Bespoke Mb Nibs

[rockspyder]

Here is the signature nib. It is beautiful, wet, bold...

 

The sides are subtly engraved, with a very small font, in this case "Handmade for" on one side, and my name on the other side.

 

Another view of the engraving, caught just right by the light, making it clearly visible:

 

I'll see about some writing samples later. I need an ace photographer to do this properly :hmm1:

It writes wonderfully. I might use it for more than just signatures!

[hari317]

wonderful. pls show us the feed also.

[NeelsK]

Well, I've been reading this thread on and off for a couple of months and I have to admit that there are a couple of things that I find uhhmm ... strange/amusing/interesting uuhhh ... well the best way to describe it would be 'That feeling you get from a light poke in the eye by a sharp stick.'

 

First off, MBs price tag on this is ridiculous. I can't see many people going for this (Except lucky #$#^ oops, I meant lucky PEOPLE like rockspyder et al ) As Ron stated, if their normal nibs need work, what makes them believe these wont?

 

Secondly, I have YET to find a nib that works 100% for me, even after coming back from a nib meister. Yes, they come VERY close, but I still do some minor work on them myself. The main reason for sending it to a nib meister would be for a size change or an italic grind. Sure, I can do it by hand (and I have, both M-CI and M to F) but they have the tools to do it faster. This is not meant to shoot down the work of nib meisters, on the contrary, but rather to say that even after getting an 800 dollar nib, I would still most likely want to make minor tweaks

 

Thirdly, some statements are made that people do not want the EXACT same nib again. Well, guess what? I DO. When I have an EF/F/CI/I nib exactly the way I want it, why would I bother to get a different EF/F/CI/I nib just to have to go through the same hassles again. I would LOVE to be able to tell MB to give me a pen with nib XYZ that they have on file, but not at $800. Maybe If they said $200 extra, I would go for it.

 

Lastly, why would they engrave "Handmade" on these nibs? I understood ALL their nibs were hand made (although I DO believe the Starwalker nibs were subcontracted to a group of pre-schoolers).

 

rockspyder, that looks like an awesome nib (the signature one). What is the size of the other nib? [EDIT] Sorry, I just reread your post and saw the sizes. [/EDIT]

Edited May 26, 2012 by NeelsK

[Blade Runner]

Here is the signature nib. It is beautiful, wet, bold...

 

The sides are subtly engraved, with a very small font, in this case "Handmade for" on one side, and my name on the other side.

 

Another view of the engraving, caught just right by the light, making it clearly visible:

 

I'll see about some writing samples later. I need an ace photographer to do this properly :hmm1:

It writes wonderfully. I might use it for more than just signatures!

WOW! Congrats!

[poisso_MB]

Beautiful! How much was the nib from the factory shop?

[ianmedium]

That is a beautiful nib!

As to mr Binders comments, like so many "experts" here I tend to ignore greatly what they say as they generalize. I have owned and used a number of Mont Blanc pens and have yet to find one that does not write perfectly right out of the box. I am sure there are others who have had similar experiences to Mr Binders but my feeling is that his comments are based more upon sower grapes as Mont Blanc like to keep everything in house, he has gone on in the past about bad design on Mont Blancs part and yet my personal experience has been that these pens are the most reliable and consistent of all the makes I have ever used.

 

I had the pleasure of inking up for the first time my friends Hitchcock yesterday, right from the get go it worked perfectly, I did not even have the opportunity to pre flush the pen!

 

I have seen a few of the pen guru's attack brands here and I have come to the conclusion it is more to do with protecting their interests rather than ours.

 

This is a luxury brand, whether you think they are worth it or not or the price is too high it matters not. Personally if it were me and I had the money I would do it in a heartbeat. Rather that as I can go back to the maker if there is a problem, than some third party who is going to invalidate my warranty by doing their work on the pen.

[mongrelnomad]

Here is the signature nib. It is beautiful, wet, bold...

 

The sides are subtly engraved, with a very small font, in this case "Handmade for" on one side, and my name on the other side.

 

Another view of the engraving, caught just right by the light, making it clearly visible:

 

I'll see about some writing samples later. I need an ace photographer to do this properly :hmm1:

It writes wonderfully. I might use it for more than just signatures!

 

Dear Lord!

 

Anyone know if/when they'll be launching the service in London or Zurich?

 

Cos that is just....

 

:puddle: :puddle: :puddle:

 

One question: do you take the test once and then order different nibs based on the findings or is it one test per nib? (I assume the former, but it's worth asking.)

 

Also, how much are the nibs after the test? Are they the same cost as a straight swap, or is there a 'customisation tax'?

 

Sorry... gotta do it again:

 

:puddle: :puddle:

[Ghost Plane]

I use an O3B as a daily writer, so I can only dream about that dual slit 6B fantasy :cloud9:

[watch_art]

That's pretty sexy, dude. I wonder how that would be with some flex.

[fpupulin]

I can't believe it, rockspider! That is simply unbelievable. Amazing. Awesome. Fantastic. Gorgeous. I have no more words... This is probably the best looking nib I never saw. Congratulations! Use it in good health.

[Pen Nut]

QUOTE "That is a beautiful nib!

As to mr Binders comments, like so many "experts" here I tend to ignore greatly what they say as they generalize.

 

I am sure there are others who have had similar experiences to Mr Binders but my feeling is that his comments are based more upon sower grapes as Mont Blanc like to keep everything in house, he has gone on in the past about bad design on Mont Blancs part and yet my personal experience has been that these pens are the most reliable and consistent of all the makes I have ever used" UNQUOTE

 

Could not have put that better myself. Why people come out with sweeping statements like that is beyond me.

 

Anyway that personal nib looks stunning and the engraving touch really does finish it off.

 

Perhaps a writing sample when you get time?

 

Enjoy the pen for many years to come

[stevlight]

I would love to know the total cost of that 6B nib.

 

Anyone?

[Soulmaker1]

I was at the factory along with Rockspyder and others, the quoted price for the nib only was around $800 and it could be added to an existing pen, or add the cost to a new pen.

[Pen Nut]

I find it difficult to estimate the nib tip width from the pics. Anyone got any ideas? 3.1mm - 3.5mm is my guess.

[rockspyder]

More pictures. The soft OB nib:

[rockspyder]

Another one of the OB nib:

[rockspyder]

The kind of line the signature nib puts down:

http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab102/rockspyder7/IMG_0050.jpg

 

and like this:

http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab102/rockspyder7/IMG_0035.jpg

http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab102/rockspyder7/IMG_0036.jpg

 

And this is what the nibs look like together:

http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab102/rockspyder7/IMG_0047.jpg

http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab102/rockspyder7/IMG_0045.jpg

http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab102/rockspyder7/IMG_0044.jpg

[watch_art]

WHen you say the OB is soft, does this mean with a touch of flex?

[rockspyder]

Apologies for my amateurish pictures, I'm still learning, but hopefully you get the idea.

These nibs are really wonderful, and I am certainly planning to get more. Once they have your writing analysis on record, you can order additional nibs, in different widths etc, as often as you like, provided you send the pens back to them for fitting, because the feeds are modified as well.

This can be done for any nib, on any MB pen, including the LE's/WE's.

The signature nib has a standard-looking feed, but it has additional grooves for the dual slits, and adjusted for more flow. Both these nibs, I can move across the page as fast as I like, and the ink flow just keeps up!

The soft OB nib, well, it is just fantastic, just so perfectly right, it still makes me grin every time. I can imagine this becoming a daily writer, it is going to work hard this coming week.

The engraving is usually "manufactured for" on one side, and the owner's name on the other side, but the wording is your choice. I preferred "handmade" for these. The engraving is really not overwhelming, you just know it is there.

I was wondering if such nibs would be as good as I expected, and I have to say absolutely yes. Overall, I am very impressed by the whole process, including the turnaround time, and the opportunity to now communicate directly with the head of the nib department.

One happy camper here

[rockspyder]

WHen you say the OB is soft, does this mean with a touch of flex?

Yes!