Do You Usually Use A Broad Nib?

[PAKMAN]

Like most folks I started off Medium because most pens readily available to a novice are carried in stores in Medium nibs only. My hand writing and the places and paper I use for taking notes lead me toward the use of fine or extra fine nibs. That said, I also like to dabble with calligraphy and flex nib writing so I have nibs from xf all the way to 6.0mm.

[PaperDarts]

An M nib is about as B as I get. I love the look of writing with a broad nib but my handwriting is really small so it doesn't work for me unless I want to leave a series of linked blobs for posterity. It's F and EF for me, plus one .8 italic nib when I'm feeling very expansive on paper.

[Mr Blifil]

I use desk pens quite a bit at school, and they are mostly fine and extra fine, and that works out well for me, because that's my sweet spot. Extra fines, though, really need to be quite well tuned, or they are no fun to write with. I have an exquisite Sheaffer desk pen from the thirties with an extra fine nib that adds to my day every day.

 

Usually a broad, or even a wide medium, doesn't work for me. I've had a Sheafer Imperial for forty-five years now that must be a BB; it is very round, and I've never really liked it. I've kept hoping something would change that, I guess. But I have an MB 149 broad 18c that has some flex and is a bit stubbish. It gives me some line variation and some gradient. When I'm in an expansive state of mind, or want to induce that, and have the space, this is becoming one of my favorite nibs; accordingly it is suitable for journaling. Typically, though, broads and wide mediums tend to close my loops and it's like work to use them. Much of my writing is in defined spaces and between lines. There I like a small fine or extra fine.

 

For correspondence I've noticed that I've begun to choose the pen/nib which is most in keeping with the tone I want the letter to have, and I'm quite fascinated with how well this works. Seeing how this works has increased the pleasure I take in owning and using fountain pens, and is a strong justification for owning varieties of them.

Edited April 9, 2011 by Mr Blifil

[TemurAmir]

I'm wondering if those who use broads everyday can write in narrow/college ruled paper? I'm asking this because I was wavering between getting a broad stub/CI or a medium stub/CI for some general writing and maybe some note-taking which will have to be done in a narrow-ruled page. Of course, the difference between round and stub/CI nibs could make a big difference.

[JefferyS]

I'm wondering if those who use broads everyday can write in narrow/college ruled paper? I'm asking this because I was wavering between getting a broad stub/CI or a medium stub/CI for some general writing and maybe some note-taking which will have to be done in a narrow-ruled page. Of course, the difference between round and stub/CI nibs could make a big difference.

 

For narrow ruled college paper, I have to use fine. My 0.4mm stub would be okay for that.

 

 

 

[XiaoMG]

The ruled paper I have usually has 5-6mm ruling, and I find that even in such fine-ruled paper, wider nibs are potentially usable. It really depends on your handwriting as much as anything.

 

I tend to have compressed, small handwriting. With cursive, most of my lower-cased letters are very short (sometimes only 1-2mm high), which means a wider nib just isn't going to cut it without turning my writing into an unreadable squiggly line with some crazy ascenders and descenders. Even my EF TWSBI 530 isn't really ideal for that. Same goes for writing in Chinese. It's hard to get much readable detail in a >15-stroke character that's only 4-5mm square unless you're using a very fine nib.

 

However, if I write in English with a much more line-filling print style, I can easily see adopting a medium or perhaps even a broad nib. Unfortunately, my default writing style maintains some vertical white space in each line, forcing me to stay with as fine a line as reasonably achievable.

 

Addendum: I did a quick little sample of a few pens on Rhodia's 5mm grid ruling. I apologize for the messy fast handwriting, and the color correction isn't perfect, but the ink colors are pretty close. The largest (#4) is an EF nib.

http://i.imgur.com/yf5Sy.png

Edited April 9, 2011 by XiaoMG

[Ghost Plane]

B nibs are about as narrow as I like to go and, yes, I use them on narrow lined paper. It all depends on your hand and I hate the scratchy feel of narrower nibs. For years I loathed fountain pens because uncaring shop owners insisted they only came in F and M Then I acquired a B nibbed Visconti and the addiction began...

[cubic archon]

It entirely depends on the size of the paper and what I am doing with it. When journalling in my Midori Traveler's Notebook, or writing things down on a pocket Rhodia pad, a B is just silly; I get about five words per line and it looks like I'm using a whiteboard marker. On the other hand, I was writing in an A4 Rhodia notebook in the sun this afternoon and was happily using a Lamy 2000 B, the line of which barely fits into the 5mm squares - because I have plenty of space, and I don't want to be squinting at tiny writing when reviewing my ideas.

 

Basically I have an idea of the appropriate amount of information that I want on a page, and I use a pen that will let me do that. If I want a full-sized mindmap on an A5 page I'll probably use an F. If I'm just jotting concepts down on A4, a B is nice and smooth.

 

 

 

 

 

Also, let's face it, there is terrific joy in making more of a mess. Instead of just making a little line I can make big fat lines! Wheeeeee! Look at the colours!

[79spitfire]

I like writing with broad nibs when I can, but unfortunately due to my handwriting style, (or lack thereof) on college ruled paper it ends up looking like squiggly blobs. The repair orders used at work have such ruling, and I often have to solve the more "difficult" concerns, resulting in a lot of information being written onto the paper. No room for B or BB nibs there!

 

I've been sitting here teetering on the edge of a tyrate about nib sizing, but I think I'll leave that for now :embarrassed_smile:

 

The most common nib sizes I use write with a line size of *about* .05MM or finer, if they are smooth (Yes F and XF nibs that are smooth exist! They are just hard to find )

 

Pilot M, Lamy XF or F, Noodler's F-M and Kaweko F nibs are all good examples of what I like in nib sizing for everyday use. (YMMV!)

 

For art or handwriting practice or showing off inks... ohh B, BB, BBBB, BBBBBBBBBBB, paint brushes crazy flex, dribbles from glass nibs/pens are all fair game!

Edited April 9, 2011 by 79spitfire

[Blade Runner]

Everything from XF to BB (but only Montblanc B and BB due to their stubbish character).

[storyteller]

I do not like writing small, do not like lined or squared paper for this reason (it cramps my style) and consequently always use plain notebooks, pads and paper (with my own custom lined under-sheet). The tactile glide of the nib is an important part of the FP experience and for my writing style this is missing with finer nibs.

 

My choice of nibs starts at broad ...

[humblescribbler]

I have F and EF for accounting and certain journals or papers that are more bleedthrough than others. M is for most of my correspondence and at work. B's for when I want a heavier look and/or I'm printing, or practicing larger style script because I need to slow waaaayy down to make it legible. My F's are also good for practicing handwriting because they tend to run a tad drier (mine, not a universal statement) and also slow me down but with much narrower lines.

 

All of them for when I draw.

 

Thanks,

 

Michael

[Emoo]

when one is taking several ap classes and essays are a frequent part of daily life, one uses fine points as a courtesy and to save on ink

 

And also learns to avoid "you" or "I" at any cost, one would think.

 

I was there last year. I feel your pain.

[dexaco]

 My handwriting tends towards the small, so I have tended to use F or EF/XF nibs. Of late, I have begun experimenting with wider lines, and acquiring older pens. I have three of the 1960s era UK-made Parker Duofold Junior, all with M nibs. I love writing with those pens. My wife gifted me with a Lamy Studio with a steel OB nib and I love it, too! My Pelikan M400 is fitted with a M nib that in almost any other pen would be classified as a B, and I really enjoy using it (although there's a HF nib in the drawer, just in case ... )  Oh! And I have a reshaped (to left-oblique) 1.1 italic nib on a Lamy nexx M - I like it. 

 

My experience of flexible nibs is limited. A recent (eBay acquisition) Parker UK-made Slimfold with a wonderful soft left-oblique stub nib, which seems to be medium bordering on broad. Love the nib, just wish the pen was bigger! Wednesday, I'm expecting delivery of a 1946 Conway Stewart with a flexible medium nib on it. I can hardly wait!

 

I suppose, when I admit it, advancing age (I'm 67) and deteriorating eyesight are conspiring to persuade me away from my F/EF niche towards the dark side of the B. Can't say as I'm resisting it all that much . . .

 

Derick

[colrehogan]

I currently keep the following nib sizes with me: F, EF, and B. Sometimes that is BB, EF, and B. The M's are at home for the moment. I'm having fun with these pens.

[JefferyS]

I have looked through my collection, and I cannot find a broad nib. I don't know if I would ever warm up to one.

[enricof]

I use anything from EF to OBB (both in 149s), depending on paper quality, work to do and whim of the day.

 

Wider nibs with nice inks are so funny "per se" (sometime I scribble basically just for the fun of doing it), business most of the time requires F.

[bigmac53]

When building my collection, I tried to get pens with all different nibs. As it turns out, most of the pens I own now are Medium nibs, however, I do have one with an OB that I really enjoy writing with, but it cannot and will not be my daily writer. I much prefer the look of a line from an M nib, but as I said, I do enjoy the experience of my OB, and situationally, it is superior to my other pens. I beleive it really comes down to writing style. I do not write terribly large, and I also write with my letters sort of close together and even when printing the letters are sometimes connected, all of those factors kind of go against being able to use a B or OB nib, IMHO anyway.

[ImolaS3]

I assume that many writers are like me, that is, default to using a medium or fine nib. Do any of you use a broad nib as your usual nib? (I'm not referring to italic or stub, but just generic broad nibs).

I don't own one, and wonder if I did ever get one if it would just gather dust, or if it would open up a new facet of handwriting for me.

 

For years I was a medium or fine or even XF user. In the past 18 months I have slowly drifted to broads and even a BB in a Pelikan M1000.

I find the ink colours (I use a lot of different ink colours) look more striking with broader nibs, shading is more evident and also my handwriting looks neater!

[Joshua J.]

A few months age I bought a broad nib to for my Pelikan M640, which I normally use with a .4mm nib.

 

The broad nib has yet to be inked.

I like to write small, so a line any thicker than .5mm starts to turn letters into blobs. Something like a 1mm line is for special occasions only.