I’ve noticed that I’m using less pressure overall when writing, even writing too light for my Kurutoga to rotate💀
Should I purposely try to write with stronger force or just rotate the pencil myself instead
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Lots of ways to look at it.
If you write so lightly now that the kuru toga mechanism doesn’t turn, then it’s a useless feature you’re paying for. Although I think it only turns when it first taps the paper. It doesn’t do anything special as you’re drawing a line… I think.
For that matter, probably any lead protection feature is pointless now. So thats also Delguard, Oleenu, Mogulair… You’re basically freed to spend the premium you used to spend on these engineered features on different features instead, like aesthetics or premium body materials.
If you want to write even lighter, switch from a fountain pen to a brush pen. You basically need to be able to write accurately on air.
If you want to encourage yourself to write harder with a fountain pen, or at least with more of an eye to the pressure you’re using, I’d say make sure you get an ultraflex/omniflex nib or even a triple tail flex nib. Also gold nibs are more flexy than steel nibs. Some people customize regular nibs into flex nibs by making deep side cuts that allow more flexibility. The pressure you use will be visible instantly.
If you want to change nothing… then at least you’re probably going through lead refills less often. And you can probably switch to really dark, softer grade lead without using it all up too quickly or snapping it. Thinner leads are also less of a concern now in case you were sticking to 0.7 but always wanted your everyday pencil to be 0.5.
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I have a slightly different take, but I’ll let you consider it as a reference and see how it fits.
Even without seeing your actual writing in action, from your description, it seems that higher-hardness leads like 2H, 3H, or 4H gain more meaning in this kind of situation.
If you want your writing to be clear, using a high-hardness, low-darkness lead might subtly change the way you apply pressure without even realizing it.
Another possibility is that everything is fine, and it’s your Kurutoga that’s malfunctioning—maybe the gear inside the Kurutoga is damaged or came loose. I’ve had a Kurutoga that fell on the ground during outdoor work, and it had the same issue: the lead just wouldn’t rotate anymore.
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I would say use a stronger force to write.
There is no advantage in using a minimal touch and I never understood why people would suggest that for FP beginners. Just because it can write lightly doesn’t mean you should (unless you have some kind of disability).
Also, the paper matters a lot. Some papers are better suited for FPs, some papers are better suited for MPs, and so on. Some are good for either. It would be useful for the discussion if you tell us what paper you used.
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Thanks! I use B lead and my kuru toga was functioning alright, if I purposely write with higher pressure it does rotate
I guess it depends a lot on the person’s habit. Some may find writing with lighter force less tiring for extended periods, while as light as that could get into ‘‘too light’’ territory for others, that maintaining that light a force actually requires more effort than just writing ‘‘normally’’. I personally find writing light slightly more enjoyable than writing hard.
Oh and I’m using Maruman’s standard loose leaf paper
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Thanks for the info. My kuru toga is my dedicated pencil for writing in Japanese that involves large numbers of short strokes, and that feature does save me a lot of rotating. But now that I confirmed there’s nothing particularly ‘‘wrong’’ about writing this light, I start reconsidering about a lot of things
I think that’s great! Just as I’ve always believed, everyone eventually finds the pencil that fits their own habits.
Off-topic: The super light, delicate strokes suddenly reminded me of this video (YouTube). I’ve even tried to imitate the technique for doodling myself—it’s really relaxing.
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Maruman produces okay paper but it’s not something I would reach for, fountain pens or pencil.
Should I purposely try to write with stronger force or just rotate the pencil myself instead
It’s subjective, but humans are easily swayed and malleable, you can still adapt to and learn to enjoy a harder force while writing. Forget about a light touch. My answer remains, use a stronger force.
And if you are not convinced by this, then you’ve got your answer. Do whatever you want.
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