How Long Do Dip-Pen Nibs Last?

September 4, 2013

I have been practicing writing with dip-pens. And I had a bunch of nibs that were given to me , but after about 18 months of almost daily writing, most of the nibs seem to have gone "out of tune". How long do dip-pen nibs last, and how often do you replace them? A friend says that he replaces them after 30 uses. What say you?

September 4, 2013

I guess it depends in the type of nib and the style in which you write, but I've heard that around 20 pages per (pointed) nib is the par. I don't know how that holds for edged nibs, though.

September 4, 2013

I agree that it depends on the type of nib and how you use. Assuming proper use and care, the paper and ink you use would also make a big difference. Iron Gall inks corrode the nibs and render them difficult to use much quickly than a more balanced ink formula. Rough paper wears them out quicker too.

This applies to both edged and pointed nibs. Edged nibs, however, are easily sharpened and rarely get to a point where you have to throw them away. Pointed nibs can also be tuned back (with a lot of effort) but will go out quickly, sometimes within a word or two - it is never worth the aggravation to try and resurrect pointed nibs IMO.

It is time to change your nib if you find yourself fighting it. Your tools should never get in your way - replace them if they do (BTW - this applies to all tools). If you are not sure a nib is gone, just pop in a new one and see if there is a significant difference in performance.

Salman

September 4, 2013

Salman- thanks for the info. Regarding new nibs, what about Mitchell nibs with the reservoir? Do you know which one of the many they offer would be somewhat comparable to say, a medium or fine fountain pen nib?

Thanks for your help.

September 4, 2013

You are most welcome.

The Mitchell nibs are square edged and the smallest of them (No.6) produces about 0.5 mm wide line. These nibs are quite sharp and would produce clear line variation even at that small size - you'll need good flowing ink and good paper to get best results though.

You can get some pointed dip pen nibs that would write like a fine or extra find FP nib. Some examples are Hunt 512, Tachikawa No. 44, Nikko Saji etc. that write a fine-medium line and don't have appreciable flex. The Japanese nibs are chrome plated and last a long time. For even finer lines look for stiff mapping nibs - they will give you a line as fine as you want.

Salman