People describe nib master Chinyi Chow, known by his nickname CY, variously as a mad scientist” and an aesthetic engineer.” CY is a world citizen, comfortable in many countries and cultures. Born in Taiwan and raised mostly in Hong Kong, he received his secondary education in the United States and attended university in France.
In high school, CY encountered the concept of Homo faber, or Man the Maker.” He describes the impact of this philosophy as helping steer his personal and professional life.
“| am obsessed with the idea that humankind advances because of our inclination to create,” CY says.
His first memory of using a fountain pen was during a summer semester when he attended a handwriting camp.” This calligraphy class provided bladder-fill fountain pens, which CY remembers as fun but an absolute mess that got ink everywhere.”
Later, inspired by classmates with fountain pens, CY saved money from part-time jobs and purchased a Montblanc 145 with an OM oblique medium) nib. The nib was a challenge, but he liked its unusual characteristics and learned to write with it. It became his sole writing instrument for the next seven years. With it, he learned that a writer must master technique to properly use different nib styles. Eventually, he purchased a Sailor pen with a Naginata Togi nib, made by Sailor’s master nib craftspeople in the tradition of Nobuyoshi Nagahara.
After being disappointed at the lack of interesting stock nib options available from pen manufacturers, CY decided to grind and craft nibs to provide options for people beyond standard fine-medium-broad choices. He felt, and continues to believe, that fountain pens are the ultimate writing instrument because they can be infinitely personalized.
This story is from the December 2022 edition of PEN WORLD.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the December 2022 edition of PEN WORLD.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
25 Years of the Levenger True Writer
The new Anniversary Origins collection celebrates the True Writer's silver anniversary, but its origins are over a century old.
LAMY and uni Unite
The Japanese company behind the Uniball brand and Germany's LAMY are now partners.
Wajima Earthquake: Lest We Forget
The New Year's Day earthquake took lives and livelihoods. The future of Wajima lacquerware is at stake.
Fontoplumo: Filling a Need
Frank van Krieken turned a hobby into a pen store, and he is spreading the gospel across the globe.
Styling and Substance: Sheaffer and Sengbusch, and One or Two Others: An Overview of Dip-less Desk Sets, Part IV
In the second installment of this series, we saw the R. Esterbrook Steel Pen Company get its start in the dip-less business.
The Power of the Pen
A Veterans Administration program in Arkansas turns former warriors into pen makers.
The White Dot Marks the Spot
Production by William Penn, distribution by Kenro: Sheaffer is back to basics.
Manu's Pen Nebula
The Pen Family represents Emmanuel Caltagirone's personal journey. Let's take a short trip through time and space.
Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way: An Overview of Dip-less Desk Sets, Part III
Once dip-less desk sets became entrenched in the business world, they naturally proliferated as more companies got into the game.
The Inkwell and the Imagination
A history of the inkwell as a source of inspiration.