Nakaya's ao-tamenuri discontinued

[reprieve]

I haven't seen this announced anywhere, but I could have missed it (so forgive me if this post is redundant). I was surprised to find out that Nakaya has discontinued their Ao-tamenuri finish. According to Nibs.com, Nakaya could never get a consistent color and so they decided to stop making it. Which is really too bad as I think it's such a lovely finish--and, personally, I loved that it could range from lime green to turquoise to navy.

If you've been planning to eventually acquire a Nakaya in ao-tamenuri, you ought to act fast. They still have some stock at Nibs.com, but once it's gone, it's gone. :(

[tandaina]

Yes, I love mine. Though it turned out far more green than I was hoping. I'm guessing they had enough people who ordered custom pens and weren't happy with the result that they just didn't want the hassle. (In my case after 15 seconds of disappointment that it wasn't the blue that I'd envisioned I fell in love with the pen and wouldn't trade it for another. But many folks are more persnickety than I.) I think I heard this a while back, might have been in a Nibs.com email or something.

[nvbrennan]

That's disappointing to hear. Mind you hearing about the color variation would give me pause for thought.

[tandaina]

That's disappointing to hear. Mind you hearing about the color variation would give me pause for thought.

To be fair they warned from the beginning that the process was organic and unpredictable. So I knew going in there was no way of knowing how it would turn out. For *me* at least that was part of buying a custom, Japanese, hand made fountain pen. It would be what it would be, without any of the factory precision of the industrial age (though really these are precision pens when you get down to it, the dedication of the artist is high).

It all reminded me of the Japanese ability to find beauty in broken things (the ancient art of Kintsugi). I'm a perfectionist, so it was a spiritual exercise to let go that perfection and trust the artist once my vision had been imparted.

[The Good Captain]

I just like my Midori finish Portable. Nice!

[reprieve]

All of the tamenuri finishes vary from pen to pen, some more than others. Ao-tamenuri does seem to vary the most. I've seen some pens where the base color appears lime green while others are sky blue and still others are bright turquoise. Shiro-tamenuri also varies quite a bit. I have two shiro-tame pens; one is a very dark shade of terra-cotta while the other is a light caramel flan color. Heki-tamenuri can vary, too, although not as much. The most consistent tamenuri finishes seem to be kuro and aka.

For me, that variety is part of the beauty of Nakaya and the art of Japanese urushi. No two pens are alike. But I can see how others would be disappointed if they had a specific color in mind and that color ended up being different in reality.

[reprieve]

I'm a perfectionist, so it was a spiritual exercise to let go that perfection and trust the artist once my vision had been imparted.

That's a fantastic description. That experience makes your pen even more special.

[velo]

Just saw this thread. Panic stations. Ordering one now!

[amk]

A real pity since with urushi, it's the variability and the uniqueness of each pen that is its selling point - plus the fact that urushi should continue to change as it ages. That's like saying you've replaced your orchestra with a synthesiser as live musicians sometimes hit wrong notes.

[reprieve]

Just saw this thread. Panic stations. Ordering one now!

That was my reaction as well. *sheepish*

I had been planning for a Decapod Twist in ao-tamenuri, but I was always diverted by other pens or by attempts to not blow the pen budget. By the time I realized ao-tamenuri was being discontinued, the Decapod Twists were already gone (although I think Nibs.com still has a regular Decapod cigar in stock if anyone's hankering for one and they also have a Desk Pen). In the end, I snagged a Naka-ai and it arrived today. It's totally gorgeous and I'm simply in love with the color. It's a real shame that it was discontinued.