Oblique italic nibs vs. oblique round nibs

[Jeff Muscato]

Because an italic nib must be aligned a certain way to achieve the desired thick/thin style, the rotation of the pen cannot be compromised and thus, for my hand position, I prefer (slightly) oblique italic nibs.

 

However, with round nibs, I find that it doesn't matter which way the top of the nib faces, as the round tip puts the same line on the paper regardless. I've never tried an oblique round nib but I've never had trouble writing with a standard nib.

 

So, I suppose my question is, why do oblique round nibs exist? Do some writers have difficulty getting a smooth stroke from a standard (vs. oblique) round nib?

[Ondina]

Hum... I only have a OB, and although the line variation is not really big, there is some, indeed. Not as much as I have seen on OItalics or flex nibs, but is noticeable. Could you scan a sample of your handwritting?

[sumgaikid]

I prefer oblique nibs because it adds a certain amount of crispness to my handwriting,and I like a small amount of flair as well.

 

John

[Jeff Muscato]

Hum... I only have a OB, and although the line variation is not really big, there is some, indeed. Not as much as I have seen on OItalics or flex nibs, but is noticeable. Could you scan a sample of your handwritting?

I can (though not today; my scanner's at work) but, as I said, I don't have any oblique round nibs. The ordinary round nib in my Waterman produces no directional line variation and I simply rotate it slightly clockwise in my hand so that the top of the nib faces straight up from the page. I prefer an italic nib to face slightly counterclockwise, which demands a slightly oblique italic nib.

[Jeff Muscato]

It seems, then, that I incorrectly assumed that "round" oblique nibs have perfectly round tips, just rotated slightly off-axis. I did not realize that they offer a bit of line variation.

 

I haven't used my Waterman at all since I began using italic Pelikans; I just filled it the other night to compare my grip and angle of rotation.

Edited March 30, 2008 by Jeff Muscato

[KCat]

Most modern factory obliques don't offer much at all in the way of line variation. For me, I do enjoy them as much as a plain rounded nib and for a while they were more comfortable to me than a regular round nib. Now I'm more tolerant of standard rounded nibs. I believe that initially the oblique cut felt like just the right fit for the way I (and probably a majority of) right-handers rotate the nib while writing. Sometimes a standard round nib doesn't feel like it's making full contact at the best spot for my angle of attack and degree of nib rotation. But my test drives of MB and Pelikan factory obliques didn't provide any variation, just comfort.

 

In OBB nibs that may be different since you're dealing with such a broad line - there you might get enough varation to enjoy that benefit as well. I don't use nibs that broad so I can't say. An OM (factory) writes as unvariable a line as an M, though.

 

Now after talking about this I think my next Pelikan will have an OM nib.