or are they used mostly for signatures and short notes?
They must require large writing to create open e's and a's and use tons of ink and paper!
Can anyone post a photo of a writing sample created with a BBB nib? I imagine it must be quite impressive.

Regards,
J

I have done so for several years (Waterman CF and Gentleman, both with BB stubs). Given the right paper, I enjoyed it; my handwriting was never better –did I hear someone say that this doesn’t mean much?
Eventually, I changed to regular mediums because I found I was getting to slow... I had been too slow all the time, of course, but refused to acknowledge it as it just felt so nice...

Jeen,

I'd been meaning to write up a sample of various nib sizes, but have been a little busy these past few days. Here's a sample of writing I did a few months ago, when I received my first broad nib. It's a Sheaffer Imperial with a broad inlaid nib. I don't know how it compares to a Pelikan BB or BBB nib, but you can get a feel for how a broad nib looks compared to a "standard" fine nib. It's a fun pen to write with, but you really do have to write a bit larger to make it legible. (Note how large the letters are in relation to the lines on the paper.)

Have fun!

TMann

Tmann,
I hadn't seen that photo before, thanks. I usually don't have to alter my handwriting too much between F and M, but do write significantly larger with B or larger. The only nibs i have broader than a B are Waterman L nibs, and they must be at least BB.

Kees,
I do love the feel of laying down that much ink, and it really shows off the ink. I use my B and L nibs for shorter leisurely letters or brief notes and addressing envelopes, but when I have a longer letter, I'll go with F or M for speed. I do find however some brands have B that are close to M and can be used for routine letter writing.

Regards,
J

What are BB & BBB nibs?

I was having trouble doing open e's and a's even with a Waterman hemisphere fine point! I sent it back for a EF nib and I just got it yesterday. Still wished it was a tad tiner, but ok for now.

Great writing, Mr. Pickering!
I´m not sure, but I think the original post was refering to "round" BB and BBB (double and triple broad). I started a topic a few days ago about Pelikan BB and BBB, and I was told they are simply big round blobs of rodium, not chisel shaped nibs.
That probably depends on the maker, though; I had a cheap plastic Pilot pen with a nib marker "BB" which was actually an italic nib.

regards,
Rique

Thanks, Rique -- I get it now. The regular iridium-tip-nib fountain pens I own have mostly narrow nibs. In the following exemplar only the Waterman has a somewhat broader (and stiffer) nib -- it isn't that noticeable because I use a very light pen hold/nib-to-paper pressure.



James

I often use a Pelikan OBB nib for snails, envelopes, notes..
compared to Charleston B nib :

Hi Corienb,

It seems you can get a bit of line variation with this nib, don´t you? Not as much as with a italic nib, but definitely more than with the Charleston, which looks perfectly round to me.
Nice handwriting, too, and the nib fits it perfectly!

regards,
Rique

You're right, the Waterman is perfectly round and thanks
I forgot to add, this is an old style Pelikan nib, the modern ones don't come close to this line variation, I think you can compare it to a rounded ( or at least not so sharp ) slanted1.5 mm(!) italic nib.

Jeen, at present I use BB nibs regularly only on my Pelikan pens, M-1000 through M-400, simply because Pelikan does not have a factory stub or italic available. (I participated in Rique's very timely thread on that subject.) I think "corienb's" writing sample gives you a really good idea of what BB writing looks like. My plain BB nibs produce a very similar product. I use an italic hand similar to what James used, though mine is not nearly so well executed.

To address your inquiry, I find I can use a BB nib for daily writing, though not for filling in forms. I do adjust my handwriting to a larger font, and, at least with the Pelikan nibs, the writing is smooth and fluid and a great deal of fun (like writing with a stub nib). However, I find that I must keep other pens inked as well for different types of writing. So, I can't have a BB nib as my sole writer.

By the way, corienb, I have my M-800(with the green striated barrel) inked at the moment with Noodler's "Shah's Rose." Funny coincidence; great color.

Note: Sorry that the color does not come out. After scanning, then I realised that my office all-in-one machine only does greyscale. So excuse the ink colour.