Pen Primer: Nib Shapes And Styles

[Dillo]

Hi,

 

Having worked on nibs, I have seen many different styles of nibs. Here is a list of the styles I have on hand:

 

Semi hooded-As one can see, part of the nib slit is covered by the hood. Only a small part of it is covered.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8502/8314074255_fbb04a6619_b.jpg

 

Fully hooded-The majority of the nib slit is covered by the hood.

[topic-"235633"]Parker 51 Demi[/topic]

 

You can see a hooded nib in the third picture down. Hari's picture makes it very clear that a significant part of the nib is covered by the hood.

Hooded nib

 

Shrouded-A lot of the nib can be seen. This is the bottom nib in this picture. Clearly not an open nib though. This is very popular in Japanese pens

Dart style-This is a nib where then breather hole can be seen, but just barely. This is the middle pen in the picture. Pilot calls this nib the dart nib

Fingernail-This is the nib on the top. The nib is set in the grip section very much like a fingernail. Most of the nib is actually visible. These nibs do not have clips under them to secure them to the feed unlike many shrouded nibs.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8361/8315240220_a46d3d8620_b.jpg

 

This is another fingernail style nib-the nib is held in place by pressure of the feed and the grip shell:

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3047/3007273610_3f022f9615_b.jpg

 

Open nibs come in a variety of styles:

Not your garden variety open nib-A Pelikano nib

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8440/8017505608_7dc975f640_b.jpg

 

A more tubular open nib design:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8159/7622989250_e31a4a93c6_b.jpg

 

Yet another type of open nib-the Lamy nib: These nibs are clearly open nibs but are clipped in place under the feed. The Aurora Hastil has a nib like this as well as do some Sailor pens

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3450/3373793000_d6e71653ff_z.jpg?zz=1

 

A Sailor pen with a clipped-on open nib:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8072/8315277046_216a8f6a17_b.jpg

 

The Pilot Elabo/Falcon has an open nib of an odd shape, but it is still clearly an open-nibbed design. I am not a number has a great picture of it.

Falcon nib

 

Now, no discussion would be complete without a picture of a regular open nib of the most normal type. We have the two Nakaya nibs on the right.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7116/7681497584_54d9cf62f4_b.jpg

 

Next we have the integral nib-the full grip section is the nib. This is leftmost pen.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3165/2958554817_8b2ee4d690_b.jpg

 

We have the tubular open nib as well-Sheaffer Triumph and Visconti Opera Typhoon. These nibs typically wrap around. Some of them are not completely tubular, but have a gap such as that of the Parker Arrow. We have great pictures of the Visconti version thanks to Bryant:

Visconti Tubular

 

Finally the inlaid nib-Sheaffer makes nibs like this. I'm not sure whether you call the Pilot Elite as having an inlaid nib. The nib is clearly attached to the plastic hood. One must crack the nib off the plastic to remove it. I think though that is is welded to the hood which is different from moulding the grip around it like with actual inlaid nibs. You can see them beautifully laid out by Hari here:

Inlaid and inset nibs

 

Now, how about strange nibs like the Waterman Edson? The Edson is an open nib. It just has an odd shape that allows it to blend in with the rest of the grip section. You will know if you pull it.

 

So, the big question, how do we tell all these nibs apart?

The dart-style nibs are like semi-hooded nibs, but just almost. They are attached by clips to the bottom of the feed and they are shrouded.

The fingernail nibs are mostly visible. They are not attached by clips to the feed

The open nibs have two styles, the clipped style and the other style that is unclipped and held in place by the pressure of the feed and grip section.

We have the tubular open nibs like the Sheaffer type. The majority of the nib is again visible. These nibs usually wrap around the feed mostly or completely

Semi-hooded nibs have a small part of the nib slit concealed under the hood.

Hooded nibs have most of the nib slit concealed under the hood.

Integral nibs are nibs that are one piece with the grip section

Inlaid nibs are nibs that have the grip shell moulded around them as in the Sheaffer pens

Inset nibs are like the Pilot Super and Elite nibs. Many of these nibs are welded to the grip shell.

 

How about odd nibs that don't fit into these categories? Well, there are many different ways of doing nibs and attaching them. Within each category, we have variations also. I don't know what to call the Pilot Capless nib for instance. When it is outside of the pen, I am tempted to call it a clipped open nib. When it is in the pen, it is more complicated. The nib does not touch the other parts of the grip-section besides the door, so the grip section does not play a role in holding ink around the nib as does the grip section in pens such as the dart-style, shrouded, or semi-hooded nibs.

 

We will always have puzzles like this.

 

Quiz...What kind of nib does the Lamy 2000 have?

 

It's a semi-hooded nib. A small part of the nib slit is concealed by the grip section.

 

How about the Waterman CF? Shrouded Same for the Omas 361. You can see the entire nib-slit. Same for the MB Generation.

 

Anyway, I hope this adds other nib styles into our discussion.

 

Dillon

Edited December 28, 2012 by Dillo

[hari317]

Then you have the really original nib shapes like the Sailor Trident and the Parker 180.

 

http://www.stutler.cc/pens/trident/images/DSCN3607.jpg

 

Pic linked from this wonderful article: link

 

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_juv4wKFlvzQ/TBq8r6bJ7tI/AAAAAAAAAa0/JPZvZWaTDv4/s400/parker180nib1.jpg

 

Pic linked from this blog: link

[Dillo]

Hi,

 

Yes, indeed, very interesting stuff.

 

Having had a Parker 180, I'd classify it as an open nib with an overfeed (the metal thing). I've had one in my shop before.

 

The Trident is just a really odd and special nib. I'm not sure what to call it. You could call it an open nib, but it has more than two tines. It's certainly something eccentric and you can't see much of the metal of the nib. I just call pens with nibs like that 360º nibs.

 

Dillon

[Harlequin]

Is that Trident a FP or is it a type of ball pen? I honestly can't tell...

[Dillo]

Is that Trident a FP or is it a type of ball pen? I honestly can't tell...

 

It's a fountain pen with a nib that has many many tines and a special feed. It's just a very special nib that writes in all positions and can take more pressure.

 

Dillon

[Sailor Kenshin]

Hero makes a very inexpensive version of the 360, if anyone is curious.

[Harlequin]

Hero makes a very inexpensive version of the 360, if anyone is curious.

Lol, I'm looking into that very possibility myself. There is another thread which reviews the 360, but unfortunately one of the replies also posited that on the new versions of the pen, Hero may have changed the nib design. I'm hoping either that isn't the case or I can find some NOS. ISellPens was mentioned as a possible option.

Edited December 28, 2012 by Harlequin

[Sailor Kenshin]

The Hero model is a nail... a curiosity. Personally I think the Parker looks the coolest, but you won't find one of those for five dollars.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Dillo

This with a few if any missing nibs, like a couple of Sheaffers; inlays and Triumph nibs should be pinned.

 

Geha 725 Goldwing (Early '60's-72)Semi-flex.

With permission of Penboard.de.

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm300/BoBoOlson/Goldschwingnib-2.jpg

 

You'd have to ask Penboard.de for mine, it's theirs...I am in the top 100 worse picture takers.

Edited December 29, 2012 by Bo Bo Olson

[Dillo]

Hi,

 

If someone wants to donate links to their own pictures for the cause (from a proper hosting site of course!) I'm open to including them in the post with the other nib pictures.

 

Dillon

[hari317]

Hi,

 

If someone wants to donate links to their own pictures for the cause (from a proper hosting site of course!) I'm open to including them in the post with the other nib pictures.

 

Dillon

Dillon feel free to directly include my pics in your OP.