Writing Characteristics Of 3776 Fine Nib?

[Pennenut]

I'm interested in purchasing a Platinum 3776 pen with a fine nib but before doing so I want to ask about the writing characteristics of the nib. How fine is the nib compared to a Pelikan fine? Is the nib a scratchy writer? Is the nib tuned to be a wet or dry writer? Can anyone post a writing sample? Thank you for your input!

[jmccarty3]

A Platinum fine is much finer than a Pelikan fine, and the nib will be dryer than the Pelikan. It's a totally different animal. Nib alignment and flow adjustment can make for a much more pleasing experience with a Platinum fine, although I must say that I am happier with their medium, broad, and music nibs.

[Tas]

I reckon the 3776 F is way finer and a little bit dryer than a Pelikan F. At least mine is. It has a little softness to it too and, for me, whilst the nib is in no way scratchy it does have just the right amount of feedback. My writing is always neater because of this. I love my 3776 F.

[PAKMAN]

Definitely finer than a Pelikan. Mine is a very smooth writer.

[siamackz]

I own both. Platinum is waaay finer than the Pelikan. My platinum is adjusted to have generous flow and so its great to write with. But the line is very fine, much finer than western fine nibs. So, flow must be adjusted in order to ensure it is not dry

[Runnin_Ute]

My 3776 is a B - and that was by design. Most Japanese pens will run up to a full size finer than western (US/Europe). I took that into account when I bought mine.

[Michael F]

I just bought a 3776 Century with Fine nib. I'd say that it's a drier writer, but in a good way. Makes it very usable with cheap paper. It's quite a fine line. The nib has some feedback to it, like a very fine pencil, but it glides so well across the paper. It's almost effortless. I think it's a great pen.

[Ronderick]

Here's a quick sample of the 3776 nibs in F and C, as well as m800 F nib.

 

Though you have to take into account the CDA orange ink is WAY wetter than the Platinum Carbon Black.

 

[Gasquolet]

I think the sample above gives a good account of the fine nibs but your C is more like my B Ronderick. My C is like the broadest Visconti B's downstoke in every direction! Is that Platinum Carbon in both 3776s?

 

My 3776 fine is quite dry too, I think this is a quite intentional attribute as it contributes to the fine characteristic of the nib. They will respond to tuning to increase flow at the expense of line width a little.

 

If you don't mind a more variable feedback than the sharp-but-smooth feeling fine, you could try the soft fine which is quite a different animal again. Mine is heavily used and I think quite different now to when it was new but this nib is not as fine and flow is a lot more variable with writing style. It doesn't really offer 'flex' type line variation but rather flow variation while the nib gives with your writing. It seems to be Marmite with many not 'getting' it but for me is my standout best daily/ work pen.

 

I know not the question you asked but for a wetter Platinum fine that is smooth but tactile in perfect balance, you could try the President fine.

Edited December 1, 2017 by Gasquolet

[Aquaria]

I also have the Platinum 3776 in F nib, and it is definitely finer than a Pelikan F nib. I'd even say it's a hair finer than the Pelikan XF nib.

 

It seems about right for ink flow to me. I've used all kinds of inks in it, from Pelikan (usually quite dry) to Waterman (perfect) to Noodler's Bay State Concord Grape, which is a notoriously wet writing ink with substantial feathering issues (at least with the batch I got).

 

What I do find is that the Platinum nib is very smooth, but it definitely doesn't have any flex to it. It's unusually nail-like for a 14K nib, but that is undoubtedly by design. I say that because I found this pen quite stiff and unforgiving for my typical writing tasks--until I used it for writing Japanese. Then this pen sang in my hand. It can maneuver through the complex and small strokes of kanji, especially in small spaces (such as a Japanese paper with 6mm rule), like few other pens.

 

Only the Sailor 21K F and XF nibs are better for writing kanji characters.

 

 

If you write in Asian scripts on a regular basis, like I do, this is one of the very best pens to buy for that purpose. The intersection of price point and quality of writing experience is really tough to beat.

Edited December 2, 2017 by Aquaria

[Ronderick]

I think the sample above gives a good account of the fine nibs but your C is more like my B Ronderick. My C is like the broadest Visconti B's downstoke in every direction! Is that Platinum Carbon in both 3776s?

 

My 3776 fine is quite dry too, I think this is a quite intentional attribute as it contributes to the fine characteristic of the nib. They will respond to tuning to increase flow at the expense of line width a little.

 

Yes, the ink for both of my platinum pens is Platinum Carbon Black. Though not my favorite black ink, I think the carbon black really works well with the F nib. The ink and F nib combination works well on cheap papers (minimal bleeding and quick to dry), so it's pretty much my default workhorse fountain pen/ink setup.

 

I totally agree with you that 3776 nibs are drier than the same F nibs from other companies. On a side note, there's a 3776 EF nib test pen at my local store. Due to mishandling by newbies, the EF nib has pretty much "widened" to the lines written by M-nibs.

 

What I do find is that the Platinum nib is very smooth, but it definitely doesn't have any flex to it. It's unusually nail-like for a 14K nib, but that is undoubtedly by design. I say that because I found this pen quite stiff and unforgiving for my typical writing tasks--until I used it for writing Japanese. Then this pen sang in my hand. It can maneuver through the complex and small strokes of kanji, especially in small spaces (such as a Japanese paper with 6mm rule), like few other pens.

 

Only the Sailor 21K F and XF nibs are better for writing kanji characters.

 

If you write in Asian scripts on a regular basis, like I do, this is one of the very best pens to buy for that purpose. The intersection of price point and quality of writing experience is really tough to beat.

 

Interesting to note that I also have a Sailor Profit with F nib. The Profit has a 21k nib and way more forgiving than the Platinum 3776, but I also made the mistake of filling it up with Iroshizuka black, turning that baby into an unbelievably wet writer - even for a Japanese-size F.

 

But like what Aquaria pointed out, the 3776 F nib is a very smooth nail for writing Chinese/Kanji on the pages of a pocket notebook - especially when you need to write it down fast. On the other hand, the Sailor 21k F is a lot more responsive to the touch, and wetter ink definitely helps with line/stroke variations, but it won't be my ideal pick for writing inside a mini notebook that fits into your shirt pocket.

 

I've also heard great things about Sailors naginata-togi nibs, but has yet to try them with my own hands.

[Gasquolet]

 

 

I've also heard great things about Sailors naginata-togi nibs, but has yet to try them with my own hands.

 

 

I'm very lucky in that respect. I have a Naginata Togi MF in a KOP that I use exclusively with Kiwa Guro which must be Sailor's equivalent to Platinum's Carbon Black. I also have a N broad which is just as good but with my hand shows a lot less line variation so I use it less.

 

The N MF is an exquisite nib in so much as it has instant flow on close proximity to the paper yet the flow control is good too, though drier with the Kiwa Guro than with Sailor Jentle blue black for example.

 

They have a tactile, textured, almost 'gritty' feel on the page like writing on a layer of tiny grains. It's smooth but gives remarkable control which combined with the nib shape then offers variation according to angle and rotation giving a unique character to my ill controlled cursive hand.

 

In case you were't sure, I love it. I'd heartily recommend you try the N MF for an extended writing test if you have the chance.

[tonydent84]

I'm interested in purchasing a Platinum 3776 pen with a fine nib but before doing so I want to ask about the writing characteristics of the nib. How fine is the nib compared to a Pelikan fine? Is the nib a scratchy writer? Is the nib tuned to be a wet or dry writer? Can anyone post a writing sample? Thank you for your input!

 

 

It is much finer than a Pelikan fine nib. Pelikan nibs are like one size higher than everyone else's, and Japanese nibs like Platinum's are like one size smaller than everyone else's - so there will be a considerable difference between the Pelikan fine and the Platinum 3776 fine.

 

The Platinum 3776 hard-fine is stiff as a nail, but relatively smooth for the fine line you get. The soft-fine is springier and softer with an almost identical line width, but you'll notice changes in width with changing pressures. I don't care for flexing - I just use my pens for notes, but even then, I notice that some of my strokes are heavier than others because in some areas, the lines look hairline fine, and then in another part of the letter, it looks like the ink was laid down a little heavier and thicker. But it's not that severe.

 

I actually got both my Platinums recently and when I wrote with the soft-fine with Parker black ink, I noticed that the line on my paper was almost identical to the Uniball Deluxe Micro rollerball. If you ever had experience with that pen, then you'd have an idea of the line-width that the 3776 soft fine would lay down. Actually, it might be comparable to any 0.5mm rollerball (e.g. Pilot Precise V5) or even gel pen. The difference is, the fountain pen feels smoother than the rollerball/gel pens with less resistance yet still producing a crazy fine line.

 

By the way, the Platinum 3776 fine is actually finer than my Pelikan M215, Pelikan M600 and Pelikan M800 extra-fine points. Interestingly, though, my Pelikan Pura fine point with the steel nib seems to resemble the Japanese fine points...go figure!

Edited December 8, 2017 by tonydent84

[Ronderick]

 

I'm very lucky in that respect. I have a Naginata Togi MF in a KOP that I use exclusively with Kiwa Guro which must be Sailor's equivalent to Platinum's Carbon Black. I also have a N broad which is just as good but with my hand shows a lot less line variation so I use it less.

 

Going a bit off-track, but I'm actually thinking of either a NMF, NM, or NB to supplement my Platinum pens. For me the hard part is to decide on which one provides the best line variations but still deemed "usable" for standard writing tasks.

 

I think I read somewhere that the Naginata nibs should be one size thicker that their standard counterparts in terms of line - so that would make NMF standard M width, while the NM a B width. I think based on what you've experienced, the NB is out of the question. Looks like it would be a 50-50 chance, choosing between the NMF and NM....

 

As for Sailor inks, I do use both their permanent black and permanent blue black (cartridge version) and like them both a lot - especially the blue black since it reminds me so much of blue-white porcelain.

[Jezza]

As others have noted, the Platinum fine is much finer than a Pelikan Extra Fine. I dont find the Platinum fine to be dry. However, for some reason both of the Platinum Soft Fines I have owned were very dry writers. Of the Platinum, Sailor and Pilot, my favorite is the Pilot. Ive owned close to a dozen Pilot fine nibs over the years, and they were very consistentthe most consistent. I think the #10 size nibs and larger are better. Every once and a while, a Pilot #5 fine can be dry on the up or cross-stroke. Never had that issue with #10 or #15 nibs. If youre only looking at #5-sized Pilots, the Soft Fine is outstanding.

[Gasquolet]

Another comparison photo, if I can get it to load.

 

A colleague and fountain pen re-convert asked me about Japanese nib sizes just the other day so I wrote the following sheet out for him from pens currently inked. To be fair, the fine at the top of the page was only inked 2 mins before the sample so is slightly dryer here than normal. Mine does still seem to be unusually dry though from other comments above.

 

Edited December 13, 2017 by Gasquolet