Is there such a think as a super-smooth italic?

[knitbug]

Hi!

 

I was wondering if there is a pen you would recommend for everyday writing, but that comes with an italic/stub/oblique nib. I'm enamored with line variation, but I'm left-handed and the italic nibs in my Sheaffer calligraphy set are both scratchy and prone to skipping. I don't know how much of this is caused by my terrible technique, but I'd love to hear any recommendations for a good italic writing pen. Lower price range (under 150). I've just ordered a lamy studio with an extra italic steel nib, so we'll see how that works out, but I hear that the ink flow is a bit weak in the studio...

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Knitbug.

 

ps. happy father's day to dad's everywhere

[BillTheEditor]

Go here: http://www.pendemonium.com/pens_italic.htm and pick one of the cursive italic nibs. These are all custom-ground and should be smooth. The wider nibs will probably be the smoothest. If nothing else, call Pendemonium (their number is on the Web site) and ask Sam what she recommends.

 

It won't cost you anything like $150. More like US$40 or so, plus shipping. You'll have plenty left over for some good ink.

Edited June 17, 2007 by BillTheEditor

[DrPJM1]

The secret with italics is to maintain the nib in its sweet spot. A cursive italic -a cutom nib, has less sharp edges. A stub is a rounded-off italic, the edges being not sharp, while maintaining line variation.

 

Try a sub, but keep practicing with the italic nib!

[PAKMAN]

The best line variation will be with a crisp italic they have sharp edges and you have to use them more slowly. For everyday writing and usage a cursive italic is better as the edges are rounded you can still get fairly good line variaton and can write faster. Richard Binder at Richards Pens has preground Pelikan or Namiki VP nibs that can be put right into an existing pen or he sells pens to go with them.

 

http://www.richardspens.com/sales.htm

 

 

[meanwhile]

Go here: http://www.pendemonium.com/pens_italic.htm and pick one of the cursive italic nibs. These are all custom-ground and should be smooth. The wider nibs will probably be the smoothest. If nothing else, call Pendemonium (their number is on the Web site) and ask Sam what she recommends.

 

It won't cost you anything like $150. More like US$40 or so, plus shipping. You'll have plenty left over for some good ink.

 

Have you used one of these?

 

Richard Binder and John Mottishaw are usually considered the best nibgrinders in the US. Deb Kinney and perhaps Greg Minsuskin also have excellent reputations, and much shorter waiting lists. I've not heard nearly as much positive feedback about Pendemonium. I'm very happy with my Deb Kinney CI nib Pelikan Go. (About $60?)

 

[FrankB]

Hi, knitbug. Welcome to FPN. And welcome to the wonderful world of italic nibs. I love them.

 

I have also had bad luck with Sheaffer's calligraphy pens. I have some older moels that are quite good, but the newer ones seem to me not as well made as the older ones. The best luck I have had with calligraphy sets has been Pelikan's "Script" pens. For a general italic nib pen, I have had good luck with a Lamy Safari with a 1.1mm italic nib.

 

Bill has given you a good lead with the referral to Pendemonium's italic nibs. Their nib grinders do a very good job.

 

I have gotten a few italic nibs that had good line variation, but were too sharp - either on the ocrners or on the flat side of the nib. I have a nib smoothing kit from Tryphon that consists of very fine grit sandpaper. I have used that kit to get those sharp italic nibs to where I want them and all my smoothed nibs are great writers - for me.

 

I will just mention oblique nibs. I have never - bar none never - caught on to the use of oblique nibs myself. Bu,t for a lefty, it might be worth trying at least one to see if it suits your writing style.

 

Good luck. Please share your experiences with us as you experiment.

[BillTheEditor]

Go here: http://www.pendemonium.com/pens_italic.htm and pick one of the cursive italic nibs. These are all custom-ground and should be smooth. The wider nibs will probably be the smoothest. If nothing else, call Pendemonium (their number is on the Web site) and ask Sam what she recommends.

 

It won't cost you anything like $150. More like US$40 or so, plus shipping. You'll have plenty left over for some good ink.

 

Have you used one of these?

 

Richard Binder and John Mottishaw are usually considered the best nibgrinders in the US. Deb Kinney and perhaps Greg Minsuskin also have excellent reputations, and much shorter waiting lists. I've not heard nearly as much positive feedback about Pendemonium. I'm very happy with my Deb Kinney CI nib Pelikan Go. (About $60?)

I've never heard any negative feedback about Pendemonium's nibs -- it's all been positive.

 

While Richard and John are excellent nibmeisters, I was responding to my perception that the OP was interested in keeping the cost down. That makes sense for a first try at a custom italic cursive nib. Given that it won't be a one-time buy, perhaps on the second purchase the OP might want to try a more expensive nib.

[Dan Carmell]

I've never heard any negative feedback about Pendemonium's nibs -- it's all been positive.

 

While Richard and John are excellent nibmeisters, I was responding to my perception that the OP was interested in keeping the cost down. That makes sense for a first try at a custom italic cursive nib. Given that it won't be a one-time buy, perhaps on the second purchase the OP might want to try a more expensive nib.

 

Nor have I heard a word against Pendemonium's nib grinding. The person who does it for them is an old Sheaffer employee who probably has more years experience grinding nibs than everyone else mentioned put together.

 

I've not gotten an italic from Pendemonium, but I have had several other nibs smoothed or made more fine and each has come back to me just as I wanted it.

 

Dan

[Sheila]

I have several cursive italic nibs from Pendemonium. They are excellent and very easy to use. I've never been disappointed with one of their nibs - and the low cost is an added bonus!

[saintsimon]

...I've just ordered a lamy studio with an extra italic steel nib, so we'll see how that works out, but I hear that the ink flow is a bit weak in the studio...

 

Not allways. My 1.1 mm Italic on my Studio has a good ink flow and produces some nice shading with the inks I've used. Maybe you've find the appropriate ones by trial & error.

 

[Mary P]

"Richard Binder and John Mottishaw are usually considered the best nibgrinders in the US. Deb Kinney and perhaps Greg Minsuskin also have excellent reputations, and much shorter waiting lists. I've not heard nearly as much positive feedback about Pendemonium. I'm very happy with my Deb Kinney CI nib Pelikan Go. (About $60?)"

 

I have some wonderful Binder nibs. I also have some great nibs from Pendemonium and one from Dennis Lively. The only Mottishaw nib I had, I sold. It was quite flexible. I used to love to use it to write a shaded script. That practice taxes my arthritic hands too much now. The new owner of my Mottishawed pen was happy with it.

 

[WillAdams]

I bought a Sheaffer Agio from Pendemonium and had them grind it to a 0.8mm crisp italic. Review here:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=17769

 

I suppose I should take the time to transcribe the review so it's easier to find....

 

William

 

 

[meanwhile]

Go here: http://www.pendemonium.com/pens_italic.htm and pick one of the cursive italic nibs. These are all custom-ground and should be smooth. The wider nibs will probably be the smoothest. If nothing else, call Pendemonium (their number is on the Web site) and ask Sam what she recommends.

 

It won't cost you anything like $150. More like US$40 or so, plus shipping. You'll have plenty left over for some good ink.

 

Have you used one of these?

 

Richard Binder and John Mottishaw are usually considered the best nibgrinders in the US. Deb Kinney and perhaps Greg Minsuskin also have excellent reputations, and much shorter waiting lists. I've not heard nearly as much positive feedback about Pendemonium. I'm very happy with my Deb Kinney CI nib Pelikan Go. (About $60?)

I've never heard any negative feedback about Pendemonium's nibs -- it's all been positive.

 

 

Yes, but people here are often very reluctant to comment negatively publicly on certain issues. In fact, aren't certain types of complaint now banned? I still think we need a section of nibmeister reviews.

 

While Richard and John are excellent nibmeisters, I was responding to my perception that the OP was interested in keeping the cost down.

 

Yes. P'm would be a good choice on cost grounds.

Edited June 18, 2007 by meanwhile

[lefty928]

I agree with Bill.

 

Pendemonium has gotten rave reviews here. Often, mine. I like the left oblique cursive italics they stock, of which I have rather a lot -- luckily, I suppose, the site has been offering less of a selection of these left obliques than the regular custom straight italics, so I've calmed down and moved on. Pen choice is important -- the nibs are always great, but you might want to be on the lookout for something reliable like a Phileas that is fitted with one. I second the advice to contact them: The response is always prompt, friendly and helpful. While I have held back comments on someone, it sure hasn't ever been the customer-service-oriented folks at Pendemonium.

 

Speaking of oblique nibs, a search for "lefthanded" on FPN should turn up tons of advice and opinions by other lefties -- see also recent posts in the penmanship section (The Write Stuff). I'm sure more people will reply (see also Ann Finley's posts in the handwriting section), but how you hold the pen and paper as a lefthander makes a big difference. That's why I, too, think it's a good idea not to shell out for the pricier stuff until you know an italic nib will work for you.

 

Sorry to hear that the new Sheaffer calligraphy pens aren't as smooth and reliable as the older models. Hope you find a good match!

 

edited: You'd think I'd know the name of the penmanship section by now!

Edited June 18, 2007 by lefty928

[rroossinck]

Although it's not a custom-ground nib like those being discussed here, I had the opportunity to test-drive an Aurora Talentum with an italic nib on it. C'est magnifique! What an astoundingly great nib!

 

If you look around, you might be able to find one in the sub-$150 range.

[Johnson]

I always have to say the easiest way to try out a super smooth italic nib is to get one of Richard's Pelikan stubs or VP stubs. Of course you have to already own a Pelikan or a VP to enjoy them.

[kazoolaw]

Let me suggest something a little different. Wait for the arrival of your Studio, break it in and use it alot. I have used a Lamy Safari with italic nibs and they're great to practice on. I'd stay inexpensive until you've worked out the kinks.

 

I have no experience as a lefty, but smoothness of an italic is a relative thing. Italics have, by definition, sharp corners. As long as the nib is flat across its width it should be smooth. Keeping that width flat takes practice. The corners digging into the paper as you rotate the pen can be mistaken for the nib not working smoothly.

 

Do some exploring on the net, and perhaps in the Penmanship forum. James Pickering does a wonderful job explaining all things penmanship.

 

Once you're sure what you want the price you spend a custom italice is well worth it. I've have pens modified by John Mottishaw, Richard Binder, Pendemonium and Deb Kinney. You may have to have a second round of tweaking, but all of them have done excellent work.

 

Welcome to the addiction of fountain pens.

gary

[knitbug]

Honestly, I can't thank you guys enough. While I think the FTN may be bad for my wallet in a way, it has also saved me $ by having access to such great advice. Now that I know how available italic nibs are I don't know why I would buy another regular nibbed pen. Unless of course it's a Place de la Concorde. Perfect for a francophone like myself in a very anglophone city.

 

I hope and can pay everyone back with an insightful review one day, once I know what the heck I'm doing.

 

I've toyed with several option:

- Getting a brownish pink Decimo from ebay and adding one of Richard's VP cursive italic nibs

- eventually grabbing a pen listed in the "italic" category from Pendemonium (although none but the Cross Townsend in Garnet catches my eye. sad, but I'm one of those people for whom colour matters *a lot*.)

- buying pretty much anything from Deb Kinney. I emailed her and her response was so friendly and her price so reasonable, I'm already a happy a customer!

- Mr. Motishaw still has a Place de la Concorde. And he regrinds nibs. But I make a ridiculously small amount at my entry-level job at the university. So I think I need to let that one go <_<

 

Just a note: I was passing by a store in the mall today, and they had a Parker Frontier "on sale" from $50 for $45. Ha. Now that's the stuff I'm talking about when I say you guys here at FTN save me money I think I would have cried once I'd realized I could have bought 4 for that price!

 

Cheers,

 

Knitbug

 

http://knitricot dot wordpress dot com

Edited June 19, 2007 by knitbug

[knitbug]

Thanks, Gary, that's really great advice. Good for the wallet, *and* the marriage

I don't know how the married folks are doing, whether they have any success in convincing a "pen-muggle" spouse that spending more than $30 on a pen doesn't warrant a trip to the nut house.

 

I've gotten a message today promising I should receive my studio with extra nibs on the 21st at the latest.

I. CANT. WAIT.

 

I hope to fall in love with all things LAMY because, well, I can afford them.

 

Thanks again for taking the time to write about your experience, you've calmed me down a bit <knitbug slowwwly backs away from shiny, pricey pens>

btw, could you PM me with any particular nib work that needed a second round? Maybe later on I can avoid it...

 

Cheers,

Knit bug

 

 

 

Let me suggest something a little different. Wait for the arrival of your Studio, break it in and use it alot. I have used a Lamy Safari with italic nibs and they're great to practice on. I'd stay inexpensive until you've worked out the kinks.

 

I have no experience as a lefty, but smoothness of an italic is a relative thing. Italics have, by definition, sharp corners. As long as the nib is flat across its width it should be smooth. Keeping that width flat takes practice. The corners digging into the paper as you rotate the pen can be mistaken for the nib not working smoothly.

 

Do some exploring on the net, and perhaps in the Penmanship forum. James Pickering does a wonderful job explaining all things penmanship.

 

Once you're sure what you want the price you spend a custom italice is well worth it. I've have pens modified by John Mottishaw, Richard Binder, Pendemonium and Deb Kinney. You may have to have a second round of tweaking, but all of them have done excellent work.

 

Welcome to the addiction of fountain pens.

gary

 

[jenik]

This is slightly off-topic but does anyone know of any good nibmeisters in the UK? Seems a littel silly (read expensive) having to send my pens to the US to have them custom ground.

 

Thanks

 

Jan