Mike Masuyama of Mike It Work

[Laura N]

Short version: he is a master nib-worker, who turned a pen that was just okay into a pen that is wonderful. I highly recommend him to anyone who needs work on a special pen.

Long version: One of the most frustrating experiences is having a pen whose nib is okay but for some undefinable reason not wonderful. There's no flaw, but you just don't love writing with it. That's especially true when the pen is an expensive one. I saved up for years for my one Nakaya, a Portable Writer in Aka-tamenuri, with a fine nib. And it was just okay, for me. There wasn't anything wrong with the nib -- it was tuned as I liked and it was in alignment. There was no reason to send it back for adjustment. It was a perfect Nakaya nib. It just turns out that a perfect Nakaya nib isn't a perfect nib for me.

Sidebar: I well understand that for many people the Nakaya nib is a perfect experience, so I am not casting aspersions. It's a fine pen. It's just a matter of taste, and it turns out that I just prefer a different experience. For example, I prefer a Sailor fine nib. That's one of the problems with buying blind, which I knew going in. In buying this pen blind, I broke my cardinal rule, and that's all on me. I know that's a stupid thing to do, especially with an expensive pen. It's not the pen's fault. But when one of your most expensive pens isn't your favorite, it's disappointing.

So, when I went to the Chicago Pen Show the first weekend of May, I brought my Nakaya just in case Mike Masuyama attended. I have a fine nib that he ground for one of my Edison pens, and that is one of my favorite nibs. Mike used to work for Sailor, and I just had a feeling he'd be the perfect person for this pen. I was lucky enough to find him there, but unlucky enough to only have an hour at the show, which wasn't enough time to get through his waiting list. He volunteered to take the pen back to California with him. I simply said to him and his wife that for some reason I don't like this nib, please take a look and perhaps make it more like a Sailor fine. He said he'd adjust it. He thought the Nakaya might be a little more flexy than I liked.

And now, just about two weeks later, it is back in my hands. And it is transformed. I have absolutely no idea what he did -- there's a lot of art in this, and maybe a bit of magic -- but for me the pen is now perfect. It writes lighter for me, somehow: thinner and perhaps sharper. I am so grateful. Also a little astonished. He took my vague discontent, and my complete lack of instruction, and he turned this pen into a perfect writer for me.

I'm now going to root around for any disappointing pens I might have, and send them to Mike.