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How has your nib prefer eve changed over the years? I used to buy fine and extra fine nibs exclusively until about seven years ago, when I started getting into broad and upwards. Now, my standard nib is is almost always going to be a stub or cursive italic, and wouldn't bother with anything smaller.

 

I think larger nibs can be more demanding to use, but also help in maintaining a clear hand. Any thoughts?

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After 45 years or more, still want the finest nib I can write with. I suspect it won't change at this point. I can tolerate slightly wider than I used to, but my favorites pens are still those with accountant nibs.

 

Peter

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At the moment I'm sort of going the opposite direction (well, mostly -- but the pendulum keeps swinging). I started out with medium nibs being the way to go, but found that I got more mileage out of F nibs as far as ink usage.
OTOH, a really light colored ink did much better in a fine italic, which is broader than I'm used to. But I recently picked up a Sheaffer Snorkel with an EF nib, and finding it, well, interesting....

Okay, I'm a Libra. And you're asking me to make a *decision*. Yeah, right, good luck with that.... :P

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

"It's very nice, but frankly, when I signed that list for a P-51, what I had in mind was a fountain pen."

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For me it has always been a medium nib. Sometimes I need to write in Chinese so I have got one Lamy Safari in EF but most of my many pens still have F and M nibs. One of them is of a B nib because it is very clear to correct papers (i am a teacher).

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I used a Parker 95 with medium nib for many years. I was pretty wet and smooth, easy to write with. But it also got knocked around a bit during the college years and at some point it started to leak ink, just a little. That didn't look so good at the office.

 

Next, I bought a Waterman Expert II with a fine nib. What a difference! Much neater, tighter and yet pretty easy to use. This was it. Definitely.

 

Then I discovered Fountain Pen Network, saw pictures of pens and handwriting. Neat handwriting. Bold handwriting. Flourished handwriting. Italic. Looped. Print. ALL CAPS. tiny. Line variation because of nib shape, or created by varying pressure. And ink. Oh dear... Well, I suppose you know how that story ends: nibs from Japanese XF to German OBB. Most of them used, some of them from the 1950s, 40s or 20s. A great variety.

 

Here are some of my current favourites:

- neat writing, small, "modern business" or Palmer: Pilot Metal Falcon with soft EF nib, or Montblanc 136 EF steel nib.

- bit bigger, bolder, adding line variation: Montblanc 244G flexible EF nib or Waterman 52 flex F nib.

- notes at work: anything sturdy, fine-to-medium, like Parker Duofold Intl. F nib or Montblanc 149 F or M nib.

- captions, cards etc.: Montblanc 146 OBB nib or TWSBI 580 1.1 stub italic.

- big cards: Pilot Parallel 1.5 and up.

Edited by pmhudepo

journaling / tinkering with pens / sailing / photography / software development

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(For simplicity's sake, I'm gonna go with Western nib standards, so a Western Fine = Japanese XF, etc.)

 

Started out with what could be considered a <M-F> nib, but then quickly shifted to a <EF> nib and despite brief forays into <F>, <M>, and some stubs/italics, I seem to inevitably end up back using <EF> nibs. It mainly has to do with my smallish handwriting and how I hold my pens. For all the times I've tried to tweak it, 20 odd years of practice using my atypical grip makes it my default preference for both comfort and speed no matter how long I practice otherwise. At this point, I'm just about ready to concede to it fully, although when I do have the luxury of time, I will use some of my wider-nibbed pens and utilize a "proper" pen grip to write.

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It really depends on what handwriting style I am using - I like a cursive italic or medium to broad standard nib for writing cursive italic or italic, and a Japanese fine for writing monoline Spencerian (Business hand). I used to like wider nibs until I started the Spencerian thing - it just seems to require a fine nib to look right. Were it not for that, I don't think I'd have much use for a fie nib, I like to see more ink on the page.

 

Dan

"Life is like an analogy" -Anon-

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l279/T-Caster/DSC_0334_2.jpg

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I used the old Parker Fine nibs for MANY years, and still do.

 

I just started being comfortable with the Medium nib, because I am writing in a journal with WIDE ruled paper. The Medium nib forces me to write larger to fill the space in the wide ruled paper. So while I still am primarily a Fine nib writer, I will use a Medium nib where I have the additional space for it.

 

I have been playing around with italic nibs, and used a Lamy 1.1 for my Christmas cards.

I like the effect of an italic nib, that makes my handwriting look more interesting with virtually no additional work on my part.

 

End result is I am still a Fine nib writer, but I have additional nibs in my tool box to use as appropriate.

One nib size does not fit all uses.

San Francisco Pen Show - August 28-30, 2020 - Redwood City, California

www.SFPenShow.com

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For me it so depends on the writing I'm doing - if I were to use a pen to take notes or do homework, I need either an EF or EEF, which is why I usually prefer a ballpoint or pencil for that. But for my "everyday" stuff I am starting to become more fond of broader nibs, especially my Lamy 1.1 which just makes writing fun. :-)

Fountain pen blog | Personal blog

 

Current collection: Pilot Vanishing Point, TWSBI Vac 700, Kaweco Al Sport, Lamy Safari, Nemosine Singularity

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Size of nib depends on many factors, but I tend to stick near the fine end of the scale. Broad nibs require a slightly larger hand than I like to be legible. Stubs are another matter, I like those broader as long as they aren't too wet, since my hand uses them along the fine stroke more than the wide stroke.

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I have tried, and still own most nibsizes, except BB and obliques. I can adapt my script to them, but I get troubles with the broader nibs because of excess ink causing feathering, bleeding and smudging. The finer nibs make my script look a bit scrawny unless I go into micrographia-mode which is not handy for normal writing.

 

And I try to get an Italic or stub nib where available. And if not available that is sometimes the reason not to buy a pen unless I really really want it...

 

D.ick

~

KEEP SAFE, WEAR A MASK, KEEP A DISTANCE.

Freedom exists by virtue of self limitation.

~

 

 

 

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I have started writing with medium nibs. Today I use either a medium stub or an extra fine nib.

Yet another hobby that is completely out of control...

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When i first got into fountain pens, I only wanted the very fine nibs. I loved the precision feel of a very fine fountain pen. While I still love these fountain pens, I have evolved to really enjoy medium nibs and stubs. You can really get more interesting looks out of your inks that way. No broads yet though!

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Most of my pens have Medium nibs. However, I buy Medium non-Italic, Cursive Italic, Stubs, and I'm about to pick up some Broad Stubs and CI's as well. I don't care for Extra Fine, and as far as Fines, I usually just use an Eastern Medium which generally is finer than a Western Medium. However, I must say, the Pilot Falcon (formerly the Namiki Falcon) has me interested in the Fine nib due to the great line variation.

Franklin-Christoph, Italix, and Pilot pens are the best!
Iroshizuku, Diamine, and Waterman inks are my favorites!

Apica, Rhodia, and Clairefontaine make great paper!

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I have always tended to use medium nibs. But a curious thing has happened since I started hanging out at this forum.

 

When I was at primary school in the early 60s I used a Platignum cartridge pen. Then when I went on to grammar school my parents bought me a new FP (think it was a green Parker 45). I have only recently remembered that I struggled initially with that pen because it was a medium blob and it was so different from the italic style of the Platignum.

 

Eventually, of course, I did get used to it and forgot about the Platignum until very recently I tried out a medium stub on a Parker Flighter. It was like a Proustian moment - the feel of the nib and the effect on my writing reminded me instantly of my old Platignum. It was a very happy reunion. Now I'm looking to have a Pelikan M215 I bought on eBay turned into a medium cursive stub.

 

So it's never too late to discover new nib loves, or as in my case, re-discovering old ones.

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At first I thought that I'd always want fine or extra fine nibs, as they are practical for writing on any size of paper. I still make sure that I always have a fine nib available, my Vanishing Point fine is right for just about anything.

 

I do like, however, to let my handwriting spread out when I can, writing on larger unlined paper. For that, I've come to appreciate some medium and broad nibs. Never really gotten into Italics, although I have a few, but one left oblique that I have, an Esterbrook 2442, is very nice.

Edited by ISW_Kaputnik

"So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable creature, since it enables one to find or make a reason for everything one has a mind to do."

 

- Benjamin Franklin

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For fine, extra fine, medium fine, I only use vintage Sheaffer because they are true to their size.

Other I use medium, large and stub nibs.

Pens are like watches , once you start a collection, you can hardly go back. And pens like all fine luxury items do improve with time

 

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I had M when I started 'collecting', I went broad....Fines were only because I needed that pen.

Soon I had more Fines than all the rest....so I started using them.

I find regular flex Fines and Mediums give more shading in some inks than wetter Semi-flex or Broads.

Some inks do better with broad nibs.

 

I don't have a pure favorite...if editing, then a F....if I'm going to be writing on the back of the page, then OB or OBB with some flex.

 

The problem with editing, is I'm using copy paper that didn't make the cut, even if it is 100g (Avery Zweckform).....It is not the paper for a OBB flexi Pelikan 500, or an English Sheaffer Snorkel flexi stub BB.

They are different patterns.

Leopard vs Cheetah.

Flexi OF in a 400NN is not bad either.

Got three nice springy '90s Pelikan nibs inked, one M and two Celebries F in both gold and steel.

I only got 14 pens inked instead of the normal 17.

 

There is always going to be a few grand nibs of this or that width not in rotation, and a few good ones....the ok ones...must be rooted out....another new years and again nothing done....Smoking was given up in the year, but nothing difficult like selling a pen.

 

 

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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As many others, I started using M nibs (which is the only nib available in non specialized stores). At the beginning, 30 years ago, I was looking for a smooth pen, it was enough.

Until that expensive day that I discovered the chance to buy FP out of Chile, with customization. After that, I have going from M to B, sometimes to BB, and from round to stub and to italic nibs. At the moment, my "eccentricities" are: 1,1 stub (TWSBI Vac 700 and 580), a B (also TWSBI, Micasa), a BB (Pelikan 600, customized by J Mottishaw), and a 1,1 stub (FC 29 Bellus, by R Masuyama), and a Music (Platinum 3776). About 8 years ago 1 bought a Pelikan B (M800, customized by Sam Fiorella, from Pendemonium), it was my first cursive italic,and certainly one of my favorites.

I also have a left oblique nib in a Lamy Safari which a delight.

The remaining 30 are regular nibs (Oh God, the OCD is going out of control!!!!!)

Since I do not have to write long notes, and my hand writing is big enough, I have no problem with broad nibs. As you already noticed, I love them.

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