Looking For A (Chinese?) Stub...

[Coop]

I'd like to give writing with a stub nib a try. But as I'm not sure I'll like it, I want to try with a dirt cheap pen first and upgrade later if I do.

 

I could buy a different nib for one of my pens, but as I like most of them as they are, I don't really want to risk messing them up. The only 'safe' nib exchange would be on my TWSBI Vac 700, and that's my daily writer, so I want to keep that as it is.

 

I had some good experiences with chinese pens (had great luck with my Hero 382 and Jinhao X750), so I figured it might be a good starting point for a stub as well.

 

For starters I would like a stub that is not too broad, so it won't be too different from my regular pens, but still broad enough to show some decent differences in line thickness.

I was thinking along the lines of a 1mm-ish (somewhere between 0.9 and 1.1mm, but open to other suggestions as well) stub.

 

For my other chinese pens I paid about $10 (shipped) or less. As a stub is a bit more of a specialty item, I don't mind it being a bit more expensive, but as this is my first venture into stubs, I'd like to keep it below $25 shipped (to the Netherlands).

 

 

Does anyone have any pen suggestions for me? Or any other advice on stub nibs for that matter?

[vikrmbedi]

try contacting his.nibs they have a large variety of Chinese pens...may be he can help you with a stub nib of your choice.

 

no affilations...

[KBeezie]

try contacting his.nibs they have a large variety of Chinese pens...may be he can help you with a stub nib of your choice.

 

no affilations...

 

Unless he's grinding the nibs himself I'm not sure I see the point of paying 35-40$ for 6-12$ Jinhao/etc.

 

He also hides which models he sells (ie: so you can't find the same names on ebay or other retailers), for example

 

Jinhao Dreadnaught for $35 is the exact same pen as Jinhao 159 from GouletPens for 12.50.

 

The Snakeskin, Stary Night, Plasma, Ivory, Sands and White Spatter for $35 are the X450 and X750s for 9.90 at Goulet Pens (ie: Chessboard, Shimmering Sands, White, Shimmering Gold, Distressed Black, etc)

 

And even if you add a Black Monteverde Nib at GouletPens it's $24.99 on it (so at most $38, $28 with a Goulet Nib instead which I find better than the Monteverde), as opposed to $55 total.

Edited April 25, 2014 by KBeezie

[richardandtracy]

If there is a Chinese stub, I have yet to come across it in the 5 years I've been interested in Chinese pens.

 

Doesn't mean there aren't any - there are so many Chinese models I doubt if I've seen half, and it's likely to be less than a quarter, but I haven't seen one.

 

I suspect you will have to grind your own. It'll be a good thing to learn on.

An alternative to doing it yourself is a Pendleton Brown grind. I have seen some of his grinds on Kaigelu K356's. IIRC the pen came in at about $40, or something like it.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

[KBeezie]

The only thing I've seen that comes close that Comes With the Pen are the "Calligraphy" aka Fude nibs which are bent to give you varying line widths depending on the angle you write with.

 

Otherwise you can get a Goulet 1.5mm or 1.1mm Stub Nib for $15 and slap it on any Chinese pen that takes a #6 (ie: Jinhao X450, X750, 159).

 

http://www.gouletpens.com/v/vspfiles/photos/GPC-Nib6-TT-15-2.jpg

 

 

Alternatively you can get a Nemosine 0.7 or 0.9 Stub nib for about $7 since it's also a #6

Edited April 25, 2014 by KBeezie

[Coop]

If I have to spend $40+ I'd rather just buy another TWSBI. (There you go richardandtracy, there's your chinese stub )

 

But I don't really want to spend that much, as this is just an experiment... So keep those suggestions coming...

[KBeezie]

If I have to spend $40+ I'd rather just buy another TWSBI. (There you go richardandtracy, there's your chinese stub )

 

But I don't really want to spend that much, as this is just an experiment... So keep those suggestions coming...

 

$6-8 for a Jinhao X450 or X750 from China (usually free shipping)

(Though I got my X750 and 159 from GouletPens, bout 2-3 more dollars, but domestic, fast shipping [for me], and good customer support)

+ 6.95 for a Nemosine 0.8 Stub (or 0.7)

~ $15

 

Here's the 0.8 on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Nemosine-German-0-8-Calligraphy-Nib/dp/B009GLTNKC

 

I've found the Nemosine nibs to feel a bit dry though (I had a 0.7 with a Singularity), where as the 1.5 Goulet was very smooth, but that's $15 instead of $7.

 

PS: I wonder how many Chinese think Taiwan (TWSBI's origin) is something that can be called "Chinese"

Edited April 25, 2014 by KBeezie

[ancalagon]

I just got my first stub nib today and put it in a Jinhao X450. It was a Goulet 1.1 mm stub nib (rebranded JoWo #6).

 

If you wanted to do something similar, you could get a Jinhao X450 or 159, or just use the X750 you already have. Goulet nibs probably wouldn't be the most cost effective way for you, since shipping from America would probably be expensive, but JoWo is a German company, so there is probably someplace you can get them from Europe that would be cheaper.

[KBeezie]

I just got my first stub nib today and put it in a Jinhao X450. It was a Goulet 1.1 mm stub nib (rebranded JoWo #6).

 

If you wanted to do something similar, you could get a Jinhao X450 or 159, or just use the X750 you already have. Goulet nibs probably wouldn't be the most cost effective way for you, since shipping from America would probably be expensive, but JoWo is a German company, so there is probably someplace you can get them from Europe that would be cheaper.

 

I hear Jowo makes Monteverde's nibs too, and the chrome ones probably perform similar to the goulet ones (ie: while the monteverde ones are 24.99 in most places, it's probably cheaper total cost wise than goulet).

 

Guessing Jowo doesn't sell nibs direct, rather they make em for everyone else in large orders.

Edited April 25, 2014 by KBeezie

[RuiFromUK]

Yesterday I came across this website which has some Hero calligraphy pens:

 

http://www.penboy.co.uk/product/hero-5028-fountain-pen-calligraphy-set-including-ink

 

They look cheap enough and I am sure one can find those Hero pens somewhere else closer to you.

[whitedot]

Pilot 78G B or BB. Just over $11 shipped.

 

Edited April 25, 2014 by whitedot

[KBeezie]

Yesterday I came across this website which has some Hero calligraphy pens:

 

http://www.penboy.co.uk/product/hero-5028-fountain-pen-calligraphy-set-including-ink

 

They look cheap enough and I am sure one can find those Hero pens somewhere else closer to you.

 

Oh cool, a variety of stubs. Kinda reminds me of the Sheaffer Calligraphy kits.

[KBeezie]

Pilot 78G B or BB.

 

 

I have one of those on my Teal 78G, it's a bit dry like the Nemosine was, hard to get a wet flow on some paper, so the line kind of shrivels skinner than it could be, or just doesn't get a flow out of the pen (but fine with the same ink on a medium nib, and I've tried re-seating).

 

Though Pilot is Japanese, but the 78G is 10.50USD (from JStationery) or around 12-13 on ebay, so bout the same pricing as as say the Jinhao 159, but much lighter, a picture of my two 78G if curious:

 

http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/78G/pair.jpg

Edited April 25, 2014 by KBeezie

[whitedot]

Big fan of the 78G Broad here. Pilot 78G's flow is 5/10, yet its nib is smoother than my TWSBI 1.1 with 6/10 or 7/10 flow. Remarkable for its price.

 

Neither the Pilot 78G nor Jinhao 159 have the weight right, but I would rather have too light a pen than a hefty and imbalanced one.

Edited April 25, 2014 by whitedot

[KBeezie]

Big fan of the 78G Broad here. Pilot 78G's flow is 5/10, yet its nib is smoother than my TWSBI 1.1 with 6/10 or 7/10 flow. Remarkable for its price.

 

Neither the Pilot 78G nor Jinhao 159 have the weight right, but I would rather have too light a pen than a hefty and imbalanced one.

 

I probably need to see how the 78g's Broad Stub flows with my Pilot Metropolitan, probably a little better on the weight. But I think the feed on the Metro is identical to the feed on the 78G (least the sections are nearly identical, but the nibs are ever so slightly different, but both the 78g's Medium and Metro Medium are nearly identical in smoothness).

 

And yes the broad stub is smooooth, I just wish the ink flowed smooth with it, and I didn't even think of the feed being inadequate til you mentioned it. Might explain why the Goulet Stubs kicks it's arse.

Edited April 25, 2014 by KBeezie

[Coop]

 

(ie: while the monteverde ones are 24.99 in most places, it's probably cheaper total cost wise than goulet).

 

I'm no stranger to international shipping to the Netherlands (as pretty much everything is overpriced here*) Actually... For small items (as in "fits in a padded envelope" small), shipping from the US to the Netherlands isn't that much more expensive than shipping within the Netherlands or from another European country to the Netherlands.

 

Anyway, it seems the way to go is either to get a Pilot 78G (whitedot, can you tell me where you can get them for $11 shipped? Cheapest I could find was on ebay for +/- $30 shipped). Akkermans here in the Netherlands does sell the 78G, but they don't seem to stock the B nibbed version.

Or, the other option would be to buy a pen and a replacement nib. I haven't found stores that sell nibs (at acceptable prices) on this side of the pond. And I'd like to order pen and nib in one go, so I don't have to wait for separate packages and pay shipping twice.

Option 3 would be to replace the nib on my Hero 382, love that pen for its' size/weight/shape, but the fine nib is the only one of my current pens that I'd consider replacing. Does anyone know what size nib the Hero 382 takes?

 

If I'm going to do the nib replacement thing, can you give me some advice on DIY nib replacement? I can never seem to remove them without wrecking either nib or feed (or both).

 

 

 

 

* And by overpriced, I mean really overpriced. Once I bought 2 fleece jackets from the US. One of my buddies in the US forwarded them for me and made a bit of a mistake on the shipping docs, ofcourse, customs picked up on this. I payed US MSRP for the jackets, $62 for express shipping to the Netherlands, got hit with €17 customs fees and 21% VAT and a €87 fine for the incorrect shipping docs... And in the end I still payed less for my jackets than I would have when I had bought them in a dutch mainstreet store...

[KBeezie]

If I'm going to do the nib replacement thing, can you give me some advice on DIY nib replacement? I can never seem to remove them without wrecking either nib or feed (or both).

 

I couldn't tell you how it would be done with a Hero. But on the Jinhao 159, X750, X450, Monteverde Pens, Nemosine Pens etc, they're friction fit, you just wiggle the nib and feed out. They're #6 so for the most part pretty easy to replace (though Noodler's Nibs don't seem to fit quite right in them, not the right curvature).

 

Video example:

 

The Pilot 78G, Metropolitan, and I think Plumix/Peira etc, it's basically a twist and slide out the feed, where the nib just rests in a notch on the nib, but I haven't seen any separately sold nibs that fit pilot pens, so it's usually a matter of buying more than one pilots just to swap the nib (or section completely) between them. Like if you got a Pilot Metropolitan or MR, and got a black 78G you could just swap the nib+feed+section completely and it wouldn't look odd on the Metro/MR (as opposed to a metro with a teal, green or red section)

Edited April 25, 2014 by KBeezie

[whitedot]

 

I probably need to see how the 78g's Broad Stub flows with my Pilot Metropolitan, probably a little better on the weight. But I think the feed on the Metro is identical to the feed on the 78G (least the sections are nearly identical, but the nibs are ever so slightly different, but both the 78g's Medium and Metro Medium are nearly identical in smoothness).

 

And yes the broad stub is smooooth, I just wish the ink flowed smooth with it, and I didn't even think of the feed being inadequate til you mentioned it. Might explain why the Goulet Stubs kicks it's arse.

 

I wouldn't call 5/10 flow rough or inadequate. It's moderate, not too wet, not too dry. The Goulet stubs are Jowo, as is the TWSBI 1.1, which I have not found at all impressive.

[whitedot]

Coop, PM sent.

[KBeezie]

 

I wouldn't call 5/10 flow rough or inadequate. It's moderate, not too wet, not too dry. The Goulet stubs are Jowo, as is the TWSBI 1.1, which I have not found at all impressive.

Oddly I've had the opposite experience. My Goulet 1.5 Nib has been great (and I've used it on my Nemosine Singularity, a Jinhao X450, and Jinhao X750, it's currently on my Nemosine Singularity). Where as the Nemosine 0.7 was rather dry and hard to get ink onto the paper inside the singularity or on the X450. And when I got my 78G with the Broad stub it suffered the same issue no matter what ink I threw at it, almost like it wasn't getting enough ink to give a full spread on the page, so you get bunch of letters that start out thin and end with a little spread or the next letter not starting up at all.

 

The Goulet EF, M and 1.5 have been the best nibs I've had as they've taken just bout everything I've thrown at it without a problem.