Some time ago I read in this forum that you can improve smoothness of the nib by writing on some rough paper. I have two EF nibs which are a little bit scratchy (I do not expect EF nibs to be as smooth as F or M nibs).
I don't have access to nibmeisters, so maybe using this rough paper might help a bit. Could you remind me where this topic is (I searched the site with no results) or provide with a short info on this subject?

Thanks in advance.
Zyg

Writing on a brown paper bag has been suggested - by Old Griz, I think. I've tried it and it definitely works wonders on some nibs.

Judybug

Try this.

Essentially, all you do is doodle on one of those rough brown grocery bags, which acts like a very fine sandpaper.

Edited to add: Like JudyBug said, it works on some pens, but some require a little bit more aggressive treatment.

Thanks a lot!
That is what I was looking for.
Zyg

HI You might also want to go to www.nibs.com. ON the left hand side of the page, look for a link to articles. You have to scroll down a bit to see this.

Then you will see an article called something like "Smoothing Scratchy nibs." You might find it interesting. j

Very interesting article. I visited this site before but didn't find it.
Micromesh is not available here, so I will try paper bags first. Anyway, I need just a little smoothing.
Thanks for all info.
Zyg

I've never tried the paper bag trick although I have one pen that has a tad bit of tooth that I wouldn't mind trying this on - but do make sure you flush the pen thoroughly as small bits of the paper can get in between the tines using paper...

I'm with HesNot - I am a heavy user of the brown paper bag trick myself (I make my own stubs and italic nibs using nothing but regular sandpaper and some brown grocery bag* :doh: ). Pieces of paper tend to get stuck between the tines a bit as you smooth it, but you just need to push them out a bit and flush with water.

It's also been recommended that you sand the nib on the paper with the pen filled with ink - as this lubricates. Don't over do it Over-doing the smoothing can place you at a point of no return



*only on worn out nibs on inexpensive pens that barely write anymore. I just sand the tipping down so it's flatter, adjust the angle of writing and smooth with brown bag. Not as smooth as something a pro would achieve, but good enough to call it a nice salvage

LIAR!!!

I distinctly remember you confessing to using a pair of wire clippers (or similar device) to clip the tips of your Pilot Varsity/V-pens!!!

Note to OP: Don't do this.

I've found a few pens in my collection, new or old - that required a bit of tweaking. A brand new Aurora 88 that was a touch scratchy, a brand new Cross Townsend Lapis...

Using a 35mm SLR lens (50mm focal length) backwards as a loupe, you can get a decent view of the nib. A loupe would be preferred, but that's what I have on-hand. Without a loupe it's hard to see what you're facing and how you're progressing in your adjustments.

Anyway, you'd be surprised at how often tines are out of alignment, even just a little bit!

Carefully pulling up on a tine (easier than pushing down the other) and checking progress under a loupe is an easy enough adjustment. Repeat until the tines are aligned.

This may affect the gap between the tines if done often enough or the nib might just be running dry to begin with (which leads to scratchy writing due to lack of lubrication). I use an automotive feeler guage, using a .002" to .004" thickness blade to space them out again.

Finally, you want to have the nib centered on the feed (on most pens) - they can shift sometimes. Pushing slightly on the nib back into the section by the middle of the curve should suffice.

I'll have to try the paper bag trick... I did try the penny method and it works - made the Aurora 88 silky smooth with just the slightest hint of feedback (it used to be a tad scratchy).

When all work is completed, show the nib and feed some love and do a thorough flush to remove any debris and skin oils.

Thanks, kissing.
I was just wondering whether to do this with an empty pen, filled with water or ink. I will be very careful as I am planning to do this with my favorite pens.
Zyg

I've advanced a tiny little bit since those dark ages
(For the record, I will never ever use wire cutters on a nib again :doh:

The pens that I used the wire clippers on were dirt cheap pens that had no 'iridium' tipping to begin with Back then, I didn't dare try any dangerous experiments on pens that had real "iridium" tipping.

Upon purchasing my first customised cursive italic nib (Parker Frontier from Pendemonium), I observed that the nibmeister acheived a chisel edge by grinding the round tipping off the bottom of the tip. So, it was only natural to imitate the technique on some pens I had that were skipping and writing horribly using what I could get my hands on (sandpaper...brown grocery bag).

After ruining one Vector (but it was a learning experience), I found success on an Inoxcrom fountain pen, which had a poor, worn out nib that skipped. (If I ruined it, I could get a replacement nib for cheap at a local pen store anyway). I got myself a new favourite writer - a customised stub made with my own hands

Don't abrasively smooth a nib until you have the tips in perfect alignment -- this usually cures the vast majority of toothy or scratchy nibs, and the change is quite dramatic much of the time.

Inspect the nib very carefully while getting the tips aligned (or at least look them over dry, it's hard to see problems with ink on them sometimes). New nibs should be very nearly perfect, if not, I'd exchange under warrenty.

Used nibs can have all sorts of problems -- I have a barely used Sheaffer Admiral Snorkel that I paid too much for that had a very noisy, dragging nib. Close inspection revealed both nib misalignment AND a rough spot on one tip. Correct alignment helped, but the real cure was to CAREFULLY use some 5 um sandpaper and a 4000 grit waterstone to smooth the edges of the rough pitted area on one tip. It's not as nice as the similar age Sovereign, but it is now no longer irritating to use.

A similar story with a Parker 21 MkII -- took quite a while to get the tips aligned, they tend to resist moving, then move too far. Once I got the alignment right, using a microscope, I discovered the scratchyness on that nib as a distinct wear "foot" at a strange angle for me. I didn't try to remove it, I'm nowhere near that good, but I did manage to use the sandpaper to remove the corners of the "foot" and the waterstone to polish the tips and the "foot", with the result that the pen is now silky smooth at the original user's writing position and bearable at others -- just a bit of sound and occasional drag, no roughness.

I guess what I'm saying is don't assume you need to grind the tip, inspect carefully first and use abrasives ONLY for a definite purpose and very lightly. A pitted or porous section of the tipping material will cause noise and drag, but only need some polishing to cure, not grinding. Rough sandpaper, micromesh, etc will make for a noisy nib, you must polish it nice and shiny at the point where the tipping actually touches the paper for a smooth feel.

Brown paper is great -- it contains a bit of silica, just enough to polish the tips without removing significant amounts of tipping material, unlike abrasive papers, which can remove ALL of it if you aren't carefull. Never, never press down on the pen while smoothing on a stone or abrasive paper, let the weight of the pen do the work. The only time I would advise pressure is when you are attempting to remove a sharp edge on the slit side of the tip, and then only enough to expose the material for one or two wipes. More, and you will have trouble, especially new "flats" that really screw up ink delivery and smoothness.

Peter

Morning report: full success, my F nibs write much better.
Look, funny thing. I'm not young and I've been using FP as long as I can remember. For me it was a nice and convenient tool for writing.
Thanks to this forum I am discovering new dimension. It is as if I'd been living on a ground floor of a tall building not knowing that there are many storeys above me.

But I'm quickly climbing up.
Thank you all.
Zyg

I just finished writing circles with my cousin's scratchy Pelikan M200 (with the tins aligned fine ) on a ~A4 size brown packing paper (wrote completely one side of it), and I must say that the nib is noticeably smoother, and more pleasurable to use. Thanx for the tip...


Nenad