When Is A 1.1 Stub Not A 1.1 Stub?

[timarti]

I have had a TWSBI 580 with a 1.1 stub nib for a while. Just got a TWSBI mini, also a 1.1 stub. The two nibs differ greatly in line width they put down and visually, the end of the 1.1 nib on the TWSBI 580 is much wider than the 1.1 nib on the mini. I contacted TWSBI about this and got the reply that it is just how JOWO makes the nibs. Since the 580 has a bigger nib than the mini, it is always going to put down a wider line. This just seems weird to me! Why should the size of the nib impact how wide the tip is made? Shouldn't all 1.1 nibs put down the same line width, i.e. 1.1? I know ink and paper can also make a difference, but I compared a Lamy 1.1 and a Kaweco 1.1 that I also have, and they are the same visually and in the width of the line they lay down, and are somewhere between the TWSBI 580 and the TWSBI mini. Am I missing something? Are JOWO nibs just not consistent?

[Tasmith]

I have had a TWSBI 580 with a 1.1 stub nib for a while. Just got a TWSBI mini, also a 1.1 stub. The two nibs differ greatly in line width they put down and visually, the end of the 1.1 nib on the TWSBI 580 is much wider than the 1.1 nib on the mini. I contacted TWSBI about this and got the reply that it is just how JOWO makes the nibs. Since the 580 has a bigger nib than the mini, it is always going to put down a wider line. This just seems weird to me! Why should the size of the nib impact how wide the tip is made? Shouldn't all 1.1 nibs put down the same line width, i.e. 1.1? I know ink and paper can also make a difference, but I compared a Lamy 1.1 and a Kaweco 1.1 that I also have, and they are the same visually and in the width of the line they lay down, and are somewhere between the TWSBI 580 and the TWSBI mini. Am I missing something? Are JOWO nibs just not consistent?

 

Hi Timarti, Check out this thread on the TWSBI forum. https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/320572-twsbi-nib-size-discrepancy/

[pajaro]

Revolting. There are other makers like this, however.

[Randal6393]

Hi, timarti, welcome to FPN,

 

Yes, in theory, all 1.1 mm nibs should be the same width, size, with the same boldness of line and rate of flow. In actual fact, though, the width of the nib is a sort of maybe guide. Thus, many of us who love and use stub/italic nibs learn to grind our own nibs and adjust pens to our needs. That just seems to be a necessary part of the pen world.

 

An italic-type line, with its automatic thick-to-thin ratios, is subject to a number of factors. First, nib width, which is adjustable by judicious use of a nail buffer. Second, flow rate, which can be adjusted by working on the feed and/or adjusting the tine spacing and/or judicious use of a nail buffer.

 

I have a lovely TWSBI 580 with an italic nib that I converted from a TWSBI Broad nib that I had laying around. Bad news, do have to adjust nib and work on the pen. Good news, once worked on TWSBI's are great writers and enjoyable pens.

 

Best of luck,

[Bill Wood]

I have had a TWSBI 580 with a 1.1 stub nib for a while. Just got a TWSBI mini, also a 1.1 stub. The two nibs differ greatly in line width they put down and visually, the end of the 1.1 nib on the TWSBI 580 is much wider than the 1.1 nib on the mini. I contacted TWSBI about this and got the reply that it is just how JOWO makes the nibs. Since the 580 has a bigger nib than the mini, it is always going to put down a wider line. This just seems weird to me! Why should the size of the nib impact how wide the tip is made? Shouldn't all 1.1 nibs put down the same line width, i.e. 1.1? I know ink and paper can also make a difference, but I compared a Lamy 1.1 and a Kaweco 1.1 that I also have, and they are the same visually and in the width of the line they lay down, and are somewhere between the TWSBI 580 and the TWSBI mini. Am I missing something? Are JOWO nibs just not consistent?

I've seen that. A medium in a Jowo #5 is not like a medium in a #6. Must be the manfacturing or something. The nibs are very consistent within their Number groups #5 and #6 - but when I want a medium in the #5 I always go for a Broad nib.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Yep, I said that the numbered nibs would be no more accurate than the old letter marked nibs, with in the same company.

 

Every nib will have slop/tolerance with in the old company standard of F,M,B and so it is with the numbered nibs. There is no exact nibs unless you and your nibmeister can agree between the both of you how you want it....to his standard.

The next nib meister may be a tad wider or a tad narrower depending on how he measures and the air pressure.....(or how his hand slips).

 

One has to kick back and relax....and not be so AR ..(OCD is not strong enough) about it. Very narrow, narrow, medium, broad, very broad is as close as you are going to get.....and counting different company standards, with slop....number nibs are supposed to get you to horseshoe range.

The old different company letter system....grenade range.

 

Some find Japanese poster did a great thread on the myth of ball point/gel's being exact as marked....no way Jose.

My signature does say thank god for 1/2 sizes or it would be boring.

 

Just think....you can manipulate the width of your nib due to wetter or dryer ink, better or poor paper and how ham fisted you are. That's up to a width in either direction you want to go....wider or skinnier.

 

Odd thought....why have two exact same nibs, of the same flex?

 

 

Even Robots don't cut the exact same width. I was at the Lamy Factory, where they have a huge mechanical nib cutting machine....and folks still complain their Safari nibs are not exactly the same.

Edited March 24, 2017 by Bo Bo Olson

[timarti]

Thanks for the replies! (and the link to the TWSBI thread) I feel better now - I think! I like messing around with nibs, turned a supposed 1.0 Pilot Metropolitan into a much wider stub, but may just live with the TWSBI mini, as is.

[Cryptos]

As an absolute measure of physical nib width I cannot see reason for there to be too much variation apart from the precision of the manufacturing process. However, as the nibs can be measured quite easily post-manufacture it seems odd that they would put out nibs with wildly different widths under the same banner.

 

How the nib puts ink on the page is another thing altogether and involves many other factors, not just the physical width.

 

That's how I understand it anyhow.

[inkstainedruth]

Even the same nib on different pens of the same model will behave differently. I have a whole mess of Parker Vectors, and one of the pens just writes drier than the other ones, even though a lot of them are (in theory, anyway) all identical F nibs.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth