I have always used a 14k nib but recently acquired the Pelikan 1935 that has a 18k nib. Are there any disadvantages to 18k? Is it less durable or more prone to damage than the 14k?
Is it more or less flexible? Thanks.

carat is the purity of the gold. 18k has more gold than alloys compared to 14, so it would generally be softer.

this is from a jewellery perspective, i would love to see how it relates to pen nibs. (also talk about 10k and steel nibs too...)

Actually, in the context of fountain pens, the Karat scale has no correlation with flexibility. In fact, most 18K pens have much stiffer nibs than 14K (It is 14K that is said to be the ideal alloy for making flex nibs).

I think it depends more on what metals are alloyed with the gold, the structure and shape of the nib, and how thick the nib is latitudedly. I'm not expert on this though - just stating what I inferred from reading some of the comments in the past by the real experts

The 14k will have more stiffness than the 18K one. True, the 18K is softer...

Steel nib is stiff, but that is depending on the nib/feed configuration, nib shape, and the quality of the nib. Parker's Vector is stiff as a nail, but 51's gold nib should feel the same... So, you have to try and decide...

One of my professors complains when her pens make noise on paper (yeah, I know...) which doesn't happen with my 21K nib (on one of my Sailor 1911s). Sometimes I prefer the stiffness of a steel nib, though. My Pelikano, which I didn't use for about three years, is suddenly my favorite pen, as is the Eagle Iridium a former student gave me.

David, after decades of writing with fountain pens, I can not discern any considerable difference between a 14c or 18c nib. As far as durability, they have been equal in the pens I have owned. After using your new 18c nib, you might be able to tell me what differences you feel you are experiencing.

If you are one who generally takes care of his pens, then just enjoy the new nib.

I have 18k nibs that are as soft as my 14k nibs but all depends of when was made the nib and which alloys it uses.

Richard can make a 14k nib flexy, but not an 18k.

My father worked for Tiffany & Co. for over 62 years and for lack of an audience, would lecture us on gold and precious stones- simplicty was his message, but with gold- well, 24k was the only quality- but he told me its value was due to its softness- that the more one thing was worth, the more it should be handled with grace and ease- he left me several Parker 24k nib pens and they are wonderful writers- rare, but wonderful- gold is indeed rare, and rarer still in nibs, but one should ask, I guess, what could be worth the signature of a 24k nib?

Tony

I have both grades of nib and to me I can't find any major difference. The corrosion resistance must be a factor, but then what is the gold alloyed with, I believe that in most cases a major part would be silver, but I stand to be corrected. Some nibs may even be a specific alloy in order to give certain properties to the nib I guess.

Is there a metallurgist in the house I wonder?

Obi

I found a nice article on gold alloys.

world gold council...alloy

It describe property of gold in different alloy and composition regarding to the color of gold. It's a fun read.

Excellent -- thanks for pointing that out to us. I found the parts regarding white gold especially interesting. I had no idea about the different ratios of other metals and how they affect malleability and color. Interesting how the silver/copper ratio is the main color modifier to gold--more silver means paler yellow, less silver/more copper creates a deeper yellow, and even more copper yields rose gold.

And I didn't know that palladium (sometimes used in place of nickel for white gold) is more expensive than gold.

If I understand it correctly (ie, probably not ) it's because the 18k alloy's slightly greater softness makes it easier to spring the nib, whereas the 14k offers the rights balance between flexibility and durability.

I'm sure Mr Binder will be along presently to correct me

I believe the nonreactive nature of gold is a large part of its desirability in fountain pen nibs (and many other things). Since a lot of inks used to be corrosive, a gold nib stood the test of time. Also, being a softer metal, back when nibs were handmade this was probably a big advantage. The fountain pen industry seems to be very traditional, in its use of materials. I'm a little surprised that I've never seen nibs from modern plastics and composites. The irony is that they might be very expensive to produce, but would probably sell only in very inexpensive pens.

I think you're right. The molds used to produce plastic parts cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, so it certainly wouldn't be economical for a low production product like a fountain pen nib. Metal is definitely a better choice for low production parts.

A lot of fountain pens are so expensive, however, that it may not impact the price that much to use plastic, but than people might not buy them, because plastic is regarded by most to be an inferior alternative (when it comes to nibs, I'd have to agree with them).

Not according to Wikipedia:

"The demand for precious metals is driven not only by their practical use, but also by their role as investments and a store of value. Palladium is, as of December 29 2006, valued ($322.00 per ounce) slightly over half the price of gold ($636.00 per ounce), and platinum ($1133.00 per ounce) at around twice that of gold. Silver is substantially less expensive ($12.85 per ounce) than these metals, presently at 1/50 the price of gold, but is often traditionally considered a precious metal for its role in coinage and jewellery."

The same article goes on to say that our old friend Rhodium is the most expensive precious metal at - wait for it - $6200 per ounce.

Hehehe,

That's not much considering 5ug of plasmid cost about 700$ !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is 3 920 000 $ per ounce!

Note: Just because a nib is made of steel, it doesn't necessarily mean they're stiff.

There are a number of flex nibs that write like wet noodles that are made of steel! There was a topic on it a few months ago (I think it was a vintage Sailor of some sort).

In the case of Parker Sonnets, that have soft nibs, the steel range tend to be more springy than the 18K range. The 18K nibs are thicker and stiffer.

The stiffest nib I've ever used, is a Parker Duofold, which is also 18K. It feels even stiffer than my steel-nibbed Rotrings