Hello!

What a great forum!

TMann

TMann,

Let me be the first to welcome you to FPN. Based on your comments, you've already looked around. I myself am rather new here and agree with you completely - FPN is a wonderful place full of wonderful folks. Glad to have you join us and looking forward to getting to know you on the boards.

How long have you been into fps? What fp is your favorite? How many and which fps do you have now? Just curious.

See ya around!

And another addict for us

Welcome TMann, make yourself at home.

Denis.

Welcome TMann to the FPN, where if you aren't already addicted to fountain pens, you sure will be after spending a few hours here.

Well, it's a bit of a strange journey to how I got to this site...but I think this is how it happened...

I've always been a bit of a pen junkie. When I was young, I would often "borrow" my Dad's pens, and he never really seemed to mind if I didn't get around to returning them. My Dad typically used Cross ballpoint and roller ball pens, (he and I are both physicians, so we have to write a lot on multi-thickness chart pages.) I did have a couple of cheap fountain pens when I was back in school. The first was one of those cheap, drug-store Sheaffer pens with the plastic bodies and unfinished steel caps. I still have it, along with a few spare Skrip cartridges. The other one was an inexpensive Parker Reflex (?) fountain pen. It also had an inexpensive plastic barrel and cap, and a rubberized grip section near the nib. Both of those pens actually work pretty well, all things considered.

I'm in my late 30's and I have now been out of med school for about 10 years. And as is the case with many physicians, my handwriting has gotten worse and worse with each passing year. It has gotten to the point where I am in a hurry, I can scarcely read my own writing! So a few months back, I decided that I was going to start cleaning up my "penmanship." I bought some extra yellow pads, and just wrote "stuff", trying to relearn how to write properly.

Also about that time, I came across a column on a technology 'blog by a guy named Mike Rohde. He is a graphical artist and a bit of a pen junkie, so when I came across his column (see link here,) I decided to go out and start looking for a good fountain pen. I was looking initially for an inexpensive way to jump back into FP's, so I decided to try and find a good quality, but inexpensive pen. Well, as it turned out, I ended up with a few different ones. I got onto eBay and purchased a Lamy Al-star (the metal version of the Safari,) and a Namiki Vanishing Point. I also found a Sheaffer Prelude (black with silver trim,) and Waterman Phileas (black with gold trim,) for good prices at some local office stores, so I now have a total of four new fountain pens. (Actually the Lamy is still en route from the eBay seller, so I only have three in hand.)

And wouldn't you know it, after all of that...I'm now thinking of getting a Pelikan. I used to own a Calligraphy set, (I know...it's unusual for a young guy, but oh, well,) and I'd like to be able to eventally write with a bit of "flair." I'm looking for a pen with a flexible nib, and as far as I have read, the Pelikan nibs are some of the more flexible ones of the modern fountain pens. (If anyone has any other suggestions, I'd be interested in hearing about it.)

Anyways, that's where I'm at this point. I'm enjoying getting to know the nuances of each of my pens, and getting a feel for how different nib widths feel. The Waterman has a medium nib, and lays down the broadest line of my stable of pens; it'll take me a while to get used to that one. The Sheaffer also has a medium nib, but has a much finer line. (Possibly due to some differences in the Waterman and Sheaffer inks?) The Namiki has a fine tip, and boy is it fine! I had been told that Japanese nibs tend to run a bit narrow, and I can certainly see that with my VP. That fine nib is just too fine a line for me. I did find a store that sells VP nib assemblies, so I have ordered a medium nib for it.

So thanks for reading my long story and thanks for the welcoming replies. I always enjoy visiting forums like these and have gained a lot of useful information.

You'll be hearing more from me!

TMann

Hi TMann,

you are definitely in trouble... it usually goes all downhill from there

About flexible nibs : you will not find them on modern pens. They will be at most springy (a concept that I must admit I do not understand completely... for me modern nibs are all stiff...), except for the recently introduced Dani Trio flexible nib (not all Dani Trio nibs are flexible, this is a special series), or if you have a nib altered by a Nibmeister.

The best way to go for flexible is vintage, where you will find anything from wet noodle to semi-flex.

Denis.

T,

Let me add my welcome. You've made some good early purchases. It'll come as no surprise to the regulars that I'll encourage you to buy that Pelikan!

Ray

Greetings and welcome, Doc.

It is often said, by those far more experienced than I, that true flexible nibs are to be found only in vintage pens. The Namiki Falcon may have the most flexible of the modern nibs, but even that doesn't come close to many vintage flexers.

Consider having about a medium modern nib stubbed for you. That will give a little bit of line variation yet retain the smooth and fast writing capability. If you like that and have the time, to play with it, you can go to a cursive italic from there. Each step toward more line variation will require more from you, the writer, both in terms of time and experience.

A truly flexible nib might please you for recreational writing, but could hinder your requisite fast daily professional writing. For speed, with a touch of individuality, that first stub should interest you.

Enjoy, and drop in when the spirit moves and time permits.

Welcome, and may I say that if you're looking for suggestions, you'll definitely find them here. I started out here sure that I was going to stick with Sheaffer pens, and have already been seduced into the Esterbrook side of the Force, as well as crisp italic nibs, and who knows what the next voice that calls me will be.

Pens make good friends.

welcome - it is always interesting to me to read how people come 'back" into FPs and so often the stories are so similar. A lot of us were looking for a way to slow down and improve our handwriting. A lot of us had experience with cheapies from our youth but not necessarily to the extent seen in Europe or Asia.

anyway - you started out with some of the best out there, IMO. Yes, my Namiki VP fine is verrrry fine. And I love it. But it isn't conducive to beautiful handwriting, this is true. I do a little better with the medium which is also a joy to use.

and since you mention Pelikan - i'm sure you'll fall down that slope soon too. I have come to the conclusion that *for me* the best modern pens available are Pelikans and Pilots (Namiki) and can foresee eventually having as many Namiki pens as I have Pelikans (which I believe is 6 or 7)

so... again, welcome and I'm looking forward to hearing more from you. I won't give flex advice 'cause I don't have a lot of experience with it.

TMann (Doc to me),

In line with the mini-discussion on flexible nibs, following is a post made to the Zoss pen list that I am posting here with the writer's permission...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"During the first half (especially the early part) of the last
century, nibs were made of flexible 14k gold. Waterman was noted for
them and those remain easy to find, but other makers had them also:
Swan, Salz, John Holland, Wahl, Eversharp, Mabie Todd, Moore, Kaweco
(Germany), Onoto, are some of the makers which come to mind. Parker
offered mostly semi-flex from 1930 onward, and Sheaffer flexible nibs
are quite rare, sad to say. In the first two decades of the 1900s
about half the nibs made were very flexible, as was the style of
writing with beautiful Victorian shaded ovals."

"Two features make a flexible nib easy to spot (although are not
guaranteed) - the nib is longer, the nib shoulders (side points)
aren't as wide, and the nib slot is longer and past the nib
shoulders. These mean the nib is flexible in some way, but there is
more to flex than just nib shape, there is the alloy and thickness of
the nib."

"Flexible nibs come in a variety of tips - needlepoint, XXF, XF, F, M,
B, BB, BBB, Obliques, Italics and stubs - just like regular stiff
nibs. Of all the flexible nibs, I believe that needlepoint, XXF, XF,
and broad italics are most prized because they allow beautiful
shading in writing. The shading is most visible when the nib is
finer, some Watermans and Moore pens that I have will flex from
needlepoint to BBBB."

"I would say by 1950, they about disappeared on fountain pens,
although I've seen some made in Sweden in the early 1950s that were
quite flexible."

"They disappeared for two reasons - they were easily damaged by misuse
and the appearance of carbon paper which required a stiff manifold
style nib capable of being a nail which could write through multiple
copies."

"Also - without doubt - flexible shaded writing takes more time than
writing with a stiff nib. Even if the writer chooses not to shade
the writing intentionally, care must be taken on the "turns" to avoid
applying too much pressure to one tine of the nib, or snag one of the
tines causing the nib to misalign."

"Applying uneven (or too much) pressure will cause misalignments of
the nib - this is perhaps the greatest problem with flexible nibs."

"As smaller makers of FPs who being small were able to find a niche
market and were the last to make flexible nibs went out of business
with the influx of ball point pens, flexible nibs ceased being made.
Even at large pen makers, since nib production was not as diverse, it
lead to outsourcing of nib manufacture, so that today there are very
few companies - OMAS, Sheaffer, come to mind, who make their own
nibs, others like Pelikan, buy their nibs from companies like Bock
from Germany who mass produces nibs for many companies."

"As companies like Waterman, Parker, and (soon) Sheaffer leave the
USA, people who know the secrets of the alloys that permit good nibs
leave the industry."

"In just over 50 years - the details of the alloys that allow 14 k
gold to flex to permit the tines to separate to deposit more ink (a
thicker shaded line) then to quickly bounce back to being very thin,
have been completely lost."

"I understand that OMAS is working on an alloy to bring back vintage
flex in their line - and if they do so, they will be the first 21st
century company to offer one."

"Wishing you well,"

"David J. Ring, Jr.
Green Harbor, MA"

Hi TMann (is your name Thomas by any chance? ) and welcome to FPN!

Greetings from a fellow Pacific NWer (my husband and I live in a suburb of Vancouver) and health care professional (I am a recently retired pharmacist, although I am close to your age). I think there is a Seattle pen club in your area; have you considered joining it? (or perhaps you are already a member?) Our little group of local pen collectors was talking about getting together with the Seattlites sometime in the not-too-distant future.

I noticed that you posted something about the medium nib on the Waterman Phileas being a bit wider than the medium nib on your Prelude...Yes, I noticed it too! I bought a Medium-nibbed Phileas and was pretty shocked to find that it wrote more like a Broad-nibbed pen. I guess it's a matter of trying a pen out before buying it. It's not always possible though, so FPN and other pen sites are great places to find reviews of pens.

Hope you enjoy the site as much as I do!

~Maja

P.S. Roger's suggestion to get a pen with a stubbed nib is an excellent one. Pens with italic or stubbed nibs usually improve one's handwriting almost immediately (more with italics, though). If you are looking for a modern pen with a modified (ground) nib, try Pendemonium's site (www.pendemonium.com). They can create a cursive italic nib on a new Pelikan (or other pen bought from/sent to them) for only $15 more. Richard Binder (www.richardspens.com) also does fine work, but he charges more and his wait time is longer, from what I have heard. I have two cursive italic nibs done by Pendemonium's nibmeister and they are excellent (no affiliation--just a happy customer).

Welcome to the Nuthouse, TMann! There's a seat ready for you (labelled Dr. T - not to be confused with the lovely T who's also here ) whenever you're able to join us for a chat. I don't know why physicians/doctors have a rep with regards to their handwriting - I've spent hours trying to decipher the scratchmarks of people in my profession (audit) too!

Maja,

Hello! Thanks for the reply! Actually the "T" is for Ted. No, I haven't yet gotten around to checking for a local pen collectors club. I'm still just getting my feet wet with this new hobby, and I'm trying...<ahem>...to keep my spending down to a reasonable level. In that sense, I'm not sure that a pen club would be the best place for me to hang out right now.

As for getting a pen with a stubbed nib, I did end up taking Roger's advice! I purchased a Pelikan m205 from Richard Binder with a custom stub nib, (the less expensive steel version.) It was a reasonable price ($120) for a VERY nice pen with a custom nib. And the service was actually quite fast. I placed the order on Friday, got an e-mail that night from Richard's wife saying that it would be mailed on Saturday. And when I got home from work on Monday, the pen was there sitting on my desk. Wow! So here's one solid enthusiastic endorsement for Richard Binder.

I'd like to tell you that my handwriting was instantly made stylish and beautiful, but of course, the pen is only as good as the person wielding it. I'm practicing every day though, so hopefully someday I too will also be able to post a sample of my writing.

I must admit that I'm still intrigued with the idea of using a flexible nibbed FP. I've been looking around and have inquired into a couple of vintage FP's (an Eversharp, and a Waterman.) I don't really want to spend too much, as I know that flexi-nibbed pens require a fair amount of skill to use well. So we'll see...

Anyways, thanks for all of the input, everyone. FPN is a great resource, and one of the friendliest places that I've been to on the web. It's nice that we seem to be lacking so much of that snooty attitude around here that pervades many web forums, (tech sites mainly.) It's a classy bunch that post here!

TMann

Hi again Ted!

I think I might have been thinking of the waiting time for pens sent in to Richard for grinding (vs. pens for grinding that were bought on his site at the same time; I don't believe those have to wait in the queue). I've heard he does fabulous work and will definitely have to get a "Binderized" pen sometime soon!