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Hello everyone! I'm brand new to the world of fountain pens, and have a couple beginner's questions regarding my new Retro 51 Tornado. It came with a medium nib, which writes nicely, but I'd like to purchase a nib that allows me to vary my line stroke and write more calligraphically and personally. Before I look into flexible or italic nibs, however, I was wondering if my pen can even take replacement nibs; the nib doesn't seem to come apart from the nib assembly/ feed, so even if I knew the correct size to buy I'm not sure if my pen could take it. Do I have to purchase an entire new nib assembly (in which case, where should I look to buy them?) or does the nib disconnect in a way I'm unaware of? Thank you all, Alec

Is anyone here familiar with FPR's nib-marking conventions? I bought a couple of FPR's Majestic pens, one Clear with 1.0mm Stub & the other in Red with Med Nib. Both are pictured here together (pls see), and as easily discerned, the Stub is plainly marked as such, but the other (red pen) only shows what appears to be a tiny 'square', slightly offset left-of-center at base of the stamped 'nib' marking. Nowhere can I find anything resembling an 'M' for Medium. (2nd photo shows a little better view) Notably perhaps, there's also a distinct difference in the brand-markings on each. Both, btw, came in on the same order, not like weeks or months apart. Can someone who knows please describe what's going on here? I know NOW because it just came in & is fresh on my mind. But how do I know what it is when I pick it up again 6 months from now?. TIA!, _/_/

This past Tuesday I received from the maker in India a new Ranga fountain pen, my first Ranga. While I wrote to the maker to ask how the apparently #6 nib and feed come out of the section, I've not heard from him (maybe because he and his son don't often look at their email service or maybe too busy due to the work load: I used mpkandan@yahoo.co.in which is inside the pen case). Therefore, I'm here to ask the same thing: do I simply pull out the nib and feed since they're both friction fit, or are both inside a housing/collar that unscrews from the section? [I know if both are in a collar, I can pull them out of the collar/housing.]

I just received a vintage Lady Sheaffer 903 that was supposed to be in working order and had the nasty surprise that her nib (wraparound style 14k) does not stay on her feed section. All the parts are present (the washer and rubber seal too), so I spent about an hour cleaning everything thoroughly. I needed to chase the feed threads since they were seriously gunked up. Now the threads on the nib and feed section are clean and distinct, they just don't have enough contact to screw together. What should I try next? I would like to have a permanent solution but I'm not sure if I should get the epoxy so quickly. Based upon what I cleaned out of it, I think someone had tried shellac on it before... but that clearly was not a good fix.

Unluckily, the world 1st 3d printed nib was made by Pjotr Dumat. So, I should be the second one(lmao). Material is Co-Mo-Ti Alloy. In DLMS 3D printer EOSINT M 280 At first, it looked very Rough. So I decided to polish them. After 20 hours Polishment in 14 days: Next time if I have free time I will welding them with Iridium point.

I am a university student in continental europe on a search for a very wet, very smooth writer. I want to have the feeling of writing on glass, and I don't want to have to worry about the ink flow, while I am feverishly taking notes during class. The paper is not the problem because I use Oxford 90 gsm paper. Does anyone have an idea how to make a feed bleed more? Can anyone recommend a reliable very smooth and very wet pen that I could ask for for my upcoming birthday in April? When I say very wet and very smooth, I think of my grandfather's Montblanc 149 with a F nib. This is however not my pen or a student pen. I also enjoy the writing experience of my mother's Pelikan M200 (1988-1997) with a B nib, however the piston mechanism doesn't work anymore and because it's the Old Style I don't know where to bring it to have it fixed. Last year, I was still able to use a Kaweco Sport with an EF nib, which is a smooth writer, but it didn't have the flow to back it up, i.e. even after an attempt or two to make the nib wetter, I gave up on the pen. This year, I have been using a PenBBS 355 with a Jinhao M/B (0.7mm) nib. This pen writes smooth as well, and I have been able to make the nib much wetter, but twice I have pushed the nib too far, spread the tines, and now sometimes when I put down too much pressure the tines will separate and no ink will flow. Luckily, I have two replacement Jinhao nibs, but for now I'll stick with the wet nib I have. In the first half an hour of use, the pen writes exactly how I want it to, and it exudes ink as freely as what might be considered too wet for the japanese market. However, the feed cannot keep up, and soon afterwards, I have to put down pressure to get the same amount of ink on the paper. This is an endless feedback loop of wetting the nib, spreading the tines, and then fixing the nib to make sure the nibs don't spread too much. Any tips, tricks, and suggestions for a better nib and pen would be greatly appreciated.

I've been experimenting with extra fine nibs, so I can be less choosy about the paper I write on but still be able to write on both sides. I haven't been crazy about the nibs, but I'm wondering if that's related to the pens I'm using them on. The pens I keep going back to are the Parker Rialtos. I have not found one with an extra fine nib so am wondering if it's possible to put an extra fine nib on one of the Rialtos I have. Can that be done? Is it difficult? Where would I get an extra fine nib for a Rialto? Thanks! Tery

There are some reviews on the Platinum Cool, which is also known as Platinum Balance, on FPN and other places. Nevertheless I think adding one more might contribute some more information, another perspective, experience and pictures. I had this pen in fine and medium and now use the fine for more than a year. Introduction This review is meant to depict my personal opinion and valuation. I wont use points to rate aspects. While I dont intend to criticize those who do, I dont want to evoke the semblance of objectivity. I am neither an expert for standards used nor could I compare this pen to dozens of others. Due to these limitations to what might be an ideal review, I will simply try my best to describe my experience with this model in a way which allows you to contrast it to your own experience and preferences. Nonetheless I will offer a few comparisons which might be useful. Platinum officially calls this model PGB-3000A and categorises it as a member of its Balance-family on its website. The Cool features a relatively springy steel nib in fine or medium, an acrylic resin torpedo-shaped body of medium size and weight. First Impressions The pen came in a nice-looking cardboard box which also included a Platinum proprietary cartridge and an instruction manual. Unfortunately there was no converter included. I was pleasantly surprised with the box. I wouldnt be ashamed to have the box be part of a present even though it was probably not necessarily meant to be displayed. While to me this pen feels solid and well made it cant keep up with the clear Platinum 3776 versions if we dont consider the price. The clear plastic with chrome trim looks modern. Appearance and Construction The Cool is available in three different colours, shining crystal, crystal blue and crystal rose. The clear one is, well, clear, the coloured ones are highly translucent. As I mentioned this pen is torpedo shaped, having a cap which becomes slightly wider towards the cap band and a barrel which then tapers towards its end. The Cool is mostly made from plastic. I like its quality because it really is clear, not prone to scratching and the material is quite thick which gives it a more sturdy impression than a Platinum Preppy. A Preppys barrel can be deformed when a lot of pressure is applied by hand, this one seems much more robust. One plastic part I strongly dislike is its cap insert. While it doesnt feature Platinums sophisticated slip and seal mechanism it still works well - but looks ugly. Being opaque white it doesnt match the design in my eyes. The point, I assume, is to hide traces of ink inside the cap. Where the insert is it does its job, however to me this isnt worth the effort as I consider it flawed in two ways. On the one hand this white insert is far more noticeable than ink stains in the cap, on the other hand at least in my case the white now is covered in blue spots all around its upper part where it occasionally had contact with the nib and these are more visible due to the higher contrast than those in the cap which exist where the insert cant cover them up. I would prefer a clear cap insert or a cap sealing reasonably without an insert. I'm aware my focus on staining might cast a negative light on the Cool. Thus I want to point out I don't consider this a weakness or criticize it - other pens suffer similarly from my decision to use such ink. I knew that and am fine with it, I simply look at this pen from this angle based on my personal experience. I am sure if you use non permanent colours you can maintain its transparency. The clip is simple, functional and sturdy adorned by a subtly engraved line around its rim only. Similarly utilitarian the cap band is narrow. On the cap directly above it JAPAN PLATINUM and Platinums Logo are engraved. A big part of the body is faceted though in a different way than a TWSBI Diamond as the facets are inside the barrel making its outside round and smooth. Thus the facets only affect the appearance and light refraction. Being clear the section allows the transparent feed and metal threads to be seen which probably is the most attractive and promotional aspect this pen offers. This feature makes the feed adopt the colour of your ink. In general lighter colours come across better, more like they look on paper than darker colours. The effect is similar to ink in a bottle or converter, the more ink light travels through the darker the colour will look like. Pigment inks however are an exception to this rule behaving less like this. Speaking of pigment inks, I already mentioned traces of ink and stains in the cap and insert, ink of course can also stain the feed. If you want to keep the feed completely transparent, I recommend to have this in mind when choosing an ink. In my photos you can see the effect of using Platinum Pigment Blue and Sailor Sei Boku for months (with regular cleaning). Cleanings results are limited with pigment inks. I dont think they damage or penetrate the plastic used but once they dry they are hard to remove because water then wont do anything. Removing dried pigment ink mechanically is possible, gently rubbing is enough, but limited to accessible areas and areas like the body and inside of the cap which are smooth. I am not able to completely remove stains from the feed. If you tried it with an ultrasonic cleaner I would love to read about your experience. The sections circumference is on the narrow side, I would say. Wider than a Pilot Metropolitan section for example or a Waterman Hemispheres one, which for me is not comfortable. I recommend Goulets Pen Plaza for comparisons. Since the connection between section and barrel is made from metal the front part is heavier than the plastic back where only the converter adds weight. The section unfortunately comes with another downside as its threads are sharp enough to abrase material from the plastic threads on the barrel, at least in my case. Im sure this wont be more than an aesthetic problem for the next few years but it doesnt improve the experience either. Weight and Dimensions Length capped: 139,5mm 5,5in Length posted: ~154mm 6,1in Length uncapped: ~126mm 5in Weight body: 13g 0,46oz Weight cap: 5g 0,18oz The more subjective assessment: This model is section-heavy but works well. Posting for me adds too much weight to the back. The Cool is about as heavy/light as a Lamy Safari. Nib and Performance As already mentioned the nib is made from steel and available in fine and medium. The nib is rather small, normal sized for the pens overall size. In contrast to most Japanese and Platinum pens in this model the line width runs similar to an average European fountain pen. I also found both the medium and fine rather wet. Combined this results in rather wide lines, maybe even compared to some fine running European brands. How it feels writing is more congruent to other Platinum pens as mine write smoothly and with some even feedback. An interesting feature is the relatively springy nib. Following the logic of what Platinum says about the new Platinum Procyon this might be due to the pentagon-shaped nib. It offers more flexibility than a Lamy Safari or Pilot Metropolitan to which I compared it before, I wouldnt call it flex though. My experience is limited but considering what I have seen it also is much less flexible than a Pilot Falcon or FA nib. When pressure is applied the line width increases, more noticeable in the fine than the medium, as well as the ink flow. You can reasonably expect the line width to become 1,5 times as wide, maybe to double. During normal writing the effect is very small, writing feels springier than with a nail-like steel nib. But I wouldnt recommend to constantly apply (a lot of) pressure, to me this nib doesnt feel like it would like this. The ink flow is even, doesnt decrease over time and easily keeps up with fast writing. Edit: The symbol on the left means 'fine', the one on the right 'medium'. Both nibs are silver coloured, the ambient light affected the reflection. Filling System and Maintenance Platinum uses a proprietary cartridge/converter system. There was no converter included which is common at this price point. Buying one is worth it I think. The converter is very well made overall, feels sturdy and can be taken apart for cleaning if you wish so. Its mouth is made from plastic surrounded by a metal ring. The clear part stood up surprisingly well against staining being still clear. The shroud is from metal again. Take a look at the pictures to see the piston mechanism inside the converter. The knob is made from plastic and features grooves, turning it feels controlled. Platinums cartridges are smaller than large standard international ones, and close in size to Pilot's cartridges. Their body is fairly thick and they contain a metal ball agitator. Cost and Value The Platinum Cool retails for about 40 US-Dollar in the US. I havent seen it at European retailers and must admit I dont know much about other markets. Some companies offer it for around 25 Dollar/Euro. Customer care usually is limited if you would have to send it back to Japan from Europe for example but these shipping costs probably exceed their benefits anyway at this price. The Cool can be considered an entry-level pen, maybe an upgrade to a Preppy or Plaisir. There are a lot of good competitors. I can name the Safari and Metropolitan again, but there are many more. I think the Cool cannot surpass them in writing experience, construction quality or filling-system but neither lacks behind. A clearer reason to buy is its transparent body and feed. Conclusion The Platinum Cool is an affordable demonstrator which offers reliable and controlled writing. Its transparent feed makes it special. If you aim for a super-smooth entry-level pen, look elsewhere. If you like the design you probably wont be disappointed by its other features. Feedback, criticism and further questions or opinions are welcome. Feel free to point out language mistakes I might have made. Edit 1: removed my remark on what the symbol on the nib stands for. It indicates the nib size,but I probably mixed up fine and medium. Edit 2: added picture for comparison of the symbols adorning the nib which mean 'fine' and 'medium'. Thanks for pointing out my mistake, Pseudo88.

Hi everyone, I'm looking to get a CH912 as my new everyday use pen, but I'm taken aback by the sheer number of nib choices. I have a two main questions: - What is the FA nib like as a daily writer? Is it relatively smooth? I have heard of flow issues regarding this nib. I am not a tremendously fast writer, but regular skipping would be rather annoying. - How does the Wavily nib compare to the SM, or just the regular medium nib? Is it any smoother? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Over the years, I've tried nib grinding and have destroyed quite a few of them in the process. But I've also gotten better Definitely not pro-level, but here are a few of my grinds. Writing samples to follow soon. I used a whetstone, and sandpaper to grind these. 1) Architect on Kanwrite Medium nib: 2) Needlepoint on a Wingsung 727 3) Stub on a Kanwrite broad Thank you for looking!

I just acquired a Pilot Myu 701 that's dated 1171( November 1971). Above the date code is usually where the nib size is printed, but on this one, there is none. Every other Myu I own, which are newer than 1971 has the F marking above the date code. Those pens are from 1973-1976. Comparing the nib to a Pilot Custom Black Stripe from 1972, the line that the Myu makes looks like a F, but again, it's not marked on the pen. Does anyone have any insight as to why this is?

What could be wrong with (or dirty or clogging) a nib? I have had two Preppies and one "disposable" Zebra with what I thought was a similar problem. I see plenty of ink and if I wipe the sides or back vent hole with a damp paper towel, ink immediately wicks out. But when I wrote, nothing came out. With the Zebra, I pulled the nib out and noticed with some magnifier help that there seem to be a teenie bit of dried ink between the tines. I scrubbed it with a cotton swab with some rubbing alcohol and sure enough some ink-color staining on the swab. I "deform" the nib a little bit to expose the inner-edges to the alcohol. I put the Zebra back together, and all is fine. I did the same with a Preppy, but it's still not writing. I recall now this is the same problem I encountered about 8 years ago and is why I gave away my Preppys. However, I want to try again. I should note that this is clogging on BayStateBlue. The cloggy Preppy is better with the included cartridge. The other non-clogging Preppy is filled with Monteverde. These Preppys are all newer models, not the ones with the painted colors on the nib-backs. (Too bad, they are cute.) Or maybe BSB is like any drier ink and I should "do something" to the space between tines? Or "deform" it a bit to be farther away from the black part? Thanks for any tips! Btw, I refilled a "disposable" blue Zebra with BSBlue and it writes terrifically -- thin lines, thinner than the Preppy 03 but maybe a little wider line than the Preppy 02. No hard starts and good cap-off time. Is anybody using Preppy+BSBlue?

I am looking for a particular fountain pen from Montblanc. I believe it is a Meisterstuck fountain pen. I have attached the photo. It is the middle one with a name color of what may seem to be like a Crimson red or some thing. Does anyone know which model this one is exactly? I first encountered this from watching a YouTube video of a guy I think his video or channel is called the gentleman gazette. Please let me know if you know of this model and if you know where I can buy one? Thank you very much for your time.

I did this comparison of Sailor nibs EF, F, MF and M for someone else and thought this might be helpful for others too. It seems like a big step between MF and M. I think I saw the same behaviour between Pilot M and F. My writing world is clearly below M. KoP Standard M, 1911 Std MF, ProGear F, 1911L: Sailor Blue-Black

I am about to make my first gold nib purchase and I'm unsure about which nib I should get. I am a lefty, over writer without a hook. I turn my paper/journal at a 45 degree counter clockwise angle when I write, so I write away from my body. I will be purchasing a Santini pen, I enjoy using the Pilot Metropolitan Cursive Medium and would like a similar, if not more refined writing experience. My choices are Italic, Left Oblique or Reverse Oblique. They also offer a 0.9mm Italic nib as an option to their 1.1 Italic. Any insight would be appreciated, I've had a recent bad experience with a TWSBI Precision Stub pen which I had to pass on to my wife as it proved to be unusable in my hands. I'd like to think it's a one off experience being a lefty, but I do not want to risk a similar experience.

I love my Parker vacumatic. Its nib is the best I’ve ever written with. It seems to be an extra fine/fine and though it doesnt have line variation like a stub or italic/ the line width isn't totally uniform and has some nice character. There is a wonderful almost pencil-like feedback. What modern pens would you recommend that have a similar feel? I’m guessing gold nibs? I’m tired of the likes of Kaweco nibs that feel like a nail and not as tactile.

I am a new owner of a Dupont Montparnasse. The feed seems to be of a unique design. There are none of the typical slots that function as ink reservoirs to deal with pressure changes, nor does the nib have the usual breather hole through which you can view the feed slot. Do any of the Dupont experts out there clarify how this manages to deal with pressure changes, ie, is there an alternative to the slots? Thanks for any info!

the question has come to my mind a few times, which are your favourite steel nibs? and why? Are there some really great steel nibs out there? I usually prefer gold nibs due to their greater degree of springiness (with some notable exceptions especially in more modern nibs) but a few steel nibs deserve my admiration too. The first one that comes to mind is the Pelikan M200 (or 120) steel nib. I like the M200 nibs in almost all widths from F to B (BB should be nice too but have not managed to get one yet). I also have an old OM that is really nice. All of them have this special springiness that's uncommon in steel nibs and that makes me prefer them over any other steel nib. Only the EF admittedly is not my favourite, slightly scratchy, but then again I'm not really an EF guy...still springy though. Another pleasant recent experience with a steel nib is the B nib on my Momento Zero and Furore. Very smooth and... slightly springy! I do like that! (some of you had some bad experience with Leonardo nibs, I have not tried the narrower nibs, but my Bs are really great.) Faber Castell steel nibs: I like these for a different reason, in reality they are stiff, but oh, so smooth! If I had to make a comparison with gold nibs the FC steel nibs would be the Waterman Man100/200 of gold nibs (or Dupont) A few other good steel nibs come to my mind when I think of Stipula, Visconti, Delta. These are likely Bock nibs, made to custom design. They all usually are very smooth, Stipula and Delta, especially in earlier pens like the Journal, sometimes showing slight springiness. Generally speaking, Bock own branded steel nibs are good (I have several on my Ranga pens), nothing too surprising, slightly stiff, but usually very pleasant and reliable. But are there other really great steel nibs out there that I'm not aware of? (I know some of you will come up with those flex nibs like the zebra G nib, but those are really out of my interest/capabilities of use... I also disregard most of the Chinese nibs, some of them can be smooth, but oh, so stiff...)

I am interested in Ratnam Pens because of all the Indian fountain pen creators they seem to be the only ones who make things "from scratch", including the nibs. I dropped a message on Ratnam's WhatsApp number asking whether they make gold nib pens today. Surprisingly I got back a "No" for an answer. IIRC the person who made those pens (Mr. Ratnam) is quite old. Does he no longer work?

Hello, I am an artist who has recently moved away from India ink and rapidograph/technical pens (4x0) to UEF platinum 3776 fountain pens and dye based fountain pen ink. My style is drawing/inking on top of watercolors. As such fountain pen ink tends to spread and I lose my thin line. I’ve found I can apply spray workable fixative to the watercolor, let it dry then ink with fountain pens and fountain pen ink over it with great success. I use extremely light pressure. My question. Am I doing damage or harm to the nib? Thanks, Carol

I just got hold of a couple of NOS Parker 15 pens from the Newhaven-era. One is a Matte Black GT and the other a Energy Yellow Demostrator. I want to create a frankenpen out of the two by using the clear section of the Demo on the Matte Black cap and barrel, but I want the gold nib on this clear section. Anyone knows how to safely remove the nibs out of these pens? Thanks beforehand!

I recently acquired two Sheaffer Sagaris fountain pens, one with a fine nib, the other with a medium. I decided that I preferred the fine nib so I went looking for a fine nib unit to purchase to replace the medium. Since it's the entire unit, it should just screw into the barrel, right? I found a replacement fine nib unit from a seller in England, purchased it, and it has arrived. It won't screw all the way into the barrel that came with the medium nib unit. Hmm... So let's try the fine nib unit from the other pen from the original purchase. It won't screw all the way in either! Oh, futz... It's not due to the length of the converter (or shortness of the barrel.) I tried screwing in just the nib unit; no joy. The gap left between the barrel and the unit flange that nestles up against it is about 1mm. If I can find a flat washer with the proper i.d., o.d., and thickness I can fill the space, but that's a big if (and a big, ugly kludge.) I might have a better result with an o-ring (see ugly kludge.) Time to get out the vernier calipers and take some precise measurements. I suspect that the medium barrel was not threaded to the same depth as the fine barrel, hence the fine nib unit coming up short. It strikes me as very odd that Cross/Sheaffer would manufacture different barrels for different nib units because a more complicated manufacturing process is a more expensive and error-prone process. Can anyone shed some light on why the nib units are not interchangeable or suggest any alternatives for dealing with my situation? thanks, richard -- - You can’t get enough minimalism.

I saw this pen for sale recently, and I was torn between the horror of a nib that neglected, and the doubt about whether or not it was some sort of artisinal finish that is, in fact, much desired by afficionados. There is something almost deliberate looking about it... Can someone please enlighten me?

I had posted this thread a few days ago in a different area of FPN. Perhaps best in Regional Forum under Italian pens. Would appreciate if anyone has seen this kind of nib imprint and knows what it is. Many thanks!! ---------- I had the pleasure of seeing a very nice vintage fountain pen during a recent dinner with a friend. The pen belonged to the his late grandfather. It is an Omas Extra lever filler with marbled brown celluloid. I love looking at any vintage pens, and noticed that the nib is not the usual Omas vintage nib. It has a kind of sheep(?) imprint on the nib with "14K-585" and "OSMIUM" on it. I didn't write with it, but I tried on my thumb nail and it feels very soft and flexible, a typical wonderful vintage nib of that era. With the permission of my friend, I posted the photos of this pen in the hope that someone might know what this interesting-looking replacement nib is. Many thanks!! By the way, I had offered to restore (lever is stuck and also needs new sac for sure) and polish this pen for my friend, but he doesn't want. Nib is patinated but he doesn't want to get it polished either. He wants to leave the pen as how it was when he received it, and only uses it as a dip pen. I understand.

I have an ebonite eyedropper pen fitted with a Schmidt #5 nib. I topped my pen's tank with Platinum's Carbon Ink. After keeping the pen nib down for about 10 minutes I tried writing a few lines. To my disappointment the nib doesn't seem to put much ink to paper. The letters are faint with portions disappearing altogether. I had run water throught the pen yesterday and allowed it to dry out. No obstruction or any sediment was found within the pen. Could the ink be an issue or is it the nib?