Sharing my simple joy - pictures of my pocket pens

[awa54]

A crummy cell phone pic of the large variant of your pocket pen ...memory served me well, there are differences, but these pens are definitely from the same design family!

 

 

[Chi]

@awa54  What a beauty!!!

[Chi]

[PithyProlix]

3 hours ago, Chi said:

 

Great ink match for that incredibly handsome pen! 

[PithyProlix]

4 hours ago, awa54 said:

A crummy cell phone pic of the large variant of your pocket pen ...memory served me well, there are differences, but these pens are definitely from the same design family!

 

 

 

Nice!

 

'Regular' sized Japanese pens from the 1960s or earlier are a rare sight here - I would love to find some. Based on what remains now it seems like Parker and, to a lesser extent, Sheaffer were the big players in Thailand in the 1950-60s. 

[Chi]

Product of Kara war in the early 70s.

Sailor, 23K Medium.

 

[PithyProlix]

3 hours ago, Chi said:

Product of Kara war in the early 70s.

Sailor, 23K Medium.

 

 

Simple beauty. That cap ring really increases its classiness, I think.

 

How is the writing feel - the nib, the wide grip, and the balance? 

 

I hope one of those turn up for sale here, though I understand they are pretty rare. One of my Sailor Mini 21k pens is my favorite of the high karat pocket pens I have - while I like its grip, as I do my other pocket pens, I do prefer a little more girth.  

[Chi]

[PithyProlix]

Thanks for the description.

 

In case you didn't already see them, here are two write-ups on the Mini 23:
https://pocketpens.wordpress.com/2018/09/16/sailor-mini-23-粗軸膠桿-23k尖/#more-1123

https://estilofilos.blogspot.com/2013/08/23.html

[Recursion]

5 hours ago, Chi said:

Lovely

[PithyProlix]

Two more Sailor babies, well-worn, and hot out of the shipping box - just wrote a couple lines with them and took these quick photos.

 

The shorter one is the more interesting one to me. Note (what looks to be) a sideways and very stylized "S" on the cap. But much more interesting is a nib that is unique in my Sailor pocket pen collection - very rounded in shape, not-quite-an-oval breather hole, and very attractive, I think. The one on the left is a more typical Sailor pocket pen nib shape.
 

 

 

 

[Chi]

On 5/8/2022 at 6:58 AM, PithyProlix said:

 

 

 

 

 

OMG,  I have the exact same one in Fine nib of the right one. I have been wondering what that symbol is for, since there is historical record of celebrating social/political events with special edition pens. But, so far, I found nothing.

Need to look closer to the breathing hole on mine, maybe it's unique to this model. 

[PithyProlix]

Here's a Pilot with a 'dart' nib I just received. With the caveat that I'm no expert, I've never seen this exact design before though I believe it may be the same as the Mach 5/Speed Racer design, except for the clip and cap decoration - it even appears to be the same color as one of the Mach 5 colors. Though unmarked as such, I believe it is a 14k nib. This pen uses contemporary Pilot cartridges: if memory serves, all the other Pilots that I've encountered with this dart nib design require a 'double spares' type cartridge/CON-W converter or hose/switch filler. Like my other Pilots with dart nibs, it is a great writer with a bit of flex.

 

 

 

 

[AmandaW]

1 hour ago, PithyProlix said:

This pen uses contemporary Pilot cartridges: if memory serves, all the other Pilots that I've encountered with this dart nib design require a 'double spares' type cartridge/CON-W converter or hose/switch filler.

 

I think I have a black one of those, it takes a contemporary cartridge and writes very well even though part of the feed is missing.

 

And a red one is in transit - due in a day or two. I do hope it takes the contemporary cartridges too, it didn't occur to me that i might have a problem.

[PithyProlix]

1 hour ago, AmandaW said:

I think I have a black one of those, it takes a contemporary cartridge and writes very well even though part of the feed is missing.

 

Note that I don't follow eBay auctions nor buy pens there and I imagine there likely are (or have been) many of this model there. (?)

 

Curious - which part of the feed is missing?

 

1 hour ago, AmandaW said:

And a red one is in transit - due in a day or two. I do hope it takes the contemporary cartridges too, it didn't occur to me that i might have a problem.

As far as I know, all Pilot pocket pens use contemporary cartridges. Per a cursory count, I have eleven different models of Pilot pocket pens, all of which use contemporary cartridges.

 

Full-length Pilots of this era, which I presume to be circa mid to late 1960s, are not so predictable and might take double spares/CON-W, have a fixed hose/switch filler (which are easy to re-sac, if needed), or contemporary Pilot cartridges. The CON-W converter is still available from Pilot Japan, but not so easy to get. EDIT: Some of my Pilots of that era might have squeeze fillers too but my memory isn't so good on this and I'm too lazy to check right now. 🙃

[AmandaW]

56 minutes ago, PithyProlix said:

Curious - which part of the feed is missing?

 

This bit:

 

 

[PithyProlix]

4 minutes ago, AmandaW said:

 

This bit:

 

 

 

Ah - I see - broken (as is the section by the feed). I was curious because I've only known these feeds to be one piece. But, still, the feed on your pen looks unusual because I don't think I've seen that 'terraced' shape on the underside of a Pilot feed like this - I believe I've only seen flat surfaces, like this (same pen as above):

 

[awa54]

@AmandaW's pen is the common 1970-80s slim pocket pen nib, some have a shorter section top, which allows you to see the nib markings (Pilot 585 14K) while on others the resin extends farther and covers the nib imprint, often leading to misidentification as plated steel nibs.

@PithyProlix's pen is an earlier model and IIRC, has a nib which is shared with a concurrent (late 60s?) full sized pen. I'll have to check my collection to see if the pen I own indeed has the exact same nib and wether it's double spare or single.

I think I own it's twin with black resin and a checkered flag on the cap and have seen a very similar model with an Olympics logo imprinted.

[Chi]

14 hours ago, PithyProlix said:

 

 

 

 

I have not yet gotten one of this model. I do enjoy how the section and barrel are the same color. My pilot pocket pens so far are black, white and stainless steel. This baby you got definitely is cute.

 

Is it hard to clean? I am curious about that... it seems everything is pretty enclosed.

[PithyProlix]

30 minutes ago, Chi said:

Is it hard to clean? I am curious about that... it seems everything is pretty enclosed.

 

I'm assuming you are referring to the enclosed feed. (?) This particular one just required a flush with water but I think it had Pilot Blue or Black ink in it (can't remember exactly because, at the same time, I was also cleaning out some other pens I recently got) which are usually really easy to flush out. I haven't attempted to remove the nib & feed, which is something I try to avoid generally, so I can't answer re: that. 

 

Most of my Elites, for instance, have enclosed feeds and I have never had a problem with simply flushing them out with water or, if necessary, with some dishwashing detergent like Dawn added to the water. 

 

For flushing I have been using a rubber bulb fitted around cartridges with the ends cut off. The tight connection to the feed makes flushing very efficient.