Nib # Size ?

[HRoberts_08]

Hi everyone I'm new the lingo of nibs I've always loved fountain pens since secondary school bk in early 2000 with my massive Lamy I no longer have.

My partner surprised me with a Twisbi 580AL purple in medium as this pen means alot to me I bought a Jinhao x750 to learn more on maintenance, uses ect I've watched many videos now saying the x750 can take a #6 nib?

So my question or questions are

How can you tell if its a #6 from #5? (I'm used to just typing fine extra fine ect)

And are there any videos or websites or something I've missed that can help me learn this?

And do custom pens follow this # sizing?

I think it's about mm but not sure and I don't have callipers either so are the tells or tricks?

Sorry for all the questions and if they've been asked before

I'm from the UK just incase you need that for any advice you can post

Thank you so much everyone

[jar]

There is no uniform nib sizes numbering system.

[HRoberts_08]

Thank you but why do ppl say jinhao fine will fit a #6 froom noodlers Ahab nib it's the interchanging nibs I'm confused on I'm used to just buying a fine, medium for that pen if available if you get me

[jar]

Because it just happens that a Noodler's and Jinhao nib are the same size. With pens that pretty much use stock nibs you can often swap from make to make based on the size nib as designated by Bock or JoWo for example. That does not mean though that company "A's" #6 nib will be interchangeable with company "B's".

 

This is not a new thing; as you get familiar with older pens you will often come across "Warranted" nibs. Often there is no clue which company made the nibs and they could be anything from a major player like Parker or Sheaffer to a small Petersburg, Va shop. But back then there were also lots of experienced folk doing repairs and if a nib needed work to fit they just did it. They could change the curve, change thickness or lengths, modify feeds, do whatever was needed to make the pen work.

[T4TEXAS]

# 6 refers to a 6mm feed, which determines the nib size. You should be able to use a #6 nib in any width (xf, f, m, b, etc.) from such as Goulet, Anderson, or almost any #6 made by Jowo or Boch, in your Jinhao X750. Maybe someone will chime in on UK and European sources for you.

[HRoberts_08]

Thank you I thought it was mm but didn't know it was the feed tho

 

Yes I understand were u come from about nibs being changed vintage wise but I ment how did u know it's a #6 nib sorry I might not have explained well enough

[Drone]

@HRoberts_08,

 

Welcome to the Fountain Pen Network!

 

There is no strict rule for nib sizes vs. numbers. This is especially true for vintage nibs. A loose rule is that the smaller the nib number, the smaller the nib.

 

Modern nibs on the other-hand are often characterized by the diameter of the feed the nib fits. So a nib that fits a 6mm diameter feed would be called a #6 nib, a nib that fits a 5mm diameter feed is a #5 nib, etc. But even with modern nibs and feeds, the feed diameters can vary a bit depending on the manufacturer.

 

One of the largest modern nib manufacturers, Peter Bock AG of Germany makes their standard nib-units in even millimeter diameters. For-example Bock offers standard nib-units with 5.0mm, 6.0mm, and 8.0mm feed diameters. But Bock does not refer to the nib sizes as #5, #6, & #8 respectively, they just specify the feed diameters in millimeters. See this page for how the Bock nibs are specified:

 

http://www.peter-bock.com/products/nib-systems

 

What you are looking at on the Bock page (link above) are "Nib-Units". Nib-units screw into the part pen you hold when writing, which is called the "section" or "grip". Nib-units consist of three parts; the nib, the feed, and the collar. The Collar is the part that screws into the section and holds the nib and feed. You can buy whole nib-units, or loose individual nibs. See this page for-example:

 

http://www.gouletpens.com/replacement-nibs/c/294

 

Working from memory: The Jinhao X750 pen takes a #6 nib, and the TWSBI 580 takes a #5 nib. The TWSBI nibs are made the German company Jowo (pronounced "Yovo").

 

Like "jar" said in his previous post, not all manufacturer's nibs are interchangeable just because they may fit the same diameter feeds. There can be other differences in how the nibs are made and how they mate with their respective nibs. Usually it won't hurt to try swapping nibs of the same size, provided you do not force anything in the process; be gentle.

 

Here's a video from Brian Goulet that talks about individual nibs (not nib-units) and swapping them into an existing pen:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20bsGH_y9s8&feature=youtu.be

 

Enjoy, David

[HRoberts_08]

@HRoberts_08,

 

Welcome to the Fountain Pen Network!

 

There is no strict rule for nib sizes vs. numbers. This is especially true for vintage nibs. A loose rule is that the smaller the nib number, the smaller the nib.

 

Modern nibs on the other-hand are often characterized by the diameter of the feed the nib fits. So a nib that fits a 6mm diameter feed would be called a #6 nib, a nib that fits a 5mm diameter feed is a #5 nib, etc. But even with modern nibs and feeds, the feed diameters can vary a bit depending on the manufacturer.

 

One of the largest modern nib manufacturers, Peter Bock AG of Germany makes their standard nib-units in even millimeter diameters. For-example Bock offers standard nib-units with 5.0mm, 6.0mm, and 8.0mm feed diameters. But Bock does not refer to the nib sizes as #5, #6, & #8 respectively, they just specify the feed diameters in millimeters. See this page for how the Bock nibs are specified:

 

http://www.peter-bock.com/products/nib-systems

 

What you are looking at on the Bock page (link above) are "Nib-Units". Nib-units screw into the part pen you hold when writing, which is called the "section" or "grip". Nib-units consist of three parts; the nib, the feed, and the collar. The Collar is the part that screws into the section and holds the nib and feed. You can buy whole nib-units, or loose individual nibs. See this page for-example:

 

http://www.gouletpens.com/replacement-nibs/c/294

 

Working from memory: The Jinhao X750 pen takes a #6 nib, and the TWSBI 580 takes a #5 nib. The TWSBI nibs are made the German company Jowo (pronounced "Yovo").

 

Like "jar" said in his previous post, not all manufacturer's nibs are interchangeable just because they may fit the same diameter feeds. There can be other differences in how the nibs are made and how they mate with their respective nibs. Usually it won't hurt to try swapping nibs of the same size, provided you do not force anything in the process; be gentle.

 

Here's a video from Brian Goulet that talks about individual nibs (not nib-units) and swapping them into an existing pen:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20bsGH_y9s8&feature=youtu.be

 

Enjoy, David

Oh thank you so much x means alot I know it was a daft question for most but the nib bit confused me a Lil bit again thank you

[Bo Bo Olson]

Numbers #1 through #8 were used all the away back in Montgomery Ward's 1894-5 catalog when no one on the American side of the ocean had ever heard of mm.

Each company has it's own standards...then,& now, once in America and now in Europe.

[sidthecat]

The sizing of nibs is perhaps the most vexed question in the pen fancy. I’ve lately started transferring dip pen nibs into fountain pens, which turns out to be difficult. It turns out that the commonest size of 19th century gold nibs is too small for most modern fountain pens (“modern” being a relative term that encompasses the early 20th century). Luckily, I’ve collected a number of tiny ringtop pens that can accommodate those small nibs. Bigger ones can be found, but they’re not cheap.

Most fountain pen nibs of the past are roughly equivalent in size, so you can eyeball them and see if a transfer will work. I’ve bought a few busted pens for the nibs, which will find their way into nicer pens.

In short, it’s a sickness.

[CuriousC]

On 3/1/2016 at 8:44 PM, Drone said:

There is no strict rule for nib sizes vs. numbers. This is especially true for vintage nibs. A loose rule is that the smaller the nib number, the smaller the nib.

 

Modern nibs on the other-hand are often characterized by the diameter of the feed the nib fits. So a nib that fits a 6mm diameter feed would be called a #6 nib, a nib that fits a 5mm diameter feed is a #5 nib, etc. But even with modern nibs and feeds, the feed diameters can vary a bit depending on the manufacturer.

 

One of the largest modern nib manufacturers, Peter Bock AG of Germany makes their standard nib-units in even millimeter diameters. For-example Bock offers standard nib-units with 5.0mm, 6.0mm, and 8.0mm feed diameters. But Bock does not refer to the nib sizes as #5, #6, & #8 respectively, they just specify the feed diameters in millimeters. See this page for how the Bock nibs are specified:

I just got a Platignum Studio and was looking for the correct nib #, this gave me the info I needed.