Nib comparison question: Pilot PO vs Masuyama Needlepoint

[ethernautrix]

Give me a cartridge and a syringe any day.

You sound like a hunter with a drug habit.

The syringe is how you know it is a habit.

So you'd rather squirt a few fractions of a milliliter of ink into a tiny tube and then push it onto you pen, hoping that the fitting on the re-used cartridge hasn't worn out than use a little schmear of silicone on a barrel's threads after filling up with several mls of ink? You must really enjoy the refilling process.
(isn't you Danitrio an ED?)

You see, you do understand! Yes, I would rather squirt (or shoot, in the junky parlance) whatever amount of ink into a teeny tiny cartridge (the capacity of which rivals most piston-fillers, or so countless posts on fpn over the years have proclaimed), the fitting of which is easily ascertained fit or not (and easily replaced with lo! any of these cartridges neatly stored in a small container), than fuss with a tiny amount of silicone grease -- even though, it isn't so much the silicone grease (ah ha! the truth outs!) as it is the ink blorts from EDs. My c/c pens do not blort ink. My EDs have. My Danitrios are ED-convertible, and I have used them as such, but I've always reverted to c/c. CC: F-C 65 that I have used as an ED, currently using with a converter.

Ink blorts or blurps are fussy. No, thanks.

[Lloyd]

You can use random ink blobs as for fortune telling. Just place the sheet of paper containing still wet blobs upside down onto an (or is this a) Oiuji board, remove the paper, and learn your future... It's surprisingly accurate.

Eyedroppers with good feeds(Danitrio, FC, Edison, Newton,.. probably all that use Jowo/Bock screw in nibs, don't blob-unless you violently shake them. Now, you wouldn't do THAT, would you?

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[inklord]

My
Eyedropper pens
Don't
Squirt, burp, blob or otherwise unduly discharge
Ink
The Inklord Hath Shpoken

[inklord]

... and, Ether my dear, do you have a source for empty cartridges, or do you just empty them in the normal way (most of my best-liked inks dont come in cartridges)?

[Lloyd]

My
Eyedropper pens
Don't
Squirt, burp, blob or otherwise unduly discharge
Ink
The Inklord Hath Shpoken

I assume you fill and write with them.

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[Empty_of_Clouds]

Ethernautrix, I have a Bexley Prometheus that I re-fitted with an xxf steel Jowo #6 from FPNibs.com. Using Herbin Perle Noir this nib lays a line that will just cover the lines in a Hobonichi Techo. That is far too fine for me to measure, though the website claims a width of 0.2mm. They do a finer grind to 0.1mm too.

That said, it's not a smooth nib - and positively ruinous of the paper if any pressure is applied at the wrong angle. I doubt this will compare favourably with the Pilot PO nib, but then again I doubt any Jowo steel nib would compare with Pilot's nibs, no matter how they've been ground or by whom.

FWIW, I found that the F-C medium italic (Masuyama grind) I had was drier and more temperamental and overall less enjoyable to use than the equivalent grind from FPNibs.com. I have no idea who does their grinding though.

[ethernautrix]

You can use random ink blobs as for fortune telling. Just place the sheet of paper containing still wet blobs upside down onto an (or is this a) Oiuji board, remove the paper, and learn your future... It's surprisingly accurate.

Eyedroppers with good feeds(Danitrio, FC, Edison, Newton,.. probably all that use Jowo/Bock screw in nibs, don't blob-unless you violently shake them. Now, you wouldn't do THAT, would you?

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

I suppose I'm basing my SCARE TACTICS on my experience with a Ranga Soquel with a fabulous 14kt Wahl Eversharp nib that does sometimes blorp and leaks. I'm sure it can be fixed, but... it's easier to use another pen. Was using my Edison Morgan/Sheaffer Triumph Special until today with no problems at all! And I hadn't even used silicone grease on the threads -- and no leaks! (But I also didn't take it on bike rides. Ha.) I took it out of rotation only because TOO MANY PENS.

I would sooner shake a baby than shake a pen.



And I wouldn't shake a baby. Not ever. Even if it wouldn't stop crying. I don't shake the dog when she won't stop whining. I just try to figure out why she's whining. And then I give her a Benadryl.









TOTALLY KIDDING ABOUT THE BENADRYL.

[ethernautrix]

... and, Ether my dear, do you have a source for empty cartridges, or do you just empty them in the normal way (most of my best-liked inks dont come in cartridges)?

I've been writing with fountain pens for YEARS. For YEARS. I have a vast supply of cartridges -- empty ones after I realized what a treasure they were, paired with a syringe. So, yes, I used to empty them in the usual way -- by writing. I have been known to clean a cartridge of ink (after looking over my shoulder for the Ink Police) in order to fill it with a bottle-only ink. Shhhh...tell everybody. It's a secret that should be shared.

[ethernautrix]

Ethernautrix, I have a Bexley Prometheus that I re-fitted with an xxf steel Jowo #6 from FPNibs.com. Using Herbin Perle Noir this nib lays a line that will just cover the lines in a Hobonichi Techo. That is far too fine for me to measure, though the website claims a width of 0.2mm. They do a finer grind to 0.1mm too.

That said, it's not a smooth nib - and positively ruinous of the paper if any pressure is applied at the wrong angle. I doubt this will compare favourably with the Pilot PO nib, but then again I doubt any Jowo steel nib would compare with Pilot's nibs, no matter how they've been ground or by whom.

FWIW, I found that the F-C medium italic (Masuyama grind) I had was drier and more temperamental and overall less enjoyable to use than the equivalent grind from FPNibs.com. I have no idea who does their grinding though.

I have a few Jowo nibs (via Goulet Pens) that I have used variously in two Danitrios. I keep trying to "meister" them. Eh. It's all right. Actually, I like how the Jowo nib feels kindv sharp. Sometimes. Thinking about a particular nib.

Today, I've been using a Namiki Falcon SF, a pen I gave to someone who has let me use it, to decide what the heck I am thinking about, these nibs, good lord. I think I truly prefer (in this order) the Pilot PO and then the Pilot Falcon SEF. I love them both. The Namiki (now Pilot) SF... it's a great nib, but somehow... I have my Nakayas for a less-than Pilot SEF or PO nib. I'm not enthralled with the Pilot Falcon pens for their semi-flex capabilities (although... they are fun). I have the vintage Pelikan 100 (ca 1947) for that.

The problem is... I want a Pilot PO nib in one of my Nakaya Piccolo Cigars. *Sigh*

Maybe the solution lies in a nibmeister who can grind a comparable PO nib on one of my Nakayas. (I'm not bragging when I say "one of my Nakayas," by the way. I know plenty of others who have WAY MORE than my "modest" eight. WAY MORE. To feel rich, never compare up.)

[Lloyd]

How about putting a Platinum UEF nib into one of you herd of Nakayas?

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[ethernautrix]

How about putting a Platinum UEF nib into one of you herd of Nakayas?

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This is an option I'm thinking about. And then I thought, why don't I just see if a nibmeister can shape the tip of one of my Nakaya's nibs into a Posting nib or UEF nib. But I'd want to do this at a pen show, so I can bring my Pilots and my Nakayas so the nibmeister can look at both and assess the job and, if so, I can hover over his (or her) shoulder to make sure it's done correctly. Cos nibmeisters like that, right? The panicking breath down their necks? Seriously, though, I'd like to show the nib-guy my two Pilots and how I hold the pens and then ask if he or she can grind a Nakaya nib to that kind of (U)EF.

[Empty_of_Clouds]

Maybe the solution lies in a nibmeister who can grind a comparable PO nib on one of my Nakayas. (I'm not bragging when I say "one of my Nakayas," by the way. I know plenty of others who have WAY MORE than my "modest" eight. WAY MORE. To feel rich, never compare up.)

Ha ha. For me there is no comparison except in an upward direction. I don't personally know anyone with a pen more expensive than a Lamy Vista.

Is it possible for a nib person to adapt one of your Nakaya pens to fit the Pilot #15 PO nib?

[ethernautrix]

Maybe the solution lies in a nibmeister who can grind a comparable PO nib on one of my Nakayas. (I'm not bragging when I say "one of my Nakayas," by the way. I know plenty of others who have WAY MORE than my "modest" eight. WAY MORE. To feel rich, never compare up.)

Ha ha. For me there is no comparison except in an upward direction. I don't personally know anyone with a pen more expensive than a Lamy Vista.

Is it possible for a nib person to adapt one of your Nakaya pens to fit the Pilot #15 PO nib?

I know many people with expensive pens and vastly expansive collections, so it's easy for me to consider my "collection" humble. Being able to keep only the few pens one knows one will use and delight in using shows a restraint I admire but cannot - yet - manifest. Although, if I interpret what I just said loosely, I am keeping only the pens I use and will use and delight in using; it's just more than a handful. (Maybe four handsful.)

Because of your suggestion, I just now uncapped a Piccolo and the Pilot CH912 (with a #10 nib), and the nibs look very similar in size. Huzzah! A transplant might be possible! I won't attempt it, of course. I'll consult with some professionals. Thanks for the idea, EOC!

[dneal]

Maybe the solution lies in a nibmeister who can grind a comparable PO nib on one of my Nakayas. (I'm not bragging when I say "one of my Nakayas," by the way. I know plenty of others who have WAY MORE than my "modest" eight. WAY MORE. To feel rich, never compare up.)

Ha ha. For me there is no comparison except in an upward direction. I don't personally know anyone with a pen more expensive than a Lamy Vista.

Is it possible for a nib person to adapt one of your Nakaya pens to fit the Pilot #15 PO nib?

I know many people with expensive pens and vastly expansive collections, so it's easy for me to consider my "collection" humble. Being able to keep only the few pens one knows one will use and delight in using shows a restraint I admire but cannot - yet - manifest. Although, if I interpret what I just said loosely, I am keeping only the pens I use and will use and delight in using; it's just more than a handful. (Maybe four handsful.)

Because of your suggestion, I just now uncapped a Piccolo and the Pilot CH912 (with a #10 nib), and the nibs look very similar in size. Huzzah! A transplant might be possible! I won't attempt it, of course. I'll consult with some professionals. Thanks for the idea, EOC!

Not the cheapest option, but a Platinum 3776 nib is a direct swap for a Nakaya, and you can get it in a UEF.

[ethernautrix]

[QUOTE=dneal;197720]

Not the cheapest option, but a Platinum 3776 nib is a direct swap for a Nakaya, and you can get it in a UEF.

That is actually one of my considerations. And then I'll think, probably a nibmeister could grind the nib to that kindv fine (PO/EF/UEF). And then I wouldn't have this extra pen hanging around. Ya know?

I'm thinking either Dan Smith or Mike Masuyama could grind the Nakaya nib, but I'd want to explain in person and show how I hold the pen or whatever needs to happen to make the Nakaya nib write like the Pilot SEF or PO. There's just a...how to describe? Sharpness to the line, with subtle variation! that gives me such joy to write with those Pilot nibs.

[dneal]

Not the cheapest option, but a Platinum 3776 nib is a direct swap for a Nakaya, and you can get it in a UEF.

That is actually one of my considerations. And then I'll think, probably a nibmeister could grind the nib to that kindv fine (PO/EF/UEF). And then I wouldn't have this extra pen hanging around. Ya know?

I'm thinking either Dan Smith or Mike Masuyama could grind the Nakaya nib, but I'd want to explain in person and show how I hold the pen or whatever needs to happen to make the Nakaya nib write like the Pilot SEF or PO. There's just a...how to describe? Sharpness to the line, with subtle variation! that gives me such joy to write with those Pilot nibs.

For having a needlepoint ground, I think Masuyama is the one to go with. I had a Franklin Christoph with a Masuyama needlepoint. Here is my review over at FPN. Even though I print very small at meetings, it was too fine for even me.

You say "extra pen hanging around" like it's a bad thing...

[dfo]

+1 Mike it Work is the best at needle points, though I wonder if he would bend the nib for you to make it a true PO.

[inklord]

OK, Ethernautrix, catching up on that "subtle line variation" - next time you get a chance, try one of FC's new EF-SIG nibs. Pull stroke like a German EF/Japanese F, cross stroke an absolute hairline... You'd have to talk to Jim Rouse, perhaps, but he does a marvellous job with these SIGs. And I don't know of any other EF stubs on the 'regular' market.

[Empty_of_Clouds]

FPNibs.com will do you a Jowo #6 PO nib for around 20 euros.

[Farmboy]

There are cartridge 51s...