Hi again,

A few more question I just thought of...

1) I have a Century II Black Fountain Pen with a Medium sized Nib. The lines can be quite thick on certain papers and i was just wondering if it's appropriate to use a Medium Nib for writing notes?

2) Also, as an extension to the question, what is the most popular nib size? Fine, or Medium? Is it purely personal preference or is there a "fountain pen etiquette" we have to abide by? I am thinking Extra Fine and Bold are out of the question unless used for calligraphic purposes.

3) As mentioned in a few other posts, I might be having ink flow problems. If i want to get a fine nib, will Cross do this for me free of charge? I have had the pen for only a few days.

Thanks for your help!

Don't know the cross policy but someone will speak up and let you know. I started off buying all medium nibs and ended up with a broad in a Rotring 600. I couldn't use it and sent it in to be changed to a medium, but now wish I had gone for a fine or xfine. I have moved over the years from a Medium to a fine and now generally try to find extra fine nibs. My hand writing won't handle a broad nib as all of the loops run together. It looks best in a medium if I have plenty of room to write. It is scratchier looking in a fine but fits much better in my journal lines. At work I am always writing notes on printouts and need to squeeze them in tight spaces so extra fine is the way I go for that kind of work. In other words it is all up to personal preference and probably will change over the years and with the situation. I have a fine nib in a Cross black matt finish Century 2000 that is a really nice writing nib. There are one person on FPN that uses XXXF nibs and she writes beautifully with them and one that is a writer and she exclusively uses Broad/Bold nibs. The fun is in finding the perfect one for you!

First, whether you use a fine or medium nib isn't a matter of etiquette. As you have already observed, the width of line may be (and probably will be) different on different papers. Also with different inks. And under different degrees of humidity in the air. Whether there are also differences in line width according to atmospheric pressure, different lines formed by the same nib at sea level or in the mountains, I do not know. But it is conceivable.

So etiquette, which doesn't know how thick the line will be, makes no prescriptions about your nib.

However, the demands of the situation do make demands: if you write mathematical symbols or Chinese characters in ordinary size, you may need a fine or extra fine nib to obtain the thin line you need. And some people think a signature looks more impressive with a broad line. (I don't, but opinions vary. Not a matter of etiquette.)

Teachers and editors who make editorial marks between lines of writing may also need a fine or extra-fine nib to produce a thin enough line. Those are small marks, like individual strokes in forming a Chinese character.

If you aren't doing any specific thing that requires a thin line, thickness of line is a matter of taste.

Paper found today is not manufactured for a world in which everyone uses a fountain pen. You may find that you need more than one pen if you insist on a particular line width. Some papers are so absorbent that even a fine nib will write a rather broad line; others are so ink-repellent that a medium nib will write a very thin line.

Welcome to the world as it is, which is a world where fountain pens are not universal. Because ink-jet printers use water-based ink, as do fountain pens, you will often find that ink-jet printing paper will take fountain-pen ink well. But I've had good results with quite various kinds of paper. Trial and error (with recommendations from others) will teach you.

I can't imagine confining myself to just one nib size. I like a fine nib for my check register. A medium is usually a good all-purpose nib. I have an oblique nib that's so wonderful I want it close at hand all the time. I'm thinking of putting it under my pillow at night. I have an extra-broad nib that is just fun to write with. It's a little like writing with a paint brush but it produces shading that is just beautiful. Inks that are dull and boring in finer nibs are spectacular in this extra-broad. Sometimes I use it to address big brown envelopes. I've even written a letter or two with it.

Of course, the broader the nib, the larger you have to write. But I enjoy the variety.

Judybug

Cross' point sizes are "generous," like Parker's and Pelikan's, and Cross' ink flow is on the "wet" side, like Parker's. Wet flow + generous point size = wide lines. I have an ATX medium and a Century II fine. Both write well for me, and both force me to write better because of wide lines. There is an easily visible difference between the line widths of the two sizes.

What a wonderful way to enjoy using your pens! I must find a way to adopt this, as I have confined myself thus far to fine/extra-fine nibs and am getting a little bored. I used to practice lettering years ago and enjoyed it thoroughly. I have to say that what I read about stubs and obliques and BB's for their shading and line variation intrigue me. I do have a cursive italic, but it just isn't expressive enough to be really interesting. I might have to think seriously about a stub in the near future . . .

Regarding my Century II, it's a fine, and for its purposes I wish it were an XF--too wide for me for everyday paper, but wonderful for slightly textured papers that don't cause ink-bleed.

Cross will change the nib for a processing fee (around $10 I think). Call them 800-AT-CROSS (I think).

My Century II is a medium, generally used with Legal Lapis; the result on Rhodia paper can be found under Ink Reviews.

Ever since I first ran across a rollerball which was oddly watery and dark (I don't think it was actually designed that way - it might have been a defect!), I've liked to have a stroke broader than most, in order to stand out in a list or a stack of papers.

In most cases, I've found the Century II medium to do this job well; it's broad enough to stand out, but not so broad that I have to write billboards.

(One of my favorite things to do is write little parables and/or draw miniature sketches on the smallest ["pocket"] size of Rhodia pad [which I always have in my back pocket]. I've had no problem doing this with the Century II medium, despite the heavy flow.)

I originally used Noodler's Black (I like dark ink), but fell in love with the subtle variations of Legal Lapis after trying it. It seems that every shade on the label, can be present when using the ink (depending on paper, pen pressure, etc).

Well... sorry for the sidetrack. But as the other guy said, nib width isn't a matter of etiquette (after all, any such etiquette would likely have gone out the window, given that ball-pens rule the world right now). It's strictly a matter of style and personal whim.

(BTW, God bless Merriam-Webster Online. Trying to spell "etiquette" is murder...

I use bold italic nibs, but they vary greatly depending on the paper and ink combo. Also, a bold nib from one company is medium from another, so there's that to deal with as well.

I use fine and extra fine nib, basically the finest nib I can get in a perticular fountian pen. I have been told that it is common for engineers and accountants to write small, therefore their preference for fine nibs.

What nib size do you prefer for calligraphy purpose?

You've probably also noticed a difference in manufacturers. My Waterman Phileas medium nib is broader than my Cross Solo medium nib. For general writing and note taking, I prefer the Cross Solo because the thinner line more suits my writing style.

The stiffness also affects things. If you tend to apply much pressure, a flexible nib will spread a bit and leave a broader line.

I've always been afraid of XF nibs, making the assumption that they surely must be scratchy. Recently I started participating in two traveling journals where there is a limit to the number of pages you can use for an entry. Since I have a tendency to babble on, I decided I needed a XF so I could write small and fit a lot on my pages. I love my Cross medium and broad nibs. I decided that if anybody can make a smooth XF nib, it would be Cross so I ordered one. And yes - it is smooth. Maybe not as buttery as the larger nibs, but certainly not scratchy. I'm very pleased with it.

Judybug

All my FP's have medium nibs and am quite happy with all of them. My favourite pen though is a Sheaffer with a fine italic nib, a beautiful writer and use it almost exclusively in diaries. I also have 2 other Sheaffers in the same calligraphy set, one medium italic and the other is called B. They are also some of my favourite pens. Sometime we put too much importance in name brand and cost but believe me, some of the cheap pens often outperform many of the more expensive pens.

I just mentioned in another thread that although I began with medium nibs I am moving more towards F and EF nib sizes. I've found though that the ink and paper has a lot to do with it. If I am writing with my fine nib Lamy Vista on good paper it writes a fine line. If I am taking notes in class using cheap notebook paper, then the line becomes more of a medium. Since my tastes frequently change I am happy to have the options of mediums, fines, and extra fines for whatever purposes I might need them.

P.S. Sorry if this got off topic. I forgot we were in the Cross forum

To me, a medium for all kind of private correspondence (preferably blue ink) and filling in questionnaires. However, an Asian F (equivalent to an usual XF nib) I use at work every day.
Imagine everyone's ballpoints' writing in washed out blacks or dark gray, and suddenly you come in to write in medium or a broadsided line with Noodler's Heart of darkness. I mean... I just don't like the contrast.

Anyway, when it comes to nib preferences, I dislike those which can't stand a sharp angle of writing, as I tend to hold a pen very close to a nib. Waterman Phileas is a perfect for my style of writing, I can hold the pen under an angle of approx 80-85 degrees and it still writes smooth (nib carefully tuned under a magnifying glass).

Contrary to the Phileas is my vintage Pelikan 120, nib marked F, a wet writer which makes a medium line on Moleskin paper; I have to hold the pen under an angle of 60-75 degrees approx to be able to write. A sharper angle will make the pen stop writing completely. I have difficulties writing like that.
I own only one P120, so I don't know is this a faulty nib, or is it just a common thing for Pelikan nibs from the era of Pel 120.

Generally speaking, any smooth medium nib which will handle a sharp angle of writing will do for me.

Medium for most things. A medium italic when I want to be adventurous.

As for etiquette issues.... they have more to do with the color of the ink than with the nib width. Reds, greens, purples, and browns have no place in formal documents. Just black and blue. I will agree, however, that a BB nib would be out of place on a routing slip in which most people use ballpoints to write their initials.

I'd love to know a bit more about that combination, especially if perhaps you might have a snapshot of it.

I'm considering adding a Century 2000 to my arsenal, but I'm trying to confirm whether the Century 2000 is merely a Century II under a special/different name, or if the Century 2000 is just a Townsend with a slightly different cap.

According to the very few pictures I have seen, the Century 2000 appears to be an ideal midpoint size between the Century II and the Townsend, and if that's the case I expect I'd love it.

Thanks.

(and apologies to all for the brief threadnapping)

Just bought a medium nib cross metropolis last week.
I find that it actually writes thinner than my Pelikan m400 and M250 F nibs.
About the same as a Lamy Safari F nib.