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On this page you will find extended info on the materials used to make Sailor pens and the nibs that are used.
Materials
A Sailor pen is equal to the highest quality and many regard the pens as the best available writing instruments in
the world. The materials used by Sailor are also of the highest quality and each of them is perfect for that
special Sailor collection. Below you will find more information on the materials used for the pens.
Resin
The Sailor 1911 and Sapporo pens amongst others are produced from PMMA resin. PMMA short for Polymethyl methacrylate is a member of a family of polymers which chemists call acrylates, but the rest of the world calls
acrylics. The material is one of the hardest polymers, rigid, glass-clear with glossy finish and good weather
resistance.
Parts made of PMMA have high mechanical strength and good dimensional stability. PMMA is also highly scratch
resistant.
Ebonite
The Sailor King of Pens is hand turned on a lathe from Ebonite which is sometimes known as black hard rubber. It is
often used in bowling balls, smoking pipe mouthpieces, fountain pen bodies and nib feeds, and saxophone and
clarinet mouthpieces. Ebonite material is very warm to the touch and it’s rich elasticity and unique texture
provides quality and character to the product.
Ebonite may discolor over time and when exposed to ultraviolet (sun)light it may become matte, giving the pen its
own personality. If you do want to keep your pen glossy you may choose for a pen made of ebonite with a layer of
urushi lacquer, preventing the pen to discolor for a very long time, or choose a resin Sailor pen.
Sterling Silver
Some models are produced from 925 Sterling Silver. Being produced in Japan there is no requirement for a hallmark
but the pens are marked "925 Sterling Silver". For sterling silver pens, when not coated with for instance rhodium
or platinum, you will have to use some silver cleaner from time to time as the pen will tarnish. Do not put the
silver cleaner on the pen, rather place a little on a clean cloth and then rub the pen, and then polish the pen
with a clean cloth. Start with very small amounts. Use a good cotton cloth as you will have to go under the clips
and you do not want threads catching.
Furthermore, Sailor also uses various types of wood (e.g. bamboo, ebony, briar wood, Yaku-Sugi) for their pens, all
with their own characteristics and outstanding natural appearance. Also, Arita porcelain (also known centuries ago
as Imari porcelain) was used in the creation of some of the finest pens.
Nibs
Sailor is fortunate to enjoy the legendary prowess of master Nib Designer Nobuyoshi Nagahara. For nearly six
decades he has passionately become one with his craft. Mr. Nagahara personally oversees and directs the design
process of Sailor’s unique nibs. A true legend, Mr. Nagahara has also shared an exclusive series of very unique
styles of nibs and pens that Sailor offers as part of its limited editions line up. These pens, just like the man
that crafted them, are truly unique in design, character and personality.
Fine pen nibs can only be produced by professionally skilled craftsman who painstakingly produce them one by one…
First, gold and other precious metals are melted and rolled into a plate. It is then crafted into shape and
iridium-tipping material is carefully applied to the pen nib. The tipping material applied begins to determine the
nib width. Refinement and polishing is then needed to prepare it for the next step…
At this stage the perfect ink flow and nib elasticity is determined. With careful precision, the nib is severed
along an exact vertical line. This process insures correct air flow and flexibility unique to each Sailor nib.
Finally, the top of the nib and the writing surface are meticulously polished and tuned to ensure the smoothest
writing experience possible. Now, the nib is truly born into a life of its own; conceived, crafted, refined and
presented to you to complete its journey…
The Sailor Nib Line up
Every individual has their own preferences and writing style. To cater for these individual needs and purpose of
use Sailor Pen offers an impressive range of nib grades – most of which (but not all) are available with all models
of fountain pen.
The Standard nib range
Sailor Pen offers a variety of model choices with different nib sizes and in both 14K and 21K solid gold. Both the
14K and 21K nibs come in seven different variants as follows:
Extra Fine - EF
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Fine - F
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Medium Fine - MF
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Medium - M
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Broad - B
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Zoom - Z
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Music - MS
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Professional Gear Series nibs
The Professional Gear Series pens have the special dual tone bicolour nibs as shown below. Some models with rhodium
accents are fitted with the all rhodium nib also shown below.
The King of Pens nib range
The King of pens has a larger oversized 21K nib which is available in M and B widths. There are also some Nagahara
nib designs available for this pen (please see Nagahara nib section below).
The Nagahara nib line up
The special nib development by Mr. Nagahara started long ago with the ‘Naginata Togi’ nib. The shape of the tip of
this nib is somewhat longer than normal pen nibs and resembles the shape of the Japanese ‘Naginata’ Long sword –
hence the name.
The unique ‘Naginata Togi’ nib allows a very wide range of writing angles and gives personality to the writing
style. The ‘Naginata Togi’ nib is available in Broad (NB), Medium (NM) and Medium Fine (NMF).
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Naginata Togi NB (broad)
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Naginata Togi NM (medium)
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Naginata Togi NMF (medium fine)
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Naginata Emperor
Addition of the solid gold Emperor tab over the top of the nib provides additional ink reservoir.
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Naginata Concord
Fine writing strokes in normal use and bold calligraphic strokes with use in reverse!
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Naginata Concord Emperor
Addition of the solid gold Emperor tab over the top of the nib provides additional ink reservoir
for constant smooth writing and ink flow.
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Naginata Fude de Mannen
Bold calligraphic strokes in normal use depending upon writing angle and finer strokes with use in
reverse.
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Naginata Cross Point
Double layered nib with unique Cross point design on the tipping provides a variety of interesting
writing strokes –broad and fine
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Naginata Cross Emperor
Addition of the solid gold Emperor tab over the top of the nib provides additional ink reservoir
for constant smooth writing and ink flow
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Naginata Cross Concord
Double layered nib with unique cross point design on the tipping provides broad calligraphic stroke
on the reverse.
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Naginata Cross Concord Emperor
Addition of the solid gold Emperor tab over the top of the nib provides additional ink reservoir
for constant smooth writing and ink flow.
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Naginata Cross Music
Double layered nib with unique cross point on the tipping. Specially shaped/tapered to provide
interesting calligraphy.
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Naginata Cross Music Emperor
Addition of the solid gold Emperor tab over the top of the nib provides additional ink reservoir
for constant smooth writing and ink flow.
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"Nagahara" King Cobra
Specially designed and engineered by Mr. Nagahara himself - this creation is made with two nibs
joined together. The resulting tips are expertly ground and polished to shape – they resemble the Head and jaws of
the Cobra snake. This nib writes in a variety of extremely broad strokes (up to 6B) and is only suited to pen
barrels of a minimum length.
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"Nagahara" King Cobra Emperor
Addition of the solid gold Emperor tab over the top of the nib provides additional ink reservoir
for constant smooth writing and ink flow.
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"Nagahara" King Eagle
Specially designed and crafted by Mr. Nagahara himself – this nib is made joining three nibs
together on top of one another. The tipping surfaces are then specially slit to produce the double Cross. The Tips
are then specially ground and polished to provide the ultimate in flexible writing with broad medium and fine
writing possibilities. This special nib is also only suited to pen barrels of a minimum length.
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"Nagahara" King Eagle Emperor
Addition of the solid gold Emperor tab over the top of the nib provides additional ink reservoir
for constant smooth writing and ink flow.
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Naginata Sai-bi Togi
The finest nib ever created by Sailor Pen – Extra extra fine (EEF). This nib is designed and
crafted by Yukio Nagahara. A total of 11 different processes are involved in the production including the use of a
special microscope and projector system. The name Sai-bi means fine and beautiful writing in Japanese.
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The King of Pens "Nagahara" nib Line up
In addition to the standard 21K nib in M and B, the King of Pens has some special "Nagahara" nibs
available on certain models depending on the market.
"Naginata Togi" available in NB broad, NM medium and NMF medium fine.
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In addition the following Special Nagahara nibs are available on some models of the King of Pens.
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"Nagahara" Cross Point
Double layered nib with unique Cross point design on the tipping provides a variety of interesting
writing strokes – broad and fine.
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"Nagahara" King Eagle
Specially designed and crafted by Mr. Nagahara himself – this nib is made joining three nibs
together on top of one another. The tipping surfaces are then specially slit to produce the double Cross. The Tips
are then specially ground and polished to provide the ultimate in flexible writing with broad medium and fine
writing possibilities. This special nib is also only suited to pen barrels of a minimum length.
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