Fountain Pen Nib For Calligraphy

[Aekold]

Hey folks,

I ordered on eBay the original edition of Fred Eager's - what would be the best nib to learn it? I mostly have pens with M and F nibs.

[BaronWulfraed]

Better question -- do you have some favored line height for writing? Most texts that work with flat-edge nibs base the line height on multiples of the nib width. Something like main body being 4 nib widths, with an additional 3 nib widths for ascenders, and 3 nib widths for descenders (and then some space between the lines). {exact layout differs with various hands -- BlackLetter having shorter ascenders/descenders and taller bodies (in the samples I've seen}

[Aekold]

Haven't yet made my mind up on it. Where do I usually get those, at stores like nibs.com where they offer grinding? What are the best for shapes to try: italic, stub or oblique?

[Inky.Fingers]

On eBay get a Shaeffer calligraphy pen set. Then you are set. Manuscript also have very decent calligraphy pen set for very little

[Aekold]

I'd prefer to keep it more casual and accessible anywhere, thus sticking to fountain pens.

[BaronWulfraed]

The Sheaffer set /are/ fountain pens; just with a set of sections fitted with flat-edge nibs.

 

https://www.sheaffer.com/sh_en_us/our-collections/frontier-collections/sheaffer-viewpoint-calligraphy

(as you aren't sure what size, I'd recommend the big kit having three pen bodies and three nibs F/M/B)

 

https://www.staedtler.us/en/products/ink-writing-instruments/calligraphy-pens/calligraphy-pen-899-calligraphy-pen-with-interchangeable-nib/

(similar, I'd suggest the big kit -- four bodies/five nibs)

 

The Lamy Joy is available in 1.1, 1.5, and 1.9 width nibs. It is basically a Safari but with a taper instead of the cylindrical body of the Safari/Al-Star (so, no posting of the cap)

https://www.lamy.com/en/lamy-joy/

(bugs me that they push a converter with knobs that fit in grooves in the Joy/Safari/Al-Star section... when my experience is that the knobless converter they sell for the expensive pens will also fit)

Edited July 28, 2019 by BaronWulfraed

[Aekold]

Thanks for your detailed advice!

[txomsy]

I agree. A FP set is the best option for a starter.

 

The traditional advice (as seen on books from XVI Century) is to start with the broadest nib, so you can see better any mistake and correct it, it will also force you to get properly straight lines, then work your way down to smaller nibs.

 

When you feel confident, you can settle on a single pen with a single nib. Most people usually prefer a 1.1.mm nib, a large portion swear by a 0.8mm stub nib. Smaller stubs are available, but give much less line variation and have not so many supporters.

 

Plus, 1.1mm is pretty easy to find in many FPs, at least in major brands.

[Tasmith]

For Italic practice I use either a TWSBI Eco with a 1.1mm stub, or a Wing Sung 698 with a Pilot Plumix Medium (about 1.1mm) stub nib.

 

For more crisp lines I sharpened the stubs using these techniques: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5MrU-5jf_U and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xO825G32V_E .

 

Bought a black Arkansas surgical stone from: https://www.bestsharpeningstones.com/product_details.php?category_name=Arkansas%20Sharpening%20Stones&product_id=84 . Make sure it's a plain flat stone and not an angled slip stone.

 

For stone lubricant, I use a drop or two of distilled water instead of saliva.

Edited August 5, 2019 by Tasmith

[bobje]

For a no. 6 nib that fits in many pens, a 1.5 mm italic is going to give you as much clarity as you are going to get with a standard fountain pen. Kudos to you for starting classic italic with Eager. It is difficult to see the shapes in the beginning with any size under 1.5 mm.

 

You can also purchase Pilot Parallel italic pens in 1.5 mm and larger size nibs, which can be hacked into some Opus and Penbbs pen bodies with very little modification.

[DilettanteG]

I'll second the Pilot Parallel Pens. I've never tried the nib in another pen, but the way the nib and feed just slide into a plastic sleeve makes them really easy to disassemble and clean. (They're my goto pens for problematic and sparkly inks.) Plus, the ink feed actually keeps up with those thirsty nibs, even the 6mm, which a lot of calligraphy pens can struggle with.It's also easy just to write on the edge of the side of the tip if you need to switch to normal printing or cursive. I'd avoid the con-40 converters and grab the con-50 if you can. Or I've read that you can also use it as an eyedropper. I picked up some silicone grease to try it, but haven't gotten around to it yet. The Pilot cartridges with the mixable inks are quite good, too. It's a lot of pen for around $10. There's a reason so many beginning calligraphy classes recommend them.

 

My introduction to fountain pens was the No Nonsense Sheaffer Calligraphy set. So, I have fond memories of them, but they tend to leak at the worst times and they can be finicky.