Imperial Flex?

[Bentlink]

I recently acquired an Imperial, touchdown filler, that seems to have some nice line variation. I've assumed all were "nails" but I'm pleasantly surprised. Has anyone heard of such a thing?

[kirchh]

In my experience, the Imperials don't often have truly flexible nibs, but they are generally considerably more limber than are, for example, most Triumph (Sheath-Point) nibs. This is an overlooked attribute of these marvelous and reliable pens.

 

--Daniel

[Happy Harry]

I agree with Daniel, I've seen a couple ( GP 70's cartridge types) that actually have quiet a lot of flex . I'm not sure the design suits flex but the ones (maybe 2 or 3 ?) I've seen are 40 odd yrs old and still going well, that speaks for itself.

[Ernst Bitterman]

I'd call it spring rather than flex-- shock-absorbing effects to enhance the percieved smoothness of the writing rather than something to be relied upon to give variation to the written line. Treating it as flex is, I should think, one of those things that works until it doesn't, and the failure is apt to be upsetting.

[DerTiefster]

Ernst: that is an artfully restrained statement. I applaud your eloquent and rather poetic expression. I'm glad you appear to be a native speaker of English [or, at least, by your location a daily and functional speaker of English]. I occasionally find such bits of prose from non-native speakers and feel, well, "inadequate" expresses it inadequately.

 

Do you ever look at a box of rocks and reflect upon your ability to communicate with your fellows?

 

Bentlink: I look at the handwriting example and see the "SSS" sequence. It appears to me not to show "appreciable" line variation, whatever that might mean to various people. Do you, in measuring the line width, find it to vary appreciably? I see a factor of two, or perhaps a bit more. I certainly think the writing sample is interesting, but what do you find its most notable characteristic? Is it that the variation exists at all? Certainly for normally rigid nibs, that is noteworthy.

Edited November 21, 2015 by DerTiefster

[ironwampa]

What tipping size does your nib have? There is certainly some softness in those imperial nibs but the times I have tried pushing mine has always lead to tine misalignment. I strongly discourage using anymore pressure than would naturally occur when writing.

[3rdlakerobert]

In my experience, the Imperials don't often have truly flexible nibs, but they are generally considerably more limber than are, for example, most Triumph (Sheath-Point) nibs. This is an overlooked attribute of these marvelous and reliable pens.

 

--Daniel

 

Suppose the tines spread easily when pressed with a little more force than usually applied to the pen when writing? Suppose the gap at the tips of the tines seemed to be perhaps a millimeter or more, maybe 2? Would that qualify as a "flexible" nib?

 

I'm in over my head in this discussion but I have seen a couple Legacys with this kind of flexible nib. They both appear to have been ground as broad stubs or italics, stubs I would say because of their smoothness. One I sold a while ago, the other I still have. I can easily flex the tines when writing but because of the broad stub nib, the effect isn't at all attractive because ink flow doesn't quickly subside as the tines close. Messy.

 

I've played with some old Sheaffer nibs from the hard ribber era and getting these nibs/feeds to function well enough to produce acceptable handwriting with the kind of line variation described above requires experimentation and adjustment, something that isn't possible with an inlaid nib.

[DerTiefster]

I suspect that one would call the nib "flexible" as long as it springs back. Otherwise it's merely "malleable" or "bendable" or "too soft to do that." At least, that's my take on it. One wouldn't like to press hard enough to cut through the paper, even were the nib to spring back. My #3 son tells me that I'm fixated on flex and try to flex things that are actually too stiff for such treatment. He's probably right. But I'm experimenting.

[Bentlink]

Thanks for the discussion, I've learned a lot. I've since put my hands on a Noodler's Ahab, which gives me a new benchmark. While I understand the limits of this pen, I'll now classify the Imperial as "springy." That said, I'm really delighted by the Sheaffer.

 

I guess I just need more pens & nibs to calibrate my feel fur flex.

[mitto]

I have more than 15 imperials and none is a flex. Soft and springy , yes. But not flex.

[jar]

If you think about how the Sheaffer inlaid nib is attached to the section it becomes obvious that flexing such a nib is definitely not advisable. The nib is positioned by a tab and then glued into place and flexing the nib has to stress that bond.