New Pen Suggestion Help!

[SoulSamurai]

I ended up with a Himalaya #5.5 in Brown Ebonite with a flex nib and a broad nib! I chose the regular flex because I have a heavy hand and want to use the pen for daily use, as well.

How are you finding it?

[Bornin1992]

 

Lets see... In my database the following have 18K nibs

 

Sheaffer Balance II Tiger Eye (Levenger exclusive) "Feather Touch"

Sheaffer Crest Triumph nib

Sheaffer Legacy Heritage "King's Gold" inlaid

Sheaffer Legacy II Brushed Gold inlaid

Parker 100

Parker Duofold Centennial

Parker Sonnet

Waterman Carene

Waterman Charleston

Waterman Le Man 100 Opera

Bexley 10th Anniversary Ebonite LE

Bexley DC Supershow LE

Bexley Ranger

Bexley Scheherazade

Bexley Tuck-Away 2004

Pilot Decimo

Pilot Vanishing Point (1 of 3, the other two have older 14K nibs)

Pilot Panda (sterling silver series)

Platinum Elegant (or whatever the base model of "Modern Maki-e" series)

Platinum Izumo Tamenuri

Platinum Kanazawa Moon and Rabbit

Platinum Modern Maki-e Phoenix

Platinum President

Sailor Chalana (others are either 14K or 21K)

Conway-Stewart "58" LE

Cross Apogee

Pelikan M605 (my other birds are just 14K)

Ancora Perla SE

Omas Arte Italiana Paragon

Ranga Bamboo (I ordered it with the Bock gold nib; the others are titanium)

 

So that's twelve companies not counting Pelikan with 18K nibs (granted, you probably won't find a modern Sheaffer with them -- and likely not even 14K anymore)

I don't know if I sense sarcasm, but thank you for the list.

[Bornin1992]

How are you finding it?

I'm in Canada and am still waiting for it to arrive.

[SoulSamurai]

I'm in Canada and am still waiting for it to arrive.

Ah, when you said "with" I took that to mean you already had it. Anyway, let us know how it goes!

[BaronWulfraed]

I don't know if I sense sarcasm, but thank you for the list.

More of a Mr. Spock eyebrow raise...

 

Note that what I've read on this forum -- for a pen to be sold as a gold nib in France, it requires 18K. 14K isn't a "gold nib" there (hmmm, wonder if the membership in the EU may have mitigated that law).

[Jamerelbe]

I ended up with a Himalaya #5.5 in Brown Ebonite with a flex nib and a broad nib! I chose the regular flex because I have a heavy hand and want to use the pen for daily use, as well.

 

That sounds like a good choice - please do let us know how you find it? I bought a brown ebonite and gave it away (as a birthday present), but hung onto the green ebonite.

 

The B nibs sometimes need a little adjusting for flow, but I've *always* had good experiences with FPR flex nibs.

 

It seems I've managed to accumulate a couple of Himalayas over time :

 

[Bornin1992]

More of a Mr. Spock eyebrow raise...

 

Note that what I've read on this forum -- for a pen to be sold as a gold nib in France, it requires 18K. 14K isn't a "gold nib" there (hmmm, wonder if the membership in the EU may have mitigated that law).

Very interesting...!

 

 

That sounds like a good choice - please do let us know how you find it? I bought a brown ebonite and gave it away (as a birthday present), but hung onto the green ebonite.

 

The B nibs sometimes need a little adjusting for flow, but I've *always* had good experiences with FPR flex nibs.

 

It seems I've managed to accumulate a couple of Himalayas over time :

 

Will do! How did the broad need to be adjusted?

[Jamerelbe]

Very interesting...!

 

Will do! How did the broad need to be adjusted?

 

FPR may have improved the QC on this by now, but some of the B nibs I've ordered in the past were prone to write a bit dry. They just needed the tines adjusted to sit a little further apart, and that improved the flow.

[Bornin1992]

My FPR Himalaya arrived today, and thus far I am very impressed! I will write a review after I have used it a while...

 

Meanwhile, there is a 'hairline tail' that shows up when I flex it, sometimes. I have attached a photo to show the issue. Any idea on the issue? You can see it on the bottom of the Hs.

 

http://i67.tinypic.com/34nmk52.jpg

Edited June 14, 2019 by Bornin1992

[Jamerelbe]

My FPR Himalaya arrived today, and thus far I am very impressed! I will write a review after I have used it a while...

 

Meanwhile, there is a 'hairline tail' that shows up when I flex it, sometimes. I have attached a photo to show the issue. Any idea on the issue? You can see it on the bottom of the Hs.

 

http://i67.tinypic.com/34nmk52.jpg

 

Yep, that's probably the feed touching the paper as you press down hard. Try holding the pen a little more vertically when you flex to that degree, and/or pulling the nib out a little further?

[Bornin1992]

 

Yep, that's probably the feed touching the paper as you press down hard. Try holding the pen a little more vertically when you flex to that degree, and/or pulling the nib out a little further?

Nothing to be concerned about then? Do you know if I need to heat set it?

[Jamerelbe]

Nothing to be concerned about then? Do you know if I need to heat set it?

 

Nothing to be concerned about - just a bit of a nuisance. I don't think heat setting will fix it - that won't change the distance between the top of the feed and the tip of the nib. As I indicated above, I think some people "work around" the problem by pulling the nib out a little further (depending on how tight the fit is within the grip section, the nib will *probably* stay in place); others just adopt a more vertical hold on the pen when applying heavier flex. It really is a question, though, of whether you *habitually* flex the nib that far in your regular writing, or only when you're testing its limits.

 

[incidentally, this problem will crop up with pretty much *any* flex nib that relies on a feed - it's not unique to the Himalaya, or to FPR.]

 

And, while I remember: #5.5 nib Himalaya, or #6? I like them both - but am really hoping they'll come out with a chrome version of the #6 so I can justify buying another one!

[Bornin1992]

 

Nothing to be concerned about - just a bit of a nuisance. I don't think heat setting will fix it - that won't change the distance between the top of the feed and the tip of the nib. As I indicated above, I think some people "work around" the problem by pulling the nib out a little further (depending on how tight the fit is within the grip section, the nib will *probably* stay in place); others just adopt a more vertical hold on the pen when applying heavier flex. It really is a question, though, of whether you *habitually* flex the nib that far in your regular writing, or only when you're testing its limits.

 

[incidentally, this problem will crop up with pretty much *any* flex nib that relies on a feed - it's not unique to the Himalaya, or to FPR.]

 

And, while I remember: #5.5 nib Himalaya, or #6? I like them both - but am really hoping they'll come out with a chrome version of the #6 so I can justify buying another one!

I pulled out the nib out a bit, and it appears to happen much less. And #5.5! I can't get over how smooth this pen is for a fine.

[A Smug Dill]

Yep, that's probably the feed touching the paper as you press down hard. Try holding the pen a little more vertically when you flex to that degree, and/or pulling the nib out a little further?

 

 

There's also the question of the orientation of the nib in relation to the ruled lines on the paper. It looks to me that Bornin1992 is trying to produce the widest swells on downstrokes that are perpendicular to the lines, but holding the pen such that the plane of the slit between the inner edges of the tines is at an an acute angle relative to the lines.

[Bornin1992]

 

 

There's also the question of the orientation of the nib in relation to the ruled lines on the paper. It looks to me that Bornin1992 is trying to produce the widest swells on downstrokes that are perpendicular to the lines, but holding the pen such that the plane of the slit between the inner edges of the tines is at an an acute angle relative to the lines.

My apologies, I do not quite understand this post.

[A Smug Dill]

My apologies, I do not quite understand this post.

 

 

No problem. Let me try putting it another way:

 

 

Does that help?

[Bornin1992]

 

 

No problem. Let me try putting it another way:

 

 

Does that help?

Hi, yes, it helps! Thanks.

[Bornin1992]

I ended up with a Himalaya #5.5 in Brown Ebonite with a flex nib and a broad nib! I chose the regular flex because I have a heavy hand and want to use the pen for daily use, as well.

 

I have the Wing Sung 601, which is a replica to Parker 51. I am not huge on the barely exposed nib.

 

I am interested in the Esterbrook J, though, but am having difficulties knowing whether a seller is reputable.

I spoke too soon on the Parker 51. I ended up picking one up from South Slopes Stylo when in Vancouver over the weekend...