Rhodium vs Gold nib?

[War and Peace]

I'm always suprised that they cost as much. Is Rhodium as expensive as gold or is it the manufacturer/store that gives them the same price?

 

And does one of these perform better than the other, or is it just vizual?

[encremental]

It will be a gold nib, plated with rhodium to match the trim. Rhodium is a far more expensive metal than gold (part of the platinum group), and probably unsuited to be used as a nib - but IMO has neither the charm of gold or silver and all the charisma of a chrome sink plug.

 

John

[Pfhorrest]

all the charisma of a chrome sink plug.

 

John

 

[encremental]

Well, it does. Just because an element is further up the periodic table doesn't mean we have to like it. For aesthetic and practical reasons, I do understand that plating gold nibs to match trim makes good sense, but (and this is more for the taboos thread) the very idea of plating wonderful resonant, exquisite sterling silver with naff old rhodium/platinum/drearium does my head in. It's like keeping a Rembrandt etching in a locked cupboard.

 

John

[Garageboy]

I like rhodium. Nothing beats its raw whiteness

[HelzBelz]

As the original question has been answered, I'll chime in with my opinion on rhodium: I'm not a huge fan, I find it too cold-looking for my tastes. Granted I prefer warmer tones in general, but I much prefer sterling silver to rhodium-plated silver/other metals.

[Arts11]

Personally, I think the trim only looks as good as when you match it to the color of the rest of the pen. For instance, I love black+gold trim pens, but white+gold trim doesn't work for me.

[Pfhorrest]

Well, it does. Just because an element is further up the periodic table doesn't mean we have to like it. For aesthetic and practical reasons, I do understand that plating gold nibs to match trim makes good sense, but (and this is more for the taboos thread) the very idea of plating wonderful resonant, exquisite sterling silver with naff old rhodium/platinum/drearium does my head in. It's like keeping a Rembrandt etching in a locked cupboard.

 

John

 

I agree with the sterling.. but not with the gold! Sometimes, that yellow color just doesn't match with the richness of celluloid or pearlized resin.. you need a brilliant, outstanding nib to contrast with a drab body and vice versa.

[The Central Scrutinizer]

As grandma may have told you: SUCK IT AND SEE!

 

I've been predominantly using fountain pens for over four decades and have a different take on this and it's rather simple. It's down to your personal preference based not merely on aesthetics but also upon the feel you have for the pen in your hand, the angle at which you find the pen/nib combination most comfortable, the style of handwriting or script you adopt, the ink(s) you use and the drag coefficient you prefer which is governed by the nib material, the ink deployed and the type of writing media you intend to write upon.

 

Aesthetics aside I have generally found rhodium nibs to glide more smoothly over paper, parchment and vellum than either silver or gold. However this is not to everyone's liking as some prefer a little more drag as may be found in a gold or silver nib. I favour silver over all else for ultra-fine copperplate hand. I personally prefer silver over gold and rhodium over silver for cursive and signature writing on most media with a fine or medium nib.

 

When it comes to calligraphic script using fine italic to B4 broad nibs I have tried many esoteric and expensive pen/nib/ink combinations over the years from Parker (Duofold Centennial), Mont Blanc (Meisterstuck series), Cross, Waterman etc and yet I always go back to old faithful: a 1974 Platignum Silverline series Lettering Set with mere stainless steel nibs from copperplate ultrafine, fine, medium, broad, B1, B2, B3 and B4 and a plethora of specialist nibs all in stainless steel. Steel italic nibs canbe honed to your hand and then have a limited life thereafter.

 

The honing takes place through the microscopic abrasion of the paper against the steel nib (this happens to a very much lesser extent with silver, rhodium and especially the softer gold). For the impatient writer this can be speeded up by using ultra-fine (1200o grade) emery paper.I used to write around 20 to 50 A4 sheets of calligraphic script most days and it would take around three weeks for a fine or medium nib to hone to my hand on a medium-smooth paper - in my case this gave a 30 degree oblique finish to my right hand nibs.

 

Once honed the usable lifespan is dependent on the amount it is used and the length of unified width of the tine section of the nib before it billows out to the wider shoulder. For Silverline italic stainless steel nibs and with my degree of usage, paper type and hand pressure this generally gave a nib life expectancy of around six months. But this cheap system I found always gave the most pleasing results. I did try using Platignum's iridium tip nibs but these took much longer to hone and thereafter I found gave non-uniform wear patterns such that the varying drag coefficient made the pen awkward to use.

 

The other issue with nib apart from the materials used in the construction and the surface material written upon is the ink used. For steel nibs if I wanted a very intricate and dark and durable finish I would use Stephens / Pelican inks. For more illuminated works I used Parker uni-pigment Quink inks with solvent and to this would generally add between 1 to 5% of BP glycerine. This gave a more lustrous sheen to the work, speeded up the drying time and reduces the drag coeficient of the nib on the surface. However, if you want to do this do not do so with ink filler/plungers with rubber or silicone bladders then ensure you wash out the filler with warm water immediately after use as otherwise it may crystalise as it will swiftly rot the bladder. I have not found this to be an issue with plastic and metal filling chambers with cork, leather or vulcanised rubber plungers. If you want to play ultra safe then keep some empty ink cartridges and then fill them using a 2ml syringe - ideally glass as many modern plastic varieties are not particularly resilient to inks containing solvents.

 

Metal nibs have long been available in a choice of base metals; originally the most common were copper. Thereafter steel then stainless steel became the most popular in routine implements with gold tending to be used often more for aesthetic reasons rather than function. Silver tended to give more favourable results than gold but of course suffered from tarnishing and erosion from many inks. Platinum is more of a statement of status rather than practicality over gold but is slightly harder in practice than gold and much more resilient than silver. Alloy nibs became more popular from the mid 1960s with iridium/steel being popular for around two decades but now they are very hard to come by. More common is rhodium/gold alloy or rhodium plating on gold. Bear in mind that much of this happened against a backdrop of growing popularity of biros, gas-filled biro cartridges and of course rollerball delivery. The forefathers in the early 1900s were rather more experimental with the fountain pen and commonly nibs would be found to be made of of alloys comprising a mixture of iridium, osmium, silver, copper and gold and maybe with trace quantities of ruthenium - it was not uncommon for a nib to contain all of these in the 1920s. More recently titanium and titanium rhodium nibs have come into being. I haven't yet tried the latter but I do like the springy feel to the titanium nib rather akin to steel nibs but sadly they cannot readily be honed like a stainless steel unit, even if adopting a Dremel device with jeweller's rouge.

 

So it's mainly down to what you like in a nib. And yes then the aesthetics may still colour your choice. Do yourself a favour and visit a good writing implement dealer who will let you try a variety of pen/nib/ink/paper combinations and then make up your own mind. Happy writing.

 

John

Edited June 18, 2015 by The Central Scrutinizer

[Randal6393]

Well, Central Scrutinizer, welcome aboard! That's a doozy of a post, does pretty much agree with my over four decades of pen usage as well. Not nearly as prolific as you, though.

 

Learned to write italic and calligraphy scripts with the Platignum Silverline pens. Wore out at least a dozen, glad to see them available on eBay. Have not had one in my pen box for some while, recently added one with a M italic nib. And find that my memory isn't false, the pen is still one of the best workhorse writing tools I have ever used.

 

The other, newer writing tools that I love are the Noodler line of pens. Find the Creaper too small, love the Konrad and the Ahab. Usually use a Goulet # 6, 1.1 mm wide, but also have a few Noodler flex nibs cut to italic and sharpened on the old Arkansas Black stone that I have used for years. Have you tried them yet?

 

Enjoy,

[Bo Bo Olson]

I think silver nibs are real rare. I don't have one. Never seen one...out side some early WW2 nibs might have had it.

The 'silvery' looking ones are steel.

[JW7]

Having done some basic research on Rhodium, I have found that over half the time you see sterling silver or platinum on a high end piece, wether it be jewelry or fine writing instruments, you are really looking at Rhodium for the first few weeks at least. It has that "shiny, white sheen" that makes people want to buy things just a few microns thick.

[Shaggy]

Having done some basic research on Rhodium, I have found that over half the time you see sterling silver or platinum on a high end piece, wether it be jewelry or fine writing instruments, you are really looking at Rhodium for the first few weeks at least. It has that "shiny, white sheen" that makes people want to buy things just a few microns thick.

Minor point. I'm a jewelry hound, and I've never seen platinum with rhodium plating in jewelry.

 

Also, sterling silver with rhodium plating is not common in high end jewelry because the sterling has better color without it. E. G. Tiffany never rhodium plates their sterling (neither jewelry nor flatware).

 

The only metal that's commonly plated with rhodium (in jewelry) is white gold, because it has a dingy cast.

[KellyMcJ]

Minor point. I'm a jewelry hound, and I've never seen platinum with rhodium plating in jewelry.

 

Also, sterling silver with rhodium plating is not common in high end jewelry because the sterling has better color without it. E. G. Tiffany never rhodium plates their sterling (neither jewelry nor flatware).

 

The only metal that's commonly plated with rhodium (in jewelry) is white gold, because it has a dingy cast.

 

Rhodium on silver annoys me. Actually, rhodium on white gold annoys me too. I actually LIKE the dingy cast of unplated white gold. My mother's wedding band has the rhodium long since worn off and I think it's beautiful. My mother agrees. Rhodium is just...well it looks fake!

 

However, I really love the rhodium trim on my pens that have it. Rhodium looks better on a pen, than on a finger. The gleaming whiteness looks almost futuristic. Of course, it will wear, and develop a "well loved patina" that all properly used pens get.

[bromfieldpenshop]

About nibs.

 

Before your "Black Friday" excursion to your local pen shop here's some tips about fountain pen nibs.

 

Both steel and gold nibs can be flexible or rigid. Gold content has nothing to do with flexibility. Gold is not flexible by nature so it must be made to act like spring steel for flexible nibs. Gold is used for pen nibs because of it's non corrosive properties. Since gold is soft an iridium or other hard metal is added to the tip for longevity. It is true gold nibs may write better but this is because more attention is paid to the finished product. Flexibility in a nib is achieved by the overall shape. Length of tines, curve of shoulders etc. Most dip pen nibs are extremely flexible and made of steel. If you go back through the history of pen nibs flexibility is not a sign of quality, It is just a personal preference as are boots and high heels. You may find more pens with flexible nibs available in gold rather than steel but this is at the mercy of manufacturers discretion. Best thing to do?...go in and try some pens!

[dcwaites]

Well, I have a nib, 21kt gold, that is plated with 24kt gold.

 

Talk about gilding the lily...

[AAAndrew]

Rhodium is also used to coat white gold and silver because it is significantly harder and less likely to scratch. But, if you like the more "worn" look (i.e. less uniformly even) of silver or white gold, then you won't care about scratches anyway.

 

Rhodium is also, currently, about 3 times that of gold. Palladium is also now even more expensive than gold. But that's because of actual industrial uses.

[HomRoy]

Well, I have a nib, 21kt gold, that is plated with 24kt gold.

 

Talk about gilding the lily...

oh boy...which brand is the culprit here? Sailor?

[Tseg]

oh boy...which brand is the culprit here? Sailor?

 

Yeh, I like 21K covered in Rhodium. Interesting that chrome and not Rhodium is used on the furniture of this pen.

 

[MuddyWaters]

 

Yeh, I like 21K covered in Rhodium. Interesting that chrome and not Rhodium is used on the furniture of this pen.

 

Stunning pen and handwriting!