Affordable Really Broad (Round) Bb, Bbb Nibs ?

[Simulacrum]

Hi everyone, I'm new here and so far have been warmly welcomed, so thank you to everyone.

 

So first, I mainly draw with my pens which is why I had to post this, most of the thick nib advice seems to be for writing.

 

I've purchased my first fountain pen, a TWSBI 580 Al with a broad nib (a few weeks ago). I loved how thick and wet the ink came out, which quickly turned into a second pen, a Lamy Joy with a 1.9 nib. Even juicier! Love it.

 

but.. that juicier 1.9 comes at the cost of losing the ability to draw sideways without stopping, lifting my pen, turning the paper, etc... as a side note, I do love drawing with that italic nib sideways for a really thin line, and mixing that up with the thick lines. I am kind of getting into some calligraphy (after getting the 1.9 nib) , which came as a bit of a surprise to me because I bought it to draw with.

 

So my question is, I'm looking for an affordable round (this seems to be the trouble) really thick, thicker than my TWSBI broad nib and I can't seem to find much that is not super expensive. The one option that seems slightly thicker and affordable is the goulet broad nib. But it just seems a bit broader than the TWSBI, and because I'm in Canada, shipping across the border may make it not quite such a cheap experiment, and to only gain a little thickness.

 

The other relevant info. paper - I've ordered some tomoe river, but that hasn't arrived yet, right now I'm using sketchbook paper (canson sketch, and a strathmore 300 series bristol pad) Ink- Diamine 150th anniversary black blue, platinum carbon black, and J.Herbin E.O.Chivor

 

Any suggestions for affordable ROUND, super thick and wet and juicy nibs ??

[Sailor Kenshin]

Hi everyone, I'm new here and so far have been warmly welcomed, so thank you to everyone.

 

So first, I mainly draw with my pens which is why I had to post this, most of the thick nib advice seems to be for writing.

 

I've purchased my first fountain pen, a TWSBI 580 Al with a broad nib (a few weeks ago). I loved how thick and wet the ink came out, which quickly turned into a second pen, a Lamy Joy with a 1.9 nib. Even juicier! Love it.

 

but.. that juicier 1.9 comes at the cost of losing the ability to draw sideways without stopping, lifting my pen, turning the paper, etc... as a side note, I do love drawing with that italic nib sideways for a really thin line, and mixing that up with the thick lines. I am kind of getting into some calligraphy (after getting the 1.9 nib) , which came as a bit of a surprise to me because I bought it to draw with.

 

So my question is, I'm looking for an affordable round (this seems to be the trouble) really thick, thicker than my TWSBI broad nib and I can't seem to find much that is not super expensive. The one option that seems slightly thicker and affordable is the goulet broad nib. But it just seems a bit broader than the TWSBI, and because I'm in Canada, shipping across the border may make it not quite such a cheap experiment, and to only gain a little thickness.

 

The other relevant info. paper - I've ordered some tomoe river, but that hasn't arrived yet, right now I'm using sketchbook paper (canson sketch, and a strathmore 300 series bristol pad) Ink- Diamine 150th anniversary black blue, platinum carbon black, and J.Herbin E.O.Chivor

 

Any suggestions for affordable ROUND, super thick and wet and juicy nibs ??

 

You might look for the Pelikan Future (AKA P55 model). And a typical Pelikan garden hose.

 

Oh, and PS: Jinhao makes their x750 with a fude nib (turns up at the end), and those are about $10. Metal-bodied, so much heavier than the P55.

Edited February 7, 2017 by Sailor Kenshin

[Bluey]

Try a Sailor zoom nib on their steel nib pens. And Jinhaos pens are a very juicy medium(they're much more like broads because of their wetness)

Edited February 7, 2017 by Bluey

[benbot517]

Kaweco makes a nice BB on the sport, and with one of the plastic ones you can make it into an eyedropper for an ink capacity that matches nicely with the huge nib. Great nib, mine is slightly stubbish. There's also the Pilot Custom 74 with a Cosu nib, which is roughly a BB. It's a ton of fun to use, and is uniform in width all around. This one has to be imported from Japan, but the Custom 74s can be had fairly cheaply.

[Barkingpig]

The broadest nib I have found, besides Pelikan 2000 BB, is Platinum 3776's "coarse," which I purchased from Amazon. Sadly I just looked @ Amazon CA & found the same pen is almost $20 more in CA $ that I paid in US. Seitz Global, either from their Home site, Amazon or Ebay has been a good source for Kaweco Sports, with BB nibs for me, BUT they aren't nearly as broad as the Platinum "coarse" nib.

Edited February 7, 2017 by Barkingpig

[Simulacrum]

You might look for the Pelikan Future (AKA P55 model). And a typical Pelikan garden hose.

 

Oh, and PS: Jinhao makes their x750 with a fude nib (turns up at the end), and those are about $10. Metal-bodied, so much heavier than the P55.

Thanks for the response. These both seem like good options, but I can't seem to find anywhere that sells them. The Jinhao's are on amazon, but none with a fude nib. There are some options on ebay, but from all over the place, hong kong, UK, etc... Does anyone sell these pens in Canada?

[Simulacrum]

Ya, the platinum pen seems about $100 which seems to come with a 14k gold nib (not a bad price from what I can tell), but still a bit more than I wanted to spend at the moment. Maybe a Christmas present lol. The Kaweco BB look about the same as the TWSBI B from what I can tell. Thanks

 

The broadest nib I have found, besides Pelikan 2000 BB, is Platinum 3776's "coarse," which I purchased from Amazon. Sadly I just looked @ Amazon CA & found the same pen is almost $20 more in CA $ that I paid in US. Seitz Global, either from their Home site, Amazon or Ebay has been a good source for Kaweco Sports, with BB nibs for me, BUT they aren't nearly as broad as the Platinum "coarse" nib.

[Simulacrum]

Thanks everyone for the replies. So most of the stuff everyone has recommended seems hard to get, or maybe I'm not looking in the right places. Do most people get stuff from ebay? The only affordable options for me from what I can tell, are the Jinhao's with a Fude nib, and maybe the Pelikan if I can find one. All the other suggestions seem easily over $100 which is more than I can spend right now. Does anyone know where, in Canada, this stuff can be bought ? Or maybe just wait and keep checking Amazon.ca ? They do have Jinhao's but not with fude nibs.

 

Thanks for all the responses. It's something to go off of anyways, and I'll keep checking, the fude nibs seem very thick and affordable if I can find one. The other options could be good long term solutions when I can convince my wife to let me spend more money on pens lol. Thanks everyone

[cattar]

Like jinhao, hero has a curved fude nib.

 

Sailor's steel fude nibs are bent rather than curved.

 

Consider a brush pen that uses fountain pen ink.

 

Consider dip pens and nibs. Cheap & variety of shapes & sizes. Go to an art supply store or site to see them.

[Bluey]

There's Jinhoa fude nibs on ebay for less than $3.

 

All you need now is a Jinhao pen to put it in. A Jinhao 159, x250, x450, and x750 takes a #6 nib and a Jinhoa 950 takes a #5 nib

[fly_us]

Jinhao, Hero or Duke fude nib pens are dirt cheap from ebay with free international shipping. Just bear in mind that the shipping time may be very long. Usually it takes 3 weeks to US but sometimes could be up to 2 months.

[Sinistral1]

Osmoroid (spelling?) used to make a fountain pen that was made specifically for calligraphy with interchangeable nibs, some of which were pretty wide. I don't know if they are still available. Speedball made something like the Osmoroid for use with the Speedball nibs, again, many of which are very wide and either round or chiseled. Good luck!

[Sailor Kenshin]

Thanks for the response. These both seem like good options, but I can't seem to find anywhere that sells them. The Jinhao's are on amazon, but none with a fude nib. There are some options on ebay, but from all over the place, hong kong, UK, etc... Does anyone sell these pens in Canada?

 

Buying from Ebay or Amazon will be fine. With ebay shipments from China, you just need patience. I think I bought a fude x750 from Amazon; you might have to do an Amazon search for 'Chinese calligraphy' nib.

[benbot517]

Here's a link to a Pilot Custom 74, direct from Japan, for under $100 shipped, no affiliation to the seller. And here's a link to a Cosu-nibbed Custom 74 for just over your budget if you're willing to stretch just for shipping. I have a Cosu, and it's fantastic.

 

Whoops, I was using American Dollars. In CAD, they're a bit too much.

Edited February 8, 2017 by benbot517

[Bo Bo Olson]

Osmiroid Italic nib set can be found used in England's Ebay. They went out of business ages ago. The Chinese made ones do not fit Esterbrook fountain pens like the regular Osmiroid.

I have a nice 6 nib set from BB to EF with an MF&F/EF also.

The nibs are sharper than your Lamy 1.9 and narrower. I think my BB is @ the 1.5 of my Joy.

 

@$7.00 is what Lamy nibs cost...and you can get the 1.5 and I think a 1.1 also.

Scotch tape to change Lamy Safari nibs.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Sailor...he did talk of his 1.9 Lamy...which is not round.

Edited February 9, 2017 by Bo Bo Olson

[Sailor Kenshin]

Osmiroid Italic nib set can be found used in England's Ebay.

The nibs are sharper than your Lamy 1.9 and narrower. I think my BB is @ the 1.5 of my Joy.

 

@$7.00 is what Lamy nibs cost...and you can get the 1.5 and I think a 1.1 also.

Scotch tape to change Lamy Safari nibs.

OP is looking for ROUND nibs.

[Simulacrum]

Again thanks everyone, more good info here than all my searching online in various places. Does anyone have any experience receiving items from international shippers ? How much duties/ tariffs get charged ? My only experience with this is that it's a decent chunk of money on top of the cost of the item. Are pens different ? Anyone purchased pens to Canada from somewhere else, like Japan/China ? What kind of border fees, tariffs, etc.. were due when the item arrived ?

 

Thanks.

[Bluey]

Again thanks everyone, more good info here than all my searching online in various places. Does anyone have any experience receiving items from international shippers ? How much duties/ tariffs get charged ? My only experience with this is that it's a decent chunk of money on top of the cost of the item. Are pens different ? Anyone purchased pens to Canada from somewhere else, like Japan/China ? What kind of border fees, tariffs, etc.. were due when the item arrived ?

 

Thanks.

Import fees(ie customs etc) from China and Japan are always zero. The only place which I've ever had to pay an import fee was America, and a hefty one at that (but not for a pen). I don't recommend buying from America unless absolutely necessary.

Edited February 9, 2017 by Bluey

[Simulacrum]

Import fees(ie customs etc) from China and Japan are always zero. The only place which I've ever had to pay an import fee was America, and a hefty one at that (but not for a pen). I don't recommend buying from America unless absolutely necessary.

Always zero for everywhere ? I've only ever bought things from the U.S. (partly because geographically I am close- doesn't make that much sense really when I think about it lol) but I do know it's expensive to bring things in from the u.s. to Canada and so I do avoid it. I didn't know there were no expenses to import from China and Japan. Is that only to wherever you live though ? Does anyone from Canada have any experience importing pens from China/ Japan ? (Should this be a different forum/thread ? )

Edited February 9, 2017 by Simulacrum

[aeba]

Always zero for everywhere ? I've only ever bought things from the U.S. (partly because geographically I am close- doesn't make that much sense really when I think about it lol) but I do know it's expensive to bring things in from the u.s. to Canada and so I do avoid it. I didn't know there were no expenses to import from China and Japan. Is that only to wherever you live though ? Does anyone from Canada have any experience importing pens from China/ Japan ? (Should this be a different forum/thread ? )

 

Under the provisions of the Postal Imports Remission Order, if someone mails you an item worth CAN$20 or less, there is no duty or tax payable.

http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/import/courier/menu-eng.html

 

If the item's total worth is more than 20 CAD, well, good luck trying to find correct answer for taxes and possible duty somewhere on this site.

 

Having said that, I don't know how often parcels get stuck in Canadian customs in reality.

Edited February 9, 2017 by aeba