Pelikan 400 Kf Nib?

[JPM-10]

Dear friends,

 

I recently acquired a new pelikan pen with a very nice nib. I thought it was a normal nib, but upon closser look it is a bit different from a regular F or M nib. As I am not sure I ask for your help on trying to find out what type of nib it is.

 

After a survey of internet pages I think it is a Kugelspitze Nib , a KF or KM nib. Is this correct??

You can keep the pen side ways, in reverse position, the nib keeps on functioning. It is the only nib I have that is able to do this, to keep on going regardles of angle or orientation of the pen.

 

It is a beauty of a nib and pen. Writes very nice.

 

Who can help me out?

 

See the pictures.

Thanks in advance.

 

[dnic]

Nib was original for a Pelikan 100. The Pelikan 400 have imprints with 585. (14 / 585 gold).

I can only guess for the nib size...

[Bo Bo Olson]

Kubal/ball tip, so someone could hold the pen like a pencil, if one wished. I have a Geha 790 and an Osmia-Faber-Castell 773 in KM and a MB 234 1/2 Deluxe (52-54 only) KOB, from that era.

They are all stubs on the bottom like the normal German semi-flex pens, so one can hold it low if one wishes. I'd expect yours to be similar.

It reminds me more of my MB nib than my Geha or Osmia, sort of a Waverly style nib.

 

That was before ball points really came in and forced everyone to hold one high like a pencil.

Oddly...at least the way I think, there were fewer Kugle nibs made than expected.

 

The Geha School pen KF nib is the American Bump Under....not a ball on top of the nib.

[The Good Captain]

My black M140 has a KF nib. A wonderful piece of 'kit' as we say! Enjoy.

[JPM-10]

Nib was original for a Pelikan 100. The Pelikan 400 have imprints with 585. (14 / 585 gold).

I can only guess for the nib size...

 

Ok you are right. I checked the markings of Pelikan 400 nibs and they all have the pelikan in circle logo. So it is a Pelikan 100 nib adapted to a pelikan 400 feed. It writes extremely well. Has some springy flex feeling to it. The strange shape ot the nib close to the nib-tip is still a question mark to me. Has someone seen this before? What is the use of it? Custom made ore factory made? I still don't know.

[Matlock]

 

Ok you are right. I checked the markings of Pelikan 400 nibs and they all have the pelikan in circle logo. So it is a Pelikan 100 nib adapted to a pelikan 400 feed. It writes extremely well. Has some springy flex feeling to it. The strange shape ot the nib close to the nib-tip is still a question mark to me. Has someone seen this before? What is the use of it? Custom made ore factory made? I still don't know.

 

Only nibs from later 400s (400N, 400NN & M400) have the circle logo. Early 400s have the logo as yours but with "585 14 KARAT".

Edited March 11, 2018 by Matlock

[Bo Bo Olson]

In the '20-30's an English company made Waverly nibs.....my '50's MB 234 1/2 has almost a similar 'bend' on it's KOB nib.

Richard Binder made a Waverly Modification to nibs before he retired.

 

If you could get a picture or two of the bottom and straight from the side...one to see if it's the stub I think it is would be nice...for general knowledge.

[JPM-10]

See extra pictures of nib. It looks as if someone took away some material close to the nib tip. It is done in a very professional way as it is exactly symmetrical.

 

Someone seen this before?

[Bo Bo Olson]

That is the normal at least '50-65 (70-72 for a couple brands like Geha) era stub of the German semi-flex nibs.

 

When I was noobie, I had the same problem, thinking someone had stubbed the German nibs of that era, being used to the 'American Bump Under' tipping. But they were all factory stubs.

 

Lamy being a nail and its sub brand Artus have the American Bump Under also....so do the English.

I have a couple 'no name' German semi-flex nibs from the '60's, that have the American Bump Under instead of the stub.

By 1970 MB had gone over to regular flex and were no longer stubbed on my '70-80 Large 146....but my later MB is a stubbish nib. My three '50's MB's are semi & maxi-semi-flex stubs. I do prefer my medium-long very well balanced '50's 146 over it's later larger version.

 

Osmia always broke, used minimal tippling, I have an OBB from Osmia where there is just a small flat pad near the slit that is only half the tip width.....nib works just fine.

[JPM-10]

Oke, thanks.

It is funny though that on internet you hardly see nibs with this feature. All the nibs on display are regular nibs. Might also bee that I did not pay enough attention tot the nib-tip part of the picture.

[Bo Bo Olson]

I don't see anything wrong with that nib.........it's just you can hold it a bit higher and write too...or hold it regular behind the big index knuckle and write normal.

 

Modern 400/600/800 nibs are all Kugal nibs....with an American Bump Under and on top of the nib with a thick tip.

And they are semi-nails, in the Ham Fisted Cross over Ball Point Barbarians....refused to learn how to hold a fountain pen, holding it like a ball point.....bent a lot of nibs.

 

As major buyers of the Pelikan ball point and roller ball...which I think may sell more than the fountain pen.....no one wished to insult the Barbarians, and show them how to hold a fountain pen......and ask them to take three minutes to get use to holding a fountain pen....so awkwardly.

 

So to save money in repair, and not insult the Barbarians....they just made a stiffer fatter use like a ball point nib.

 

Your nib is stubbed on the bottom so you get that pattern if you wish in your semi-flex nib. If you want to hold it like a pencil....you can.

[christof]

Here is another one with this "feature" as you call it:

 

 

it's an early Pelikan 100 nib. In fact, you don't see them often.

 

C.

Edited March 13, 2018 by christof