Edison Fountain Pens

[Quartermain]

I have finally decided to purchase an Edison pen for normal daily use - something like a Collier or perhaps even the Herald Grande (exported to the UK). I usually use a Pelikan M400 (standard B gold nib) as my every day writer, the one I use everyday at work but also in my Rhodia Webnotebook - I actually find that the B nib has a tiny bit too much width for my writing. Whilst this is not an issue at work, it does sometimes become apparent in the 'Webby'.

 

For the Edison, I fancy something a little different, something with some line variation but still utterly reliable and usable for all purposes. So my ideal width in standard nibs would be something in between a M and B (based on the Pelikan Nib). So my question is, what size Edision stub would fit this criteria - a 0.7mm or 0.9mm Stub? Or indeed, should I be looking at something else?

 

Any advice or guidance would be very much appreciated.

 

[pepsiplease69]

Hi Quartermain,

I have had the same difficulties as the one you describe. I want to have some line variation, and I am very particular about how broad a nib writes.

 

I would suggest going for either the 0.7 or 0.9 mm if you fancy the Edison pen itself, but then try to find a paper with a ruling size that best matches that nib.

 

Rhodia Webbie in A5 size has a line ruling of 7mm which sounds a bit narrow for your M400 'B' nib.

 

You might want to try paper with a ruling size of 7.5 (which is harder to find, paperblanks A6 has that ruling size I think) or 8mm (easy to find in clairefontaine classic).

 

You get much more satisfaction of owning the pen you like and selecting just the right notebook which is best suited for the nib of that pen.

 

In the process, you engage in a bit of an educational trial-and-error experiment which makes you more aware of your handwriting and picking the right environment in which to do your writing.

 

 

The tools I use is a standard ruler to measure the span of 10 rows of text and see how much it measures in centimeters and the same translates to the number in millimeters for the breadth of a single ruled line.

 

I use a pdf generator from incompetech to print off ruled sheets of paper of the desired ruling size on which to test my writing. I use HP Premium Choice Laser printer paper so that my fountain pen ink doesn't bleed and feather.

 

And lastly, this is the craziest bit, I use a vernier calliper to measure the breadth of a line to one-tenth of a millimeter of any nib I want to measure. I plug that into my formula to give me the ideal ruling size and then I find a notebook with that ruling size and it just seems to work perfectly for me.

 

Call me crazy but I guess I'm crazy for paper..

 

Hope it helps.

[Quartermain]

Thank you for your reply. Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, I am also in the process of purchasing a GFeller leather Rhodia Notebook cover - I also love the 'Webbie'. I found my love for them whilst deployed on operations in Helmand Province, Afghanistan where, yes I know it sounds bonkers, but I used my fountain pen - even whilst collating intelligence on foot patrol!

 

It has to be the Webbie and to be honest, I have been getting away with my Pelikan B for many years without any significant issues, I would just love to purchase a stub a that lays down an ever so slightly thinner line, but with the added benefit of line variation whilst remaining utterly dependable - something my Conway Stewart nib certainly is not.

Edited October 2, 2014 by Quartermain

[pepsiplease69]

Understood.. The webbie is an awesome notebook. Very comfortable to use. Though the paper on it is a bit too creme colored for me.

 

And the GFeller cover, I am sure it will be awesome.

 

I got one recently for my Nanami Seven Seas Writer. I got the GFeller Kip Leather cover and it is to-die-for! It's already starting to change color and mature and get darker as time passes, and I love it!

 

I have no prior experience with Conway Stewart so I cannot speak to the reliability issues you're facing with that pen.

 

Good luck with the Edison if you do decide to get it.

[Scribblesoften]

Do you have calipers? Can you measure the line produced by your Pelikan?

[Quartermain]

Do you have calipers? Can you measure the line produced by your Pelikan?

No callipers unfortunately. I will try to upload a writing sample - of which may take some time!

[Quartermain]

Well here goes, I am not sure how this will turn out, or indeed how large but hopefully, it will give you all a writing sample and a basis from which to comment.

Edited October 3, 2014 by Quartermain

[Ernst Bitterman]

I don't think you'd go astray with either. Whichever size you choose, the loss of thickness at some parts of the stroke should undo any concerns you have about legibility (largely, I should say, unfounded). My own inclination would be towards the 0.7, but I'm still recovering from a longtime addiction to F and below.

 

I did a set of stub references for someone I was amending some points for, which you might want to have a look at, although because the person I was doing for was looking as applying the pen in a school environment with potentially dodgy paper, I did it in a more feathery medium than the Rhodia books offer.