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Sailor 1911 Nib Designation - Does H-F Mean Medium-Fine Or Something Else?

sailorman

By sailorman
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sailorman Dipped Only

sailorman

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What does the H-F designation mean?

Sailor Fountain Pens have been my favorite daily writing instruments for the past several years since being introduced to them. I own several other very nice pens from popular makers, but I love the velvety smooth flow of Sailors - from high end to low end.

One thing that I can't resolve though; both my favorite daily writer, a 1911 Standard, and my trophy pen, a large 1911 Demonstrator, have H-F on the nib, but they write very differently.

The 1911 Standard is a 14K nib and the Demonstrator is a 21K nib. The Standard has a broader and smoother line than the Demonstrator, which has a much finer and "scratchier" line.

I took the Demonstrator to Fahrney's pens in DC a couple of years ago to have it examined, and it was determined to be nicely aligned. They recommend that I write with it more. (Not sure what that would accomplish), but just wonder whether what could be the difference.

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sargetalon Antique

sargetalon

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H-F is the designation for "hard fine." It's a firmer nib than say a soft fine.

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Guillermo Near Mint

Guillermo

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It's as sargetalon says. Usually, Japanese pen companies (such as Pilot-Namiki/ Sailor, etc.) offer both soft and hard versions of their nibs. In your case, you have a Hard ("as nails") Fine, which it's harder than the Regular F nib their offer. The other way around is the Soft Fine, which would give you some flex.

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Lyander0012 Vintage

Lyander0012

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Yep, as with the above, the H-F stands for "hard fine". If you'll notice the markings on some other Japanese pen manufacturer's nibs, say, Pilot, they are sometimes labelled with SF, SEF, SM, or SB, indicating a soft/springy nib for each nib grade. This is something I've noticed with both Nakaya/Platinum and Pilot, though not with Sailor (does Sailor make soft nibs?).

 

By the by, it appears that Sailor also has a specific label for their Naginata-Togi pens; the mark on mine says N MF, which I suppose means Naginata Medium Fine. It's quite interesting :P

 

 

Cheers!

 

Kevin

"The price of an object should not only be what you had to pay for it, but also what you've had to sacrifice in order to obtain it." - <i>The Wisdom of The Internet</i><p class='bbc_center'><center><img src="http://i59.tinypic.com/jr4g43.jpg"/></center>

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phipwood Near Mint

phipwood

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My sailor is an HF, I knew it was a fine but didn ot know it was a hard fine.

 

I wonder how they make a hard or a soft nib, it it the thickness that stiffens the nib.

Mine feels scratchy but not unpleasent.

 

I read how "buttery" sailors were but I do not agree with this description; but maybe if I had a softer nib it would be true.

 

I still think my pen and nib is very handsome and I try to use it constantly.

I have attached a photo of my nib. You can see the HF on the bottom edge.

 

paul

post-110414-0-01104600-1395377763_thumb.jpg

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rollerboy Extremely Rare

rollerboy

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I have Sapporos in 14K H-F and H-MF and "large" 1911s in 21K H-F and H-MF. In my small sample of nibs, the 21K nibs seem a bit finer and less smooth than the 14K nibs.

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watch_art Museum Piece

watch_art

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I had a 21k HF that was deliciously smooth after a small adjustment to the point to make it write a bit wetter. It was too dry when I got it. Don't have it anymore as I just didn't care for it much.
Just recently acquired a Platinum that I enjoy quite a bit more.

fpn_1432247667__cropped-20150427_0641231 http://www.penturners.org/forum/signaturepics/sigpic14481_1.gif http://mob984.photobucket.com/albums/ae327/VintagePen/vanness.jpg?t=1321916122

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Lyander0012 Vintage

Lyander0012

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My sailor is an HF, I knew it was a fine but didn ot know it was a hard fine.

 

I wonder how they make a hard or a soft nib, it it the thickness that stiffens the nib.

Mine feels scratchy but not unpleasent.

 

I read how "buttery" sailors were but I do not agree with this description; but maybe if I had a softer nib it would be true.

 

I still think my pen and nib is very handsome and I try to use it constantly.

I have attached a photo of my nib. You can see the HF on the bottom edge.

 

paul

Well, if it isn't pure gold, then it's an alloy. Sure, the thickness of the nib likely has something to do with the pen's inability to flex, but what Sailor mixes their gold in probably has an effect as well :P

"The price of an object should not only be what you had to pay for it, but also what you've had to sacrifice in order to obtain it." - <i>The Wisdom of The Internet</i><p class='bbc_center'><center><img src="http://i59.tinypic.com/jr4g43.jpg"/></center>

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Lyander0012 Vintage

Lyander0012

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My nib is 21 k

 

Yep, same here. It's entirely possible that the shape or construction could be the cause of its relative hardness, due to the fact that 21k gold is indeed very soft. I learned this the hard way when I accidentally sprung the tines when removing the nib for a thorough cleaning (I'm not likely to try loading 1670 Rouge Hematite in this pen again, thanks very much :P ). Still, it was easy enough to get back into shape, and I also got to dry out the inkflow a bit, which made it an excellent daily pen.

"The price of an object should not only be what you had to pay for it, but also what you've had to sacrifice in order to obtain it." - <i>The Wisdom of The Internet</i><p class='bbc_center'><center><img src="http://i59.tinypic.com/jr4g43.jpg"/></center>

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Lyander0012 Vintage

Lyander0012

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I had no idea. My two Sailor 1911 have both very hard nibs, but they have no specific note, only EF and F respectively. Is this common?

 

Interesting. Are these 1911 pens older models (you can check by the scrollwork on the nib, from what I remember)? That might have something to do with the markings being different. Sorry, I only got into fountain pens late 2012, and vintage ones are still a mystery to me :P

"The price of an object should not only be what you had to pay for it, but also what you've had to sacrifice in order to obtain it." - <i>The Wisdom of The Internet</i><p class='bbc_center'><center><img src="http://i59.tinypic.com/jr4g43.jpg"/></center>

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