For your 1st custom nib would you choose a stub

[Blade Runner]

Is there much difference?

 

Are these commonly produced by modern manufacturers, or are they usually nibemeisters' modifications?

Recommendations for brands and pens are welcome.

 

Thanks,

Jeen

[Maja]

Well, a stub is basically a rounded italic nib...less likely to catch on paper. I have two cursive italics and they are great, but the stub is a tad more pleasing for me to use....I had my pen's nib ground into a stub by Viv ("einv" on FPN) and he did a great job. Many other nibmeisters can do the job well, though...As for pens that come with stub nibs from the factory, that is a really good question! I have not purchased a pen with a factory stub, so I will wait for other people's responses

[southpaw]

For the first nib, I would go with a stub as stubs are easier to write with than italics or cursive italics. Stubs don't get quite the line variation, but are much more forgiving / have a larger sweet spot.

 

Regarding modern factory stubs, I can speak to Bexley and Sheaffer. The Sheaffer stub on my Intrigue is more like a sharp italic - great line variation and smooth when you hit the spot, but it can tear paper! I'm going to round the corners off when I use up this filling of ink. The Bexley stub is wonderfully smooth. I've attached a writing sample below of the line variation.

 

If you have a M200/400/600, the easiest way to get a stub is from Richard Binder (usual disclaimer). He has them already made so no waiting, and you can pick your line width. You could also order a cursive italic.

 

Well, that's my $0.01. HTH, southpaw. ENJOY playing with the specialty nibs.

[antoniosz]

If you want to want to get the maximum joy from the act of writing go for a stub.

If you want to want to get the maximum joy from the result of writing go for an italic.

 

I second the suggestion of southpaw for Binder's nibs. Come to the Philly show and try them.

 

Regarding commecial nibs (stubs or italic) they vary from company to company.

For example what Sheaffer calls a stub maybe more like an italic.

 

AZ

[Maja]

If you want to want to get the maximum joy from the act of writing go for a stub.

If you want to want to get the maximum joy from the result of writing go for an italic.

This sums it up perfectly!! <clapping>

 

Thank you Antonios!

[Blade Runner]

You guys and Maja are super! :bunny1:

I'm looking forward to trying a stub.

 

Thank you all.

 

Any other testimonials for factory stubs or other sources would be welcome.

 

Regards,

Jeen

[TMann]

Ditto what the other guys said. I have used one of Richard Binder's 0.6 (small sized) stubbed nibs. It was very smooth, and was just as easy to write with as a standard round nib, but with a more interesting line.

 

I am not an accomplished calligrapher, so I find that I get more use out of a stub nib than an italic nib. If I spent more time "drawing beautiful letters" I think that I would be more apt to go with an italic.

 

Just my 2 cents...

 

TMann

[Leslie J.]

I'll speak on my personal experience with Richard Binder's custom nibs. I tried a cursive italic first, not really knowing about stubs at that time. This was a useful exercise because it taught me (I taught me) how to write efficiently with an italic nib. This paved the way for me to be comfortable with other specialty nibs quite quickly. An italic takes some getting used to, but the results are satisfying. It's true that a stub nib will be easier to use from the start, in general. Vague enough?

[Blade Runner]

Tmann,

Would a 0.6 be comparable to a fine round nib in width ?

 

Leslie,

Did you get steel or gold nibs from Richard? I'm wondering how they compare.

 

Thank you both.

 

Jeen

[southpaw]

Tmann,

Would a 0.6 be comparable to a fine round nib in width ?

 

Leslie,

Did you get steel or gold nibs from Richard? I'm wondering how they compare.

 

Thank you both.

 

Jeen

See the sample below, but excuse the chicken scratch.

 

A 0.6 mm stub is still wider than most fine nibs. Most of the time I write small, but I can still comfortably write with the 0.6mm stub and get some interesting variation. You should really visit Binder's website www.richardspens.com as he has samples from all the nibs done by someone I would classify as a guru in writing.

 

Regarding gold or steel, they'll both write very smoothly, but the gold may have a bit of spring. IMHO, the steel nibs are a great value.

 

HTH, southpaw

[Michael Wright]

Hi Jeen

 

Just to add to what folk are saying.

 

Go for the stub -- you can try a hard-core italic really cheaply with a calligraphy pen.

 

Since most people like stubs to be rigid, and since it is, at best, extremely hard to feel any difference between an excellent rigid steel nib and an excellent rigid gold, go for the steel at this experimental stage. If your budget has the money for a gold nib, it might be better VFM to get two different stubs.

 

Enjoy

 

Michael

[Bryan]

IMHO, the best factory stub out there is the Dani Trio, at least the one on my Wakasa Nuri. Great line variation, yet still very smooth! My favorite factory nib!

 

Bryan

[Blade Runner]

Southpaw,

 

Those writing samples are very helpful!! I see the 0.6 stub is comparable to a regular medium. Infact, the 0.6 stub is described as a medium stub on Richard's site. As i am comfortable with mediums, that size should fit the bill.

 

Michael,

thanks for your opinion about the steel vs gold. the steel is 1/2 the price on Richard's site, and i probably wouldn't be able to tell the diff with my eyes closed. Still debating on one of Richard's pens vs a factory stub. The latter would certainly be more $.

 

I just read the latest Stylus, and there is a timely article about stub and italic nibs.

They compare 2 factory stubs: Aurora talentum and Bexley submariner and 3 italics: Stipula Duetto, Parker Duofold Int'l and CS 100. It's an interesting article. They all got favorable comments, esp the Bex, Duofold and CS100.

 

Thanks to you both.

Jeen

[KendallJ]

I'm not sure if it adds any value if I pile on, but I would go with a:

 

(no surprise here) a STUB.

 

No wait, on second thought, I'd recommend an ItaliFine from Binder (of course that requires that you already have a Pelikan series pen to put it in, but then you could buy the pen too.)

 

My ItaliFine is more of a stub anyway, and you get the bonus of having 2 nibs in one.

 

Both my Italifine and my stub write like this:

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v366/justiniano/Antietam.jpg

Edited October 22, 2005 by KendallJ

[Leslie J.]

Leslie,

Did you get steel or gold nibs from Richard? I'm wondering how they compare.

 

Thank you both.

 

Jeen

Both, actually. If you have a Pelikan 200, the goldplated nibs are great. They are inexpensive and are good writers. I've always found the F gold Pelikan nibs to be on the scratchy side straight out of the box, so I usually get them stubbed.

 

Richard uses a F nib to make what he calls an XF stub = .6mm.

 

Note: I have had nibs custom ground by other people too.

[Titivillus]

Is there much difference?

 

Are these commonly produced by modern manufacturers, or are they usually nibemeisters' modifications?

Recommendations for brands and pens are welcome.

 

Thanks,

Jeen

I must be a fallback but I don't plan on ever getting a nibmeistered nib for any of my pens. I can't justify paying a chunk of money for modifications to a nib that I should be able to find in some vintage or modern pens. If I don't like a nib then back it goes.

 

Please note this is my opinion and I am sure that many people are quite happy with their modified nibs. It is just not something I want to do.

 

 

Kurt H

[Blade Runner]

Hi Kurt,

 

Have you any brand recommendations for smooth modern factory stubs?

 

BTW, what are those pens in the rack?

 

 

Regards,

J

[Titivillus]

Hi Kurt,

 

Have you any brand recommendations for smooth modern factory stubs?

 

BTW, what are those pens in the rack?

 

 

Regards,

J

Visconti has an excellent stub, the Sheaffer & Parker have a little more catch but make a more distinctive line.

 

 

 

Kurt H

 

The pens in the rack are pretty much what is my pen collection, after ten years of buying and selling I have gotten down to a core group of nice pens. I am using a Churchill button filler and Hana Nuri but from L-R

 

Delta Nazareth Limited edition xxxx/2000

Delta Federico Fellini Limited edition xxx/1920

Marlen Pappvs Magnum size

Visconti Titanic xxx/1912

Montblanc 149

Aurora Talentum

[amin]

I recently had a thread about how I ruined the gold nib on my new Pelikan M250. Anyway, I was thinking about replacing it with one of Richard Binder's gold stubs. If I am looking for similar usability to a round medium, should I go for a 0.6mm, 0.8mm, or 1mm stub italic?

[Blade Runner]

Amin,

 

I believe a stub comparable in width to a round medium would be a 0.6 mm.

 

Good idea btw - a replacement nib and something different.

Richard's site is www.richardspens.com

If you go through with it, tell us all about it.

 

Regards,

Jeen