Café Crème With Gold Nib?

[inkstainedruth]

Well, I've now tried the replacement pen. It definitely appears to be a B italic, or maybe even a B stub. The nib doesn't seem to have any skipping problems -- in fact, just the opposite. I put a fill of Edelstein Topaz in the pen and the nib is HUGE. And really, really wet. Maybe *too* wet.... I'm now getting a lot of feathering and bleedthrough on fair to middling paper. Don't think I'm going to be doing journal entries with this pen. For which I'm considering knocking on doors looking for dry inks.

(The reason I started with that ink? I had been trying to decide between it and Diamine Havusu Turqoise (which had been in the pen I replaced with this new one, while that pen -- the other M200, would be dealing with some of the wacky phone calls I have been getting over the last few years.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Bo Bo Olson]

I never had problems with Topaz....I did have problems with Aventurine feathering. I do use 90g or plus laser or better papers.

 

What is your fair to middling paper??? Do you have any other B or a wetter semi-flex nib to check it against. I almost always have problems with 80g printer paper.

 

I'd have to think about trying it with a 200's or my '90's regular flex nibs....It could be I was using a semi-flex which is a wetter nib.

 

Looks like 80g = 21 pounds instead of the 22 I thought.

 

20lb Bond/Writing 75 gsm 2) 24lb Bond/Writing 90 gsm 3) 28lb Bond/Writing 105 gsm 4) 32lb Bond/Writing 120 gsm

[inkstainedruth]

The paper I had problems with is in a top bound spiral Piccadilly sketchbook. The paper isn't super FP friendly, but it is supposed to be acid-free and 120 gsm. The sketchbooks are inexpensive, about $4.95 US at Barnes and Noble; I use them for doing ink reviews for myself to get a feel for what the ink is like and what color(s) it's similar to, and it's sort of a benchmark (I'm about to get a third one because I've gone through enough inks (mostly samples) to fill two of them with one ink per sheet. But the paper is fairly absorbent -- I think it's more for pencil, pastel, or graphite (I don't know if it would be good for stuff like watercolor). And it's necessarily consistent throughout the entire sketchbook (well, they are cheap). And often the paper does some odd things to ink color (as well as muting sheen and shading, compared to good paper such as Rhodia).

With the M nib on my other M200 (which is probably from the 1990s), I did get some feathering with Edelstein Topaz, especially when I tried to put pressure on the nib; I also got a bit of bleedthrough -- but not nearly to the extent that I did with this monster italic nib. Looking at line width on the page, I would estimate that the the italic nib puts down a line between a third and a half again thicker than with the M, depending on whether the M was flexed at all. And this was with trying to keep as lot a touch as possible with he broader nib.

Ruth Morrisson aka instainedruth

[FOUR X FOUR]

I'd guess 100 dollars more.

[FOUR X FOUR]

...

[fatswimmies]

I waited a few months before buying my Cafe Creme but by the time I relented, they ran out of stock of medium gold plated steel nibs. I bought mine from PenChalet with a broad gold plated steel nib but they sent me a medium by mistake! Huzzah! I bought the pen in late February but only started inking it for use a couple weeks ago (with J. Herbin's Lie de The). It is my first "nicer" fountain pen and I felt unworthy and protective of it but knew that if I waited too long to buy it, it'd be out of reach and continue to climb in price!

 

My every day writer is a Pilot Prera with a steel nib so I am only starting to feel the difference between the nicer gold plated Pelikan nib now that I'm finally writing with the thing. It's got some nice spring and I am really appreciating the slight bounce compared to my Prera. I am very curious about gold nibs both for the difference in feel but also the aesthetic quality. I am probably fortunate and a little richer in the pocket to not know the quality difference from writing with a gold nib.. just yet.

[Bo Bo Olson]

I have gold and steel Celebry nibbed pens....no difference. My steel 200 and 215 nibs match either. Matches my 'true' regular flex '90-96 M400 Tortoise also.

 

I have gold and steel Geha and Osmia vintage pens....no difference.I wasted much opertunity when the Osmia pens were cheaper in being a 'gold snob' and missed some real nice models because of that. I was a bit ignorant. When I finally broke down and got a steel Osmia because of the model I was surprised it was as good as gold.

 

It depends on which flex you are chasing, true regular flex, semi-flex or superflex....only in the flex, if the nib is well made from a good company, be it steel or gold.

For a nail.....a nails a nail and and gold will not give a 'softer' ride. All it does is cost you ink and paper money.

 

Look for semi-vintage M400's with out the gold ring at the piston cap. You can get good value and a 14 K, springy gold regular flex nib...as good as your 200's nib. And won't cost much more than a new 200.

IMO the 200's nib is one of the very best made nibs (steel or gold plated) of this era, in it is 'true' regular flex. Folks with both say there are no difference if gold plated or steel.