Diy Stub With Grit Pads?

[sketchstack]

I recently used my series of grit pads that I got from Anderson Pens. I specifically bought them to fix an over polished nib.

 

Despite knowing that, obviously, I'm removing tipping material I was still surprised to see how much I'd affected the nib with just a few 'infinity symbols' on each grit pad. I wondered how much it would take to grind a nib into a stub using the same method.

 

So here's my question: Do people grind their own stubs 'by hand' on grit pads as opposed to spinning grinders?

 

Before I just dive in, I'd like to give members of the forum the opportunity to tell me I'm insane ...or not.

[ksm]

I did it a few times using knife sharpening stone and micro-mesh pads.

 

I wouldn't do it any other way without a lot more of experience.

[benbot517]

I've done it with micromesh pads and have gotten some great results.

[OCArt]

Like user KSM I use a sharpening stone to remove the bulk of the material and then fingernail buffing pads to finish-- sometimes followed by micro mesh. The sharpening stone allows me to go slowly and carefully but I only risk nibs of Chinese pens.

[ac12]

A sharpening stone or VERY VERY fine sandpaper on a piece of glass gives you the hard surface to control the shaping of the tip.

Anything with 'give,' will give as you shape the tip, so may not give you the control you want.

[sketchstack]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

 

For sharpening stones, are you referring to household stones like one might have for their kitchen knives?

 

I'm just trying to get an idea for the relative 'grit' of a sharpening stone. (2000, 4000, 8000, etc)

[ksm]

My sharpening stone was used by my grandfather before I was born. I have no hard data on its grit, but it is a little coarser than 4000 grit micro-mesh.

[Randal6393]

Of course grit pads/sandpaper may be used to hand-shape a stub/cursive nib. The best explanation of the process of making a cursive italic is Ludwig Tan's article on the web. Thorough and easily followed. I heartily recommend it.

 

I cut all of my italics by hand on a coarse/fine crystolon/india stone and sharpen and hone on a black hard Arkansas stone, usually. But I have used sandpaper of various grits on a glass plate and buffed on nail buffers. Over the years, have made many italic nibs. It's not hard and is a skill that I recommend to anyone interested in stubs. Currently I have thirty or more hand-cut nibs in pens in my box.

 

Best of luck,

[sketchstack]

What does one look for when investigating Arkansas stones?

 

My guess is the needs for sharpening knives vs shaping/polishing nibs is somewhat different.

 

Thanks

[OCArt]

Here is a very detailed post by dneal that has multiple photos to illustrate the process of nib grinding.

https://fpgeeks.com/forum/showthread.php/10567-So-you-wanna-grind-yer-own-nibs

[sketchstack]

Here is a very detailed post by dneal that has multiple photos to illustrate the process of nib grinding.

https://fpgeeks.com/forum/showthread.php/10567-So-you-wanna-grind-yer-own-nibs

 

Thanks, that was helpful.

 

It would seem that a Dremel is perceived by some to be "professional grade", or something to aspire to using after learning on grit pads or stones.

 

But it seems the main benefit of using a Dremel is speed --at the risk of catastrophic, almost immediate destruction of a nib if one is not very, very careful.

 

I've got some inexpensive Noodler's broad nibs that I might use for my inaugural strub grind. I think they're about $3 apiece, and are actually pretty decent all things considered. I don't care if it takes a long time as I usually put on some music or a movie while doing fountain pen maintenance.

[Randal6393]

What does one look for when investigating Arkansas stones?

 

My guess is the needs for sharpening knives vs shaping/polishing nibs is somewhat different.

 

Thanks

Stones come in a variety of colours, each colour indexed to a smoothness of grit. Washita Arkansas stones are white with pinkish brown bands, rough stone. Removes a lot of metal fast. Translucent white stones are medium fine and cut slower. Still in the shaping process. Then comes Black Hard Arkansas. Useful after shaping and when honing/polishing your nib. Size and cost are also factors, have fun. A Google Search should list several companies selling a variety of stones at several price points.

 

As for sharpening knives versus sharpening nibs, no, not really too much different. Primary difference is the amount of metal that needs to be removed. A nib is much less, so a few strokes on a finer stone. But I use the same stones I use to sharpen knives, just gentle instead of aggressive.

 

@ocart: Great find, this is a great adjunct to Tan's article. Lots of pictures and sketches help greatly.

 

Enjoy,

[the_gasman]

 

... the main benefit of using a Dremel is speed --at the risk of catastrophic, almost immediate destruction of a nib if one is not very, very careful.

 

Not just the nib!

 

When I first started playing with grinding [cheap] nibs, I was playing with turning a broad Lamy Z50 steel nib into an OB-CI. Taking the angle off the corner was taking an inordinately long time, so I whipped out my Dremel. Even with that it was slow, so I upped the speed from 2,500 rpm to 10,000 while the bulk of the cutting was done. The nib work was done satisfactorily, allowing me to move onto the stone and micromesh but, after I had finished using the Dremel, I noticed that the friction had melted the plastic feed. So, in one fell swoop I had taught myself:

• nib grinding
• restrict the Dremel to 2,500 rpm
• restrict the Dremel to short bursts of grinding
• PATIENCE is a virtue (How often do we have to re-learn that lesson!)

So, I shall continue to use a Dremel, but only on inexpensive steel nibs, and only for the initial debulking, preparatory stages of the grind. I shall also remember to keep it to short bursts (until the next time that I get impatient and have to re-learn the same lesson yet again).

 

I suspect that sketchstack's music and movie idea is more likely to induce inner peace and tranquility. I must try it.

 

Cheers,

David.

 

PS: a Lamy Z50 is about £4; a new feed cost me £8. I have kept the melted feed for future Dremel work!

[the_gasman]

I should add that it is not just the nib ... and feed.

 

Your eyes are vulnerable to instantaneous and permanent damage. Splinters, especially metal shards, can penetrate the orbit and cause irrecoverable blindness.

 

If you are daft enough – like me – to use a Dremel, make sure that you use good quality eye protection: proper goggles, not just the glasses that you use for vision. Extend that discipline to curious on-lookers, like children. I refuse to allow anyone else into the room whilst I am using the Dremel.

 

Combined cost of nib and feed £12; cost of permanent visual loss ...

 

Cheers,

David.

Edited March 27, 2017 by the_gasman

[sketchstack]

...

 

Your eyes are vulnerable to instantaneous and permanent damage. Splinters, especially metal shards, can penetrate the orbit and cause irrecoverable blindness.

 

...

 

Yes, this is something that came to mind when I saw images of people hunkered down in front of a Dremel ...potential for more than just expensive pen damage.

 

...

 

• PATIENCE is a virtue (How often do we have to re-learn that lesson!)

...

 

I suspect that sketchstack's music and movie idea is more likely to induce inner peace and tranquility. I must try it.

 

 

Higher cost pens have forced patience on me. Steel nibs are a bit more forgiving, but for my expensive gold nibs, I force myself to go very slow. In fact some of my nibs I consider 'works-in-progress' in the sense that I don't necessarily try to solve all in one go. I have a nice Pelikan nib that I've worked on little by little over the course of weeks. It's good to actually write with it for a while with different inks and papers to get a better understanding of what really needs to be adjusted.

 

Then one day it's just a nice, smooth nib!

 

I recommend the music and movie technique --though some of the music I listen to might not qualify as 'relaxing' :-) ...but it's all about putting one in their mental groove.

[ac12]

Power tools of ANY kind makes work fast, but also creates damage faster.

It is very easy to remove too much material with a Dremel, vs. a slower grinder or by hand.

And as David said, speed also creates heat.

So there is a balance between speed and caution/safety.

 

I would err on the side of caution and safety. Better to be slow and sure, than fast and damaging.

Personally, a Dremel at it's slowest speed is still way too FAST for me.

 

 

[jagwap]

Here is a very detailed post by dneal that has multiple photos to illustrate the process of nib grinding.

https://fpgeeks.com/forum/showthread.php/10567-So-you-wanna-grind-yer-own-nibs

I used this and other guides to turn my fine nib into a fine italic with great results. I used a 2000 ceramic knife stone.

 

As it was on a slightly pricy pen I practised on a couple of cheap ones first. I recommend that strongly.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/318411-heritage-1912-diy-cursive-italic/?fromsearch=1

Edited April 1, 2017 by jagwap

[escribo]

Here is a very detailed post by dneal that has multiple photos to illustrate the process of nib grinding.

https://fpgeeks.com/forum/showthread.php/10567-So-you-wanna-grind-yer-own-nibs

 

RE: The great info at that link (bookmarked!),

Why is the top (or the 'back of the nib') ground? Just curious--I have Binder Italifine nib for my Pilot VP, and obviously the tipping on the back of the nib was left intact, or at most smoothed.

[Randal6393]

Many pens have a fast flow of ink that gives too much ink to the nib after a cut down to italic. So it makes sense, sometimes, to thin the back of the nib to slow the flow. Flow is governed by capillary action, make the area smaller in the pen channel so that ink flow decreases. Penmen have been doing this since the days of goose quill pens. Edward Johnston recommends "making the quill as thin as possible by scraping excess material off with a sharp knife." Paraphrase of his writing in Writing, Illuminating, and Lettering. Highly recommend the book, available in the Internet Archives.

 

Enjoy,

[sodul]

I second Randal's recommendation on reducing the ink flow. My fourth grind, I believe, was done on a nib similar to a zoom nib and at first I had a 'reversible' italic. But I just could not get a good, sharp, line variation, it was 'sloppy'. I gave up on the revers side and ground it into a bevel and then the writing side wrote properly.

 

One thing I self learned is that a lot of the scratchiness after polishing a stub comes from the inner edges of the tip and need to be smoothed out. I currently do it by overlapping the tines to expose the inner edges and do 7-8, 2 inch, strokes on the 2400 grit pad, before polishing. But I have only ground a handful of nibs, so I'm no expert.