Jump to content

Practical Difference Between Stub Nib & Italic Nib?


SomethingWicked

Recommended Posts

Please forgive the newbie question, but when I saw an Italicized nib, I thought it looked like a better version of a stub nib. Am I correct? Or does the stub create the kind of design that is more pronounced than an Italicized nib.

 

Does someone have a photo posted at FPN of the different writing styles?

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 14
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • SomethingWicked

    6

  • FoszFay

    2

  • Ghost Plane

    1

  • ac12

    1

Check out the Franklin Christoph web site and read what they have to say about specialty nib info. There is a good diagram there. Richards Pens is always a good reference.

Edited by linearM
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Stub will give broad down strokes, with narrower cross strokes. Very smooth on the down strokes, still relatively smooth on the cross strokes, which will around a F width.

 

Italics are broad and smooth on the down stroke, but a bit sharp and 'toothy' on the cross strokes, which will closer to an EF.

 

Italics will (IMHO) make you writing look more attractive, with the substantial line variation, however stubs will feel better to use.

 

Good luck.

Tom.

Edited by FoszFay
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Check out the Franklin Christoph web site and read what they have to say about specialty nib info. There is a good diagram there. Richards Pens is always a good reference.

 

What he said - http://www.franklin-christoph.com/specialty-nib-info.html

 

Also, Mottishaw - http://nibs.com/Fountain-Pen-Nib-Customizations.htm

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

Apica, Rhodia, and Clairefontaine make great paper!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Another point worth mentioning is that there are no official standards to separate stubs from italics and companies decide for themselves how to brand their nibs. Some nibs advertised as stubs, for example sheaffer factory stubs, are actually more italic in shape and offer more line variation than some nibs advertised as italics, like for example conway stewart.

Edited by cellmatrix
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Stub will give broad down strokes, with narrower cross strokes. Very smooth on the down strokes, still relatively smooth on the cross strokes, which will around a F width.

 

Italics are broad and smooth on the down stroke, but a bit sharp and 'toothy' on the cross strokes, which will closer to an EF.

 

Italics will (IMHO) make you writing look more attractive, with the substantial line variation, however stubs will feel better to use.

 

Good luck.

Tom.

 

 

Thank you very much, Tom. I appreciate you taking the time to paint me a picture. To me, they were serving the same purpose. Now I know what I should be investing it, which is an Italic, because I'm appreciate the effects. The question now, should I look for a vintage, or are new pens being manufactured that will write smoothly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Italics have sharper corners, stubs more rounded for swift cursive. But the grinds vary across brands.

 

Ghost Plane,

Thank you for your rapid response. I appreciate your help. Please excuse my ignorance, but what are "grinds"?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Check out the Franklin Christoph web site and read what they have to say about specialty nib info. There is a good diagram there. Richards Pens is always a good reference.

 

LinearM, Thank you for the heads-up on Mr. Christoph.

 

I found his website and was very impressed. I bookmarked it also. Excellent info. I'm collecting websites like these to enrich my newbie knowledge and I thank you for another fine example.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Blue Moon,

 

Thank you for the great links! I kept reading about Mr. Mottishaw, but had not seen his website. Tell me, does your Italix pen carry a stub nib?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

Thank you very much, Tom. I appreciate you taking the time to paint me a picture. To me, they were serving the same purpose. Now I know what I should be investing it, which is an Italic, because I'm appreciate the effects. The question now, should I look for a vintage, or are new pens being manufactured that will write smoothly.

Glad it helped. Personally, I don't like vintage pens (I like the modern look). I only have one, with a great flexible nib. It is great and I have heard lots of good things about vintage pens, but not much in general about stubs and italics.

 

I have a Lamy Safari with a 1.1 Italic nib. I recommend it. It has quite significant line variation, still reasonably smooth on side stokes, and I like (some people don't) the triangular grip section.

 

I also have a TWSBI 580 1.1 with a stub. I never use it; it never worked well from day one. Many people praise their customer service. Not me. I was lucky I purchased an EF unit at the same time.

 

Tom.

fpn_1410502147__img_20140912_160641.jpg

Edit: Chicken scratch photo added.

Edited by FoszFay
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have almost all of the nibs by lamy 3 now I have grounded on for my self... a B ground to a stub/Music 2 1.5 Italics ground to a right and left oblique

the stub broad... I'm not sure how to like it it is a stub but it doesnt say give character to my hand writing.... I just ground this one yesterday it probably doesnt help I'm a lefty side writer I pressume

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think the italics describe the ratio between the vertical and horizontal strokes.

 

A round nib (stock on most fountain pens) would create the same width whether you are making a horizontal or vertical stroke. These nibs are usually smooth in all directions and easiest to use.

 

Italic nibs (stub, cursive, and crisp) are ground such that they make thin horizontal strokes and thick vertical strokes.

 

A stub italic has the least amount of variation between the horizontal and vertical strokes but is most forgiving regarding how you hold your pen. A cursive italic has a greater variation than the stub italic, but is more difficult to use. And a crisp italic has the most variation between vertical and horizontal strokes, but you need to position your hands perfectly or else you'll slice through the paper.

 

Stub italics are good for having some line variation while also allowing you to write quickly. Crisp italics almost always require you to write slowly and methodically, and are generally not recommended for beginners. Cursive italics are in the middle, and it really depends on who grinds your nibs as to how each nib will behave.

 

There are no set definitions for stub, cursive and crisp italic nibs. So one company's stub may be sharper than another company's cursive italic. What I would really like to see is a set definition of the three terms, based on horizontal width / vertical width. So for example, if there is a 1.0 mm italic nib, a stub would have a horizontal width of 0.35 mm, a cursive would have a horizontal width of .25, and a crisp italic would have a horizontal width of 0.15 mm. That way we could define stubs as having a .35 ratio, a cursive as a .25 ratio, and the crisp as having a .15 ratio. (the numbers are approximate, but you get the idea)...

 

PS I'm new here, if if I'm mistaken on any of my points, please do correct me :)

Edited by pendexter
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33494
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26624
    5. jar
      jar
      26101
  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o
  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More
  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...