Double-Sided Nibs

[Gonz]

Hi everyone!

 

I recently came into possession of a Parker 180, and one of the things I really loved about it was the double sided nib.

So, what I'm looking to know is: does any brand produce this kind of nibs? I am looking for something rather inexpensive, since a double sided nib seems to me a very cool idea for a workhorse pen.

 

So, what can you guys tell me?

 

Thanks a lot in advance,

Gonz

[Strang]

One of the high-end Sailor nibs is double sided and I believe Richard Binder does a nib which is italic on one side and fine on the other. But, as always, I've been known to be wrong.

[eilu]

Hero has a similar model for a song. Still waiting for mine in the mail.

[Gonz]

Hero has a similar model for a song. Still waiting for mine in the mail.

 

Could you please divulge what the exact model is? I can't seem to find it xD

[mongrelnomad]

I have a Sailor Cross Concord Emperor - one side is a wet medium, the other a double-broad...

 

http://www.estilograficas.org/imagenes/examen/sailor-nibs/cross-concorde-emperor.jpg

[rogerb]

Onoto's No7 Medium nib is ground to be Fine when reversed, and I occasionally use my Magna Writer that way ...it works well.

 

(Oxonian usually grinds my nibs for 'double sidedness' )

Edited January 26, 2011 by rogerb

[pathobby]

I bought a Hero copy of the Parker 180 recently. It is a fun pen and can be bought on Ebay very cheaply.

 

I just can't recall the model at present... I am at work at present!

 

PH

[Gonz]

I bought a Hero copy of the Parker 180 recently. It is a fun pen and can be bought on Ebay very cheaply.

 

I just can't recall the model at present... I am at work at present!

 

PH

 

I'd love to see that, I love my 180, but I won't be taking a gold plated pen to school.

[fountainbel]

I recently started to ground/polish the nibs on all pens I repair so they can be used both sides

Doing so a medium nib will write as a fine when flipped over 180° the (feed turned upwards )

Francis

[opitzs]

I have Sailor Cross Music nib. It write BB to F on the normal side (depending on the angle I hold the pen) and EF on its head. But it is the exact opposite of inexpensive...

 

Ciao

Sven

[mongrelnomad]

Oh, I forgot (how did it slip my mind?) - I have a Sailor King Eagle nib as well. That's not two but three nibs stacked atop each other. Writes from an M to a BBB (probably BBBB) depending on angle.

 

http://www.nibs.com/www/WEBSITE%20PICS/Sailor%20Pens/KingEagleNibSideDetailSmall.jpg

[Johnny Appleseed]

I think the Hero 360 pen is the only standard pen that is currently manufactured intentionally for 2-sided use (excluding the high-end Sailors and custom pens for the moment).

 

The Hero 360 can be bought from I sell Pens for about $6US.

 

However, many pens that were not intentionally marketed as 2-sided can be used that way. In fact, I would say nearly every nib can be made to be 2-sided. Sometimes it just needs a touch of smoothing on the back side. Sometimes you need to do some flow adjustment to get the slit to taper properly for back-side use. But I think most nibs can do it with the right adjustments and smoothing.

 

John

[andyk]

Hi,

 

A modern Parker Duofold nib that I had stubbed by Oxonian a couple of years ago writes pretty well when reversed, just looks a bit odd writing that way.

 

Andy

[gillyohan]

Had one Lamy Safari that wrote like that out-of-box, and another that didn't. Had a Pelikan m2xx that wrote like that, too, out-of-box, and another that didn't.

 

I really like duopoints and got one of Binder's Italifine nibs. Not dirt cheap, but works well.

[stevlight]

All of my MB 149's flip to finer lines.

 

I had Richard grind my Beta Bexley 58 B nib so it flips to a fine--it is a dream to draw with.

 

I have ground some nibs to flip to a finer line--i like the variety of line when drawing.

[rogerb]

From the Onoto web-site (with my emphasis):

 

"A duo-point nib is like a standard round nib, but it is also ground and polished so that you can write with it while holding the pen with its nib on the underside instead of in the usual nib-uppermost orientation. This gives a finer line, so that you can have, in effect, two different nib sizes on one pen. All Onoto Medium 18ct gold nibs are designed as Duo-nibs – medium nib one way for normal writing, fine nib the other way for figure work. We can also grind most of our Onoto nibs to be Duo-Point nibs. "

[pamsc]

I bought a double sided nib last fall inexpensively on ebay, here: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350324183996&ssPageName=ADME:L:COSI:US:1123

 

Photos:

 

 

 

It has two feeds with a metal plate on each side of the nib over the feed (I've only photographed one side), and writes fine with one side and a fairly fine medium on the other. It is an aero filler and fairly cheaply made. I find I just don't use it because I'm not interested in fine nibs. If anyone is interested I will sell it to someone.

[CS388]

I have an old Sheaffer Stylist from the 1960s (currently in pieces) which has a purpose built double sided nib. Metal nib in the centre of two feeds, one side writes broad, the other fine.

 

It's a brilliant concept, I'm surprised it never caught on and dominated the FP world.

 

Although, as other posters have pointed out, many traditional stock nibs can be flipped to give line variation, usually giving a finer line with the back of the nib.

 

 

 

 

Edited because I didn't realise that an 'r' in brackets gives the ® sign

Edited January 27, 2011 by CS388

[Gonz]

I think the Hero 360 pen is the only standard pen that is currently manufactured intentionally for 2-sided use (excluding the high-end Sailors and custom pens for the moment).

 

The Hero 360 can be bought from I sell Pens for about $6US.

 

However, many pens that were not intentionally marketed as 2-sided can be used that way. In fact, I would say nearly every nib can be made to be 2-sided. Sometimes it just needs a touch of smoothing on the back side. Sometimes you need to do some flow adjustment to get the slit to taper properly for back-side use. But I think most nibs can do it with the right adjustments and smoothing.

 

John

 

So... I can either spend 6 bucks or 2-6 hundred. Man, double sided nibs are such a great idea, it surprises me there aren't more...

Parker should have just continued making 180's =/