Richard Binder Nibs ...

[benincanada]

I've had an itch for a Binder nib for a while... I keep hearing about his smooth cursive italic nibs and think I'm at the point of an order.

 

For those who have his nibs, any tips? I think I want a 0.9mm CI pre ground Pelikan nib, and perhaps a 0.6mm stub for a Vanishing Point.

 

If you have those nibs, or similar, I'd love to hear what you think about them. Thx!

 

[Blue_Moon]

I got a VP from him a good while back. It was scratchy and had difficulty with hard starts and skips. After working on it a little while, it became a great writer. Nibmeisters are only human. They can't get it right 100% of the time. My personal favorite nibmeister is Pendleton Brown. I highly recommend him.

Edited September 7, 2014 by Blue_Moon

[de_pen_dent]

I have a *lot* of Binder-ground stubs and CIs. My favorites are B nibs ground into the widest stub or CI that he can. These are broad enough to add some spice to your writing but not so broad that using the pen for day-to-day writing becomes a chore.

 

I've gotten pens ground by Pendleton as well and like them (although a Paragon had to be sent to John Soworka for additional work) - but Richard and John Soworka are by far my favorite nib guys.

[mhosea]

I don't think CI's are rocket science, so to speak. To me, the more "boring" general purpose shapes are more challenging because they have to work over a range of angles. Never had one of Richard's CI's, only standard F and M. I'm sure he'll do you right. Pendleton did a fantastic job grinding my MB149 BB to a smooth CI, and I only have good things to say about him. Interestingly, I have never heard of Soworka. That's a new name for me, but Masuyama is next on my "this one's over my head" list.

[View from the Loft]

Interestingly, I have never heard of Soworka.

Possibly because his name is actually John Sorowka, and he is in the UK.

[benincanada]

I have a *lot* of Binder-ground stubs and CIs. My favorites are B nibs ground into the widest stub or CI that he can. These are broad enough to add some spice to your writing but not so broad that using the pen for day-to-day writing becomes a chore.

 

Do you know, the .8mm or .9mm stub and CI's he offers pre ground for Pelikan and Namiki - these are considered broad, or medium ?

[de_pen_dent]

Possibly because his name is actually John Sorowka, and he is in the UK.

 

Ha, true. I have a friend whose last name is Soworka, so i keep getting it mixed up Thanks for the correction and John, if you are reading, my apologies.

[de_pen_dent]

 

Do you know, the .8mm or .9mm stub and CI's he offers pre ground for Pelikan and Namiki - these are considered broad, or medium ?

 

Hmm, i am not sure, to be honest - if i had to guess, I'd say those would be B stubs (0.5-0.6 is a M stub to me), but best to check with him.

[mhosea]

Ha, true. I have a friend whose last name is Soworka, so i keep getting it mixed up Thanks for the correction and John, if you are reading, my apologies.

Well, for the record, I wasn't trying to be snarky. At that moment, "Sorowka" would not have rung any bells in my head, either, though now that I have the added piece of him being in the UK to associate with in my memory, I'm pretty sure I have heard his name tossed around in the context of UK nibmeisters.

[Gaslight]

I have a 0.8 stub from Richard and it's great, one of my favourite nibs.

 

I've often heard/read that the italics from Richard are quite sharp, which is great for line variation but depending on your writing speed you have to slow down a bit (especially with a 'crisp' italic)

[LuckyKate]

I just ordered a left oblique CI .9 in plated steel. It will be here sometime this week and I'll update (if you haven't bought the nib already). I'm looking forward to putting it on the Pelikan 200 whose lovely nib (ground by Tim Girdler) was ruined when I dropped it.

[mirosc]

I've often heard/read that the italics from Richard are quite sharp, which is great for line variation but depending on your writing speed you have to slow down a bit (especially with a 'crisp' italic)

I have made the same experience, my Mottishaw nibs are much more forgiving than my Binder nibs. Sorowka is somewhere in between.

[View from the Loft]

Well, for the record, I wasn't trying to be snarky. At that moment, "Sorowka" would not have rung any bells in my head, either, though now that I have the added piece of him being in the UK to associate with in my memory, I'm pretty sure I have heard his name tossed around in the context of UK nibmeisters.

And neither was I being snide/snarky. I was trying to add so e context around it, but on re-reading, I was rather short. Apologies to all.

[View from the Loft]

I have made the same experience, my Mottishaw nibs are much more forgiving than my Binder nibs. Sorowka is somewhere in between.

John Sorowka will grind your nib to your specification, as crisp or as forgiving as you wish. I have one nib from him that is, on my request, much crisper than my others.

[lwc]

I have a Binder .06 stub in a VP and like it very much.

[mirosc]

John Sorowka will grind your nib to your specification, as crisp or as forgiving as you wish. I have one nib from him that is, on my request, much crisper than my others.

no doubt about that - I believe every nibmeister tries to do that. I told just my own experience with how they interpreted my wishes (had to do that via e-mail, so the result depends a lot on how the nibmeister understands it)

[View from the Loft]

no doubt about that - I believe every nibmeister tries to do that. I told just my own experience with how they interpreted my wishes (had to do that via e-mail, so the result depends a lot on how the nibmeister understands it)

Oh very true. While there is much that they can glean about how you hold pens from writing samples, photographs and videos, nothing beats working with one in person to get it set up as you want. And it's not just about hthem interpreting your instructions - it's also be careful what you wish for. And of course, our preferences develop over time. I think they do a fantastic job to work out what we actually mean when we send them our pens and cryptic wish lists!

[mhosea]

And neither was I being snide/snarky. I was trying to add so e context around it, but on re-reading, I was rather short. Apologies to all.

No, no. Your post made me smile.

[benincanada]

I have a Binder .06 stub in a VP and like it very much.

 

Thx, do you have a writing sample ?

[benincanada]

I just ordered a left oblique CI .9 in plated steel. It will be here sometime this week and I'll update (if you haven't bought the nib already).

 

Thanks! This would be going into either a M200 or a vintage 400Nn Tortoise (and that nib is in for repair)