[bibliophilic]

Hi all, first post. I'm impressed with how active this board is.
I've been into calligraphy for a few years now. I've got a nice utilitarian Lamy Safari fountain pen, and almost the entire line of speedball nibs.

Being a lefty, I find I'm well suited towards writting in copperplate, but dip pens can be a bit of a hassle. I've been trying to find a fountain pen that would allow to to write in copperplate, but I've had almost no success. Even the manager of Stationary in Harrods of London wasn't aware of much that would suite my needs. I'm looking for something functional, not collectable. It does not need to be an angled nib, I just need it to be fine, and spread on downward strokes. Ideally, something along the lines of the speedball imperial nib.

If anyone could give some model numbers, company names, some better keywords to aid my search, or even a decent explaination of why I can't seem to find anything, I'd be most grateful.

[DRP]

Welcome aboard!

Regrettably, I don't have the answer to your question but will ask around.

[southpaw]

First of all, hello and welcome to FPN.

What you're seaking is a vintage flexible nibbed FP. Others may chime in with reputable on-line dealers, but easiest thing to do would be to post a WTB (Wanting to Buy) in the Marketplace here.

Also, before you buy, ask to see a writing sample so you can see the line variation you'll get. While I'm certainly no flex expert, you won't likely find the same experience with FPs as you do with dip nibs, IIRC. The dip nibs will be more flexible. You can still find great vintage flex FPs, but they are a bit different.

[Richard]

southpaw, on Jun 20 2006, 08:16 PM, said:

While I'm certainly no flex expert, you won't likely find the same experience with FPs as you do with dip nibs, IIRC.

True, but for authentic copperplate you really do not want to flex your nib deeply. This, taken from my site, is an example of authentic copperplate:



You will notice that it's going to be remarkably difficult to achieve this sort of line with an actual pen -- true copperplate is engraved, not written, and it is modeled on letters that were drawn very carefully. What most people think of as "copperplate" is any of a myriad variety of English or American Round Hand styles such as Spencerian or Zanerian (both American). Here is a hand-done example of Spencerian, with flourishes:



This sort of thing is best done with a dip pen; you can do it with a fountain pen, but you need one with a very large wet noodle, something like a Waterman's 18. Smaller nibs cannot give the extreme line width without serious risk of springing. (I have an Aikin Lambert No. 7 dip pen that is easily capable of this work; but I, on the other hand, am not capable of it at all. The exemplar here was done for me by master penman Edward Weyman.)

[kissing]

holy moly that's VERY impressive writing!!!!!!

I think i found this post about Copperplate hand: http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=11792

flex nibs for lefties: http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...t=0&#entry55402

hope it helps you in some way. I guess you could contact James Pickering

This post has been edited by kissing: 21 June 2006 - 09:08 AM

[Elaine]

Richard, in my attempts at learning Copperplate style writing I find that I can use a smaller nib than you describe. I don't believe I overflex.

The requirements are that it must be quite flexible, but more important, it must be able to recover instantly from the flexed position. This is with a Moore BCHR ringtop: