Three types of modern Platinum feeds, a study in wetness

[arcfide]

So, in the course of exploring wetness and reliability with my recently acquired Nakaya, I've come to the discovery of at least three different feeds for the current Platinum/Nakaya pens in the #3776 Century lineup, and I think they are all quite interesting. Unfortunately, I don't have pictures.  

 

There is one feed for "standard sized" nibs, which came about as a part of their #3776 Century redesign. This includes cubbies for the tabs on the back of the new nibs to fit into, thus ensuring much more consistent nib alignment and placement. There is one single main ink channel, and then a parallel channel cut partway up the first third of the feed from the stem right next to the main feed which serves as an air channel. This feed appears to be used for their normal nib widths. 

 

Then there is a feed that some might mistake for being identical to the above. However, this is a fast flow feed which has the same benefits as the above feed, but which also has the breather air channel extended up ever so slightly by maybe one or two fins. This channel may also be a hair wider. This is the feed that appears on the wider nib sizes that are single slit nibs. 

 

The music nib uses a special feed just for this nib, which has the air channel on the side of the feed using the same basic idea as the air channel in the above two feeds (it only extends about one third of the way up the feed), and two ink channels at the top of the feed. It is a round, rather than square-ish feed and doesn't have the same locking lug design as the redesigned feeds, requiring more careful nib and feed alignment. However, the section for the music nibs is shaped to allow the feed and nib to be fully inserted only in one orientation into the section. 

 

What I'm most fascinated by is the strategies that Platinum has used to increase the wetness of their feeds progressively with each feed. I know that one of the desires Platinum expressed in their literature regarding the redesign of the feeds was to ensure consistent ink flow, while they also desired "quick drying" features. With the Music nib, you can very clearly see the effects of just how much ink is drawn from the pen, since there are clear ebbs and flows in the amount of ink that flows through the pen. These same ebbs and flows exist in small ways with the other feeds, but to a much lesser degree. However, the price for that seems to be that these feeds are also very controlled in their ink flow, making them extremely reliable, but also maybe a touch drier than some other feeds from other makers.   

[jandrese]

This is interesting to think about. Some photos would help illustrate. 

[A Smug Dill]

@arcfide Thank you very much for the clear descriptions and well-articulated insights!

 

5 minutes ago, jandrese said:

Some photos would help illustrate.

 

Yes, but I think they are unnecessary. Prospective purchasers only need know that the feeds supporting different nibs in the same pen model are different; and those who want to get a clearer picture can (if they dare) pull out the feeds in the pens they already own to take a closer look. The people who I think more documented information would benefit most are those with no intention of buying Platinum #3776 Century pens and don't already own any, but are simply studying methods and approaches to designing or modifying feeds on other fountain pens. In that case, the Platinum feeds may be a good case study, but @arcfide's articulation of what the differences are should be more useful, and inspection of concrete examples (or photos of such) is unnecessary, and less helpful than actual experimentation in producing the non-Platinum feeds of one's own.

[arcfide]

There are also some pictures of Platinum feeds that are already out there to look at. 

[whichwatch]

I would be very interested to see pictures of the differences you have described.

 

I was inspired by your post to investigate my Nakayas.  I pulled out the nib/feed units on an Extra Fine and a BB Nakaya, but I found the feeds to be identical in all respects.  I did not try a Music nib, as I prefer not to remove those.

 

It is possible that the two pens I happened to select were not fully representative.  The BB  is brand new, the Extra Fine somewhat older.  But both did have the current design feed with large rectangular indentation on reverse.

 

Arcfide, can you possibly post a picture of the differences you are seeing?

[arcfide]

Here is an edited photo taken from the web [1] highlighting the point I was describing:

 

 

The fast flow feed extends the air channel above from the normal length of roughly 11 fins to about 13 fins. 

 

[1] Nakaya nib & feed ~ New vs. Old ~ I was cleaning them out and figured I would let everyone see the difference. I did try to swap… | Stylo plume, Stylo, Calligraphie (pinterest.com)

[arcfide]

Platinum's instagram has a version of the feed:

 

プラチナ万年筆 (@platinum.pen) • Instagram photos and videos

 

[jandrese]

On 4/2/2022 at 9:29 PM, A Smug Dill said:

@arcfide Thank you very much for the clear descriptions and well-articulated insights!

 

 

Yes, but I think they are unnecessary. Prospective purchasers only need know that the feeds supporting different nibs in the same pen model are different; and those who want to get a clearer picture can (if they dare) pull out the feeds in the pens they already own to take a closer look. The people who I think more documented information would benefit most are those with no intention of buying Platinum #3776 Century pens and don't already own any, but are simply studying methods and approaches to designing or modifying feeds on other fountain pens. In that case, the Platinum feeds may be a good case study, but @arcfide's articulation of what the differences are should be more useful, and inspection of concrete examples (or photos of such) is unnecessary, and less helpful than actual experimentation in producing the non-Platinum feeds of one's own.

Pictures speak a thousand words. One may simply be curious. I have many Platinum and Nakaya pens and will buy more. While it won’t inform my purchasing decisions it deepens my appreciation of the pens. I would certainly dare pull out the feeds but its best not when they write well and I’m not the one who raised the topic. The OP was kind enough to post a photo, which helped illustrate the prose very nicely.

[jandrese]

On 4/3/2022 at 1:21 PM, arcfide said:

Here is an edited photo taken from the web [1] highlighting the point I was describing:

 

 

The fast flow feed extends the air channel above from the normal length of roughly 11 fins to about 13 fins. 

 

[1] Nakaya nib & feed ~ New vs. Old ~ I was cleaning them out and figured I would let everyone see the difference. I did try to swap… | Stylo plume, Stylo, Calligraphie (pinterest.com)

Thank you for posting the photo, it helps to understand the prose. 

[arcfide]

I personally find these feeds fascinating, because there is a clear amount of work going into designing them, and they aren't just a monolithic cylinder of equally spaced and sized fins as some other feeds are. For instance, the large gap in the center of the section is very interesting, and the way the shape fits into the section creating distinct "hallways" along the sides of the pen are all fascinating. I also find the way the air channel above connects with the lower cutout to tell a neat story, too. 

 

If anyone wants a fun game, watching the way air bubbles form in the converter of a pen with a light/transparent ink coupled with a demonstrator section is among the more nerdy things you can do. 🙂