What size nib - and why?

[GavH]

I've bought a couple of cheapo Chinese pens on fleabay for pennies, one Fine (a Duke Carbon) and one Broad (no name) and an old, battered Conway Stewart with a Medium nib as I want to see what variation these gives over my lone Cross. Currently using a Cross ATX with a Medium nib and used to find it very wet and a bit too broad for my liking. Since switching to MB bottled ink, I'm finding that it writes slightly finer and drier that when using the Cross cartridges. Using Lamy ink makes it a little wetter than the MB.

 

It'snow got me thinking, why do people choose certain nib sizes? In other words, why do you elect to use say, a Fine nib over a Broad one? Why do some prefer Oblique nibs, or something like the Music nib or Naginata Togi nibs that Sailor offer? I'm guessing that mostly it's personal taste coupled with handwriting style (mine is cursive, small and very quick)?

 

Grateful for any thoughts on this.

[FooWriter]

I have small handwriting, so I generally prefer a fine or extra-fine nib to minimize the flooding of middle zone loops - 'e', primarily. I have a recently-acquired stub that I really like but, because of the size of my writing, use primarily for block printing and the occasional dabbling with calligraphy.

[ailleurs]

The more I use my FP, the more I love my B and BB nibs. The ability to see ink shading and appreciate the colors and shapes of the letters is greater with the larger nibs, IMO. I do have a slew of M nibs and some italics for other uses, but they don't get much use any more.

[GraceThroughFaith]

I have large handwriting and appreciate the character of Medium-Broad nibs. While a fine nib is useful for one's checkbook and some note-taking, I rarely pick one up to do any serious work. I like the thick, wet lines put down by most Medium/Broads, so when I purchase a pen these are the kind I go for.

[Bo Bo Olson]

I like 50's Obliques. I have a Pelikan 140 with an 14 K OB, nib, that is very fine.

Then they cut an Oblique to give shading.

 

I have a modern Persona, modern cut OB and it's only for those who hold their pen crooked.

Come the day...I'm going to have that re-cut, old fashioned, and get some shading in that nib.

 

Some times I use a broad just because I want too.

 

I have some nice fines too, and an OF.

 

I'd started sticking my nose up at Mediums....then I tested the MB Toffee brown, through about 6-8 pens. That Ink shaded very well in a regular...non nail, non semi-flex normal nib.

 

 

 

Some nibs I have are semi-flex.They give you different characteristics in this or that ink.

 

You have to match, nib, ink, and paper to get the perfect pens. Then there is the Golden Balance...read about, will learn about...another excuse to buy pens.

 

You will need many because of the basic variations of flex, Oblique or cursive Italic; different inks, and different papers.

 

That 140 OB, is my favorite, but there are a good 8-10 pens jostling for second place.

[HelzBelz]

I own a range, from a Japanese EF to a 1.1mm italic. My preference is for 0.7 - 0.9 italics. My usual handwriting is cursive, fairly quick, and about medium sized. Italics make it look prettier. I'm also a big fan of flex nibs, but they require more time and control, so my usual writing is done with italics and the odd F nib (preferably quite a wet, very smooth F).

[Penman222]

I stated with a taste for XF nibs, but I have gravitated towards much wider nibs lately. Mediums are great, but I also enjoy broad and italic nibs as well. I think I like to see a lot of ink splashed on the page, both from a shading perspective and an "artistic expression" perspective. Then again maybe my eyesight is just failing.

 

If I want a nice fine line I have a box of Tul gel rollerballs which are outstanding in their own right.

[Blade Runner]

I like a range from XF to BB. I have smallish writing but I'm able to use Montblanc's wider nibs, because they write like stubs.

 

The reason I like a range of nibs is because I have a range of purposes. Longer, faster writing with fines and mediums, editing, marginalia, lists with XF, shorter notes with wider nibs. A brief social note looks much better in wider strokes in my opinion. Different papers also dictate what nib size I choose.

[Judland]

My handwriting is terrible and I tend to write small(ish) when I'm not trying my best. I find that I can read my notes much easier if I use a fine nib. This is why most of my fountain pens have fine nibs.

[EventHorizon]

I am a fan and user of Medium nibs mainly because it fits my style (or lack there of) of writing. I take a lot of notes at work and everything I write is in print not cursive plus I write fast. I do have pens with fine nibs which work great but just can't write as fast. I still also have to pay attention to the amount of preassure I use and M nibs seem to handle it better. I have had Broad nibs and just don't like the thick lines. Now I do have some stub nibs which I really like because they react like a M nib plus I get the various line widths. Overall, the Stub nibs are my favorite.

[Koyote]

I use fine nibs for filling in forms and grading students' papers, and prefer mediums for quick note-taking during meetings and presentations. Am thinking about a broad or stub, but that is probably too large for my scrawl.

[JBat]

People choose specialty nibs like italics and cursive italics, and others, for one reason, line variation. As for standard nibs, I think it just comes down to personal taste and writing style. There isn't much standardization among manufacturers, so a fine nib from one company may be equivalent to a medium from another.

[buffalowings]

I prefer a fine nib, medium nibs are pretty much unusable on cheap paper (20# copier paper) and so are fine nibs...but when it you invert the pen...yes! just thin enough to compensate for the bleedthrough etc

[Sandy1]

I like a range from XF to BB. ... Different papers also dictate what nib size I choose.

Hi,

 

Please tell me how the paper choice dictates your nib size:

If I could understand that relationship, it may help me when I'm choosing the pens & papers to use for my Ink Reviews.

 

Regards,

Sandy1

[WendyNC]

Sandy1, I can't speak for Blade Runner, but I choose a larger, wetter nib for less absorbent papers and a finer, drier nib for more absorbent ones. I find that if the paper has any texture at all, a wider nib handles it much more smoothly, while the same nib on a very smooth paper can be a might much, but a finer nib looks lovely.

 

The other thing which influences my nib choice is paper color. I have some lovely buff colored letter paper that just begs for the contrast of more ink, while on a bright white, it might look overdone.

 

Finally, it's about the finish on the paper. Wider generally equals more ink, which takes longer to dry to on paper with substantial finish. By the same token, on paper with very little finish, the ink from a broader nib may be more likely to spread.

 

For me, it's all about finding combinations of pen, ink and paper that work and what "works" is going to vary from one person to another and even for a given individual based on preferences at the moment.

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

I'll use XF or F nibs primarily for doing forms, etc. But that's a purely functional thing.

 

I largely take the colour & density (light-dark) of the ink into account when choosing my nib width:

• If I am running a pale colour, such as Herbin 'Bleu Azur' or the Pilot 'ajisai', I will choose a wider nib, on a neutral white paper, especially a paper with cotton rag content around 25%. Also, if what I'm writing 'needs' a certain colour & density of ink, I will also trend towards the wider nibs: just splash around lots of that colour - wheee! If the density is quite dark, I usually won't go wider than a plump Medium, such as the Pelican M series. (Obvious exception in my world is Montblanc Midnight Blue, nee Blue-Black, from a MB149+B nib.)
• When I run the darker, more dense inks, I'll go into the Medium nibs, and not go much more narrow for most stuff. (Once again, the obvious exception is the Pilot C74 with the Soft Fine Medium [sFM] nib.)
• Ah, what else? Oh yes: where the ink is positioned relative to the plane of page. So warm colours advance, dark colours recede; light densities advance, darker densities recede. So If I want to engage the reader to the Maximum, I would use a light warm colour and use lots of ink - hence a wider nib would be chosen, but not a Stub or Italic - it distracts from the colour. If I just wanted to whisper to the reader, I would use a narrow nib with a charcoal gray, such as Sheaffer Blue-Black. All those assume my normal hand, which is rather large: 6 - 8mm row height is my norm. (See my Ink Reviews for the difference in the appearance as nib width varies.)
• And then there's what I call the 'zappy-ness' of an ink. If measured by a machine, Noodler's BSB would read-out like a nice light-ish Blue. But that doesn't take into account the 'zap'. Ditto for some Violets, such as R&K 'Solferino'.

Pardon me if I bored you to tears or worse.

 

Bye,

S1

[Blade Runner]

I like a range from XF to BB. ... Different papers also dictate what nib size I choose.

Hi,

 

Please tell me how the paper choice dictates your nib size:

If I could understand that relationship, it may help me when I'm choosing the pens & papers to use for my Ink Reviews.

 

Regards,

Sandy1

Hi Sandy,

A few examples: I use broader, wetter nibs on papers with heavier sizing, greater drag, and on those with laid or other textured finishes.

[Sandy1]

I like a range from XF to BB. ... Different papers also dictate what nib size I choose.

Hi,

 

Please tell me how the paper choice dictates your nib size:

If I could understand that relationship, it may help me when I'm choosing the pens & papers to use for my Ink Reviews.

 

Regards,

Sandy1

Hi Sandy,

A few examples: I use broader, wetter nibs on papers with heavier sizing, greater drag, and on those with laid or other textured finishes.

Hi,

Thanks for your quick reply - almost as if you had eyes in the back of your monitor, so to speak.

I agree with your examples. Seems I've been doing that, but didn't 'codify' what I was doing. Certainly one can see in my Ink Reviews, that it is typical for the narrow nibs to have difficulty on the G Lalo Verge de France, which is a laid paper with a 'hard' surface: whether it be from sizing/glazing/finishing, composition or manufacture.

Also, it seems that even amongst what I thought would be a matched set of nibs, Pelikan Technixx F, M & B nibs; the F was driest, M was well - medium, and B was the most wet. It does reflect how I prefer the wetness of my nibs: the most narrow should be most dry to keep the line narrow & tight, avoid bleeding, feathering & such; the B are generous & bodacious. I think that if I were to deal with someone who could predictably set nib wetness, I would have them set in the same general manner.

And the physical manner of the nib working in contact with the paper: let's not run an XF italic across a fluffy or bumpy paper, OK?

Regards,

S1

 

Bye

[Blade Runner]

Sandy, my favorite stationery in terms of suitability to my entire range of nibs and availability are Crane and Co. (USA) and Smythson (UK).

[tonybelding]

It'snow got me thinking, why do people choose certain nib sizes? In other words, why do you elect to use say, a Fine nib over a Broad one? Why do some prefer Oblique nibs, or something like the Music nib or Naginata Togi nibs that Sailor offer? I'm guessing that mostly it's personal taste coupled with handwriting style (mine is cursive, small and very quick)?

 

You know. . . Sometimes I think I'd be better off choosing nib size by rolling dice. (And if you get into vintage pens, that's pretty much how it works anyhow.) The advertised size is really nothing more than a vague hint at what you might get once the pen is in your hand.

 

Rollerballs are much easier to compare. You usually see 0.5mm (EF), 0.7mm (F), and 1.0mm (M) ball sizes. I like the 0.7mm rollerballs, and I like fountain pens that produce a mark about the same width. That means usually a F nib, but there's just no way to be sure without testing it with my own hand, and ink and paper. I also like a medium stub for bold signatures or notes with flair.

 

It's well known that Asian F nibs are similar to European EFs. But that's just scratching the surface. . . I've seen an EF and a M from the same (American) company that wrote identically. There's even more fun when you get into specialty nibs, like stubs and italics. I have a Sheaffer Balance II with a nib that Sheaffer called a "stub" but which I categorize as a broad italic.

 

The good news is that human beings are highly adaptable, and you can usually get used to whatever nib you end up with! Your eyes need to adapt more than your hand does. If you are accustomed to looking at EF handwriting, then a M nib may look awfully fat-and-sloppy to you. If you are accustomed to looking at M handwriting, then an EF may look terribly spidery and harsh. It's just your eyes, really.

 

There are a few other caveats. . . You can't write small with a broad nib, and you can't write fast with an italic. Aside from that, it's all just a matter of style and preference.