The mystery Nakaya revealed

[AltecGreen]

I decided to go in a new direction for my new Nakaya.

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5607/15426457319_3334340ea5_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/pvbCj4)


https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3936/14992356284_94180c5d79_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/oQPKcs)


https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3955/15589439436_4aa69eae40_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/pKzXdy)


https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3934/15610428831_0c8c5094eb_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/pMrwCF)

[Bogon07]

Congratulations on your Nakaya.
Fascinating affect; I know I'd spend a lot of time staring at the finish.

[sarahfar]

Very interesting. Very very provocative. Very sexy......

Seems 10 might not be enough for little ole Mike.

[Mags]

Wow lovely finish to the pen. A thanks alone would not do the picture justice. Wow is my reaction.

[earthdawn]

WOW !!!

Ok so now we need a shot of the section & nib.

Amazing finish... is the body a Naka-ai?

Congrats... wow

[reprieve]

Gorgeous. I just spent ten minutes staring at those photos. In the closeup shots, the red sparkles look as if they're suspended in the urushi--producing almost a 3D effect.

What is that finish called?

[Alex2014]

:boom:

[Laura N]

That looks like (a spectacular version of) glitter glue. So beautiful!

Can you tell us what the finish is called? And anything else about it? I think Ernest Shin has done something similar with a Parker 51, but I may be misremembering the specifics.

[AltecGreen]

The name is a long one. The pen is a Nakaya Naka-ai in Kanshitsu Togikiri with Bokashi gradation from dark blue to Botan-Iro.

The pen starts out in a similar way to the Ishime (rock like finish) pens. The red comes from red urushi particles sprinkled on a base color. The sprinkling is similar to Nashiji-nuri in Maki-e except urushi particles are used instead of gold. The sprinkling is done in a way to create the gradation from top to bottom. Then a layer of shu-ai urushi is added and then the whole pen is polished to a smooth glossy finish.

[tandaina]

Wow. Gorgeous!

[Scrawler]

I seem to have fallen into an alternate universe, where the standards of beauty have been redefined. Maybe I am dreaming. I would not be able to write with it, I would be spending all my time looking for inspiration amid the myriad red dwarfs hidden inside its skin.

[Laura N]

^ It does that for me, too. I saw it and thought of the Big Bang. The event, not the show. :)

[tandaina]

So is that a new design, or was this custom made for you?

[Jon Szanto]

That looks like (a spectacular version of) glitter glue.

Wow. You're just feeding me all these great ideas! This one is going to be right up there with the hammered cap, but I have to go to Michael's first...

[AltecGreen]

So is that a new design, or was this custom made for you?

This was custom made for me as are most of my Nakaya pens. The technique is not new for Nakaya but I don't know if Nakaya has previously made a pen using this technique and this specific color combination. It probably has not been done on a Naka-ai.

The color used in previous pens was green and yellow but no gradation.

[AltecGreen]

WOW !!!

Ok so now we need a shot of the section & nib.

Amazing finish... is the body a Naka-ai?

Congrats... wow

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5603/14999649443_633b71bb2a_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/oRt8cz)

[earthdawn]

WOW !!!

Ok so now we need a shot of the section & nib.

Amazing finish... is the body a Naka-ai?

Congrats... wow

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5603/14999649443_633b71bb2a_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/oRt8cz)

WOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There is so much depth there it looks like you could dip your finger in it.

You just know they had fun making this pen and it got passed around for everyone there to look at.

Thats one fine nib. I see you got the new version as well.

[Catherine Van Hove]

This is indeed a very beautiful Nakaya pen. I looks stunning.

[Crazyorange]

Outstanding beautiful. I bet that pen is a joy to hold,

[MY63]

What a stunning pen, when you think of the hours spent making such a beautiful pen words can't describe the quality of craftsmanship.
Thanks for sharing
Michael

[Empty_of_Clouds]

Well I'm going to ask even if nobody else will. What does a custom Nakaya like this cost to have made?

[AltecGreen]

http://www.nakaya.org/en/review.aspx?id=18011&type=body

[heymatthew]

An absolutely beautiful pen! Could we trouble you for a writing sample at some point?

[GING GING]

Wow, almost 2 grand. I'm surprised you only got a 14 kt nib. 5 hundred, maybe 6. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but you just spent nearly 2 grand on a paint job that can be done with an airbrush. It is a good lookin pen, though.

[heymatthew]

Wow, almost 2 grand. I'm surprised you only got a 14 kt nib. 5 hundred, maybe 6. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but you just spent nearly 2 grand on a paint job that can be done with an airbrush. It is a good lookin pen, though.

Pretty uncalled for, don't you think?

[GING GING]

I gave an opinion. I didn't attack anyone. I didn't use profanity. Does that help you out?

[gweddig]

snip... a paint job that can be done with an airbrush...

I'm pretty sure your troll-like comment (just an opinion) doesn't deserve a response...but are you sure it could be done with an airbrush?
Are you an expert at airbrushing? Because I would really like to see an airbrushed pen that looks like this...

[GING GING]

Hey Gweddig. Since when is it trolling to give a dissenting point of view. Honest, fair critique, should always be shared dissenting points of view should be encouraged not stifled. I have absolutely no ill will towards Altec green. How about we let it go from here.

[Jon Szanto]

I'm pretty sure your troll-like comment (just an opinion) doesn't deserve a response...but are you sure it could be done with an airbrush?
Are you an expert at airbrushing? Because I would really like to see an airbrushed pen that looks like this...

He's an airbrush expert, right along with being a Vacumatic repair expert. As well as a business expert.

And a provocateur. Not a very bright one, considering he is attempting to tell a formidable collector of Nakaya pens, a person who has worked in great detail with their artisans on a regular basis, what a bad deal he got. Silly, really.

So, by all means, just let Ging Ging continue to post, because his posts alone are all anyone needs to suss him out.

[Farmboy]

Amazing dialogue.

Suspect Green is impressed.

[mhosea]

I'm certainly impressed. As luck would have it, I have one of these with me today, one of the few remnants of my early forays into the world of inexpensive Chinese pens. I wish its manufacturers had had GING GING's airbrush skills.

http://www.penlibrary.com/images/Haolilai/haolilai_167_1.jpg

[Laura N]

Hey Gweddig. Since when is it trolling to give a dissenting point of view. Honest, fair critique, should always be shared dissenting points of view should be encouraged not stifled. I have absolutely no ill will towards Altec green. How about we let it go from here.

I agree that "Honest, fair critique, should always be shared dissenting points of view should be encouraged not stifled." But that's not what that comment was. Perhaps unintentionally, that comment wasn't a dissenting point of view, but merely a putdown. It's rude to say to someone, in effect, "you wasted a lot of money." It's the kind of thing people don't say in person to a mere acquaintance. And it's not critique. Critique is meant to help someone improve something.

Too often on this forum people who take the time to post something get attacked. Someone makes a casual remark about a vac filler and gets subjected to Socratic questioning that is more embarrassing than instructing, since illumination could have been presented kindly and directly. Someone posts a photo of a pen and gets attacked for spending too much. At least AltecGreen has defenders. He's lucky. Most people who encounter this don't. In fact usually the person making the harsh comment defends himself, or others do so. I think you probably picked on the wrong guy here.

The main thing is, this kind of thing discourages people from posting. That's all. And since usually it's directed at someone who isn't as popular as AltecGreen seems to be, then it makes the poster feel attacked and it drives them away.

A good rule of thumb is often: if you don't have something nice to say, then say nothing. And maybe, just maybe, we all should try a little harder to find something nice to say. Maybe think about treating people as you would in person.

[dannzeman]

Wow, almost 2 grand. I'm surprised you only got a 14 kt nib. 5 hundred, maybe 6. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but you just spent nearly 2 grand on a paint job that can be done with an airbrush. It is a good lookin pen, though.

This is uncalled for. I can't really state it better than Laura N has. I'm giving you the week off to reflect on your statement and digest Laura's response. Make sure you understand every bit of it, even if that means pulling out a dictionary and looking up words like "critique", "dissent", and "rude." Take a hard look at how people treat each other in this community and figure what adjustments you need to make. If you still want to act like this when your temp ban is up, you're more than welcome to visit some other forum.

[purplepencils]

What a gorgeous pen. I love nashiji-nuri but I must say, urushi flakes work just as well!

[mhosea]

The main thing is, this kind of thing discourages people from posting. That's all. And since usually it's directed at someone who isn't as popular as AltecGreen seems to be, then it makes the poster feel attacked and it drives them away.


For a daily dose of irony on this point, take a quick look at my visitor wall. :)

[AltecGreen]

I get back from being secret and things blow up here.


GING GING is probably ignorant of urushi and maki-e techniques. It would not be the first time for someone not familiar with urushi work to say it can be done with an airbrush. It's funny because had a discussion with Manupropria about Nakaya and he thought they did not charge enough for their pens because the time needed for urushi work.


The key part of the technique used for my pen is the polishing. The pen is polished form the rough Ishime surface to one that is mirror smooth. If you compare the price of the greenish pen in the link I provided above with it's the decapod version of the pen, you can see how much the polishing can cost.


http://www.nakaya.org/en/review.aspx?id=18010&type=body

For those not familiar with Japanese urushi and maki-e techniques, check out this video (http://www.kk-makie.com/mov/makie.html). The pen and tray shown being made was for Sailor. That specific combo of pen, box, and tray retailed for $197k (and was the subject to a rant similar to GING GING's on FPN a few years back.) The pricing for urushi/maki-e/raden/chinkin work is by the area. A master can charge $50-60k for a sq. ft. of maki-e work as an example.

[tandaina]

Airbrush expert perhaps but obviously has never held a Nakaya if he thinks that finish is the same as airbrushing.

And yes Mr Troll you did attack someone, you just implied that the original poster was an idiot and a rube. He's not, and your comments were uncalled for.

Here is the problem with the Internet, people think that because they think something they should say it. My Grandmother's words still work: if you don't have something nice to say don't so anything at all.

Thabks for handing this well Dan. Love this pen and love getting to see thd creaivity of our members. :D

[heymatthew]

But... How does it write!? :)

[AltecGreen]

But... How does it write!? :)

I'll try to put something up this weekend since I just got back from travel.


The nib is a Nakaya Super Extra Fine and writes like my other Nakaya SEF nibs. I suppose a completely useless but true statement is that it writes like all of my other Nakayas. These are my daily user pens since I rarely ink up my vintage pens. The SEF nib is my preferred nib because it is very fine. The only other comparable stock nib would be a Sailor Saibi Togi. The pen is tuned for my very light pressure.

The pen works and writes the way I want it to. That I suppose is the whole point of a Nakaya.

My daily carry is this new pen, another Nakaya modified for flex, and a Nakaya with a cursive italic nib.

[heymatthew]

How wonderful!!! Sounds great. It's a beautiful piece. Enjoy it in good health!

[brewsky]

This pen is stunning. I really need to stay off nakaya's website.

I love the way the red starts out thick and things out towards the cap. Just an amazing piece of art you have there.

[Farmboy]

But... How does it write!? :)
My daily carry is this new pen, another Nakaya modified for flex, and a Nakaya with a cursive italic nib.

Suspect our friend wouldn't get carrying 5K in pens as 'every day' pens.

All I had today was a Jotter...but a special one.

[laoriginaltec]

Beautiful Pen!

[reprieve]

Thanks to this thread, I've decided to sell all of my Nakaya pens. I've been such a chump. After I sell my pens, I should be able to afford to have my car painted thusly:

http://redcroc.ru/wp-content/uploads/portfolio/aerografiya-bmw-x5-tigry/2.jpg

But I do have a question: how long will it take for the artwork to ascend? I want my white tiger car to be really bright. Do you think the airbrush artist could add some silver powders to the paint for that extra sparkle and depth?

[laoriginaltec]

Thanks to this thread, I've decided to sell all of my Nakaya pens. I've been such a chump. After I sell my pens, I should be able to afford to have my car painted thusly:

http://redcroc.ru/wp-content/uploads/portfolio/aerografiya-bmw-x5-tigry/2.jpg

But I do have a question: how long will it take for the artwork to ascend? I want my white tiger car to be really bright. Do you think the airbrush artist could add some silver powders to the paint for that extra sparkle and depth?
LOL,[emoji23] .

[gweddig]

[snip]
But I do have a question: how long will it take for the artwork to ascend? I want my white tiger car to be really bright. Do you think the airbrush artist could add some silver powders to the paint for that extra sparkle and depth?

I think you should at least have the tires plated, maybe custom tread cut. I also like how you can see the people sloshing around in there through those windows.

[mhosea]

Do you think the airbrush artist could add some silver powders to the paint for that extra sparkle and depth?

Try this first. (http://fpgeeks.com/forum/showthread.php/8707-Cleaning-a-Nakaya-Pen?p=101283&viewfull=1#post101283)

[DMurphy]

@AltecGreen - Thank you for your statement that this is your new daily carry pen. People will judge both positive and negative a person that invests more than they are able in anything, but at the end of the day I really appreciate that your investment is for your enjoyment, "The pen is tuned for my very light pressure."

It is a gorgeous pen and while I am not able to afford such a fine instrument my daily carry pens are the ones that bring me enjoyment and make me feel good in the process.

Thank you for sharing.

[AltecGreen]

Here is the writing sample. The penny and airbrush are for scale. The airbrush is my trusty Iwata HP-SBS that I have used for well over a decade. The ink is the Maruzen Anniversary ink which is what I inked the new Nakaya with.


https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7513/15506831769_29414bba8a_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/pChyQr)

[GING GING]

Dear AltecGreen. I was out and out rude to you. I actually think your pen is gorgeous but I intentionally blasted it. On a few occasions I have posted pics of near 2 thousand dollar pens and didn't get so much as a like. So, I thought maybe some folks are just jealous and shallow. So when I saw your post and every one commenting on it, I got angry and decided to blast it. This isn't an excuse. I'm just telling you why I did it. I know that I was being hateful and I'm sorry for that. You've never said anything hostile to me. You didn't even return my insults. You are a better person than I am.

[heymatthew]

Here is the writing sample. The penny and airbrush are for scale. The airbrush is my trusty Iwata HP-SBS that I have used for well over a decade. The ink is the Maruzen Anniversary ink which is what I inked the new Nakaya with.


https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7513/15506831769_29414bba8a_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/pChyQr)

Wonderful! You weren't kidding when you said that your handwriting was small! Wow! :)

[heymatthew]

Dear AltecGreen. I was out and out rude to you. I actually think your pen is gorgeous but I intentionally blasted it. On a few occasions I have posted pics of near 2 thousand dollar pens and didn't get so much as a like. So, I thought maybe some folks are just jealous and shallow. So when I saw your post and every one commenting on it, I got angry and decided to blast it. This isn't an excuse. I'm just telling you why I did it. I know that I was being hateful and I'm sorry for that. You've never said anything hostile to me. You didn't even return my insults. You are a better person than I am.

I can't speak for everyone else, but I think it's great that you presented an apology! Don't beat yourself up too much, though. We all do and say stupid things sometimes. That's what makes us human. Welcome back to the forum!

[VertOlive]

So here's a question--when I mentioned I wanted a Nakaya, someone asked me if the nib is particular to the pen or if they used a regular Sailor nib. I don't know, never even having held one, but I'm sure someone on this thread could enlighten me...?

[mhosea]

Sailor nib

You meant to write "Platinum nib", of course.

[tandaina]

Mine looks just like the nib of my platinum but with different engravings. But they feel a bit different. Might be in my head, might not. And more sizes available. My Nakaya is BB, I don't see that size readily available on Platinum.

[VertOlive]

Sailor nib

You meant to write "Platinum nib", of course.

Doh, there was a bottle of Sailor ink in front of me as I posted...but yes, I did mean Platinum, thanks.

[AltecGreen]

Dear AltecGreen. I was out and out rude to you. I actually think your pen is gorgeous but I intentionally blasted it. On a few occasions I have posted pics of near 2 thousand dollar pens and didn't get so much as a like. So, I thought maybe some folks are just jealous and shallow. So when I saw your post and every one commenting on it, I got angry and decided to blast it. This isn't an excuse. I'm just telling you why I did it. I know that I was being hateful and I'm sorry for that. You've never said anything hostile to me. You didn't even return my insults. You are a better person than I am.



Apology accepted. Don't dwell on this too much. I wasn't really bothered by the whole affair.

[AltecGreen]

Mine looks just like the nib of my platinum but with different engravings. But they feel a bit different. Might be in my head, might not. And more sizes available. My Nakaya is BB, I don't see that size readily available on Platinum.

They are exactly the same nib design as Platinum and use the same feed design. That's why when Platinum changed the nib design when they came out with the new 3776 design, Nakaya changed as well.


The Nakaya nibs differ in that they are offered in a a much wider variety of finishes and are offered in all of the nib sizes.

[leighpod]

I just read this. :) I can only imagine the technical skill needed to pull off the gradation. It is a lovely Nakaya and it is with someone who appreciates fine craftsmanship to a painstaking degree. :) :) :)