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Delta Fusion Nibs


art8283

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Maybe they should market it as "Cold Fusion" nib! ;)

Sounds like good PR. It sure worked for those guys (although their reputation might have suffered; but at least they got to be famous).

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I have a Delta but its nib is 14k gold... I have no sympathy for the Fusion nib. Mostly because I don't like the aesthetics, but I am also unimpressed by the "gold improving the flow due to heat" story. However, the aesthetics of Delta pens I generally like a lot :)

Ander

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My FPs and Inks

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I think we all agree that Fusion Nibs are another marketing thingie. Nothing wrong with that of course, marketing is mandatory in a field where you always have to offer something different in order to be successful. I wouldn't have used scientific claims though, cause they can be easily proved wrong (like has happened with this nib) and give the brand a bad boomerang effect. If you design a nib for connoisseurs, you should expect you're relating with cultured and educated people.

 

I like their aesthetics though and, why not, the fact that they're slightly more precious than an ordinary steel nib. I sold mine as it was too broad for my likings to be an EF (I don't think it has anything to do with the gold plaque though), but I reckon it did write smoothly and with no problems.

 

Was I to choose, I'd go for their 14k nib in a heartbeat though as the gold plaque has a tendency to "lift" (which makes me think they're glued instead of being fused, as stated, but that's speculation).

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I have wondered about that too. Different materials, having different mechanical properties, bend in different ways, unless the thickness has been calibrated to obtain the same inertia. However, I haven't heard of this specific fact you mention. Did you hear about this on fountainpen.it by chance?

Ander

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My FPs and Inks

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I have wondered about that too. Different materials, having different mechanical properties, bend in different ways, unless the thickness has been calibrated to obtain the same inertia. However, I haven't heard of this specific fact you mention. Did you hear about this on fountainpen.it by chance?

 

No, it happened to the one I had and to those of some people I know. Nothing terrible as it gets fixed with no problems by the assistance if you want. But I think the fact that the nib wrote exactly the same way when the plaque was well fitted and when it lifted makes me think :)

I am not versed in physics or chemistry, this is just my experience.

 

Again, not saying they're deliberately spreading lies of course; it is (in my opinion) a fine looking and precious-seeming nib which in my case wrote well. Nothing less and nothing more :)

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Hi I own:

 

- 3 Delta with fine fusion nibs (Dolcevita Fusion, Fusion 82 and the Journal)

 

- 2 Dolcevita medium size with 14K gold fine nibs

 

- 1 Serena with harmonic steel fine nib

 

My fusion nibs are performing significantly better than the one in harmonic steel. I believe the gold has an esthetic function but the steel performs better than the harmonic steel in the Serena (by far).

 

Are the 14K nibs better than the fusion ones? Surely, mainly they are slightly softer.

 

Would I always prefer the 14K nib to the fusion ones? No.

A 14K nib means at least 100 EUR more expensive pen. For some models is well justified for others, like the journal, a more economical fusion nib fits better the overall level of the pen.

 

Delta, with its Fusion nibs, introduce a new level (in terms of performance, esthetics, AND price) between steel and gold nibs. Yes their choice of words to describe the fusion nib is not the best but I prefer to judge them by their nibs instead of their marketing materials.

 

Ugo

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I prefer to judge them by their nibs instead of their marketing materials.

 

Ugo

 

Why so defensive? Read my posts and you'll see that I'm not doing that (actually, noone is).

It's a hobby, whatever floats your boat is ok, noone here will judge your tastes/likings so please don't assume such from others :)

 

 

 

(in terms of performance, esthetics, AND price)

 

Well, performance and aesthetics are subjective (but I agree with you about the looks: it sure is fancier than a plain steel nib), price is definitely not a parameter I have in mind when I have to judge a pen per se (while it's an important parameter to me when talking about much more important life's things).

Again, you don't have to justify your tastes.

 

About steel/harmonic steel, admittedly I know close to nothing: the only other steel nib I have is mounted on a vintage Pelikan M200 so I can't really compare.

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No problem, I was just providing my personal experience and my point of view which, as such, needs nor defense neither justification.

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I like Delta. I don't like their pseudo scientific marketing blurb the Fusion nibs.

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I went to a dealer and took a good look at the pen. I agree it's just some very thick gold plate mask, cosmetic only. The stub was a very nice writer. I concluded that it is a very nice steel nib. For the extra cost I'm sure Delta is spending extra effort finishing and tuning the steel nib. My 1.1 Jowos that I've spent time on write as well.

 

If I didn't enjoy fiddling with nibs I would have been happy to buy one. But as I think I can make my inexpensive nibs write just as well or better, and I enjoy the hobby, I find the price too high for a steel stub.

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I like Delta. I don't like their pseudo scientific marketing blurb the Fusion nibs.

I agree that it's probably not very scientific and I would still like to see some research; but on the other hand, does it not have some value as some kind of modern legend? After all, they also sell pens with little red plastic pieces in them that they say will bring good luck. Even though we know that it is pure nonsense, it gives people some positive associations and it might make them like their pens a little better. Frankly, Delta make things in a certain way because it looks great, and afterwards everyone concludes that if it's beautiful it has to make sense. If anyone has ever understood the value of beauty, it's the Italians. And not only classical beauty but the innovative kind too.

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I found a low enough price to buy a Fusion 82 stub. I think it's a wonderful steel nib with gold accents. And the resin is very nice.

 

I was surprised to see the Bock logo on it. For some reason I though Delta made their own nibs? Maybe Bock just does their steels. And maybe Bock is the only company to have the expertise to successfully stick a thin layer of gold on steel?

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  • 2 weeks later...

The two dissimilar metals create a battery and the current generated forces the electrons in the ink to seek ground which is the paper...thereby improving flow.

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The two dissimilar metals create a battery and the current generated forces the electrons in the ink to seek ground which is the paper...thereby improving flow.

 

If so, the stainless steel would effectively become a sacrificial annode and get corroded away.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galvanic_series

Edited by raging.dragon
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  • 2 months later...

I found Delta's patent application for the Fusion nib here: http://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/WO2013144038

 

Interestingly, they claim not a steel nib with a plating of gold, but a pen with a steel nib and a "precious material" plate (e.g. made of gold or palladium, according to the description), in which an electric circuit (8) is connected to resistors (9/9') to heat the precious material (4), thereby keeping the ink fluid. The description goes on to explain that precious metals are more easily heated and easily transfer heat because of low specific heat and high thermal conductivity, respectively. As others have pointed out, whether this actually has a positive effect on ink flow is questionable.

 

post-36283-0-33541700-1403581104_thumb.jpg

 

It also has an interesting statement regarding the superior corrosion resistance of steel, which seems flat out wrong:

"Nevertheless, the evolution of technology over the years has led to steel pen nibs, which have proven to have a passivity and a resistance to corrosion even greater than gold itself or gold alloys. Nevertheless, notwithstanding this important characteristic, the use of pen nibs entirely made of steel has not gained enough popularity, especially due to marketing reasons. Still today, it is commonly thought that the stylographic pen with gold pen nib is an object of greater value, even if technically this element has similar if not inferior characteristics with regard to corrosion phenomena with respect to steel."

 

The Fusion nib in contrast to traditional gold plated nibs:

"For this reason, over the years various steel pens have been produced being made precious by gold elements decorating the pen itself and the surface of the pen nib. The final properties to be conferred to the entire pen nib also in this case can be considered analogous to those of a pen nib entirely made of steel, since the amount of gold and the manner in which this is combined with steel do not involve substantial variations of the chemical-physical properties nor does the cost or the performance of the pen nib itself substantially change."

 

And another statement about the superior mechanical properties of steel and titanium:

"For such purpose, it is important to observe that materials such as steel and elements such as titanium are characterized by physical properties that make them substances particularly adapted for resistance to mechanical stresses and therefore they are difficult to deform. Said materials are also scarcely susceptible to the corrosion phenomena by ink. Metal elements such as gold and palladium, even if considered precious based on the rarity thereof in nature, on the contrary have a clear malleability and thus can be easily deformed."

 

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I went to a dealer and took a good look at the pen. I agree it's just some very thick gold plate mask, cosmetic only. The stub was a very nice writer. I concluded that it is a very nice steel nib. For the extra cost I'm sure Delta is spending extra effort finishing and tuning the steel nib. My 1.1 Jowos that I've spent time on write as well.

 

If I didn't enjoy fiddling with nibs I would have been happy to buy one. But as I think I can make my inexpensive nibs write just as well or better, and I enjoy the hobby, I find the price too high for a steel stub.

Guess again. I have two (on Delta Fusion I's, cigar shaped, black), one broad and one stub. Both need flow adjustments and have sat in a drawer for nearly two years because I refuse to send steel nibs to a nibmeister. The pens ran close to $200 each. I would expect a steel nibbed, resin pen to write out of the box at that price point. I see no reason to believe that they would be any better on a $500 celluloid pen.
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Guess again. I have two (on Delta Fusion I's, cigar shaped, black), one broad and one stub. Both need flow adjustments and have sat in a drawer for nearly two years because I refuse to send steel nibs to a nibmeister. The pens ran close to $200 each. I would expect a steel nibbed, resin pen to write out of the box at that price point. I see no reason to believe that they would be any better on a $500 celluloid pen.

 

Maybe the problem is related to large size Fusion nibs. I own 4 different Delta pens with F Fusion nibs and they wrote without problems either right out of the box or after a couple of days of use. I never needed any tweaking either of the nib or the feed.

 

I cannot say the same for Delta gold nibs I got. At least three times the nib tines were not aligned and needed adjustment.

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Only have one Delta pen it is a Fusion 82 fine point and it wrote flawless out of the box. In fact it is one of the nicest writing nibs I own. I don't know or care what the "Fusion" is supposed to do, it writes and the nib looks very nice and I am a happy camper.

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