I got this pen today

[ruby.monkey]

Today's main event - a Studio pen from Tom's Studio:

The Studio pen by Jean-Yves, on Flickr

 

Fitted with a Zebra G nib and prototype 3D-printed feed, with an extra titanium semi-flex nib beside it. The pen is brass, not too heavy but nicely made. The blue sleeve opens out to give care and use instructions, while the box liner unfolds to give a little history of Tom and his company.

 

The tea is just tea, but I'm going to enjoy it anyway.

[A Smug Dill]

Yesterday:

(Oops, that should be Asamoya, not Asamoyo.)

 

Edited October 23, 2022 by A Smug Dill
Fixed spelling error

[PithyProlix]

@A Smug Dill Wowza.

 

May I ask, please: is the urushi surface rough or smooth (or ?) to the touch (online descriptions, which seem to be few, are not clear on this)? Is its 14k nib the size of the ones on, for example, the 1911 Profit Large, Standard, or some other size? Would love your impressions after you have had a chance to live with this pen for a while, please.

 

 

[A Smug Dill]

3 hours ago, PithyProlix said:

May I ask, please: is the urushi surface rough or smooth (or ?) to the touch (online descriptions, which seem to be few, are not clear on this)?

 

Same as with the Aizen Amamoya:

 

3 hours ago, PithyProlix said:

Is its 14k nib the size of the ones on, for example, the 1911 Profit Large, Standard, or some other size?

 

Sailor only makes 14K gold nibs in 'medium size', that fit the Profit Standard, Professional Gear Slim (and PGS Mini), Promenade, (and now) Profit Light, as well as select other models such as the Koshu-inden and Kabazaiku, as far as I know. All 'large size' nibs Sailor makes are of either 18K gold (on some TACCIA models, and I think the Cross Peerless 125) or 21K gold (Sailor Profit21 aka 1911 Large, and Professional Gear).

 

3 hours ago, PithyProlix said:

Would love your impressions after you have had a chance to live with this pen for a while, please.

 

The Aizen (based on my limited experience with the Amamoya) is almost too light to use dipped only without a converter or cartridge installed; I couldn't really control it very well with my hand when the pen is not filled. The block thread onto which the cap screws is interesting, but certainly not intrusive. No problem with step-down from barrel to section. No user can miss the fact that the cap has a spring-loaded inner cap; it pushes noticeably against one's hand when capping the pen, and I count the feature a functional plus, especially so unusually on a urushi-over-ebonite pen. You can't post the cap when writing with the pen, of course, but that doesn't bother me in the least. The nib is what one'd expect of an equivalent Sailor-branded nib. I love the texture of the finish of the pen body, made all the more interesting by the transition from matt to polished; but you could expect sweat, flecks of dead skin, etc. to get trapped in the shallow pockmarks on the exterior surface.

 

[OldTravelingShoe]

3 hours ago, A Smug Dill said:

Yesterday:

Amazing pen, @A Smug Dill, thanks for sharing! Lovely texture, inspiring. 

[PithyProlix]

1 hour ago, A Smug Dill said:

Sailor only makes 14K gold nibs in 'medium size', that fit the Profit Standard, Professional Gear Slim (and PGS Mini), Promenade, (and now) Profit Light, as well as select other models such as the Koshu-inden and Kabazaiku, as far as I know. All 'large size' nibs Sailor makes are of either 18K gold (on some TACCIA models, and I think the Cross Peerless 125) or 21K gold (Sailor Profit21 aka 1911 Large, and Professional Gear).

 

I have a '1911 Large' ("Founded 1911" on the cap band) with a 14k nib (I also have a few 1911 Standards and a PGS, so I know what the nib size difference is) and a Standard (labelled "Profit 21k" on the cap ring) with a 21k nib, both purchased second hand. Granted, I haven't pulled the nibs so I don't know the manufacturing dates and they are likely > 10 years old plus probably Japanese-market-only pens. Anyway, my point is that I'd bet Sailor could fairly easily make a 'large size' nib in 14k, if they were commissioned to. (But that would beg the question, 'Why would anyone want to commission such a nib?' 😉)

 

I prefer the larger size Sailor nib but also really, really like the standard sized ones and would be happy to have one on a pen such as this.

 

1 hour ago, A Smug Dill said:

The Aizen (based on my limited experience with the Amamoya) is almost too light to use dipped only without a converter or cartridge installed; I couldn't really control it very well with my hand when the pen is not filled. The block thread onto which the cap screws are interesting, but certainly not intrusive. No problem with step-down from barrel to section. No user can miss the fact that the cap has a spring-loaded inner cap; it pushes noticeably against one's hand when capping the pen, and I count the feature a functional plus, especially so unusually on a urushi-over-ebonite pen. You can't post the cap when writing with the pen, of course, but that doesn't bother me in the least. The nib is what one'd expect of an equivalent Sailor-branded nib. I love the texture of the finish of the pen body, made all the more interesting by the transition from matt to polished; but you could expect sweat, flecks of dead skin, etc. to get trapped in the shallow pockmarks on the exterior surface.

 

Does the transition from matte to polished occur on the cap where the finish color changes, i.e. around the part you've included a blown up photo at the clip end? I see what looks to me like larger 'pores' on the darker part? 

 

Thank you very much for the description. Unfortunately (?), I'm starting to get addicted to feel of urushi grips (not to mention the beauty of the urushi lacquer, generally, and not just on the section, of course) but all the ones I have now are glossy smooth - these Taccias sound interesting from a tactile standpoint. And they do look handsome!

 

[A Smug Dill]

4 minutes ago, PithyProlix said:

Does the transition from matte to polished occur on the cap where the finish color changes, i.e. around the part you've included a blown up photo at the clip end? I see what looks to me like larger 'pores' on the darker part? 

 

Yep. Exactly why I zoomed in on that part of the cap.

[mizgeorge]

On 10/22/2022 at 8:13 AM, A Smug Dill said:

Yesterday:

(Oops, that should be Asamoya, not Asamoyo.)

 

Goodness! That is just beautiful

[A Smug Dill]

19 minutes ago, mizgeorge said:

Goodness! That is just beautiful

 

Thanks! It is quite so. I already have the blackish one (Amamoya, ‘rainy mist’), and was hoping to get the reddish one (Yuumoya), if it was offer at a discount. Alas, it was this Asamoya (‘morning mist’) that came up, and I had my doubts about it for a long time just looking at the manufacturer's marketing images; but the price kept dropping until resistance was futile, so I took a punt — and am very glad I did!

[ruby.monkey]

Received a couple of Wing Sung 629s today - a red-with-gold-trim flat-top with extra fine nib, and a black-with-silver-trim cigar-shape with fine nib. They both look good, and fill and write well. I like 'em.

[Misfit]

The Franklin-Christoph model 45L in Coco Pearl arrived today.  The nib is a B cursive italic nib by Yukio Nagahara. 
 

[Thymen]

Received a set of four Jinhao X159 (Black/Gold, Black/Silver, Burgundy, Dark Blue). And I am impressed. I inked two of them, and they write very well, with adequate flow, no scratchiness, and a nice fine line.

 

They are much less in weight than the Jinhao 159, and I find that a plus. The feel is solid, and both unposted and posted they handle surprisingly well.

 

Again, I am impressed, especially when one factors in the price.

[Paul-in-SF]

This very sweet Delta 366 that I won on Monday arrived today. 

 

 

This is the kind of Italian design that I go for -- the subtle curves, the matching color strip in the cap band, the understated clip, and (you can't see it) in the domed cap top there is a small metal Delta logo (a stylized letter D). And so far it is a very sweet writer with an 18K Medium nib. Aaahhhhh. 

[jchch1950]

8 hours ago, Paul-in-SF said:

This very sweet Delta 366 that I won on Monday arrived today. 

 

 

This is the kind of Italian design that I go for -- the subtle curves, the matching color strip in the cap band, the understated clip, and (you can't see it) in the domed cap top there is a small metal Delta logo (a stylized letter D). And so far it is a very sweet writer with an 18K Medium nib. Aaahhhhh. 

Congratulations Delta 366 are nice pens .medium size{to me} that can be every day writers.

[VersoFolio]

Very unusual find.

I don't quite know what to make of it yet.

However I have had it completely apart and cleaned and can confirm it is a piston-filler, has an engraved brand name, 'Rubidor' and has what appears to be a 'Ruby' ball as a writing tip.

Technically could be considered a 'fountain pen' although with a gemstone ball instead of a nib.

What do you think esteemed readers?

 

 

Does anyone know who made "Rubidor" pens in the 1950's and 60's?

I would like to learn more about this piston refillable ball design. I have many questions 🤔

 

Thanks..Pale.Ink.Tom

[doriath19]

6 hours ago, Pale.Ink.Tom said:

Very unusual find.

I don't quite know what to make of it yet.

However I have had it completely apart and cleaned and can confirm it is a piston-filler, has an engraved brand name, 'Rubidor' and has what appears to be a 'Ruby' ball as a writing tip.

Technically could be considered a 'fountain pen' although with a gemstone ball instead of a nib.

What do you think esteemed readers?

 

 

Does anyone know who made "Rubidor" pens in the 1950's and 60's?

I would like to learn more about this piston refillable ball design. I have many questions 🤔

 

Thanks..Pale.Ink.Tom

Wow! Very cool find! I know almost nothing about vintage pens, so I can’t help you there. I recently picked up two vintage Waterman pens and I love them. I can see this whole vintage pen thing is going to be more dangerous for me than modern pens. 
 

I got this in the mail yesterday and it writes very nice. It’s called The Dashaway Stylo and the company is Stanford and Mann. Don’t know anything about it except that I like the look, feel, and the way it writes. 

[PithyProlix]

It's mine!   Pilot マッハ GoGoGo (Mach GoGoGo), in purple. Circa 1970 and it's supposed to have a 14k nib. I never thought I would ever see a Mach GoGoGo here in Thailand, much less in a color I had no idea even existed. Of course, I had to inform (gloat about to, really) Richard Binder of a Mach GoGoGo pocket pen color that is not listed in his Japanese Pocket Pens book.

 

Mach GoGoGo is, of course, Speed Racer in the US (and, elsewhere, I suppose). The Speed Racer TV show was really popular when I was a kid and I was a big fan, so it's a pretty nice catch for me.

 

  

 

 

 

 

[Number99]

2 hours ago, PithyProlix said:

It's mine!   Pilot マッハ GoGoGo (Mach GoGoGo), in purple. Circa 1970 and it's supposed to have a 14k nib. I never thought I would ever see a Mach GoGoGo here in Thailand, much less in a color I had no idea even existed. Of course, I had to inform (gloat about to, really) Richard Binder of a Mach GoGoGo pocket pen color that is not listed in his Japanese Pocket Pens book.

 

Mach GoGoGo is, of course, Speed Racer in the US (and, elsewhere, I suppose). The Speed Racer TV show was really popular when I was a kid and I was a big fan, so it's a pretty nice catch for me.

 

  

 

 

 

 

The number "5" is pronounced "go" in Japanese. The car's bib number is "5" and the hero's name is "剛" "Gou".

So Go Gou 5!

Powered by a Mirage engine! Top speed is 555 km/h!

 

[PithyProlix]

10 minutes ago, Number99 said:

The number "5" is pronounced "go" in Japanese. The car's bib number is "5" and the hero's name is "剛" "Gou".

So Go Gou 5!

Powered by a Mirage engine! Top speed is 555 km/h!

 

 

素晴らしい!  5 is my favorite number, having been born on 5/5 (May 5). 

[Nyoko]

2 hours ago, PithyProlix said:

It's mine!   Pilot マッハ GoGoGo (Mach GoGoGo), in purple. Circa 1970 and it's supposed to have a 14k nib. I never thought I would ever see a Mach GoGoGo here in Thailand, much less in a color I had no idea even existed. Of course, I had to inform (gloat about to, really) Richard Binder of a Mach GoGoGo pocket pen color that is not listed in his Japanese Pocket Pens book.

 

Mach GoGoGo is, of course, Speed Racer in the US (and, elsewhere, I suppose). The Speed Racer TV show was really popular when I was a kid and I was a big fan, so it's a pretty nice catch for me.

 

  

 

 

 

 

Congrats! That's a nice color.  I have the red one. The nib is definitely 14k as Richard Binder says. It's a nice little pen and it writes really well.