Pelikan 200 with Oblique Medium Nib for leftie

[treeverte]

Having fallen recently in love with fountain pens, I ordered the Pelikan 200 with the Oblique Medium nib. I ordered the nib without thinking it could prove to be a battle for a leftie. I tried the Pelikan

italic at a store recently and couldn't even get it to write!

 

My goal was to spice up my handwriting...any advice for a leftie appreciated!

 

Ms. Treeverte

Edited August 25, 2006 by treeverte

[KCat]

not a leftie but...

 

first -contact the seller - they may do nib exchanges there. Pel nibs are very easy to change out since they are threaded.

 

if they won't and if you are in the US - contact chartpak and get it changed out - they're very quick, and no cost except your shipping there. They'll ship it back overnight at their cost.

 

if you can't get it to write, then you won't be able to. there's no reason, IMO, for you to try to alter your entire grip to do so unless you just feel like a challenge. Depending on whether you're an over-writer or under-writer then you'll have to either change the way you rotate the pen in your hand or the angle of attack or both. I think that's more trouble than it's worth.

[*david*]

Italic and oblique are completely different. Don't judge one by the other.

 

The oblique nib has the right tine slightly longer than the left tine, as you hold the pen to write (assuming you hold the pen as most people do). It is not a huge difference, but requires you to hold the pen slightly tilted or rotated, compared to how you hold a straight-cut pen.

[sonia_simone]

I thought that the whole point of an oblique was to make it easier to write with if you had an unusual grip (say, for a leftie). Someone please correct me if I'm out to lunch--always a strong possibility.

 

If you want to spice up your writing with some line variation, I think you want a stub, not necessarily an oblique. Which means you want some talented person to create one especially for you.

 

Richard will be along any second and make everything very clear. You can check out his Web site at richardspens.com, he has very good discussions of obliques, stubs, the basics and the complexities of nibs, and the like. The nice thing about Pelikans is it's easy to order specialty nibs and change them out.

[KCat]

I thought that the whole point of an oblique was to make it easier to write with if you had an unusual grip (say, for a leftie). Someone please correct me if I'm out to lunch--always a strong possibility.

It just depends on your grip. I am right-handed but find a left-footed oblique extremely comfortable, usually preferred, even to a standard point. I rotate the pen slightly counter-clockwise. That is pretty much the average right-hander's grip. However, I can see how an over-writer leftie would have a lot of grief with this configuration - the right tine being longer could easily drag and cause not only a scratchy feeling but too little slit contact with the paper, thus, no ink on the paper. I've ground one right-footed oblique for a left-hander and that worked out well but it still depends on angle of attack and rotation. An under-writer might be comfortable with the left-footed oblique (typical Pelikan stock oblique) as long as their rotation was suited to the nib.

 

David is right - a straight-cut italic is probably something most people can adjust to regardless of their grip or "handedness". it might be the better place to start.

 

And something else - the Pelikan stock obliques don't offer much variation to begin with. They're really designed more for the rotation factor and comfort for some people, not for variation. Maybe the vintage ones had some variation, but the moderns do not. I like them, but not because they do anything special with my handwriting. Just comfy to use. for variation, better to go with an italic nib (though I hear bad things about the new Pelikan stock italic) or with a custom stub or italic from a nibmeister. I'd recommend you get a cheap italic pen - Sheaffer or the like - see if you can work with it then decide if you want to pursue that in a custom nib.

 

An oblique can be just darn fun to use without being designed for unusual grips or handedness. But you should check with a nibmeister about what is right for you and your grip/angle of attack.

[*david*]

I wouldn't say an italic nib was easier to start on - just the opposite!

Unless the oblique nib is going the wrong direction for you, that is.

[Kalessin]

I write left-handed from above the line, sort of "hooked over" the top of the line. I love oblique nibs, (left-oblique, similar to the toes on your left foot as you look down at your feet), so if you're also a hooked-over lefty, then I'd say definitely give it a try.

[KCat]

I wouldn't say an italic nib was easier to start on - just the opposite!

Unless the oblique nib is going the wrong direction for you, that is.

I should say that I was saying a cheap italic in lieu of going directly to a custom oblique. i guess it's individual taste and again, grip. An italic is square and that's hard to ignore. while an oblique as "subtle" as a stock Pelikan or MB oblique looks harmless, but could really throw you if you don't know what to expect. Example - I have a friend (who contributes here) who had no problem at all with a straight stub or an italic. But because of her high angle of attack, was completely flustered with a left-oblique.

 

I agree that the sharpness of an italic nib can be challenging however. That's why I suggested trying something like a cheap Sheaffer - preferably a fine or medium, not the broad. They are not as sharp as something like a custom italic or an Osmiroid and i've given several to newbies who, though it took getting used to, were able to handle them. Talking to Richard or John about your grip is the best bet though it could end up getting you hooked on customs and set you back more $$.

[Bill]

I'm a lefty underwriter and regularly use stub and italic nibs of varying sizes and vintages. My best ones so far are from Mr. Binder. Second is a toss-up between Esterbrook and Bexley factory stubs. Then the Sailor music nib followed by a hodge podge of others. Despite the fact that I've never met a Pelikan I didn't like, I could not get the factory italic medium to write (nor could the store owner) so I skipped it.

 

If you are an underwriter, you can generally use the same nibs the righties use. I have two glass-smooth Esterbrook medium stubs, identical except one is a left-handed oblique. With the oblique, I have to twist the pen slightly in my hand or it will catch and skip. Same variation as the other but the sweet spot is much more limited for me.

 

Bill