MKE's view on pens

I wrote recently that the company Kuretake from Japan seems to show more interest in fountain pens. Their unique material (deer antler) used for the barrels makes their pens collectible pens. I was lucky that I could borrow one of their pens. I had reported the unpacking and the pen measurements in report part 1 In short, a nice pen which is my preferred pen size. It writes a European M size and delivers a lot of ink. The pen has a Bock nib, size M - which means that you will find this VERY broad - if you, like me, are used to Japanese nib sizes. However, it is a pleasure of smoothness. I once tested Bock nibs of different nib sizes. Bock M is the first size where you will not experience any feedback of any paper. With size F, you can feel already feedback - with MF, I was not sure if I did feel or not. Above M is not my world. Below F, I use my Sailor pens for writing Kanji. If I can chose, I usually chose European F for writing Western text.   I recommend to chang...

Mark your calendars. I had heard this as rumours some time ago, yesterday I was told again and also found it on the homepage of a penmaker. So, it seems to be true. (1st) Tokyo International Pen Show 2018; September 29 - 30 Tokyo Metropolitan Industrial and Trade Center Taito Hall 7th Floor 2-6-5 Hanakawado, Taitou-ku, Tokyo 111-0033 Google Maps Update Meanwhile they have a homepage: LINK See who is coming to the first show: LINK

1) document your old pens in an online museum on your homepage. You should be proud of them. Don't hide them. And let people download information (pdf) for each pen. 2) Make pdf catalogs available where extensive information (data, pictures) is available for every pen you make. 3) Make newsletters where you provide information to interested people (your customers) .

I am always fascinated by glittering stuff. Therefore it should not be surprising that I am attracted to gold and silver pens. Regularly, I check Yahoo Auctions and Ebay for glittering treasures. And this is a recent find on Yahoo. USUS Sterling Silver Barley Fountain and Ball-pen Set. Modell name: JET.  Price of the set was around 550-600 Euro at that time.  Cap and barrel are solid Sterling Silber 925, component parts are rhodium plated brass. Fountain pen total 32.7 g Cap 19.6 g Barrel 10.5 g Feed section 2.7 g Ball-pen Total 42.2 g Fountain pen Capped 143 mm (Ball-pen same size) Uncapped 120 mm Barrel 80 mm Nib 17mm / 8mm Feed section 40 mm Nib: maker unknown 18K 750 M Photo of the feed section I tested it with the cartridge included - after filling up the evaporated water. It is a smooth writer. On the trim band is written: USUS Germany Sterling Silver 925 Actually, it is made by Waldmann Germany around 2003 and was made...

Kuretake's Dream Galaxy (夢銀河) I have a fountain pen from the company Kuretake (Japan). Kuretake is a famous maker of brush pens and seems to have decided to enter the fountain pen market (disclaimer: this is my speculation). Cronicas Estilograficas has reported already about their offer some time ago. They are from the area of Nara ( Google Maps ). Nara is not only famous for their old temples but also for the many deer roaming freely among temples and tourists. Deer also means that deer antler is abundantly available. And Kuretake has started using it as material for part of their pens. It is the white material at the barrel in the picture above. This material can also be died and Kuretake has additionally an indigo-died pen and a red one - see their catalogue in an earlier post LINK . The pen I would like to show you here is called 夢銀河 (Yume-Gin-Ga) in Japanese which translates either as "Dream Galaxy" or "Dream Milky Way". When I unpacked the pa...

This Yahoo auction just ended. A Dunhill-Namiki catalogue from 昭和１０ (1935). 66508 Yen (508 Euro / 626 USD) was also the price at the end of the auction. Now, this is a good price for 14 old pages of paper. Someone really spent a lot of money to get this catalogue. Speculations are already under way, who was that buyer. Personally, I would prefer the red pen on the cover page instead. But, search your attics. You might find the catalogue which pays your next pen(s).

Kuretake Fountain Pens 夢銀河 The famous maker of brush pens in Japan, Kuretake , seems to increase its offering of fountain pens. Last year, when I saw them on a stationary exhibition, they had only one fountain pen on display. This year on the Mitsukoshi pen show they had already several.  See some pictures below. A brush pen in the back and a beautiful black fountain pen in front. A limited edition pen, offered by Takashimaya Materials: Antler from Nara (Japan) dyed with indigo. Bock nib 77760 Yen, if you are interested. LINK Pictures from the catalogue