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Flexible Nibs

Paddler

By Paddler
in Of Nibs & Tines

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Paddler Antique

Paddler

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I have a couple of flea market pens that have flexible nibs:

 

One is a no-name pen. Its nib imprint says: WARRANTED 14K 4

 

The other pen was made by the Eagle Pencil Co. It has a nib with the imprint of 14K inside a shield. No other markings.

 

Can anyone tell me where these nibs are on the scale from railroad spike to wet noodle?

 

Thanks,

Paddler

 

Can a calculator understand a cash register?

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I suspect that, based on the comments I've seen, a given nib's flexibility is more variable than simply name and brand.

 

If you want to know where a specific pen lies in the flexibility spectrum you need someone with a lot of experience with the whole range to try it and then tell you. Someone like Antoniosz, or Richard Binder, or...????

 

 

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simonrob Extremely Rare

simonrob

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I have a couple of flea market pens that have flexible nibs:

 

One is a no-name pen. Its nib imprint says: WARRANTED 14K 4

 

The other pen was made by the Eagle Pencil Co. It has a nib with the imprint of 14K inside a shield. No other markings.

 

Can anyone tell me where these nibs are on the scale from railroad spike to wet noodle?

 

Thanks,

Paddler

 

The "4" on your Warranted nib is merely a size indicator, while the 14K on both merely tells you that they're made of 14K gold. Warranted made nibs with a wide range of flex, from none at all to wet noodle, and the same may be true of Eagle (I have a couple of Eagle pens, both semi-flex). In other words, the markings on these nibs don't tell you anything about how flexible they are (this is nothing unusual; nibs seldom tell you whether they're flexible, let alone to what extent). An expert could answer your questions if you handed them over so s/he could write with them, of course, but you can get some idea by yourself: ink them up and seeing what happens as you exert pressure (be gently at the outset or you risk ruining the nib). The more flexible the nib, the less pressure it takes to make the two points of the nib spread. A wet noodle should give you at least some line variation with barely any change in pressure, whereas a semi-flex nib will require more conscious effort on your part.

 

Simon

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jbb Donor Pen

jbb

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I think the only way to tell is by the feel of the nib and how much line variation you get.

 

For a point of reference you could compare those nibs to some dip nibs. For example: Gillott 303s and 404s are very flexy (in my opinion) but Esterbooks 761 and 556 are not as much, and an Esterbrook 048 is really stiff.

JBBPensPaper
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ANM Antique

ANM

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When I find an old pen "in the wild" I test it by pressing it against my thumbnail. The more easily the nib flexes and the tines spread, the more flexible it will write.

 

This test does not always work because if the nib is "glued" shut with dried ink, it can take quite a bit of pressure to break the tines apart while after cleaning it will flex quite freely.

And the end of all our exploring

Will be to arrive where we started

And know the place for the first time. TS Eliot

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Paddler Antique

Paddler

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I think the only way to tell is by the feel of the nib and how much line variation you get.

 

For a point of reference you could compare those nibs to some dip nibs. For example: Gillott 303s and 404s are very flexy (in my opinion) but Esterbooks 761 and 556 are not as much, and an Esterbrook 048 is really stiff.

 

I don't have any of those nibs, but I do have a handful of Spencerian Ivison and Phinney #1 nibs. The Ivison and Phinney nibs are more flexible than the FPs. Is that a useful indication?

 

Maybe I will have to haul these FPs to a pen show and ask a pro to try them.

 

Paddler

 

Can a calculator understand a cash register?

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ANM Antique

ANM

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Posted
I think the only way to tell is by the feel of the nib and how much line variation you get.

 

For a point of reference you could compare those nibs to some dip nibs. For example: Gillott 303s and 404s are very flexy (in my opinion) but Esterbooks 761 and 556 are not as much, and an Esterbrook 048 is really stiff.

 

I don't have any of those nibs, but I do have a handful of Spencerian Ivison and Phinney #1 nibs. The Ivison and Phinney nibs are more flexible than the FPs. Is that a useful indication?

 

Maybe I will have to haul these FPs to a pen show and ask a pro to try them.

 

Paddler

 

 

 

 

In my opinion, the Spencerian I&P #1 is an ideal reference for flex. It is the best dip pen for Copperplate that I have tried.

 

And the end of all our exploring

Will be to arrive where we started

And know the place for the first time. TS Eliot

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