Any FPs with double-sided nibs?

[TMann]

Does anyone know of any current or vintage pens that have nibs that were intentionally designed to be double-sided? For instance, my Filcao Columbia has a nib that works reasonably well when inverted. It is a smooth medium in the normal position and a somewhat toothy, but very usable fine when inverted. Also, I know that Richard Binder makes/sells a nib style that has an italic nib on one side and a fine on the flip side. ("ItaliFine" is the official name for those nibs.)

 

I was writing with the "fine side" of my Columbia today, and I was very impressed with the utility of having two nib widths on the same pen.

 

TMann

[Guest JohanO]

Parker 180!!! See Richard's wonderful site!

 

http://www.richardspens.com/?page=ref_txt.htm

 

 

Not an inexpensive pen

[Michael Wright]

There was a Sheaffer pen, about the time of the 180, which also had a flat nib designed to have different widths on the two sides (maybe called the Stylist??).

 

But in the '30s, IIRC, a lot of ordinary nibs were designed and advertized as producing a finer line with the back of the nib. I think Vacumatics were a prominent example. Certainly my Vacs write nicely turned upside down.

 

Best

 

Michael

[Woody]

Parker Vacumatics

Sheaffer pens, particularly the Triumph nibbed pens

[randyholhut]

Parker Classic -- made in the 1980s and 1990s and had the same triangular two-sided nib as the 180, except they were much less expensive.

[tooloose-letrek]

Parker 180!!!

Ah, thanks for helping me ID my pen! I used to buy all my pens from a local stationery store and Parker and Sheaffer were the brands I could easily get (and afford.)

[saintsimon]

There was also an OMAS Extra 361 from the 50ies, where you could turn the nib hood by 180 degrees around the nib to change it from a stiff Fine to a flexible Fine/Medium:

 

http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewIt...AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

[antoniosz]

There is a nice thread on the Sheaffer Stylist here.

[sleek_lover]

Current production double sided nibbed pens...

hmmm...

 

I have a Laban that is an M/F along the lines of the Parker 180. GP nib, Not an expensive pen by any means but servicable and comfortable to use. Oddball in many ways...

 

Bill

[Johnny Appleseed]

Both Sheaffer Feathertouch and Parker Vacumatic nibs were designed to be 2-sided from about 1932-33 on. There was a Waterman that was even earlier and patended the design. There have been several threads on this if you go search back a bit.

 

John

[Richard]

Waterman patented the double-sided nib (called a duo-point or ball point) in 1915, giving it the trade name Duo-Tip. The vintage-style flex nibs I make are duo-points in the Waterman style, as illustrated here:

 

http://www.richardspens.com/images/site/zoomed/flex_angle.jpg

 

Note the angled grinds on the top edges near the tip, visible in the angled view, and the slight "droop" of the tip, visible in the side view. These features were characteristic of the Waterman Duo-Tip, and I've found that my flex nibs work best when I duplicate them.

Edited February 7, 2007 by Richard

[vacuumkid3]

I think the Lamy Safari is. It has a big 'ole ball of iridium, I guess, signifying it could be used either way. But I don't think the grip on the Lamy agrees with that...

 

~~K~~

[omasfan]

Waterman patented the double-sided nib (called a duo-point or ball point) in 1915, giving it the trade name Duo-Tip. The vintage-style flex nibs I make are duo-points in the Waterman style, as illustrated here:

 

http://www.richardspens.com/images/site/zoomed/flex_angle.jpg

 

Note the angled grinds on the top edges near the tip, visible in the angled view, and the slight "droop" of the tip, visible in the side view. These features were characteristic of the Waterman Duo-Tip, and I've found that my flex nibs work best when I duplicate them.

I recently bought one of Richard's beauties depicted here. What shall I say. It looks like your average Pelikan nib with slightly curved tines. Yet it is THE nib that we all secretly covet. The duo-point works perfectly. And the flex is just like the old vintage nibs.

[sztainbok]

Hello everybody. I would like to revive this thread after 11 years. I don't know if there is still some interest.

In Richard Binders' website it is shown that the Waterman duo point was patented in 1915.

I have been doing some research and found that in the Waterman 2018 catalog, this nib option is not offered.

In the 1925 Waterman catalog the duo point nib is offered only in the Nº 4 size, and I was able to see that in the 1936 catalog it is still offered for the Nº 4 size.

Perhaps someone can help me answer the question as to when Waterman started commercializing this nib and when they stopped.

Greetings,

Victor.

[Driften]

The Sailor Zoom nib is advertised as being a reverse writer. Some nibs can do it, but it's more luck of the draw. On the zoom they actually polish the other side. Other Sailor nibs sometimes reverse write and other times don't. I have a Franklin-Christop B nib that reverse writes nice, but other Jowo made nibs do not.

 

I expect nibmisters can offer the service of doing what Richard Binder used to do, but don't see that listed as a standard offering.

[sztainbok]

Hello everybody. I would like to revive this thread after 11 years. I don't know if there is still some interest.

In Richard Binders' website it is shown that the Waterman duo point was patented in 1915.

I have been doing some research and found that in the Waterman 2018 catalog, this nib option is not offered.

In the 1925 Waterman catalog the duo point nib is offered only in the Nº 4 size, and I was able to see that in the 1936 catalog it is still offered for the Nº 4 size.

Perhaps someone can help me answer the question as to when Waterman started commercializing this nib and when they stopped.

Greetings,

Victor.

I wish to correct and add information.

The 1936 Waterman catalog doesn't show the duo point nib. Also the 1919 catalog does not show the duo point nib.

I did see the duo point nib in the 1933 catalog.

I appologize for the earlier miss information.

[sztainbok]

The Sailor Zoom nib is advertised as being a reverse writer. Some nibs can do it, but it's more luck of the draw. On the zoom they actually polish the other side. Other Sailor nibs sometimes reverse write and other times don't. I have a Franklin-Christop B nib that reverse writes nice, but other Jowo made nibs do not.

 

I expect nibmisters can offer the service of doing what Richard Binder used to do, but don't see that listed as a standard offering.

My experience with the Sailor Zoom nib is that to vary the stroke width, I need to use it in a very particular angle that I found by trial and error and rotate the pen slightly as I write.

It does the job, but it is very difficult and slow to write with it.

[Driften]

My experience with the Sailor Zoom nib is that to vary the stroke width, I need to use it in a very particular angle that I found by trial and error and rotate the pen slightly as I write.

It does the job, but it is very difficult and slow to write with it.

 

 

Right the Zoom feature does not seem to be very good for western writing, but I found for normal writing it puts down a 0.9-1.0mm line and then when you flip it over for reverse writing it puts down a really nice western F to M line. I could write all day with the back side of that nib. I don't remember exactly the width of the reverse side I didn't make a note of it and no longer own that pen. I am thinking of getting another one though.

 

Sailor markets the pen for the extra size by flipping it over, which is the feature the OP talked about in other pens all those years ago.

[Honeybadgers]

sheaffer triumph nibs are all designed to be used inverted as well. Parker 180 is DELIBERATELY a pen made to be flipped (the nibs are marked B/F, etc) I love my 180, takes standard parker converters and is such a cool design.

 

Honestly, I'd say about 90% of all nibs can be made to be used inverted for a fine to extra fine line with nothing more than a tiny bit of smoothing.

[Driften]

sheaffer triumph nibs are all designed to be used inverted as well. Parker 180 is DELIBERATELY a pen made to be flipped (the nibs are marked B/F, etc) I love my 180, takes standard parker converters and is such a cool design.

 

Honestly, I'd say about 90% of all nibs can be made to be used inverted for a fine to extra fine line with nothing more than a tiny bit of smoothing.

 

 

Does polishing the face change the flow? In most pens it's not just the reverse writing is scratchy but has a lack of flow. Maybe it depends on how parallel the inside of the slit is? I guess you will work that out in your stacked nib experiments.