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quinden
June 29th, 2013, 01:06 PM
As promised, here's another of my grail pens :)

I think I fell in love with this pen when I saw the Cigar (clipless) model of Leigh Reyes - if you have never gone to her site, you should! She has amazing artistic skills, as well as great penmanship.

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To achieve this look, the artisan carves into the urushi surface, and then rubs a mixture of urushi + charcoal (sumi) over the surface. Once they remove the sumi from the surface, it stays in the carvings.

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I chose a soft fine for this pen, and it is amazing! It is softer than the other two soft fines I have, but I would still rate it as less flexible than a vintage flexer (the only one I have is a Waterman's 0552 1/2 V).

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In the above, you can see the similarity of the base color of the Housuge Shu to the unpolished Shu (Shu-nurippanashi).

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A rough and amateurish size comparison with a Parker Duofold Centennial - the Housuge Shu is shorter, but I believe the grip section is ever-so-slightly wider (.41 inches to .4 inches, according to nibs.com). The Nakaya is also lighter.

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Here's a writing sample. I purchased this pen from John Mottishaw & company, and I'm very happy! It's smooth and responsive. Looking at this writing sample, I wish I had refrained from that third cup of coffee this morning :)

reprieve
June 29th, 2013, 03:16 PM
Your photos are fantastic, and the pen is stunning! I have the cigar versions in both shu and kikyo, and they are indeed grail pens--they live in my "keep forever" pen box when they aren't inked and in my hand.

I think Nakaya's soft nibs vary a lot in their softness. I have an SF nib that is only marginally softer than the regular "hard" nibs, while my SM nib is near-vintage semi-flex. I do quite like the cushioned, bouncy feel of the soft nibs.

quinden
June 29th, 2013, 03:27 PM
Thanks, reprieve :)

I totally agree on the variance. My plated SF is bouncy, but nothing like this. My other unplated SF is in between the two extremes.

Robert
June 29th, 2013, 04:24 PM
Your "normal" writing style is wonderful - - I wish mine were 1/2 as nice!

quinden
June 29th, 2013, 04:41 PM
Thanks, Robert!

People like Leigh and Manny are my inspirations :)

earthdawn
June 29th, 2013, 10:03 PM
Beautiful pen !!!!

Beautiful pictures

Seems a couple of people just got their Chinkoku Housuge Shu pens in this week.

Big congrats... enjoy it and love it.

quinden
June 30th, 2013, 05:49 AM
earthdawn, it's true - the housuges are falling out of the sky :)

I just happened to be lucky enough to catch one!

peterpen53
June 30th, 2013, 04:18 PM
earthdawn, it's true - the housuges are falling out of the sky :)

I just happened to be lucky enough to catch one!

Since we are having a cloudless sky at the moment (which isn't at all bad for a Dutch summer) I'm out of luck as usual.
But never mind, that is a remarkable pen, Quinden. I was wondering about the technique you mention. Can you still feel the carvings or are they filled up flush with the body of the pen? Your pictures really convey a sense of depth.
It's great to see your wonderful handwriting again. And I too have some of Leigh's videos bookmarked in my YouTube favourites.

Cheers,
Peter

quinden
June 30th, 2013, 04:29 PM
Peter, thanks so much!

You can definitely feel the carvings; it is a marvelous tactile experience :-)