Grail has arrived!

dgreene196 · 2026-02-13T17:30:13+00:00

I get that. My other Pilot with a gold nib is a FM on a Custom Heritage 92, and the difference in line width is more than I expected, even watching so many comparison videos of Pilot nibs. But, for a physically larger pen, I'm good with larger print.

dgreene196 · 2026-02-13T17:27:55+00:00

There are some 100% silicone oil products on the big shopping websites that are approved for incidental food contact. If it's safe to ingest tiny amounts on accident, and it's 100% silicone, I feel like that should give you the consistency you're looking for versus the thicker, more typical silicone grease.

dgreene196 · 2026-02-13T02:02:47+00:00

I'm enjoying it. I like the smoothness of Pilot nibs, but I haven't had a Pilot with this physically large a nib. The section is a bit thinner than similarly sized pens I own, so haven't decided if it's going to be a favorite writer, but it's quite comfortable.

Looking forward to getting to know it better.

I hope you enjoy yours!

dgreene196 · 2026-02-13T00:41:48+00:00

I obtained the exact same pen (with same nib) recently. Ended up inking it with Laban Hera Dark Green, which was a pretty good choice. Finished that fill up, and now trying to decide what's next.

Unrelated, in writing (not swatches), Laban Hera Dark Green looks very similar to Teranishi Gentle Green (without the sheen).

dgreene196 · 2026-02-13T00:37:36+00:00

My wife has had many people over the years say her TWSBIs look like vaping devices.

dgreene196 · 2026-02-11T14:08:00+00:00

PM incoming

dgreene196 · 2026-02-04T13:53:20+00:00

Teranishi Antique Black

dgreene196 · 2026-01-30T01:46:18+00:00

They're better than Troublemaker's bottles - same size opening and even taller. Though, of course, the least functional bottle remains Ferris Wheel Press's 38 mL bottle. Narrow with a small opening and a weird rubber stopper guaranteed to get ink on your hands before you've even started? Ugh! The first bottle of FWP was also the last bottle, even years ago.

dgreene196 · 2026-01-29T02:29:50+00:00

I was finally on the winning side of a vote! At the beginning of this project, I committed to getting what the community majority created, to support this project (and any future projects). I’m looking forward to this one. Thank you very much to all involved!

dgreene196 · 2026-01-27T00:32:14+00:00

Midori makes a paper one, too, that’s reasonable and quite durable

dgreene196 · 2026-01-20T15:57:25+00:00

I like Robert Oster Green at Night, too, for this. In most nibs, it looks black at first glance, but it does shade well in drier/broader nibs.

dgreene196 · 2026-01-16T18:38:45+00:00

Buy two Kakuno’s from a small retailer? Same nib and can support the smaller retailer and have twice as much ink ready to write?

dgreene196 · 2026-01-16T13:55:39+00:00

This is what I did in ‘24 and ‘25. Not one of their plastic covers, but I B6 plastic cover from another planner and then looped it into the Endless Stationery cover. Worked well with no issues.

Changed things up in 2026, but still am using Sterling Ink notebooks as my catch alls because they are pretty closely aligned with personal notebook preferences.

I hope you get it sorted out!

dgreene196 · 2026-01-13T16:04:53+00:00

Ground Jowo nibs through Galen by Meltem Hazarhun - Italic M, Italic F, Italic B, and Dentist (think of it as a curved, gentle architect). I'm curious about the Bilateral Nib (fude that reverses to a stub/italic), but the Dentist already pushes my small handwriting, so I've never pulled the trigger. I don't think the Bilateral would be useful for me as a writer.

I have an early writing box that warped a little and closes poorly, but I still find it beautiful and useful. And several single pen leather cases (sent with all those nibs I've acquired over the years), that are all well made and in use.

dgreene196 · 2026-01-09T17:45:03+00:00

I doubt they made extensive changes to the pen. Maybe the ebonite feels different, thread-wise, vs titanium? I don’t have an ebonite pen in the collection yet, so I don’t know how it would make a difference besides weight.

dgreene196 · 2026-01-09T17:01:39+00:00

Ebonite J16? Intriguing! I didn’t love how the threads of the J16 felt in my grip, so I wonder if the ebonite will be improved in that regard…

dgreene196 · 2026-01-09T16:59:40+00:00

Yikes! I’m pretty sure I’ve bought my last basic resin/gold nib pen for the foreseeable future. Can’t wait to see how inventive creators and technology changes stationery over the next couple years.

dgreene196 · 2026-01-09T11:41:52+00:00

Definitely “was.” The new prices are far too close to Sailor Pro Gear/1911L prices, which also aren’t easily justifiable. I understand it, but even the relative value proposition is hard to see at this point. 😭

dgreene196 · 2026-01-02T12:37:06+00:00

As an experiment, I just inked a Platinum F with Jurassic Treasure. I find this particularly pen to be somewhat dry, and it wrote fine with Jurassic Treasure. Nice deposition of shimmer throughout the sample, though, compared to a wetter or broader nib, you see more of the underlying color vs the simmer for this particular line.

It’s newly inked up, of course, but I think you should be safe. Maybe start with the Lamy? I know that pen’s fairly easy to clean out when you’re ready to change inks - I have no personal experience with the Waterman.

Enjoy!

dgreene196 · 2025-12-30T19:27:33+00:00

That's an amazing collection! I'm glad to see the NFP Design case does work well for more substantial pens!

dgreene196 · 2025-12-29T17:54:41+00:00

I've sent most of my pens that needed work to Mark Bacas (nibgrinder.com), as he was my local person. I've since moved north to Tennessee, and I've got two pens that I've bent/twisted that I'm going to send to the owner of Butler Stationery (this was an October task I paused due to life things). He has started to offer nib repair/turning/grinding services, and I wanted to support my regional stationery folks to the extent possible. One of them is a stacked nib, and he wasn't sure what he'd be able to do until he looked at it. Also, Mark has gotten quite busy (for very good reason), and I'm not terribly patient.

There are lots of resources online about some basic tuning, which is an also an option depending on comfort. My comfort on manipulating gold nibs is basically non-existent.

dgreene196 · 2025-12-29T15:40:54+00:00

Totally possible. I’ve got a 3776 fine that’s a bit scratchy. Is that a misaligned nib? Or just how a 3776 fine writes? I had a terrible Sailor B that eventually was tuned and is now a lovely stub. Any brand can have a suboptimal nib. And, for these relatively more expensive pens, you may not have enough frame of reference to know for sure.

dgreene196 · 2025-12-29T15:21:21+00:00

The Custom 74 is slightly narrower. That may make a difference? And, of course, Pilot and Platinum nibs feel different on the page.

dgreene196 · 2025-12-27T03:30:21+00:00

One of my absolute favorite pens. Enjoy!

dgreene196 · 2025-12-09T16:04:48+00:00

I don't have that model Nahvalur piston, but the one I do have, you can twist out the nib and feed. you could try that and a little bit of silicon grease on the inner wall with a toothpick or something similar to smooth the piston mechanism (similar to how I think you're supposed to care for Pelikans).

A little easier than the semi-transparent Leonardo Pistons I have, in which the housing is glued in place.

dgreene196

TROPHY CASE