14 Carat Adjusted Nib Vs. 18 Carat Nib

[WriterProspect]

Hello Everyone,

 

I am looking to buy 1 fountain pen and then to send it off to a nibmeister.

 

I wanted to know if it would be better to buy a 14 carat nib and send it to a nibmeister to adjust for smoothness and flex or to buy a 18 carat nib and send it to a nibmeister to adjust for smoothness (knowing that flex can't be adjusted for with a 18 carat nib).

 

Here are my personal variables. All I want is one smooth and soft-feeling fountain pen. My price range is at the maximum of $400. All I want is to find 1 fountain pen to keep for a lifetime.

 

Maybe I have made an underlying general assumption? Would this question have to be answered by a case-by-case basis or can a generalization be made?

 

Just how good can a nibmeister make a gold nib? Smooth, buttery, and soft with no feedback as if I didn't know that I was writing on paper? Can all gold nibs be adjusted this way?

 

Thanks for any help,

I hope to bring a contribution from my own experience into this thread.

 

WriterProspect

[shawndp]

If possible, I would suggest you write with a pen and get a feel for what the unmodified ride is like in terms of line width, flow, ergonomics, balance and look. Keeping a pen for a lifetime means you are either going to have to like it or be miserable about that flaw every time you pick it up. A lot of pens at the $400 price point are large beasts which are not right for everyone's hands, so you have to make that consideration too.

 

My recomendations -

 

1) Pilot has possibly the widest range of pens of anybody these days - they make some good soft nibs from the factory - like the Falcons, and have both piston fill and cartridge-convertors. If I was going to mod a pen (maybe someday) - I would start with a dead reliable platorm like a Pilot - maybe 743 for CC (I have this and it is great out of the box but not soft) or 823 (on my list of pens to own)

 

2) Visconti Homo Sapiens - not a gold nib but 23k Palladium mine is the Bronze Large and is a heavy pen but feels like it is floating on a river of ink rather than being on the paper. It is quite surreal to write with it when you consider how heavy it is in hand but how light it is in action. There is a piston fill version too (Steel Age) and two sizes.

 

3) Montblanc 146 - if I had to have one pen and only one pen, I would have this in M and be done with it. Classic (some say boring) looks, beautiful balance, not too large and a 14k nib that delivers consistently it is my favourite pen out of the 150+ that i own.

 

4) Pelikan M800 - This one I do not own yet but came very close to before I ended up with the M1000. The 1000 is a beast - large and imposing in every sense - it will dramatically change your perception / expectation of pens. BUT you can write a full A4 page with it and then stop because either your hand needs a break or the wetness from the nib means the paper has to dry! The 14k affair in the 800 is a more "sane" or practical choice - it has a lot of the qualities of the 146 but with the Pelikan look. You may have to adjust for softness - maybe - but the flow rate makes it very smooth to begin with. It is easily a pen that will last a couple of lifetimes.

 

 

All the best in your quest for your pen!

[jar]

First, welcome home. Pull up a stump and set a spell.

 

Smooth/soft feeling and smooth/flex are not the same thing at all. Almost any nib no matter what it is made from can be made smooth and soft. Many pens today will be smooth and soft feeling right out of the box and without needing any nib work.

 

While most any modern pen beyond the very bottom loss leaders will last a lifetime, the One Pen to Rule them all is but a myth. Once you get the One Pen you want the nine lesser pens as well.

 

Your price range is within reason, and there are lots of choices out there so a few more things will help narrow stuff down.

 

What type writing do you normally do; is is short notes or long writing tomes, writing at a desk or table or writing on a colleague's back, small script or larger script, printing or cursive. Do you want to add flair to what you write, variable line shape and letters? Do wider bodies feel better in hand or narrower ones? Do you carry a pen in a shirt or coat pocket or in purse or messenger bag? Are you inside most of the time when writing or outside; is your day in one environment or constantly on the move?

[thygreyt]

The way i was taught was: "work based on needs not on wants".

 

So, buy a pen, use the budget you WANT. Whether it is a 400$ pen or 1000$ pen.

then USE the pen, write with it for MANY pages. Then keep on writing. Then write some more.

 

Try different papers, try different inks.

 

after some time (at least 6 months, imo) sit down and think: What do you like, what dont you? IF you were to send it to a nibmeister, what would you improve?

 

As for personal information:

I have two daily pens, both medium... one is 14k and the other 18k gold. While both are amazing i like the smoothness and springness of the 18k. I'm thinking on sending it to a nibmeister (mikeitwork.com) to make the pen into a medium stub, and a wetter writer.

 

why not the 14k and make it a flex writer? (semi flex actually)... Because i like the other pen as a whole, better.

[tinta]

 

-What kind of nib do you want your pen to have?

-Are you comfortable writing with conventional (ball tipped) nibs: Fine, Medium, Broad, Double Broad......?

-Do you want the nib-technician to set up your nib for hand pressure & flow, write tested etc.,...? Sometimes this is called "optimizing" the nib/pen. Usually your pen arrives perfectly adjusted & ready to write.

 

-Or, do you want to change the shape of the tipping to another style, such as grinding a 0.9 mm. stub out of a standard BB nib?

-Do you want a specific italic grind (stub, cursive italic, formal italic) or would you want a very narrow Japanese needle point?

-Do you want to have added flex (14K is best) for your nib?

 

There are pen sellers out there who have a nib-tech or two (I prefer the term to nibmeister) on site, to either "optimize" or to "regrind" the nibs of the pens they carry. Nearly all of my pens have been purchased through sellers like these. The little extra I've paid to get this service has been for the most part, worth it.

 

Personally, I prefer writing with a 14K nib over an 18K & a smaller (#5) size nib over a larger (#6) nib.

Edited March 3, 2016 by tinta

[Buzz_130]

The fountain pen writing experience is based on 4 factors. First, as you point out, is the pen. This is a complex topic that is entirely based on your personal preference. Choosing just one pen without trying several out for weight, diameter, length, balance, and material is a very tough task. It's possible, but you are going to have to spend some time at pen stores, pen clubs, or pen shows to try enough to be able to get the style you like. Then add in the nib to the pen equation, and you'll find many new variables. Broader nibs generally feel smoother because they lay down a broader line which equates to a bigger pool of ink for the nib to "float" upon while writing. Finer nibs can be scratchier with less ink. But you'll need the correct nib for your style of writing.

 

Second, you need ink. Ink has many charactertistics, and an ink matched poorly with a pen can make a difficult writing experience. If you have a dry nib and a dry ink, then you will definitely have problems. Some pens shine with certain inks from certain brands, and others are more flexible.

 

Third, you need the correct paper. If you are going to write with cheap copy paper, then your smooth writing experience will likely fall short of your expectations because the ink will soak rapidly into the paper. On the other hand, good paper is often treated with a special surface that gives you a smooth ride with your ink.

 

Finally, the writing experience is up to you. If you apply a death grip to your pen and apply pressure on the paper, you will not get a smooth feeling. You will find there are many good ways to hold your fountain pen, and the fountain pen that you love with match your grip.

 

Lots of factors to choose only one pen. You may wish to start cheaper than your goal to try out some of the characteristics of pen, ink, and paper that you like, and you can take the time to re-teach your hands how to write.

 

Buzz

[WriterProspect]

Hey thanks for all of the replies - I truly appreciate it.

 

Here is my answer to jar has to be older than me. My context of why I want a fountain pen comes is about school. Before I graduated in my undergraduate years, I was thinking about how I can make myself more comfortable while studying. I got myself a lamp and emitted white light over my paper. I got a student desk (hard melamine plastic) to have a smooth place to write on. Now, I want to go to graduate school. I will be writing on lined pieces of paper. I like Clarefontaine paper better than Rhodia lined paper because it is more wide-ruled. Because of this, line variation does not mean much for me as I will be writing within a limited space. I want a fountain pen for when it comes to studying at home either over notes or for a test. I do not think a fountain pen would be great for lecture as I need to write as fast as possible to follow the professor. I also know it will be damaged in my hectic class schedule.

 

Here is my response to Buzz_130. I definitely agree with you about your advice. It is classic advice that I have heard from every meticulous pen user. To add my experience, I would also say that what you are writing underneath the paper is also important. As I mentioned above, my favorite writing surface is my hard melamine plastic student desk. I like to have 3-4 pages of paper on that desk to have the smoothest and softest writing experience. Ever try to one a single page of paper and then on a few pages of paper? On a wood desk and on a metal desk? Of course you have and you have noticed a difference and a preference.

 

My response to tinta. I am looking for a round gold medium or broad nib. I do not want a steel nib. Here is why and to add my own experience to this discussion. I have tried a few steels nibs from pens respected for a smooth writing experience. I am disappointed with these steel nibs. Yes, they do write smooth, but if I am going to go into fountain pens I need something better than a smooth writing experience. I find my roller ball Pilot Precise V-7 a very smooth experience and I can get this at the department store. For me, smoothness is not reason enough to buy a fountain pen. It also needs to have softness, flexibility, enjoyability, ergonomics, and etc. There are exceptions of course - like the Noodler's ahab that has flexibility.

 

Now does the initial smoothness, softness, and flexibility of the nib have a significant effect on the end-product of an adjustment by a nibmeister? Can I expect the end-products of different model nibs to be very similar after an adjustment from a nibmeister?

 

Thanks again.