Platinum Century 3776 – Celluloid – Chinkin Karakusa Blue

Platinum Century 3776 “Chinkin” is a special addition to the Celluloid line of fountain pens. In deep marbled blue, the barrel and cap of the pen are adorned with swirling hand-engraved Chinkin Karakusa designs. Chinkin is a technique that involves engraving onto a surface and filling the crevice with a powdered metal. In this case, platinum powder fills the Karakusa carvings. Karakusa is a type of Japanese floral design, translating to “foreign, winding plant”. The design has a rich history – originating in Mesopotamia and Egypt and brought to Japan from China, Karakusa has come to have a meaning of longevity and prosperity from the seemingly never-ending length of the vines.  When holding the pen, one can feel the subtle changes in depth on the winding carvings along the pen body. Each pen is unique due to its handmade nature. As you hold it, let the winding Chinkin Karakusa vines remind you of prosperous times.  Nib: 14k gold  Length: 5.4 in (13.8 cm) Rhodium trim PTB-80000SR Cartridge and Platinum converter included Replacement cartridges available About Platinum & 3776: Originally released in 1978, Platinum 3776, is one of Platinum’s iconic pen series and over the years, Platinum has added many colors as well as limited and special editions to the 3776 line. 3776 stands for the height of Mount Fuji, the highest mountain and when it was first released in 1978, it was awarded the “Good Design Prize” by the Japanese government. In 2011, the “Century 3776” series was released in honor of the approaching 100th anniversary of Platinum and was designed to maintain the quality standards defined by the original 3776 combined with the needs of a modern fountain pen user: new sleek design, comfortable writing balance, and smooth flow. Century 3776 employs Platinum’s own “Slip and Seal Mechanism” that employs a spring in the cap to force an air tight closure around the nib, thus preventing ink from drying out in this fountain pen for up to a year.  About Celluloid: The Celluloid series of Platinum’s Century 3776 pens features spectacular and unique pens in bold color patterns. The celluloid material starts off as a gel, but softens when heated to extremely high temperatures and hardens when cooled. It is a very durable material that is waterproof and shatterproof, but requires an extended months-long curing time. The production of Platinum’s celluloid pens requires each small block of color along the pen body to be individually and manually assembled and pressed into a barrel shaped mold, a time-consuming and labor intensive process. The celluloid material imparts a different feeling to the fountain pen, giving it more smoothness in your hand and a feeling of solidity often only found in vintage fountain pens.