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Moving beyond Fine and Medium nibs


Yoda

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As a bona fide new pen addict :rolleyes: , I need some advice concerning all of the nib options out there. I generally like to write with a Medium nib as I write quickly with a light touch. I use a Fine nib for grading as I have to write in little available space.

 

How would a broad, BB, OM, etc compare to my Medium Lamy studio? I find that my Lamy inks prefer Fine nibs, while Levenger and PR inks really shine in my Medium nib. Any comments or guidance.

 

Thanks!

Do or do not, there is no try. . .

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I write almost exclusively with Bs or BBs. I liken the nibs to the following: F = fine points in ballpoint or rollerballs, M = mediums, B or BB are like writing with fine felt tips. Stubs will act like Ms or Bs, but give distinctive edges and an italic effect to your writing without having the sharp edges to dig into the paper. O is for oblique and simply means the tip of the nib is angled.

 

A look at Richard Binder's site will help as he discusses all this and gives examples.

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I am also a 'medium' person with fine for certain occasions. I recently branched out with a few cheap italic nibs (Pilot Pluminix) and 2 Obliques 1 in a Lamy 2k and another in a vacumatic.

 

The italic nibs I love as they give my writing a distinct 'flavour' accenting the strokes of the letters. I find that I prefer to use them at 90` to the paper rather than head on as this allows the fine line to be the down stroke and the across sweep to be the fat line. I like the OM's but for me it is a matter of finding the sweet spot which sometimes I get and sometimes I dont so the look of my writing with thses nibs is not yet consistent - more practise needed!

 

I am looking forward to getting a stub at some point or maybe a 'customised to a writing sample' nib but havent figured out the cost and where to get this done in the UK.... will likely be a birthday present to myself later in the year.

 

I hope this helps - the only other thing I would sy is that my Lamy mediums tend to give a broader line then the other mediums I have in Chinese, Lalex and Waterman Expert II

So I'm opinionated - get over it!!.......No, really - get over it!!

Hmmmm I was going to put up a WANTS list - but that's too long as well ......

 

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/606/letterji9.png

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I've just got a stub-nibbed Imperial and I love it! I dislike fine nibs and I find that many medium nibs are actually too fine for my taste. The stub on the Sheaffer is very smooth and leaves a lovely wet line. I'm using Noodlers Walnut at the moment and the effect is really good to look at :)

http://www.aysedasi.co.uk

 

 

 

 

She turned me into a newt.......

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I have been writing with broad italic, stubs and music nibs for more than 2 years and lever looked back to the Fine and Medium nibs. I have been practicing with flex nibs lately, but it will take some time to master.

Pedro

 

Looking for interesting Sheaffer OS Balance pens

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I accidentally bought a P51 with a stub nib. Well, the seller knew nothing about pens and even called it a Parker 57, so I wasn't able to get any sense when asking about the nib width. The photo showed it wasn't a fine, so I was prepared to go for it on E-bay.

 

The nib was a revelation. The letter formation is so elegant that I always write much more neatly with it. The wide downstrokes and narrow lateral strokes are lovely to see.

 

Failing that, I like a medium, but am happy to use a broad if the pen's got such a nib.

 

Regards

 

Richard.

 

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I've been all over the map over the years. Now settling on pens that fit my uses.

 

EF/F - general purpose writing. EF especially is good for taking little notes on crappy office paper documents. Probably 75-80% of my pens

 

M - Typically too generic and wide for me. Not enough character for letter writing, too bold for note taking. <5% of my pens

 

B/BB - I don't see the allure, esp the people who like a wet BB. Without the character of a more edged nib, I just find that B nibs lay down too much ink and too wide a line for my handwriting. I don't own any of these nibs anymore. I take that back, I've got 2, but I never use them.

 

Italics and Stubs - <.7mm, I find them very nice for general note taking and fine letter writing. Actually a nice change from F/M. Probably about 5-10% of my pens are in this range, 20% of new pens however.

 

Italics and Stubs >.7mm. Nice for letter writing. At 1.5-2.0mm, great for addressing envelopes. Wider? hard to find and easier to use a dip pen. Maybe 5% of my pens.

 

 

Skip Williams

www.skipwilliams.com/blog

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I am a heavy M user trying to learn the proper ways of using F or XF. That said, italics and stubs are great and as calliej stated, it adds "flavor". In comparison to your LAMY Studio with the medium nib, all I can say is that my LAMY Blue/Black ink works great in my Waterman 32A italic nib and there is little comparison back to a M nib. As for B vs. M, it should be an easy transition but with more ink.

Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.

Isaac Asimov, Salvor Hardin in "Foundation"

US science fiction novelist & scholar (1920 - 1992)

 

There is probably no more terrible instant of enlightenment than the one in which you discover your father is a man--with human flesh.

Frank Herbert, Dune

US science fiction novelist (1920 - 1986)

 

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My go-to-nib is the Bexley 18k medium, but in the last year I've been branching out and will now use Bexley fine and broad nibs for a change of pace. Recently I've discovered stub and cursive Italic nibs, .8mm to 1.3mm, and really enjoy them. I like the slight line variation I get with these nibs and find that I can write with them about as quickly as I can with a round medium nib. But the surprising revelation I had with these nibs is that I seem to form my letters, especially the minuscles, better than with a standard nib. I haven't tried an oblique yet, but that's next on my list.

Bryan

 

"The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes." Winston S. Churchill

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As a bona fide new pen addict :rolleyes: , I need some advice concerning all of the nib options out there. I generally like to write with a Medium nib as I write quickly with a light touch. I use a Fine nib for grading as I have to write in little available space.

 

How would a broad, BB, OM, etc compare to my Medium Lamy studio? I find that my Lamy inks prefer Fine nibs, while Levenger and PR inks really shine in my Medium nib. Any comments or guidance.

 

Thanks!

 

For something rather different from what you're used to, I would suggest you try a stub (or cursive italic) or oblique stub (or oblique cursive italic); these will not only give you thick/thin line variation but realize the shading potential of the inks you use better than any other sort of nib. They also allow you to use a potentially rather wide nib without making a mess of your writing - the thin cross-strokes or diagonals (depending on how you hold it) give a nice crispness to your writing. Best of all, try one that's also flexible to some degree. For my taste the nicest such nibs were made in Germany in the 1930s-1960s. For a stub, look for B or BB. For oblique stub, look for OM-OBB. (You can occasionally find such nibs made elsewhere - e.g. Waterman's "Blue" nib.) If you don't care about flex, there are plenty of modern options, ranging in price from having pendemonium regrind a pen you already have through Lamy italics (1.1 would be the best place to start), Pilot 78G through the italics (stubs) sold by more expensive brands such as Stipula and Conway Stewart.

 

Simon

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