New Mb149 - Arrived Today - Questions About Nib

[Ius est vigilantibus]

Hey everyone,

 

Does this medium nib on this brand new, out of the box and inked up MB 149 seem okay to you?

I don't want to take any chances. The pictures are taken with a 50x usb loupe.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Greetings,

 

Heidegger

 

[Charles Rice]

Looks fine to me (OK, maybe they are missalligned by a tenth of a micron. )

[Ius est vigilantibus]

No reason to be worried then, I guess? I want to use it for many years.

[CS388]

Yes, I'd say that looks good?

 

Whenever we look at stuff in extreme close-up, we may spot tiny misalignments etc - but, the acid test is how it writes. As soon as you put it to paper, everything changes position, slightly.

Ink it up and churn out a few pages and see how it feels. If you have ANY problems at all, get in touch with MB and get them to sort it out. That's what we pay for.

But, I repeat - looks okay to me.

 

And congratulations! Welcome to the 149 club!

[Ius est vigilantibus]

Thanks, CS388!

It's a bit on the stiff side for me (compared to the Heritage 1912 fine nib) on up and down strokes, so I might just have to get used to writing with it. Once I start writing: no issues.

Then again, I can rest easy* (not an adverb, my bad) knowing the nib is in proper shape to start with.

 

Heidegger

Edited April 11, 2019 by Heidegger

[zaddick]

the nib is out of alignment, but how much is not clear from the photos. A straight on shot is not how you want to look at the nib. you want to start but holding the pen parallel to the ground with the feed side up. Then lower the rear of the pen far enough to approximate your writing angle (usually about 50 degrees). Now look at the tipping with a loupe and see if the tines are off. You need to look at the nib at the angle it touches the paper.

[Charles Rice]

Just for fun I took another microscopic look at mine. Yes, it's half a micron off, too.

[Charles Rice]

the nib is out of alignment, but how much is not clear from the photos.

 

Even if it is as above, so slight a misalignment will be evened out when you put it to paper. Start writing and get a good night's sleep.

 

I'll let you know when I find a "perfect" pen. You might have to wait a l o n g time

Edited April 11, 2019 by Charles Rice

[Ius est vigilantibus]

Two writing angles (higher and lower), as requested.

 

Thanks for putting it into perspective, mr. Rice!

[zaddick]

here is how to look at the nib:

 

[Ius est vigilantibus]

Alright, I just did that with my grandfather's loupe and it seems fine to me.

[zaddick]

 

Even if it is as above, so slight a misalignment will be evened out when you put it to paper. Start writing and get a good night's sleep.

 

I'll let you know when I find a "perfect" pen. You might have to wait a l o n g time

 

sure. you can go like this an be happy. Or you could adjust it and be happier. Its like the difference between an off the rack suit and a bespoke suit. Both do the job, one fits you better.

 

Your second comment seemed unnecessary to me. Alignment of a nib is not the same as a perfect pen.

 

I'm just trying to provide actionable information to a person who asked for guidance. i did not state he needed to further adjust his nib if it is writing well. i write with misaligned nibs all the time, but that does not mean the experience could be improved with some tweaking on my part.

[zaddick]

Alright, I just did that with my grandfather's loupe and it seems fine to me.

 

You should be good to go and enjoy your pen. But if alignment shifts then you can use your fingernails to adjust the tines at the proper alignment for the paper surface. come back here if you need guidance. many helpful people with useful suggestions.

 

I use my late father's loupe even though i have my own. Reminds me of him.

Edited April 11, 2019 by zaddick

[Ius est vigilantibus]

Thanks again everyone, I will keep a watchful eye on the tines!

 

I hope my grandchildren can write with this pen in the future, just like I can use my grandfather's loupe now.

[meiers]

Welcome to FPN, Martin.

[Ius est vigilantibus]

Haha, thanks!

 

It's a rather tame act of defiance (to use his picture and name) to prove a point. I'm tired of the argumentum ad hominem "Heidegger was a nazi, therefore we should not study his thinking." That's nonsensical. Don't listen to Wagner too then, for Richy Richard was a dirty antisemite. I can go on. If you read e.g. Unterwegs zur Sprache by Heidegger, you'll have a hard time finding anything 'nazistic'/'fascist'* in there.

 

*Two distinct concepts, but whatever. I don't care about our contemporary - often virtue signalling - political science.

[Charles Rice]

Or you could adjust it and be happier.

 

I'm just trying to provide actionable information to a person who asked for guidance.

And adjust it, and adjust it, and adjust it, and end up with a mess.

 

Let the poor boy get some sleep and not obsess.

 

Remember, as you use the pen it will conform to your writing style. Someone out there once got a "perfectly" aligned pen, but after a few years of use, guess what, the nib somehow lost its perfection.

Edited April 11, 2019 by Charles Rice

[Ius est vigilantibus]

I'll keep that in mind. I do tend to be too careful with my pens, while I just want to enjoy writing with them.

Indeed, my Duofold still works just fine after 6-7 years.

I guess I just have to let it go.

[Charles Rice]

PS - Gulliver's visit to Brobdingnag is instructive. Look close and magnify and everything looks gross.

[Paul80]

The feed is not centered to the nib, it may make no difference in writing but bugs some people

 

Paul