Stainless Steel Nibs Vs. Gold Nibs

[WriterJP]

Is it convenient to get yourself to NYC to visit the real pen stores? Don't patronize the big chain if they don't know what they're talking about.

 

The bunk isn't even self-consistent. Ignoring the natural part, and then assuming that gold did touch the paper and polish down, when would it stop polishing down?

 

Bunk ++. As everyone has said, you write with a tip attached to a nib. The tip is something like "irridium" welded to the nib, which can be gold or steel. The only way a gold nib could be better than steel is if the pen-maker gave more attention to the "irridium" tip on their gold nib because they charged more for the gold nibbed pen. (I happen to think my steel-nibbed Sonnet is smoother than my gold-nibbed Sonnet, by the way)

 

For details, check Brian Gray's essay on his "Edison Pens" website.

 

Otherwise, beware of misleading sales people. Catch the train to Penn Station. Either go to Art Brown's on 45th just west of 5th Avenue, or to Fountain Pen Hospital, just south of Chambers, and between Church St and B'way.

 

 

Thanks so far for all the great information. Luckily, I live within a 40 minute drive to the city, so I would definitely take a look at stores there when I go in for one of my day trips for fun!

 

Honestly, what the salesperson explained didn't add up to me, so I'm glad at least I was able to have my original suspicions confirmed.

Edited March 8, 2011 by WriterJP

[JMP]

Chances are, that salesperson knew nothing about fountain pens before he filled out the job application at that store. As you know by now, what he said was bunk, but he may not know it is bunk.

 

I've been writing with gold nibs exclusively for years and find they usually have a softer feel and are a bit more springy than their steel nibbed siblings. That said, I think that for daily writing under a wide variety of circumstances (fast note taking under stress, for example) a stiffer steel nib may actually be prefferable to gold.

 

I've always heard that steel nibs may corrode over time if not properly maintained, but I have to believe that if you take care of your pen and clean it on a regular basis it will outlast the lifespan of the user.

 

-Mike

[kaboom]

Gold is a element and occurs naturally.

...

Pure gold has a lower modulus of elasticity than stainless steel and so in the same design nib will be more flexible than stainless steel.

Stainless steel nibs can be made to be flexible and gold nibs made to be rigid.

 

Lower elastic modulus but a lower yield stress, too. One controls how hard it is to flex - the other controls (in a roundabout way) how far you can flex it and have it come back. I'm not sure which wins for a given shape, will have to do some arithmetic on that one.

 

As gold nibs aren't 100% gold we can't even really assume that they're more corrosion resistant than stainless steels.

 

None of this relates to any actual experience with FPs.

 

Maybe the simple rules should be: Ignore salescritters and write with what you like. We're not exactly talking about satellites or artificial heart pumps here...

[kaboom]

Hi, Mike. I prefer silver over gold and speak basic engineering. You can talk to me until you find your grail female.

 

Found a PhD metallurgist for a wife - sadly she's into palladium and alexandrites w.r.t. jewelery...

(I like silver and titanium myself)

[Ghost Plane]

Well, they say opposites attract. Glad you found one of any preference. :clap1:

[Aysedasi]

The two best nibs I've ever written with were both made of stainless steel....

 

You pay's yer money.........

[jbn10161]

Maybe the simple rules should be: Ignore salescritters and write with what you like. We're not exactly talking about satellites or artificial heart pumps here...

+1

[konis]

Do not difference whether the nib is gold or steel.

Condition. This must be a good nib.

Contemporary Watermans:

http://images8.fotosik.pl/1488/727a9e536cd8799fmed.jpg

the left side of the gold nib L'etalon

the right of the steel nib Hemisphere

 

Vintage Osmia :

http://images8.fotosik.pl/1488/51eac053e28ae551med.jpg

the left side of the gold nib Osmia 882

the right of the steel nib Osmia 63

 

All write beautifully.

regards

[psfred]

The only real difference doesn't count today, unless you are using home-made iron gall inks, and that is the relative corrosion resistance of the gold nibs. They DO in fact resist corrosion better than stainless steel, particularly the older stainless used by Parker and others in the 50's. Lots of Parker 21 nibs eaten away by Superchrome!

 

As far as writing "feel" goes, there is nothing to chose between the materials, they can both be made to have any set of characteristics desired. Older Parker SS nibs tend to be soft (easily bent) and give me fits because it becomes very difficult to get the tipping aligned correctly after multiple bending incidents. Gold nibs of the same era seem to be more resistant to distortion.

 

At noted, the actual interface between pen and paper is the tipping material, and it will probably be identical for any given nib manufacturer. No difference in performance at all there, including the fact that vintage Parker pens of the "51" ilk often have severely worn tipping while Sheaffers have none at all.

 

Either material can be used to make a perfect nib, but not all are, and not all gold nibs are better than equivalent stainless!

 

Peter

[nicholasyeo]

Modern pens like the Caran d'Ache Ecridor come with steel, rhodium plated nibs.

I don't think it has any effect on the performance, however it's nice to have gold.

[Bo Bo Olson]

""""""the left side of the gold nib Osmia 882

the right of the steel nib Osmia 63

 

All write beautifully.

regards""""""""""

 

I have some Osmia nibs, and the 'second' class semi-flex nibs he's talking about are very very fine. I have three or four of those.

 

The Osmia Supra nib was their flagship, it is a slightly flexible/'flexi' nib, and I have three; two in steel and one in gold. They are great nibs.

 

With my extremely limited amount of Supra Nibs if

push comes to shove, the steel Supra that I have are a tad more flexible than the gold.That don't mean it writes better...just not quite the same exact ease of flex.

There is always going to be a tad of variation in the slightly flexible/'flexi' or more flexible nibs.

 

Repeat, all three write superbly.

 

The next gold Supra nib I get could be quite as flexible as the two steel nibs.

 

I have @ seven slightly flexible/'flexi' nibs. I believe only two are gold. (?could be three?)

So you see, I don't worry about if it is gold or steel, when it is a grand nib. It is a grand nib...period!

Edited March 20, 2011 by Bo Bo Olson

[konis]

....I don't worry about if it is gold or steel, when it is a grand nib. It is a grand nib...period! ....

 

Yes it's true.

Today, we have robots, nanotechnology, and we can not do what they did in the years 1920 to 1950 people on simple machines.

regards

[farpoint]

The only real difference doesn't count today, unless you are using home-made iron gall inks, and that is the relative corrosion resistance of the gold nibs. They DO in fact resist corrosion better than stainless steel, particularly the older stainless used by Parker and others in the 50's. Lots of Parker 21 nibs eaten away by Superchrome!

 

As far as writing "feel" goes, there is nothing to chose between the materials, they can both be made to have any set of characteristics desired. Older Parker SS nibs tend to be soft (easily bent) and give me fits because it becomes very difficult to get the tipping aligned correctly after multiple bending incidents. Gold nibs of the same era seem to be more resistant to distortion.

 

At noted, the actual interface between pen and paper is the tipping material, and it will probably be identical for any given nib manufacturer. No difference in performance at all there, including the fact that vintage Parker pens of the "51" ilk often have severely worn tipping while Sheaffers have none at all.

 

Either material can be used to make a perfect nib, but not all are, and not all gold nibs are better than equivalent stainless!

 

Peter

Hi Peter,

 

I'm new here. Could you please elaborate or point me to posts elsewhere about the corrosion aspect of iron gall inks? Are these the permanent blue-black inks (say by Montblanc or Quink)?

 

I'm normally not concerned about gold or stainless steel nibs. I try to perceive the feel - when I write as well as how well I can write with the pen. However, it would be good to know about different kinds of ink (their composition) and their effect on the nib material. I'm unsure if I am asking the right question here?

 

Thanks.

[Pterodactylus]

You don't have to worry about corrosion when you are using modern FP ink, no matter if it contain IG or not, no matter which material your nib is made from.

Corrosion on (stainless) steel nibs is no problem anymore for decades.

 

IMO all modern IG inks I tried are exceptional good inks, which also don't need high maintenance (just don't let them dry in your pens, but this is valid for every ink).

 

Unfortunately IG inks getting less and less on the market.

 

If you can still find some IG Montblanc Midnight Blue, grab it before somebody else do it.

 

ESS Registrars Blue/Black, Rohrer & Klingner Scabiosa and Salix are also fantastic inks.

[farpoint]

You don't have to worry about corrosion when you are using modern FP ink, no matter if it contain IG or not, no matter which material your nib is made from.

Corrosion on (stainless) steel nibs is no problem anymore for decades.

IMO all modern IG inks I tried are exceptional good inks, which also don't need high maintenance (just don't let them dry in your pens, but this is valid for every ink).

Unfortunately IG inks getting less and less on the market.

If you can still find some IG Montblanc Midnight Blue, grab it before somebody else do it.

ESS Registrars Blue/Black, Rohrer & Klingner Scabiosa and Salix are also fantastic inks.

Thanks for your quick reply.

 

Glad to know that modern FPs will probably outlive me as long as I maintain them well and that ink really shouldn't affect the nibs.

 

I have Montblanc Midnight Blue (just one bottle) and will preserve it - thanks for your tip (maybe, it's time to pick up a quill pen so that I use this ink sparingly .

 

My experience with inks (other colors and brands) is limited. You've got me started with quite a list for me to check out.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Writing is 1/3 nib width&flex, 1/3 paper and 1/3 ink, and in that order.

 

We are living in the golden age of inks.....to bad the Golden age of Paper ended with the Computer and the dot matrix printer. Do not buy ink jet paper, buy pure laser.

 

Good to better paper is much more a hunt than a 'perfect' pen/nib.

[farpoint]

Writing is 1/3 nib width&flex, 1/3 paper and 1/3 ink, and in that order.

 

We are living in the golden age of inks.....to bad the Golden age of Paper ended with the Computer and the dot matrix printer. Do not buy ink jet paper, buy pure laser.

 

Good to better paper is much more a hunt than a 'perfect' pen/nib.

Thanks for distilling the writing as nib, paper and ink. I infer that I need to think of a pen primarily in terms of its nib characteristic and then the other characteristics (material, filling mechanism etc.) - i.e. primarily in terms of width/flex.

 

You have given me a lot of aspects to know and experiment with.

 

Almost always, I've purchased a pen, got the recommended ink that was then available in the store and used paper available at home.

 

Hence, it is fascinating that the combination of Nib-Paper-Ink can have such a marked influence on the writing experience. This explains why a pen that I purchased changes character when I get home. It wrote well (to my liking) in the store and I come home and the pen feels different - it is the paper that is different (paper available at home is often of lower quality / characteristic).

 

Am catching up with info about inks and paper in several threads in this forum.

 

Thanks and Best Regards.

[bbs]

"I have to believe that if you take care of your pen and clean it on a regular basis it will outlast the lifespan"

 

 

The fact that so many pens from the 1920s and 30s are still around and in use proves this point ....

[Chi Town]

I'm using a Stainless steel nib right now that is to die for! She is such a sweet writer that it just is not funny and I would match her up against any of my Gold nibs! She comes out of my newest pen an Italian; Giuliano Mazzuoli - "Officina", the Chrome version......