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2 New Mabie Todd's Arrived


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The first is the 4660. A really nice sized body, slightly short but other than that fairly modern dimensions, close to the TWSBI 580. Perhaps not the most exciting pen to look at but it's smart.

 

The number 6 nib's a semi-flex broad stub. It's very wet, too wet as you don't have to move very suddenly for a blob of ink to come out. On the whole broad's aren't my thing but hard to know what I think of it with it being so wet. Will have to read up on how to dry it out some and then have a proper play. Size wise it's a pretty big nib, about the size as the one on my Montegrappa limited edition.

 

(Just emptied the Iroshizuku Tsuki-Yo out, first time I'd tried it, and filled it with Diamine Macassar and it is quite a bit less wet although you get still get it to easily spit out blobs.)

 

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  • Mabie Todd No. 2
  • Mabie Todd No. 6
  • Montegrappa
  • TWSBI 580

The second is the one I fancied as a project pen, it caught my eye because of the snake clip, looking as if it's probably more decoration than functional. From the rubbish ebay photos I had thought the hallmarks were for 1915, now I have it I can see they're for imported Sterling silver, London 1931, which makes more sense. On the base of the body is imprinted M T Ltd and near the bottom "Swan Pen" Mabbie Todd & Co New York Sterling Silver Made In USA.

 

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Looks like the box may be original but no way to tell for sure. I gave it a quick clean with Final Shine, a really good, very fine polish that also contains a sealant. It has numerous dings and lacks internals. The number 2 nib's extra fine, perhaps XXF, with a good amount of flex. Being so fine you can catch it on the upstroke if you're being a bit clumsy. The nib's about the same size as the one on the Waterman W2, the pen's dimensions are pretty similar too although the grip sections slightly bigger on this one. So fairly small.

 

So need to find time to read up on how to get it back up and running and find the missing parts.

 

First quick scribble comparing the two pens.

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Edited by mkeeley

~ Marc

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Ooooo, that #6 nib on the 4660 flicks my switch. I love broad juicy nibs.

 

The silver would not be to my tastes but I can see why it would suit a lot of people.

 

The shaping of your letters is fantastic -- it has fabulous aesthetic appeal.

 

Are you an artist? There is certainly artistry in your hand.

 

Cheers, David.

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PS: I find Pelikan Edelstein inks to be really dry. The ones I have tried won't allow some of my vintages to even produce ink on paper, whereas similar Diamine, Waterman, Herbin, and Lamy inks have offered no such reluctance. I don't know about the Pelikan 4001 inks but they may well also be dry. They may tame your gusher even more than your Diamine ink.

 

If you can't resolve your flow issues, I'm sure that I'm merely one of a whole queue of folk that would swap a pen with such a nib for a few bits of folding currency. ;)

 

David.

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It is nice but too broad for my usual writing style and size. Been having more of a play and I can angle it so it's less broad but then you loose the flex as it's so upright. So far I prefer the silver one with the no.2 even though it's not that comfortable being so short, especially as I don't want to post it. But that's probably down to the width of the nib but I do also like that it sometimes "sings" as you write. The no.6 is lovely and smooth but not too smooth. My Omas is even smoother but took a day to get used to it as it was skating around to start with (slight exaggeration but you know what I mean).

 

Like you say, if I just can't get on with it it shouldn't be too difficult to shift. I could send it to be narrowed but that seems a bit of a shame.

 

Thanks for the ink suggestions I'll do some googling later.

 

It's a horrible writing sample but takes me a few hours to get used to a new nib, not sure if that's common or if I'm just rubbish!

~ Marc

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if I just can't get on with it ... I could send it to be narrowed but that seems a bit of a shame.

 

It wouldn't be a shame ... it would be a crime ! I might have you arrested just for thinking about it !!!

 

 

 

It's a horrible writing sample but takes me a few hours to get used to a new nib, not sure if that's common or if I'm just rubbish!

 

What! There's beauty in that there handwriting. If you think that was horrible, I'm looking forward to your good stuff. One of my followed threads is the "Don't just tell us ... Show us" one. More samples of your script, with photos of pens/nibs, would be a welcome addition.

 

I know exactly what you mean by enjoying a "singing" nib -- I have a Conway Stewart 28 that sings to me. I, of course, feel obliged to sing back to it. The family complains but it keeps me happy (but not necessarily sane).

 

David.

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A #6 is a delight I have not had yet. Great to have an unusually large nib

 

The silver is beautiful. And the snake accommodation clip is just too cool.

 

Which writing sample was with which nib? I assume the broad was with the #6. Please don't narrow it!

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A #6 is a delight I have not had yet. Great to have an unusually large nib

 

The silver is beautiful. And the snake accommodation clip is just too cool.

 

Which writing sample was with which nib? I assume the broad was with the #6. Please don't narrow it!

 

Yep, the scrawl at the top was with the silver's no.2. It's a really nice nib but, like the Waterman W2 I bought, the body's not that comfy after a while with it being so small in all dimensions.

 

Been playing some more with the 4660, perhaps just need to get used to writing larger but my writing with it still sucks. Luckily Tesco's have Oxford pads half price, going through loads of paper!

~ Marc

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As per Greenie - exactly.

 

Cob

 

No, if I decided it wasn't for me I know plenty like nice broad nibs so wouldn't have it ground, would just find something else I liked out of the box.

~ Marc

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Two great looking pens.

 

Love that snake clip.

 

I haven't tried a 6 nib as yet, but I'm looking forward to the experience.

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Now I see another photo of that snake clip, I take back what I said before. It looks lovely. And the number 6 is amazing. I have a similar problem with the ink flow from my Eversharp Flexible. The whole pen is a delight to use but it's so wet it goes through 90gsm paper so the reverse is unreadable. I'd love to find a way of stemming the tide a little.

 

And your handwriting is beautiful!

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The OP knows what I fell about snake clips - I love them!

 

As for No 6 nibs, as with all of the larger MT nibs finding a flexible one is a bit of a lottery; one always seems to have a better chance with the No 1s. In fact I have to say, that apart from glamour, it is not quite clear to me why larger nibs have ever been made. A decent No 1 will write as well as anything - especially when installed e.g. in a lovely Swan Minor!

 

The rare No 5s have eluded me so far, but here's a snap - 64321 - to show the relativity of the sizes.

 

Cob

 

fpn_1425593896__64321.jpg

fpn_1428963683__6s.jpg “The pen of the British Empire” fpn_1423349537__swan_sign_is.jpg


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My opinion, and only an opinion... And everyone is encouraged to chime in with any facts to affirm my opinion, or teach me more.....

 

The large nibs just look good. They are not about the writing experience. A large pen, such as a full sized Parker Duofold, looks silly with a smallish nib. Some people like big pens for how it fits their hand, and some like them because they are big. I have a very large Ingersoll, and as a less expensive pen, the 14K nib is smallish. Writes great, but looks funny - like a big guy with a small head.

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Thanks Miss, it does look good despite all the dings, which you don't notice when you're using it. From what I've read brown inks tend to act drier, the Macassar definitely does, quite a big difference over Sucky Yo.



I said the W2 and the silver Todd are nearly the same size, well they're so close that you can post the silver one with the W2 cap which makes it a better length and doesn't scratch anything.



This 6 does flex quite nicely but it's already so broad for me I can't really put the flex to use. Spent yesterday using it but still can't get used to it. I'll post an example after tea.



It's only about 1mm but seems wider than my 580 with its 1.1mm stub. Perhaps down to wetness although I don't think it was probably made as a stub it just has stub-like qualities so might be that.



Watching a few on ebay, will find a perfect combination of nib and body one day, or not.



The trouble with the smaller nibs is the bodies tend to be small too which I don't find too comfy.

~ Marc

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Rubbish pics and not the best writing either but shows that, for me, my nib wants to be and XF/XXF with flex. The broad just looks a mess.

post-101615-0-99188800-1440690069.jpg

post-101615-0-93392400-1440690074.jpg

~ Marc

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My opinion, and only an opinion... And everyone is encouraged to chime in with any facts to affirm my opinion, or teach me more.....

 

The large nibs just look good. They are not about the writing experience. A large pen, such as a full sized Parker Duofold, looks silly with a smallish nib. Some people like big pens for how it fits their hand, and some like them because they are big. I have a very large Ingersoll, and as a less expensive pen, the 14K nib is smallish. Writes great, but looks funny - like a big guy with a small head.

 

You're right large nibs are nice but mainly when you're looking at them, it's not something I really notice once I start writing. The two pens with no.2 nibs I have are the most fun to write with. I don't have many to compare with in my very meagre collection so don't know if, say, a semi flex medium feels different in a small nib compared to a large, I'd imagine they flex at a different point.

Edited by mkeeley

~ Marc

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There are some interesting points here. I'm quite new to collecting and I'm sure not as many pens have passed through my hands as some but I had never occurred to me (inexperience, stupidity?) to think about the size of the nib especially relative to ink flow. Almost all my pens are vintage and I only have two whoppers - the Eversharp and a Warranted No. 6. Both of them are beautifully flexible but they are both so wet that I can't use them every day, which is a real shame as I use notebooks a lot in my work. Perhaps the big nibs need to be a little less flexible in order to stem the tide? Just a thought.

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Rubbish pics and not the best writing either but shows that, for me, my nib wants to be and XF/XXF with flex. The broad just looks a mess.

Á with your previous samples, they both look wonderfully to me. I love the flourishes on your descenders on the "y" and "g".
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Probably best for its own topic - but - As long as we have a dinged silver Mabie Todd in this thread...

 

Does anyone have a technique to take dings out of Mabie Todd metal pens? I have a lovely engraved silver pen with dings, but the barrel is lined with a metal liner which is soldered (or some such metal to metal fusion) near the barrel threads. The liner prevents me from un-dinging, and the way it is attached, I don't see a reasonable way to remove it.

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