How To Tell When The Nib Is Tuned

[Rchan63]

Hi Everyone

 

I very new to fountain pens, I made my first fountain pen a few days ago and my question is "How does one know the pen is writing at its best?" I never own or written with a FP so I have nothing to compare it to. Should the ink on the words be uniform like writting with a pen?

 

TIA

Richard

[FLJeepGuy]

A few things to look for in a properly "tuned" nib:

 

Pen to Paper Feel - a fountain pen should glide across the paper without catching, scratching or tearing. Some nibs are so smooth as to feel as if they aren't really touching the paper at all. Some users prefer a bit of "tooth" or feedback from the nib (minor vibrations or friction), but nothing approaching the nib actually grabbing the paper. This can be adjusted through making sure the nib's tines are in proper vertical alignment. If one tine is lower than the other, the inside edge of the nib slit can catch on the paper. Careful adjustments here will correct most issues. Only after the tines are in proper alignment should you attempt to smooth the tip. Searching here on FPN for nib tuning and smoothing will turn up several threads with detailed information on this.

 

Flow - This is more of a personal preference than anything else. Nibs can be dry or wet, but in all cases, they should not skip when writing, nor should they drip or puddle on the page. The flow is affected by several factors, the most common of which will be proper nib alignment to the feed, clear feed channels, and the spacing between the tines of the nib. Again, there are several useful threads on here talking about adjusting nib flow.

 

Writing Effort - a properly tuned fountain pen should write on the page using nothing but its own weight for down-force. Unlike other writing instruments, a fountain pen is more guided around the page rather than requiring conscious pressing down on the nib (flex nibs are the exception here).

 

RichardsPens Reference Pages has a TON of information on nibs, etc. I suggest you go here for more details.

 

Edit: I forgot to answer your question about the uniformity of the line widths... Line width control is one of the unique qualities of fountain pens and is affected by several factors: shape of the nib tip, flexibility of the nib, downward pressure variations when writing, and ink flow just to name some of the main ones. A pen with a hard, inflexible nib ("nail" nibs as some like to call them) with a rounded nib tip will have minimal variation, italic, stub, and other specialty nibs, especially if the nib is flexible will provide maximum line variation. So the real answer here is there is no one answer to line variation

Edited May 19, 2011 by FLJeepGuy

[Rchan63]

Thanks for the reply and link. The nib doesn't catch or tear while writting, but it does have a little scratching noise. I'm guessing it'll lessen after the nib breaks in. I don't think I'm getting a even flow while writting, all the letters do not look to have the same ink level some strokes on the letters are darker than others.

 

Thanks

 

Richard

[richardandtracy]

The different level of ink in different strokes is called shading, and can change along the same stroke. It can be an attractive feature.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

 

 

 

[FLJeepGuy]

The different level of ink in different strokes is called shading, and can change along the same stroke. It can be an attractive feature.

 

++ to this!

 

I tried to cover the basics above, but honestly, every pen+ink+paper combination will provide different (and sometimes widely varying) results. Changing any one component of the formula can have significant affect on the ultimate look of the written item.

[Chthulhu]

Agreed. I have several pens that "sing" on certain papers and are silent on others. Finer and more flexible nibs tend to be more prone to this, while broader and more rigid nibs are generally smooth regardless of the paper type.

 

Your writing pressure may also be something to think about: a good pen with a good nib, good flow, and good ink needs no pressure from you at all, just the weight of the pen, in order to lay down a consistent line of ink.

[andybiotic]

You are new to fountain pens and you made your first one? wow thats amazing!

[Rchan63]

You are new to fountain pens and you made your first one? wow thats amazing!

 

Thanks andybiotic, making them is the easy part, now tuning them to write is a totally different story.