Pen With Wet, Smooth Gold Nib For Under $100?

[sodiumnitrate]

Not a gold nib but exceptionally smooth, wet, doesn't evaporate, can be had for way less, and has a timeless design (I have a particular aversion to gold and a ball on clips): Lamy Studio; I got it for $40, used, in Imperial Blue, you could go for stainless steel if the grip is an issue, which hasn't been for me, except the feeling of metal (or chrome?) on a cold day. It's the same nib as in lesser Safaris but is way smoother, it's said to be tuned at the factory and I believe it, none of my 7 Vistas even approach it, it's on par with my Sailor Pro Gear 21k, Pelikan M600 and Parker Sonnets (different feel to all of them). Another super smooth steel option, if hard as a nail, is the Faber Castell Ambition, for instance in pearwood.

 

If you need gold at all costs the Platinum Century starts at about $60 in black and gold, twice that for rhodium; haven't tried it myself; there's also the Sailor Promenade.

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I'm not looking for gold nibs exclusively, but I figured steel wouldn't be as flexible. I mean, there are steel flex nibs, but you usually have to exert a lot of pressure to use them. I'm interested in the semi-flex nibs only because it might lead to a smoother writing experience by absorbing some of the pressure I put on the nib. As for the Lamy nibs, I really hate the safari nibs. They are dry and inconsistent. I understand that tuning them would make it a lot smoother, but it's still rigid, right? I already have faber castell loom, which has a rigid steel nib that is very smooth and moderately wet.

[Bo Bo Olson]

For @$80 or less.......Geha 790 a standard sized pen....in the then popular Torpedo shape....Swan, the P-51, MB 146/9 & 400nn were all torpedo shaped. Geha is solidly made, having had same town Pelikan as it's goal.

Two posters I respect told me, Geha has a slightly better semi-flex nib....another one liked the Geha steel 790/760 nib also....be it gold or steel are = on the more expensive medium-small 760 or the standard 700.

Today's look only showed two thieves "Buy Now Idiots"........E136 for a 790 that one could still luck out for E30-----60 at a max. If you hunt and wait.

Anything more than that and you have been well trained by your TV to throw your money away, quickly.

One wants only E119 for a Geha School pen ......and I'd thought the fella had gall to put one up for only $89 on US ebay......mostly one can find one for 12 and I thought 19 high. A good regular flex nib....like Pelikan's 120.

 

Two different school models, that don't take each other's nib .............I lucked out to the max and have a maxi-semi-flex Geha School pen. I have two, one's a bit thinner, longer....both are good for E12-19....but don't expect a maxi.....as I said, I really lucked out.

I'd swapped some 6 regular flex nibs for the pen body....then found out my best of the 6 nib didn't fit. Shipped that nib to my English pal and he shipped me the nib that had been on it before, the maxi.

 

 

The first is the Rare 1958-9 real three rings. It did polish up better than the picture I took from the seller when I bought the pen.

The other pictures will show three 'other' rings, found on the 760/790....there is a 2 ring cheaper pen, I don't know in I never bought one. The one shown are @'59-70.

 

To show clearer the three rings.

 

Do not buy any Geha Cartridge pens, they were the first to make cartridge pens in Germany, and had a double ended cartridge, one size fit Pelikan.....no other cartridge fits the Geha.

I'd sent some of my rare Geha Cartridges to Slovenia where they so many of the cartridges....but have received no word back....so don't expect them to spend any money developing a new Geha cartridge.

 

For years I said, buy the Geha 790 it was the best buy under the semi-flex....I guess they did, in the prices jumped from 30 to 60 and I'd not pay more.

I can remember wen every 'noobie' was told buy an Esterbrook, they did, and go hooked and the price doubled, and now no 'noobie' is told buy an Esterbrook.....seme seems to be happening to the Geha.

 

Last time I looked a few months ago for someone, I thought the 60 high....but 140 starts at 90 now and not the 60 of 4 years ago. I've come to expect a 100 as a 140's price so the Geha 790 is still cheaper at 60.

Do have patience..........and Hunt................

Any reasonable priced Geha 790 is still a best buy for semi-flex.

Edited December 5, 2017 by Bo Bo Olson

[akrohn2010]

 

 

Thanks for the info. What happens when you use wet inks? Too much ink flow?

 

I've found that when I use saturated inks with a wet flow, my handwriting turns out a "blobby" script -- a soft fine nib is nowhere near a flexible nib, but will definitely give you some line variation, but so far my experience is that the wetter inks just don't flow consistently enough to create nice lines. The inks I've tried in my CH91 are Noodler's and Iroshizuku -- the latter was a much better writing experience.

 

EDIT: It's entirely possible I may need to simply tune my nib, and the ink may not be at fault. I am still very much a novice at fountain pens, so don't let that dissuade you.

Edited December 5, 2017 by AK-47