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I'm probably going to get a replacement nib for my Mabie Todd pen. It has a cracked Eternal nib, but writes wonderfully smooth. So, how are the regular nibs in comparison? How is the writing experience?

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Well, I have a Blackbird nib and I find it a real handful to control. Actually think it is more difficult to use than my Zebra G dip nibs. When it is going good then it is very nice indeed... but, I am clearly not skilled enough to use it properly. I assume you are talking about flexible nibs, yes?

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You can get that nib repaired...true it costs $80 but that's only one Saturday night out, and you'd have a good nib much longer than you can remember that Saturday night, unless you were caught driving...or were mugged walking home.

 

Repair the nib and avoid real life problems. ;)

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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You can get that nib repaired...true it costs $80 but that's only one Saturday night out, and you'd have a good nib much longer than you can remember that Saturday night, unless you were caught driving...or were mugged walking home.

 

Repair the nib and avoid real life problems. ;)

So then there's a 28 dollar difference in getting a new one or getting the old one repaired... is it still worth it? If the regular Mabie Todd nibs are just as good I'd rather spend less and get the new nib.

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If the crack isn't affecting the performance of the nib, are you sure you want to replace it? Eternal nibs are 80 years old +, and the writing experience with them will wholly depend on how the nib was used and how it wore down over time. There are no guarantees buying a vintage nib that it will be any better than the one you have now.

 

Eternal nibs are their high line of nibs, a bit thicker than standard nibs. If the pen is a Swan Eternal, and its supposed to have an Eternal nib, you'll substantially reduce the value of the pen by putting an incorrect nib in it.

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I'm just worried if all of a sudden when I'm writing it'll fall apart. The crack is pretty bad:

post-114644-0-45926800-1408843896_thumb.jpg

(it's straight down from the breather hole)

Also, can anyone maybe estimate how much longer it will last?

Anyway, I'll probably check out getting it repaired at the next pen show I go to.

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Swan nibs are pretty long and its seated deeply into the section, so its not going anywhere - it won't fall apart.

 

But it looks like you have iridium on only one tine. It also looks slightly out of alignment. I can't see it that well, but are you sure that nib writes to your satisfaction? If it has a crack AND its missing iridium, its probably time to buy a replacement.

 

Robert Lott has one with feed and section for $52

 

http://www.fivestarpens.com/other_brands_nibs_.html (somewhere towards the middle of the page)

 

Could you post a picture of the entire pen? From the little I can see, that pen shouldn't have an Eternal nib in it (which might have caused the crack to begin with)

 

I'll be selling at the Dallas show if you are going, and I can look at the pen for you.

Edited by MarcShiman
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It's a Swan Eternal pen, it says on the body, but are you saying the section is incorrect?

Maybe it's just the photo, but the nib is smoother than anything else I've ever tried.

I was also looking at the exact same nib that you found. :-P

Here's a photo:

post-114644-0-61493600-1408848230_thumb.jpg

(sorry if it's not the best)

So are you saying that I won't need to repair the crack then?

I don't think I'm going to the Dallas pen show, but I *might* be going to the Ohio one, and definitely the Chicago one (though that one's in a really long time)

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Repair the nib...the crack will grow. It is the nature of cracks to grow. The sooner you repair the nib, the better.

Bite the bullet....do it.

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

So are you saying that I won't need to repair the crack then?

I don't think I'm going to the Dallas pen show, but I *might* be going to the Ohio one, and definitely the Chicago one (though that one's in a really long time)

 

Typically, I avoid nibs w/cracks to be safe since they tend to change the resale value a bit later on. It does look like a interesting MT Swan (?) pattern. I would consider fixing it if you are concerned because a lof of the nibs have the same numbers they don't always fit unless you have the repair knowledge and luck to find one on eBay.

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow

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