Japanese Wood

[amk]

I love a really good, nicely finished piece of wood. I now have two rather lovely Japanese wooden pens; one is the Platinum 3776 briar, and the other a Sailor 'Precious Wood' pen in quince wood (karin).



Both have pretty fine nibs, but the difference is really striking. The Sailor isn't scratchy, but it makes a definite hiss as it moves and gives a lot of feedback. I don't find it unpleasant, but it's a long way from the bouncy happy feeling of writing with the 3776. They both write slightly dry (using Diamine ink in both - lavender in one and havasu turquoise in the other).



Both are snap-on caps. and both have gold trim and black sections. There the similarities end. The Platinum has a very gentle step down from the barrel the section and a thick cap band, with no gold trim on the barrel. The Sailor has a relatively thin, stepped cap band, a thicker band on the barrel, and quite a noticeable step between section and barrel - fortunately with a section that's long enough that my fingers don't go anywhere near the step. I do feel the Platinum is better proportioned; the Sailor cap feels a bit too weighty for the pen.

The Sailor also has an odd sliding feeling as the section slips into the inner cap, before the cap snaps on. It's really quite odd and though I've got used to it, it's disconcerting. No such issues with the Platinum (except for the fact that if Ive been using one of my other, screw-cap, 3776s, I tend to end up trying to unscrew this one, before I remember it's a snap-on).



Both the pens look beautiful. The wood is highly figured - the swirly burr of the briar, the dark grain of the quince. Both also feel marvellous in the hand - the Sailor in particular is incredibly smooth. As a woodworker myself, I'd guess they've gone down to 600 or 700 grit at least! (The Platinum has a couple of dings, but I did know that when I bought it, and no reflection on the pen-maker - it had a wee accident falling off a desk.) One dark, one light. The gold trim nicely sets off the sobriety of the material.

The surprise with the Sailor is that it's really a tiny pen. Just over 13 cm long, and with a really quite narrow section. The Platinum at 14.5cm long is bulkier, though not a lot heavier in the hand.

I was also surprised to note that the Sailor has definite moulding marks left on the section - I wouldn't have expected this from what is after all quite an expensive pen. No such issues on the 3776, whose section is quite smooth.

Warning, both sections are fingerprint magnets.

I love both pens - the Sailor is the more tactile, the Platinum my favourite overall. I'd definitely pick up more in the series - there are light and sandblasted versions of the briar, and the Sailor series includes ebony, ironwood, cedar, chestnut, teak, and cherry bark, as well as the 'Yosegi' wood mosaic pen.

Does anyone else have Japanese wooden pens? I'd love to see them!

[penwash]

I like wood pens (as long as it is not made out of those pen kits).

My first wood pen from Japan is the Kamakura - Bori pen.

[Jon Szanto]

You (amk) would absolutely be delirious with the wooden pens made by Stylo Art from Japan. I've never done justice to their pens with my poor photo skills, but here are a couple shots from pen shows:

In the US, Ryan Krusac has quite a number of extremely handsome pens from wood and wood plus other materials. For a while I owned a Briarwood Nakaya, which is the exact same body as the Platinum, but the snap cap never did a good job of keeping the pen from drying out. I was sad to return that, and hope to have a nice wooden barrel pen some day.

[amk]

Wow! Those Stylo Art pens are just glorious. Glowing colours and a really minimalist design.

I only knew Ryan Krusac's scrimshaw work before you tipped me off, but I see he has a Legend in Cocobolo that practically has my name on it. I've never seen a wooden pen that looks so much as if it was made from Waterman Red Ripple material!!

So... I need to get to a pen show where these guys will be exhibiting. I have a horrible feeling, though, that will mean a trip to the States...

[grainweevil]

So... I need to get to a pen show where these guys will be exhibiting. I have a horrible feeling, though, that will mean a trip to the States...

Could become a pricy pen - better budget for at least a few to make it worth while.

Must admit, just for once, I'm glad I like wood, and I like pens, but I don't like wooden pens. But interesting to see how small the Sailor is. I had no idea.

[shark0175]

The famous wood to make pen from Japan that I know is Ebony. It is a dense and heavy wood that is prized for its deep black color and fine grain. It is a popular choice for high-end pens and is often used in combination with other woods for contrast. io games

[emmausa]

I love a really good, nicely finished piece of wood. I now have two rather lovely Japanese wooden pens; one is the Platinum 3776 briar, and the other a Sailor 'Precious Wood' pen in quince wood (karin).



Both have pretty fine nibs, but the difference is really striking. The Sailor isn't scratchy, but it makes a definite hiss as it moves and gives a lot of feedback. I don't find it unpleasant, but it's a long way from the bouncy happy feeling of writing with the 3776. They both write slightly dry (using Diamine ink in both - lavender in one and havasu turquoise in the other).



Both are snap-on caps. and both have gold trim and black sections. There the similarities end. The Platinum has a very gentle step down from the barrel the section and a thick cap band, with no gold trim on the barrel. among us The Sailor has a relatively thin, stepped cap band, a thicker band on the barrel, and quite a noticeable step between section and barrel - fortunately with a section that's long enough that my fingers don't go anywhere near the step. I do feel the Platinum is better proportioned; the Sailor cap feels a bit too weighty for the pen.

The Sailor also has an odd sliding feeling as the section slips into the inner cap, before the cap snaps on. It's really quite odd and though I've got used to it, it's disconcerting. No such issues with the Platinum (except for the fact that if Ive been using one of my other, screw-cap, 3776s, I tend to end up trying to unscrew this one, before I remember it's a snap-on).



Both the pens look beautiful. The wood is highly figured - the swirly burr of the briar, the dark grain of the quince. Both also feel marvellous in the hand - the Sailor in particular is incredibly smooth. As a woodworker myself, I'd guess they've gone down to 600 or 700 grit at least! (The Platinum has a couple of dings, but I did know that when I bought it, and no reflection on the pen-maker - it had a wee accident falling off a desk.) One dark, one light. The gold trim nicely sets off the sobriety of the material.

The surprise with the Sailor is that it's really a tiny pen. Just over 13 cm long, and with a really quite narrow section. The Platinum at 14.5cm long is bulkier, though not a lot heavier in the hand.

I was also surprised to note that the Sailor has definite moulding marks left on the section - I wouldn't have expected this from what is after all quite an expensive pen. No such issues on the 3776, whose section is quite smooth.

Warning, both sections are fingerprint magnets.

I love both pens - the Sailor is the more tactile, the Platinum my favourite overall. I'd definitely pick up more in the series - there are light and sandblasted versions of the briar, and the Sailor series includes ebony, ironwood, cedar, chestnut, teak, and cherry bark, as well as the 'Yosegi' wood mosaic pen.

Does anyone else have Japanese wooden pens? I'd love to see them!

It's interesting to hear about the differences in writing experience between the two pens. The feedback and hiss of the Sailor pen, although different from the bouncy feeling of the Platinum, seem to add a distinct charm to the writing process.

[leorasy]

Japanese woodworking is renowned for its precision, attention to detail, and use of traditional hand tools. Woodworkers in Japan have developed sophisticated techniques for joinery, creating furniture, stumble guys, and other wooden structures without the use of nails or screws.

[telpop]

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