Graf Von Faber-Castell - Medium Nib Is Too Broad; How To Fix?

[timmya74]

I shouldnt have bought a medium nib for the Guilloche. Replacing it is £190. Does anyone know a reputable craftsman who can narrow the nib for me? My Pilot pens have a perfect medium nib and I should have known better when I bought this one. The pen is beautiful but is not being used enough. Thanks.

[fountainpagan]

Hello and welcome.

 

for the futur, please know that german nibs are larger than any.

Japanese nibs are finer than european, and american, nibs.

 

I am sorry, the person who narrowed mine does not work anymore.

 

Maybe it will help other members to know in which country you are, in order to best orient you towards someone.

Good luck.

[timmya74]

Hi. Thanks. I live in London. I knew the nib was wider than I wanted but after using it and being left handed its even wider than I expected. I appreciated any direction people can provide.

[torstar]

Maybe put less pressure on the nib, use sturdier paper?

[twdpens]

Is this a new pen? Can you go back to the retailer and request a nib exchange?

 

HTH,

 

Martin

[timmya74]

The pen is new. Tried the retailer and it was no help given Id used the pen. That what a pen is for!

 

I know there are people who can narrow nibs but I dont know any which is why Im asking.

[dapprman]

John Sorowka may be your man. Or you could get used to using slightly larger writing

 

I've the same pen and understand where you're coming from if you're used to Japanese Mediums as I've moved more towards Euro fines. If the original store won't look in to a nib swap (you could try the GvFC distributer) then rather then getting it ground slightly it might be worth trying it a bit more and see if it grows on you.

[timmya74]

I tried the distributor who was less than helpful. Ill contact John and see what he can do. Thanks!

[Bo Bo Olson]

Japanese nibs are supposedly narrower than Western by a full size.....some folks deny that.

German nibs are wider than they were before the mid '90's.

You think a Japanese M=Western F, is perfect.

Then you bought a Western M= Japanese B.....and expensive pen, with no basic research. Right.

 

 

All companies have their very own nib width standards....from way back in the dark ages or before when pens use to be advertised on B&W TV, in the Day of One Man, One Pen.

There was a strange think called brand loyalty. Over decades of testing what Parker's customers wanted and showing them they wanted a wider nib than the 'too skinny' Sheaffer. One didn't want the customer to make a major mistake when he next bought a pen....some 7-10 years later and bought a Sheaffer.

The reason pen companies have their own standards....like the Fat Sailor and the Skinny Pilot.

 

Then there is tolerance that exists in all brands....and just because a nib has 1.2, 1.0 or 0.8 stamped on them or some letter, a Fat F can = exactly a Skinny M.

 

So either buy only Japanese pens, Sailor is the fat one, Pilot the skinny.....so only Pilot steel nibs and not in gold in Sailor and Pilot are fatter in gold according to my reading.

 

I really don't see anything wrong with a western M nib....good for shading.

As suggested widen your script.....easy to do, take two sheets of paper; fold in half and on the first side, write as wide as you possibly can and make a short sentence. One each of the 8 sides write smaller than that to you get to your tiny script.

 

There are free line printing templates available and you could print lines wider than a narrow collage line.

Most come to fountain pens with a M in western.....don't know what the normal size one finds on the Metropolitan in the US and go skinny it appears. A minority go wide.................few ever stay at M....which is a shame in it is a very, very good nib width for shading.

 

Sell the GvFC. Buy only steel nibbed Pilots and you may be happy so limited.

Or realize no matter who makes the pen....a fat and skinny nib can follow one in the middle of tolerance in any three pens made in a row by anyone anywhere in the world and does every day.

 

There is very skinny, skinny, medium, broad, broader and real wide. @ hand grenade distance is about normal....horseshoe distance is good. There will be half size nibs with in company, across companies and the width you think is the magic width.....is your standard only!

My signature covers that........

 

Dry Pelikan 4001 ink, better hard slick paper, will give you a narrower line. Pressing not so hard will too.

Then there is how humid the day is........the dryer the day the narrower the line.

 

Many folks get over the fable of the 'perfect' width, through many reasons....one is different width nibs make the ink dance differently.

Some folks get bored with nothing but the same all the time.

 

Some day in the distant future we can talk semi-flex and line variation on demand....and or even superflex where one wants a nib to write fatter.,.....when one wants.

 

If you stay with your 'perfect' only nib width.....do buy Pilot nib pens only, and spend enough money to buy one good enough you can send the nib back immediately for a skinnier nib than some eventual fat Japanese M nib....western F.

 

Nib meisters over the long run are expensive...............I've seen many here spend a fortune on a skinny nib.

Seldom to never seen any one doing that for a fatter nib.

 

My suggestion is to put your GvFC pen away for some months, to see if you have expanded your horizons with nib width, ink's and papers.

A Western M (Japanese in nail like the GvFC on 90g and or + laser paper will shade well.

 

Your Japanese M is considered impossibly fat by many here that have not expanded their horizons from as skinny as it gets.