and it it fantastic looking.

[Faisel]

I would be inclined to call it a defect and it looks noticeable enough to be unacceptable. YMMV.

Agreed. Especially at this price point.

[Legal Eagle]

Yeah.... to be perfectly honest I feel like Nakaya's quality control has gone down a little in the last couple of years(I mean a tiny bit). When I first bought a couple Nakaya pens back in 2008 they were absolutely flawless, I mean everything about them was basically perfect. The last few Nakaya's I've purchased (earlier this year) have had slightly sloppier urushi work. It hasn't been bad enough to want to send them back or anything, but to my eyes it's definitely a little messier looking. I'm talking about the simpler tamenuri finishes(aka,kuro,heki), nothing crazy like the maki-e, and stuff.

I already had the feeling the quality control was slipping a tiny bit, and seeing this post has kind of confirmed that for me. Now you have to keep in mind that they're so backed up with orders because of thier popularity, that this kind of thing was bound to happen sooner or later. John Mottishaw told me that the haven't really been able to get any pen pillows done, because they need to focus on the pens first and foremost. I've been asking about a pen pillow for like 9 months, and still was told it would be January at the earliest. The other thing to keep in mind is that some of the guys making these pens are probably old, and they may have had some retire recently; Who knows really. All of this could contribute to a couple of minor flaws making it out of the factory.

If I were the original poster I would just chalk this up to the "wabi sabi" nature of a truly hand made pen like the other guy stated. Thats how I look at.

[Keyless Works]

If it bothers you I would try and get another one. If they are going to make you wait I would ask to use your current one until the replacement arrives.

[alarickc]

My Dorsal Fin in Aka-Tamenuri has some defects of this nature, it doesn't bother me, but it might bother you. I simply view it as proof of their handmade nature. Besides, perfect urushi of this quality (read: type of urushi and # of layers) starts at $1200 for Pilot and $1600 for Sailor. People forget that Nakaya is the bargain brand for what it is. Ultimately, I think these kinds of harmless flaws add charecter.

[maverink]

well that looks like a defect on the urushi so its better you get it replaced with a perfect nakaya

[loddoss]

Here are a few more pictures of the pen, as requested.

 

I have added a picture uncapped in the shade for colour, and capped in the sunlight.

 

 

The visible dot is actually hidden in these pictures as it is on the inside left of the pen. There have been some beautiful pictures of an ascending dragon after 2 years sunlight in another thread, where the pen brightens up and the dragon seems to glow. My initial uncertainty comes from the idea that in a few years I will have a beautiful urushi fountain pen with a glowing brighter spot on the inside left

 

I have also added a slightly more closeup picture of the pen pillow. These are a lot cheaper than the pens and the urushi finish also seems to be done accordingly.

 

 

BONUS PICTURE - Urushi Trio!

 

 

[Painterspal]

I assume it's the wabi sabi nature of the material.

 

+1. These are hand made items, they're not iPhones or MontBlancs. One person's imperfection is another's reminder that a human made this, using traditional tools and techniques. I guess it's down to how much it bothers you.

 

For what it's worth, virtually all my urushi pens have some aspect or other that someone else might consider a flaw. But hell, I'm flawed too, so I just smile when these minor things catch my eye and carry on writing...

 

By the way, I'm starting up a rest home for urushi pens with faults so I'd be glad to give yours a home - free of charge if that would help!

[Painterspal]

Stunning pen, by the way, enjoy...

[mchenart]

Just took 2 pictures of my Nakaya pen pillow which I had bought three years ago. When compared with yours, they looked, eh, different.

 

http://i955.photobucket.com/albums/ae33/mchenart/DSCF4463_zps25f684f0.jpg

 

http://i955.photobucket.com/albums/ae33/mchenart/DSCF4465_zpsde313c38.jpg

[geoduc]

I'll agree with gerigo and Painterspal - the dot gives a sense of the pen's handmade nature and would not bother me. It's your pen however, so you'll have to make the call.

 

Personally, I think that the dot will become less prominent as the pen ages since the whole surface will lighten up and there will be less contrast between the outer and inner layers of color. It would be fun to watch it change and see how it all turns out. Whatever you decide, I hope you end up with a pen you can enjoy for many years to come.

[Icywolfe]

When I was a kid my parents said that real quality handmade stuff are better than what a machine can do.

 

Then the people around me said that Quality handmade is something with human mistakes.

 

I guess you can just look at as you wish a defect or just something that shows the human touch.

 

I personally prefer the handmade perfection.

[loddoss]

I agree with the above -

 

From my experience having bought quite a few handmade items (though not pens), handmade often allows the maker a more versatile approach to making an item depending on the available leathers/woods/materials and their respective grains/characteristics. Often a machine made item will not take this into consideration in quite the same way and the attention to detail can be lacking.

 

This is not quite the same as a mistake or a lack of quality control. A handmade suit or wallet would not be expected to have faults/incorrect cuts etc. This was what I was having issues with, I would usually expect a handmade item to be as perfect as the creator could make it, however there is definitely a charm and I may end up keeping my Nakaya ^__^

 

Im quite sure though, if the same were visible on a more expensive Tame-sukashi finished pen (such as the Fujin and Raijin III) it would probably not be considered acceptable....

 

I really appreciate the advice on both sides! Thanks for that, have been torn and was hoping to be swayed heavily in one direction or the other