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Gold Nibs Not As Smooth As Steel Nibs?

rajatbhardwaj

By rajatbhardwaj
in Of Nibs & Tines

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rajatbhardwaj NOS (New Old Stock)

rajatbhardwaj

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Hello,

 

I have a Lamy Safari F, and a TWSBI 540 F. Love them both. I recently got a Lamy 2000 with an F nib as well. And I must say, it is nowhere as smooth as my Safari or the 540. Is that just how gold nibs are? Or is there something wrong with this nib? :(

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tonybelding Antique

tonybelding

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I have a Lamy Safari F, and a TWSBI 540 F. Love them both. I recently got a Lamy 2000 with an F nib as well. And I must say, it is nowhere as smooth as my Safari or the 540. Is that just how gold nibs are? Or is there something wrong with this nib? :(

 

Gold and steel nibs both have tips made from the same "iridium" alloy, and that's what touches the page. The smoothness depends on how the tip is shaped and polished.

 

My Lamy 2000 is smooth. I'd suspect the nib tines may be misaligned on yours, or else the tip is just rough. If that's the case you can either send it back for service, or else turn it over to a nibmeister for smoothing. But if it's new and under warranty, I'd suggest having Lamy sort it out. The 2000 is their flagship pen, so they should make it right.

Edited by tonybelding
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jakelogan Extremely Rare

jakelogan

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Hello,

 

I have a Lamy Safari F, and a TWSBI 540 F. Love them both. I recently got a Lamy 2000 with an F nib as well. And I must say, it is nowhere as smooth as my Safari or the 540. Is that just how gold nibs are? Or is there something wrong with this nib? :(

 

Lamy nib quality control isn't very good on the 2000 series. I had a toothy fine nib and misaligned medium nib before (they were all brand new)

But a perfectly working Lamy 2000 should be much smoother than the TWSBI and Safari just because the 2000 writes wetter in most cases.

I would exchange it for another one or check out why the nib is not as smooth. It could be due to misalignment or just a nib that hasn't been carefully worked on at the factory (rare).

The smoothness of a nib has almost nothing to do with its base material. Tip material is what it's all about, and normally tipping is an alloy of a bunch of metals that can be found in both steel and gold nibs.

 

The reason I say almost nothing to do with its base material is because of two factors.

1. Realistically, a gold nib normally comes with better craftsmanship than a steel nib. Due to the slightly higher cost of the material, most likely more care would be used in creating the nib.

2. Gold nibs have more potential to be more springy and soft feeling than steel because gold is a softer metal compared to steel. When the nib feels soft, it is because the tine bends slightly as you write. The Lamy 2000 is known to be somewhat springy (albeit still the stiff kind) and a springy nib can result in slightly scratchier sidestrokes. This is due to the inside edge of each tine catching on to the paper.

Step 1: Buy another fountain pen

Step 2: ???

Step 3: Profit.

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AloofObserver Mint

AloofObserver

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Gold vs. steel is irrelevant as the nib material doesn't affect smoothness. It affects other things such as softness/springiness however.

 

The part that touches the paper is almost always iridium and smoothness depends on how well the nib is shaped and how well the tipping is polished.

“I would rather obey a fine lion, much stronger than myself, than two hundred rats of my own species.”

-Voltaire

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XiaoMG Vintage

XiaoMG

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The moral of the story is that fountain pens are a gamble, almost regardless of price or manufacturer or materials used. If you get lucky, then treasure what you have. If you get unlucky...welcome to the club! thumbup.gif

Robert.

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hari317 Museum Piece

hari317

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Hello,

 

I have a Lamy Safari F, and a TWSBI 540 F. Love them both. I recently got a Lamy 2000 with an F nib as well. And I must say, it is nowhere as smooth as my Safari or the 540. Is that just how gold nibs are? Or is there something wrong with this nib? :(

 

Was it smooth before you realigned the nib over the feed?

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?/topic/224913-i-dont-think-this-is-ok-do-you/page__view__findpost__p__2395585

In case you wish to write to me, pls use ONLY email by clicking here. I do not check PMs. Thank you.

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rajatbhardwaj NOS (New Old Stock)

rajatbhardwaj

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Hello,

 

I have a Lamy Safari F, and a TWSBI 540 F. Love them both. I recently got a Lamy 2000 with an F nib as well. And I must say, it is nowhere as smooth as my Safari or the 540. Is that just how gold nibs are? Or is there something wrong with this nib? :(

 

Was it smooth before you realigned the nib over the feed?

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?/topic/224913-i-dont-think-this-is-ok-do-you/page__view__findpost__p__2395585

 

I hadn't tried dipping it in ink before realigning the nib and feed.

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