If you've been following our ongoing virtual "show & tell", you might have noticed all the new pens Jerred has added to his Delta fountain pen collection. The fountain pen we're featuring today, however, is not a Delta but, rather, an elegant modern Pilot fountain pen Jerred recently acquired...
(all photos courtesy of Jerred ~ please click on images to enlarge)
Jerred: "This is a Pilot Grandee Urushi. The Grandee was a long-running model in Pilot's product lineup, and was a mid-range gold-nibbed model that would be similar in placement to the Custom 742 or 912 today. The most common models of the Grandee were made of lacquered brass, but there was also a variant made of wood. They were all quite thin pens overall, and were available as fountain pens, ballpoint pens and pencils. It is common to find the wood and standard lacquered Grandee pens in two-piece sets."
"The particular model here is coated in Urushi lacquer. Urushi is a natural, hard-wearing lacquer that was originally used to protect wood and ebonite products. Urushi often commands a hefty premium over other finishes due to the complicated and time-consuming process required, as every individual layer of lacquer needs to be fully cured (~24 hours) before another layer of lacquer can be applied. The Grandee Urushi was considered a premium finish in the Grandee lineup, and was manufactured during the entire life of the Grandee model which stretched from the 1970s into the 2000s."
"This particular Grandee Urushi is a later model variant, and somewhat uncommon. The most common Grandee models (Urushi, wood, or otherwise) use smaller "clip on" style 14k nibs as well as a split clip. This variant uses a larger nib that wraps almost all the way around the feed, and a solid, hinged clip with "Grandee" stamped into it. The date code for this particular nib is visible in the pictures provided, giving a manufacturing date of May 1992. There are also variants of the Grandee with inlaid and "toenail" style nibs."
"Being a premium finish in the Grandee line of pens, the Grandee Urushi is much less common than other variants and generally commands a higher price. If you're looking to purchase a Grandee Urushi, check the pen over carefully: All Urushi-coated Grandee pens will be labelled as "Urushi" on the pen body, normally just above the cap band. This labeling is shown in the pictures included."
(top: Pilot Grandee Urushi model; below: Pilot Deluxe Urushi)
"There is no directly comparable model in Pilot's current lineup for the Grandee, but the Grandee Urushi itself is comparable to the Pilot Deluxe Urushi, which is currently Pilot's entry-level urushi pen. Both pens are relatively slim, made of brass, and are lacquered on the cap, body and grip section. A picture above is provided for a comparison.
The nib on this particular pen is in Fine, and is a lovely writer."
Measurements:
Length Capped: 133MM
Uncapped: 120MM
Width at Widest Point: 10MM
Grip: 8.5MM
As always, our thanks to Jerred for sharing his recent finds with us via his photos and write-ups :)
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