c.1938 Prewar R-Type Fountain Pen - SUPERFLEX

Vintage: c.1938

Make: Pilot

Model: R-type

Color/Pattern: Brown pearl

Materials: Celluloid, nickel-plated trim

Filling System: Lever filler (resacced and guaranteed to fill and write as designed)

Length: This model has a thick girth and measures 5 1/8” capped. 

Nib: Super-Flexible iridium-tipped SS Shiro nib with V-shaped breather lays down a smooth and consistent XF line that widens to a 4B+ (approx 2.5mm) under light pressure. 

Condition: Trim is exceptionally clean for white metal, retaining its original luster with no brassing and just a few pin-sized spots of wear on the edges of the cap band and one on the lever. Celluloid has a smooth, lustrous surface with no deep scratches or other noteworthy blemishes – scarcely even any microscratches. Manufacturer imprint on the barrel shows some weakening in the center but is otherwise deep and fully legible (‘N’ inside logo requires a loupe to make out).

Details: Located in Tokyo, Japan, Pilot was founded in 1918 by Ryōsuke Namiki and Masao Wada as the Namiki Manufacturing Company, Ltd. This model is identified as prewar (far left) by its clip, cap top, and imprint with ‘N’ in the center of the Namiki logo. Due to the embargos of the war years, Japanese makers shifted manufacture of nibs from 14k gold to a what is commonly called their shiro (or ‘white metal’) nibs, made of a stainless steel alloy. Shiro nibs were of a quality unrivaled in the United States, being made of anti-corrosive alloys that hold up better than their 3rd-tier US counterparts by a long chalk, with well-finished iridium tipping that’s just as smooth as that of the Big Four American makers. Moreover, many of these nibs are wondrously flexible, with writing characteristics that match or exceed those of 14k flex nibs.