Fountain Pen Nibs – It’s All Relative

When it comes to nib size, fountain pen users have a multitude of choices. Recently I was doodling with the inky beauties on my desk and was struck by the differences between them. Even two from the same maker and of the same width produced varied results. Getting the perfect line size to show your writing to its best may take a little trial and error, but the satisfaction in seeing your words look their best is worth it.

I have become an equal opportunity user though I was stuck on narrow nibs for a very long time. Most fountain pen nibs are either fine or medium with a smaller number available in broad and extra-fine widths. The tip of the nib is round in shape, a bit like a ball point pen when you put it to paper. That angle of contact suits general use very well.

Moving beyond the typical nib, the sweet spot where nib meets paper becomes less forgiving and requires more care in use. If it suits your writing style, even an exotic nib should work well once you get the hang of it. Less common categories include double broad (BB), stub, italic, cursive italic, music, and Arabic. There are other exotic nibs but they are too rare for a general discussion.

If a rigid nib doesn’t thrill you, there is a unique characteristic called flex which can be an attribute of any sized nib. It is measured in degrees from a soft give that produces just a slight squish with pressure to a wet noodle that puts down ink like a paint brush.

Another quirk is that Asian nibs for the most part are more narrow than Western nibs. Add to that the interplay between nib, ink and paper as well as the rate of flow from the ink supply to the nib tip and the range of line widths can get ridiculous.

Still there is a range and that is what the image demonstrates. Size is relative.

Fountain Pen Line Comparison

Note that the ink scan has not be color adjusted. Take that aspect of this post with a grain of salt.

Levenger Discount And A True Writer Fountain Pen

Saw a Levenger discount this afternoon that made me wish for another True Writer to stub. Mike Masuyama did a great job with my Kyoto and it would be useful as well as fun to have a second one for ink variety. The colorful Sea Glass version with a stubbed bold nib could be just the thing to brighten my desk.

Yes, I do have several True Writers but they are retired colors and I like to keep those with the original nibs unless the nib is imperfect. So a Sea Glass pen with its happy colors could be just the thing and would work perfectly with my True Writer black pen stand, too.

No new pen for me this year but you could get one with the 20% discount on a $50 order. The code is 20PC2011A.

Hint: It’s okay to buy a gift for yourself especially if it’s a nice one.

Levenger True Writer® Sea Glass Fountain Pen

A Pelikan Tradition

Fountain Pen Hospital has a special on the Pelikan M200 Tradition with a variety of nib options including the italic. There aren’t many italic pens that look this good for under $100 especially with the build quality of a Pelikan. So if you’ve been waiting to take the plunge, now might be the perfect time.

Pelikan M200 Tradition at Fountain Pen Hospital

Nibmeister vs Nibsheister

The term nibmeister has been around for years as an honorific bestowed on a few skilled people who can improve and even reform a nib. Nibsheister was new to me when I discovered it in a post by “picautomaton” at Fountain Pen Network. It’s clever and good for a chuckle. Whether earned by poor workmanship or unsatisfactory customer support, someone who earns the latter dishonor will find the going rough in the pen community.

Pilot Custom 742 Falcon Nib

Modifying a nib is fairly common amongst fountain pen users but finding the right person for the job can take a bit of effort. Recommendations from friends can be reassuring but FPN can substitute for friends especially if you inquire backchannel. Pen people do love to talk so getting opinions should prove easy.

Once you do find a promising candidate, ask if he or she warrants their work. No nib guarantee? Meh. Years ago I tested a modified steel nib that had been sold to a newbie by a reputable nibmeister. The nib was bloody awful but it was sold without a guarantee or return option because it wasn’t gold. The unfortunate buyer got stuck with a stinky nib. No willingness to make things right? Then no sale.

As an inkophile one point annoys me more than others. A few repair people are biased against some brands of ink. If the nibmeister insists the use of those inks will void the warranty, he can buy an island and become a dictator. I’ll spend my money with someone else.

Here is a parting shot and it is critical. Are you willing to re-home that pen if the modification isn’t to your liking? If the pen is precious as is, leave it as is.

Vintage Eversharp Nib

The Bounty On My Desk

Sometimes it’s good to appreciate the amazing choices we have. So today I took stock of the bounty on my desk and found plenty to make a pen person smile.

Next to my right hand, coffee mug, and mouse are ten fountain pens, three felt tips, a brush pen, a mechanical pencil, and one highlighter. Does that seem like a lot? You should see the mountain of art supplies that hogs the left side of my workspace. Pens are small, tidy things in comparison. Paper is the biggest space invader but that’s another story.

Inkophile Pen and Ink Samples for August, 2011

The first three pens get daily use and I am content with each. The newest addition is the Namiki Falcon SB which is well-matched to Stipula Verde Mushiato both in flow and shading. The Levenger True Writer Masuyama Cursive Italic is perfect for brown ink but the Namiki Falcon SF gets to change its colors frequently. Its ink will be determined by what is missing when the other pens have been filled.

The three pens not pictured in the sample are due for cleaning and replacement by old favorites like my Sailor 1911 EF. That one works brilliantly with Noodler’s Red-Black and is an easy choice. The Sapporo F might get a fill of something turquoise or possibly one of my 1976 Pilot Elite “Socrates” pocket pens will get Diamine Teal. All three pens are good for long sessions and disinclined to clog even if unused for days at a time.

Sometimes I like to dig deeper in my pen drawer for older pens that deserve some playtime. The navy gray Parker ’51′ Aero F looks like a good mate for Noodler’s Zhivago and the Pelikan M250 Fine Stub has had a thing for Diamine Emerald for years. The dimensions of these two are slightly different from the other pens so that helps reduce hand fatigue on those days that seem to have no end.

Lastly it’s time to go back to black. Either the Limited Edition Sailor Hougado Deep Moss Black or Noodler’s Black but the pen has yet to be determined. The Lamy Safari OB and the Pilot Custom Black Stripe F are good candidates for a rich, dark ink. Again maintaining a variety of dimensions will determine the winner.

So that’s my latest pen and ink rotation.

Putting aside everything on my desk but the fountain pens and the written sample, I looked for a common thread to this rotation. Danged if I can find one save the pleasure in using a fountain pen and the colorful line it produces. That’s pretty simple but it does make me wonder about other fountain pen people. If you are a member of that club, what drives your rotation?

A Dozen Links to Start the Week

Mixing them up on a Monday morning…

• Gentian offers some calligraphy details. (File under “How’d She Do That???”)
• HDoug makes me want to retool my handwriting to match his.
• JetPens has the best shredder ever, the Sun-Star 7-Blade Shredder Scissors
• Scrumptious calligraphy via Leigh Reyes
• Like your Moleskine but not the paper? Here’s a DIY solution via Molecover.
• How to fashion a quill and write like Leonardo da Vinci
• November Carnival of Pen, Pencil and Paper from The Pen Addict
• Lifehacker asks readers about their favorite pens
• The Third & The Seventh starts off right with a little pen action
• The Pear Tree Pen Company has a brand new pen for you, the Perdice Bradford LE
• Leigh Reyes advises you to Do You Own Thing. If you don’t, who will?
• Guitarist Justin Houchin performs and brother Ryan shows his parkour/freerunnig flair

Poll: Which pen suits your writing?

Some people swear that using a fountain pen improves their writing. Whether it is the weight, shape or balance of the pen or the metal content or cut of the nib, the pen counts. Maybe the difference is so small only the writer can see it but it’s still important.

Call me an equal opportunity pen user. I find a fine nib is the most suited to my writing and best for general use. Mediums and broads are helpful for long sessions since the wide nib takes the pressure off my hand. For sheer aesthetics an italic is lovely. Extra-fines are perfect for margin notes and writing the longest message on a postcard or in the space restrictions of air mail stationery.

An italic nib can make a dramatic change in penmanship but it isn’t helpful to everyone. A little practice can tame it for most of us though such a nib isn’t the best choice for fast writing. Still it does make the most of my writing so a bit of practice has been worth the time invested to get comfortable with it.

Now that’s my experience and probably different from yours. But here’s my dirty, little secret. Pencils, even mechanical pencils, make the most of my penmanship. The difference is pronounced enough that an eighth grade classmate begged our teacher to let me write in pencil. Nary one to compromise, Mr. Morris would hear none of it. Ink or fail was his rule. I’m sure he expected the ubiquitous Bic/Biro to be my tool but it never suited my writing. That’s when I discovered cheap Sheaffer fountain pens and that flipping the pen over would produce a decently narrow line. I was appeased and happy to find a new way to bedevil my teachers with my painfully small if well formed writing. Take that you enemies of individuality and creativity!

These days I stick to fountain pens for correspondence. However, my Autopoint mechanical pencil gets the most use of any writing instrument on my desk. The two things that make it my best choice are its instant start but even more useful, is its compatibility with Post-its. My desk is littered with them. That my writing is very legible is an additional factor but there is a downside. Some of my notes aren’t meant to be read by just anyone. There are things that do deserve a little privacy, you know?

Pen and Ink Serendipity

Now that it is officially summer and my seasonal palette has been established, an unexpected duo has taken first place in my rotation. Both the ink and the pen have been here for years but never joined. So putting them together was sheer serendipity and the result delightful especially for this time of year.

Diamine Violet + Namiki Falcon + Rhodia = Happiness

Namiki Falcon SF, Diamine Violet, Rhodia grid paper

Not only did this beautiful combo just come out of hiding, but not long ago two more special ones emerged. Montblanc Racing Green is the perfect match for my Lamy Safari custom cursive italic. The second is Private Reserve Avacado in my Waterman Carene stub. Both came about without planning. The inks just happened to be up for use and the pens just happened to need filling. Ink and pen mating should always be so easy.

Have you been surprised by a particularly lovely but unplanned pen and ink pairing? Do tell!

Waterman Carene Stub Gets a Forever Home

For weeks I have been in fountain pen nirvana with my latest acquisition, a previously owned Waterman Deluxe Carene Stub*. I am ruined.

What does that mean to a pen collector? Nearly every pen in my drawers, pen wraps, pen cases and milling about forlornly on my desk is a fine or extra-fine. Oh, yeah, I am in deep “dirt” now. Few have received more than a passing glance since the Carene arrived and they are already way past being jealous. Not only are they bereft, they are suffering from dried ink syndrome. For the uninitiated that means ink has dried in nibs and feeds requiring lots of extra effort to get the sulky little things clean. It is my punishment for ignoring them you see. Each will make me pay for my dalliance but I tell you it has been worth it.

The first surprise about the Carene was that this medium weight pen is as comfortable to use as any feather weight model. Good balance is what makes the difference. It’s a very sturdy, well-finished pen that tolerates casual use. Not careless but casual. It will go along for the ride, tossed in my purse without benefit of a case or wrap, showing not a hint of pique at such rough treatment. But that isn’t even the best part.

Waterman Carene Stub Nib

The stub nib is amazingly good fun to use and brings out the italic side of my handwriting. I received a lovely reply to my first letter penned with the Carene. My friend wrote, “your handwriting has changed a bit. It sort of looks like Leigh’s.” That’s quite a compliment as Leigh was the previous owner and one of my favorite handwriting artists. My writing might resemble Leigh’s writing if she wrote with her opposite hand on a bad day and in a cast to boot but I loved the compliment anyway.

One caveat about the Carene. The unique nib will leak on your finger if you touch the upper tips of the nib where they meet the section. The upshot is that you can’t hold the pen low and close to the nib, well, unless you want inky fingers. I haven’t found the hold to be uncomfortable but have forgotten a few times and earned a nice ink splotch on my index finger along with a few chuckles from observers. I like to make people laugh so it’s fine with me but it might not be appropriate in a business meeting.

Anyway, I wanted to share my excitement over a terrific pen and nib. It isn’t right for everyone but it sure is right for me. In fact I would take a second one should the opportunity come my way.

Oh, if you are wondering about the lack of  photos, click the small image above. No way could I have done a better job of showing off this stub than Leigh has done.

*Stubs and italics both have a straight edge that produces a thick vertical line and a thin horizontal line. If you don’t write really small, the stock stub is a great way to put a little pizazz in your letters without having to practice a great deal. If you have small letters, then you might need a custom ground nib to get one sized correctly for your handwriting. Want to create a great signature? A stub nib might be just the thing.

J. Herbin Lierre Sauvage

J. Herbin Lierre Sauvage (wild ivy) is a true green and a bit brighter than the sample below. It is closer to ivy than spearmint with the blue component stronger than the yellow. The result is a mid-range color that won’t offend your non-green friends but would make a pleasing substitute for red or a useful complement to medium blue ink for a two-color project.

In addition to the test page pictured, I used Lierre Sauvage in an Apica 6A10 journal but to mixed results. Same pens as below but the wider nib produced some mild feathering and lines that had a soft appearance. The more narrow nib did not produce noticeable feathering but the color was considerably less intense. In fact when I used the Lamy EF a few days later, I noted in my journal how well suited the ink, pen, and paper were for each other. Scratch tests on a variety of papers produced good results though some softness on poor quality copy paper and the like.

That mild feathering observed in the Apica seems best attributed to the combination of a free-flowing ink with a somewhat absorbent paper. The ink just followed the paper fibers perfectly unlike the clean lines it produced on Rhodia where the performance was stellar.

Shading with a wide nib is excellent on Rhodia but less apparent with a fine nib. In fact the nib makes such a difference that the sample below could have been made by two different inks. And that makes J. Herbin Lierre Sauvage an inky bargain.

J. Herbin Lierre Sauvage