How hooded should a "51" nib be ?

[Guest Denis Richard]

I've seen pictures of "51" with nibs really protruding, and others where almost only the tip is visible. Is there a "correct" setting ?

Edited January 21, 2005 by Denis Richard

[Keith with a capital K]

The nib in a "51" slides into the collector and hits a stop point which determines it's position. I suppose it is possible to drive a nib farther into a pen on purpose or through accident.

 

There is no adjustment possible and one of the reasons that some "51" nibs stick out a little farther is because "51" nibs are not all the same length. Someone probably has some data on "51" nib lengths somewhere and I think this variance in size causes the different positions you see. I suppose that the collectors on "51"s might also have some variance between them which might account for diffferences of positions.

 

I have noticed that many of the British "51"'s I have worked on have slightly longer nibs so swapping one of these into another non Brit pen will result in you seeing a little more of the nib.