The King Crown 551-1, or how to cram 3,000 years of culture into the body of a single pen.

I found this in a 7-storey bookstore on Fuzhou Road. On the third floor, I passed beneath an arch bedecked with flashing lights and neon Stabilo stickers to enter the pen section. The salesladies had no English and I had no Mandarin, so we invented sign language for “No, not the rollerball, the fountain pen!” on the spot.

Confucius
Confucius

Chinese scrollwork decorates the cap. Chinese characters are engraved on one side, and an image of Confucius on the other.

Confucius, clip
Confucius, clip

More scrollwork decorates the clip, which ends in a crown logo. (Do not think Krone thoughts at this point.) (King Crown makes Duke pens, I think.) The body looks like bamboo. I’m still trying to figure out how this was done. Bamboo laminate over brass?

Confucius, cap and section
Confucius, cap and section

More scrollwork near the collar, and the ubiquitous threaded metal section. The nib is where the pen becomes more interesting.

Confucius, Chinese calligraphy nib with overfeed (click to enlarge)
Confucius, Chinese calligraphy nib with overfeed (click to enlarge)

The nib is bent upwards, as is typical with Chinese calligraphy pens. What struck me when I first held the pen was the length of the bent portion – it’s almost 4 mm. The next thing I noticed was the overfeed. The only other modern pen I know of with an overfeed would be Sailor’s Nagahara Emperor series. The overfeed collects more ink and drives it to the nib.

Confucius, Chinese calligraphy nib, side view
Confucius, Chinese calligraphy nib, side view

Does it work? Yes, it does.

Confucius, writing sample (click to enlarge)
Confucius, writing sample (click to enlarge)

The bent nib also flexes (!).

Confucius, writing sample (click to enlarge)
Confucius, writing sample (click to enlarge)

The nib writes a fine, consistent line when used upside down. Varying pressure within a stroke does produce a brush-like impression.

Confucius, drawing sample (click to enlarge)
Confucius, drawing sample (click to enlarge)

I enjoy it for writing, but much more so for drawing. Duke Ink (24 RMB a bottle) produces both deep and light grays, and is a good match for the pen.