Leonardt Principal Ef Nib Compared To A Birmingham 213

[rick54]

From my reading, it seems that there has been a redesign of the Leonardt Principal EF nib which has become pretty popular. I currently do not have any of these new nibs, but digging through my pen drawer, I came up with a Birmingham Pen Co. 213 nib which I've been playing around with. It writes alright, but I don't notice an extreme variation in line width with it.

 

Can anyone explain the differences between the two in regards to ease of writing with and flex? I might want to look into getting some Principal nibs to try.

 

Thank you for your reply

[mvarela]

From my reading, it seems that there has been a redesign of the Leonardt Principal EF nib which has become pretty popular. I currently do not have any of these new nibs, but digging through my pen drawer, I came up with a Birmingham Pen Co. 213 nib which I've been playing around with. It writes alright, but I don't notice an extreme variation in line width with it.

 

Can anyone explain the differences between the two in regards to ease of writing with and flex? I might want to look into getting some Principal nibs to try.

 

Thank you for your reply

I'm not sure I understand your question... Are you talking about a new version of the Leonardt Principal EF? Or the Principal being a re-imagining of the Gillott's Principality #1? And what does the Birmingham pen has to do with either of these?

[dhnz]

Like Martin, I'm unclear on your question. The Leonardt EF Principal came out almost 10 years ago and I'm not aware of it having been changed since then, though of course Leonardt may have made slight tweaks to it. In brief (very brief), it came about after English calligrapher Brian Walker approached Leonardt about making a new extra-fine flexible nib suitable for Spencerian script. The name is a nod to the Gillott Prinicipality No 1, which it resembles.

 

The Birmingham Pen Company's 213 nib is one of the many Falcon nibs that were produced by probably all the major nib companies (and probably all the minor ones too). I've read that the Falcon was one of the most successful nib designs ever. The Falcon, however, is designed for monoline writing and is not considered a flexible nib, much less a very flexible nib like the EF Principal.

 

I hope this helps.

Edited January 5, 2014 by dhnz

[rick54]

I'm sorry for the confusion, lets see if I can clarify my beginners question. It seems that there are very few if any, manufactures still making the flexible nib today. From what I'm seeing on ebay, we're all competing for the limited new old stock manufactured decades ago. Please correct me on this account if I'm wrong!

 

dhnz, you were correct in your description of the Principal, as I read the following in the description of said nib in the John Neal, Bookseller description, "After a year in development, you can now purchase a modern nib that is equal to the best of the vintage nibs. Brian Walker, a respected pointed pen enthusiast, has
worked with a pen manufacturer to duplicate the quality and performance of the legendary Gillott No 1 Principality."

 

My thinking was that this was a recent redesign, as nothing was said in the description that it actually occurred 10 years ago!

 

As for the nib I am currently using, it is engraved Birmingham Pen Co., silver alloy, Boston MA, made in England, 213.

dhnz, you did answer my question when you stated, " The Falcon (213), however, is designed for monoline writing and is not considered a flexible nib, much less a very flexible nib like the EF Principal".

 

So is it fair to say that if I wanted to move away from the monoline and move more towards the flex nib, that I should order some of the Leonardt EF Principal nibs?

 

Again, my apologies for the confusion.

[dhnz]

No worries.

 

Yes, the Leonardt Principal is a good modern flexible nib. There are not many nib manufacturers around anymore, so there are not that many flexible nibs being made, but you still have the Gillott 303, Hunt 22, and Brause EF66, among others. Quality control on nibs is not as good as it used to be, but I find the EF Principal to be a very good nib nevertheless.

[Randal6393]

My favorite Copperplate nibs are the Gillott 303, Brause Rose, Brause EF66, and Leonardt EF Principal. Nibs worthy of note : Hiro Blue Pumpkin, Gillott 404, Nikko Z. There are many others listed by John Neal Booksellers and Paper, Ink and Arts. Would recommend buying three or four of the ones that most catch your eye and giving them a try.

 

You do not say whether you are writing Spencerian, Roundhand, or ... So, the FPN people can't give you as many specifics as we could with more info.

 

Best of luck to you,

[rick54]

Randal, the script I'm attempting to learn is Kźnstler Script. Although I do love the Spencerian script, the Kźnstler Script has less flourishes and perhaps a little easier to get the hang off. I definitely will take your advice and purchase a few of those you've listed to try out. Sometimes without the correct combination of nib, ink and paper, this can be an overwhelming endevour.

[Randal6393]

New one on me -- so I Googled it. A variety of Copperplate/English Roundhand/Engraver's Script/Engrosser's Script. The nibs listed are used by many of the people on FPN for this script or one very much like it. Have you viewed Dr. Joe Vitolo's videos on IAMPETH? That should give you a lot of help in how to write this script.

 

As for ink, whatever ink you try -- would recommend using a bit of liquid gum of arabic to smooth out the ink and keep the hairlines thin. Most students start with Higgins Eternal Ink, then move on to a sumi ink or an iron gall. Try either John Neal Bookseller or Paper, Ink and Arts for inks and other supplies.

 

If you have not used dip pens much, might profit from looking up the Hallmark Cards interview with Hermann Zapf. For about a half-hour or so he holds forth on using dip pens, filling them properly, and creating beautiful lettering. Very useful. The YouTube also has (or had) a few videos showing how to use flex-nib pointed pens to write with as well.

 

Best of luck to you,

[rick54]

Randal,

Thank you for suggestion on the instructional videos, I will certainly look into them.

 

Randal, the next ink I'm planning on getting to try is the Ziller glossy black and McCaffery's Penman's ink. I understand these are good dip pen inks.

 

Your comment, "As for ink, whatever ink you try -- would recommend using a bit of liquid gum of arabic to smooth out the ink and keep the hairlines thin" what exactly does gum of arabic do? Is it a thinner of sorts?

 

At what rate do you mix it with your ink, a few drops, 50/50 ratio? I know nothing about this product, so it appears a good lesson in gum of arabic is in order!

 

Thank you

 

 

 

 

[Randal6393]

The Ziller is an acrylic ink, more like a gouache or watercolor than an ink. Beautiful ink, relatively trouble-free, in my experience. Keep your pens spotless and wash with a bit of ammonia or dish soap after each use. If you find the ink to feather, add a drop or two of gum arabic to lessen the feathering and improve performance. Also may change to a better, more pen-friendly paper and see if that lessens the feathering.

 

The McCaffrey Penman's ink is a "micro-brewed" iron-gall ink, very similar to the old, permanent inks used over the ages. Literally, first mentions of iron-gall ink date from the Roman era. Chemically, iron sulfate oxidizes to a deep black upon exposure to oxygen. So the ink goes on brown or blue or whatever shade is mixed in. This allows the ink to be seen when first written with. Over a period of time, the ink darkens to the black of iron oxide. Since this type of ink is chemically active, it has a six-month to one-year shelf life. As you write, a certain amount of water evaporates from the top of the bottle. Occasionally add a bit of water, as pure as possible, to the ink. Also, when the ink feathers, one should add a few drops of gum arabic to the bottle. When you can't add enough gum arabic to lessen the feathering -- somewhere between six months and one year, usually -- it's time for a new bottle. Sometimes a real bear to use, this is the classical ink for Copperplate and Spenserian. Love it for personal correspondence and wedding invitations.

 

Enjoy,

[rick54]

Randal, I watched the Hallmark interview with Hermann Zapf and found it very informative. Although he did take me down a very unfamiliar road when he endorsed the grinding of Chinese stick ink. Since this sparked an immediate interest, I had to do some searching. What I came up with was the following web site: http://www.blueheronarts.com. The two products of interest were the Sumi ink grinding stone with lid and the Tessai's Tung Oil Soot Sumi Ink Stick , which is suppose to be the best Chinese grade and enough to last me a lifetime.

This ink seems to be used more with a brush rather then a dip pen. Then again, since Herr Zapf recommends the use of stick ink, I was wondering if I could get your thoughts on the subject and any experience you might have with said ink?

And I should also ask is stick ink a candidate for gum of arabic also?

 

Many thanks for your consideration to my questions.

[Inkyways]

Leonardt Principal EF nib is still one of the top nibs for Fine writing. It is not a suitable nib for beginners though as it is very fine and flexible. Mostly it is suitable for FINE ART SPENCERIAN AND  Fine art Engrossing / Ornamental round hand. 

The quality of the first nib was very high and consistence  during the first creation of the decade. Then it had a problem of quality  in the tines  and had uneven tines ( just like the problem of the HUNT IMPERIAL NIB ) But later on that problem seems to have fixed. Some Penman like to retune this nib to a finer before using it first time. That part is very critical for who are not having a light hand and if they are beginners. I am not a beginner but I have never tried it yet. I am in to Spencerian and still I need to have my hand more lighter than now.

So many calligraphers were  after hunting Old stock of the LP.  and I don't know if that is a myth or real. I already have two dozen of Older Nibs ( about 8-10 years old)  and also Just yesterday I bought another 15 nibs. This is a good nibs if you have it in your stock and you must buy nibs in batch of 10 at least to avoid getting bad nibs.  I am in the hunt for a NIB OF WALKER'S FINE WRITER NIB. It was the first prototype nib that was done by "Brian Walker"  before they settled downed to Leonardt Principal EF as the last product.

This is