So, it looks like I'm finally getting a Doric - a gray OS with a nice fat nib.
AS YOU SEE MY ANSWERS ARE IN BOLD (I AM NOT SHOUTING)
YOU DID NOT SAY WHAT ERA DORIC YOUR PEN IS FROM, BUT BASED ON THE COLOR YOU MENTION, I WILL ASSUME THAT IT IS THE FIRST "GENERATION" PEN. SUCH PENS WERE THE ONES WITH THE WHEEL/ROLLER CLIP AND THE LATTICE WORK CAP BAND. MY ANSWERS T YOUR QUESTIONS ARE ALSO BASED ON THAT ASSUMPTION
Meanwhile, I started looking around for more, and I'd like to know:
1. What does the numbering system mean with these nibs (#6, #9, et al)?
WAHL PENS CAME IN A NUMBER OF SIZES AND THE NIBS THAT WERE THE RIGHT SIZE FOR THE VARIOUS PEN SIZES WERE NUMBERED STARTING AT ZERO. THE EARLY SERIES RAN 0.2.3.4.5.6 WITH 6 BEING THE LARGEST AND 0 BEING THE SMALLEST. SOME WAHL-EVERSHARP PENS ALSO CAME WITH WARRANTED NIBS INSTEAD OF WAHL OR EVERSHARP NIBS AND THE WARRANTED RAN IN ODD NUMBER SIZES FROM 3 THROUGH 7 (3,5,7, ALTHOUGH I HAVE SEEN 8'S SO THERE GOES THE ODD NUMBER IDEA. tHE GOLD SEAL NIBS WERE EVEN SIZED STARTING WITH 2 AND RUNNING THEOUGH 6 IN SIZE. THESE PENS ALSO CAME WITH ADJUSTABLE NIBS WHERE A REINFORCING SLIDE WAS FITTED TO THE TOP OF THE NIB AND WHEN THE SLIDE WAS ALL THE WAY FORWARD IT REINFORCED THE TINES AND MADE THE PEN BEHAVE LIKE A FIRM AND WHEN THE SLIDE WAS PUSHED BACK REARWARD ON THE NIB, THE REINFORCEMENT WAS REMOVED FROM THE TINES AND THE PEN BEHAVED LIKE A FLEXIBLE. THESE NIBS RANS IN SIZE IN ODD NUMBERS BEGINNING WITH 3 THROUGH 9, BUT THERE WAS ALSO A 10...GO FIGGER. THE 10 WENT ON THE OVERSIZED PENS, ALTHOUGH I HAVE SEEN 9'S INSTALLED, THE 10 IS THE RIGH NIB FOR THE TRUE OVERSIZED PEN.
2. If I'm looking for a large red Doric (large as in Oversize), does that exist?
YES, IN THE FIRST GENERATION PEN THERE WAS AN OVERSIZED IN MORROCO WHICH IS A RED MARBLED PLASTIC
3. Where should I be looking and what is a reasonable amount to pay for a problem-free example?
LOOK EVERYWHERE, BUT YOUR BEST BET TO FIND A GOOD QUALITY EXAMPLE WILL PROBABLY COME OUT OF SOMEONE ELSES COLLECTION. MANY FINE PENS DO SHOW UP IN THE USUAL PLACES (EBAY, ZOSS, AND OTHER ON-LINE PLACES, MANY ARE SEEN AT THE MAJOR PEN SHOWS, AND AGAIN FROM PRIVATE COLLECTORS AND DEALERS. CONDITION MEANS THE MOST, OF COURSE SO IF YOU WANT TO KNOW A PRICE RANGE FOR EXCELLENT OR BETTER GRADE PENS YOU ARE TALKING UPWARDS OF $500.
4. How easy/hard is it to find the nib I want (at least M, and with pleasant, manageable flex), in the event the pen I find comes with something else (like a stiff XF)?
BIG NIBS ARE HARD TO FIND. MEDIUM ONES FAIRLY EASY AND SMALL ONES VERY EASY. IF THE PEN HAS AN ADJUSTABLE NIB, YOU PROBABLY DON'T NEED TO DO MORE LOOKING. WAHL-EVERSHARP NIBS DID NOT ALL COME IN WIDTH RANGES SOME DID SOME DID NOT. FOR A BETTER OVERVIEW OF THE VARIOUS NIBS AVAILABLE (THERE WERE AT LEAST 14 DIFFERENT TYPES OF NIBS THAT HAD NARROWER OR WIDER CHARACTERISTICS, BUT THEY WERE NOT ALL SOLD BY BY LINE THICKNESS WORD. FOR EXAMPLE YOU WILL NEVER SEE A WAHL-EVERSHARP FACTORY DESIGNATION AS "BROAD". BUT YOU WILL SEE "STUB" NIBS IN MEDIUM WIDTH AND WIDER. THSE WRITE A VERY BROAD LINE.
HERE IS THE LINK TO ONE OF OUR EARLIER POSTS ON THE RANGE OF EARLY-ISH WAHL NIBS ( BUT THE SIZE AND TYPES APPLY THROUGH THE GOLD SEAL ERA.
WAHL NIB LINE-UPGOLD SEAL NIBS WERE THE RIGHT PLAIN NIBS FOR THE FIRST GENERATION GOLD SEAL DORICS - ALL OVERSIZED DORICS ARE GOLD SEAL PENS)
HOPE THIS HELPS YOU GET STARTED ON THE TOPIC OF WAHL-EVERSHARP NIBS. THE TOPIC IS A LITTLE MORE COMPLEX THAT THIS EXPLANATION, BUT IT'S A START ANYWAY.
SYD THE WAHLNUT
Any tips, suggestions, etc. would be welcomed...