Stubb And Italic Nibs, Scratchy?

[gwyneddd]

Ghost Plane and I share a liking for broad, edged nibs (I have no round nibs whatsoever on any of my pens). As she says, unless you can hold the nib consistently in the correct orientation, they will drive you nuts.

 

If you wish to enjoy the experience of writing with these wonderful nibs, I suggest that you invest some time and practise. Even just 15 minutes a day, if you work carefully will make a difference that you will notice in a few days. These sessions should be about accuracy and correct positioning of the pen and your hand. Don't ever try to work on speed, that will come when you have broken those less than optimum habits and formed good habits.

 

Don't give up on them - getting it right with these nibs will help your writing whatever the pen you are using.

 

Which broad nibs would you recommend? I enjoy writing in italics and doing lettering. I'm thinking of expanding my pen set because I don't enjoy the dip pens (the old Speedballs) for lettering and occasionally a friend asks me to do something for them.

 

Can you make a recommendation on a nib broader than 1.1mm? Smooth is the key.

[Randal6393]

@dodobrains: Yeah, I've used TWSBI's before and found them to be a bit fussy -- dig a little, hard to align, etc. Smoothing an italic nib is a bit different from smoothing a round nib, though. First, do you have a good, lighted, 15X loupe? A necessity to see what you are doing. Goulet Pens sells an excellent one for $12 or so -- quite a bargain!

 

Then, do you know where to look? The sweet spot shows up well but only if you are looking at it from the paper's point of view, from the bottom at about 45 degrees off the perpendicular. Look for a rectangle running the entire width of the pen. If you aren't sure what to look for, would recommend googling "grinding an italic nib". There are several very good videos and websites that cover what italic nibs should be and how to get your pen to work properly.

 

Only after adequate research should you break out the micro mesh. Start slowly and start small, with an aim to achieving each goal, one after the other, until the pen works properly. Best of luck,

 

@gwynedd: Oh, if you can get Speedballs to work out for you, you can coax any italic nib into performing! Broader than 1.1 mm? My favorite is the Rotring Art Pen, in 1.9 and 2.3 mm. The Pilot Parallels are without parallel, work fine and do great. John Neal Bookseller has a section on calligraphic fountain pens that should be of great help to you. Enjoy,

[View from the Loft]

Which broad nibs would you recommend? I enjoy writing in italics and doing lettering. I'm thinking of expanding my pen set because I don't enjoy the dip pens (the old Speedballs) for lettering and occasionally a friend asks me to do something for them.

 

Can you make a recommendation on a nib broader than 1.1mm? Smooth is the key.

Why not start off with a Lamy with a 1.1, 1.5 and 1.9 nibs? Reasonably priced, and I have found them to be smooth. If these do work for you, there are lots of options out there - but as what suits me may not suit you, I really do suggest that you try out some pens before buying. If you csn, a pen show is a good way to see what is out there.

 

Modern - MB BB and OBB or broader, Conway Stewart IB, Onoto custom grind from a B, Stipula, Aurora

 

Vintage - Parker, Conway Stewart and many others

 

Another option is to find a modern pen that suits you, and work with a nib meister/technician to have a nib ground to suit you.

 

Happy hunting!

Edited September 5, 2014 by View from the Loft

[KBeezie]

@dodobrains: Yeah, I've used TWSBI's before and found them to be a bit fussy -- dig a little, hard to align, etc. Smoothing an italic nib is a bit different from smoothing a round nib, though. First, do you have a good, lighted, 15X loupe? A necessity to see what you are doing. Goulet Pens sells an excellent one for $12 or so -- quite a bargain!

 

Then, do you know where to look? The sweet spot shows up well but only if you are looking at it from the paper's point of view, from the bottom at about 45 degrees off the perpendicular. Look for a rectangle running the entire width of the pen. If you aren't sure what to look for, would recommend googling "grinding an italic nib". There are several very good videos and websites that cover what italic nibs should be and how to get your pen to work properly.

 

Only after adequate research should you break out the micro mesh. Start slowly and start small, with an aim to achieving each goal, one after the other, until the pen works properly. Best of luck,

 

@gwynedd: Oh, if you can get Speedballs to work out for you, you can coax any italic nib into performing! Broader than 1.1 mm? My favorite is the Rotring Art Pen, in 1.9 and 2.3 mm. The Pilot Parallels are without parallel, work fine and do great. John Neal Bookseller has a section on calligraphic fountain pens that should be of great help to you. Enjoy,

 

I got a 20X and 60X ones that are quite decent for around $5 each off ebay. (Shipped from california, but I'm sure the seller was probably just a front for another Chinese ebayer ). The 60X can be pretty useful sometimes, especially with the UV switch on the LED [which can sometimes make excess crud between the tines glow]

 

Far as the micro-mesh, I didn't even buy micro-mesh until I've least tried 3+ different stubs as well as a number of round nibs. If I only had experience with just one, I'd probably never know if I was conforming the smoothness correctly.

Edited September 5, 2014 by KBeezie

[tinta]

These nibs are sometimes described as "edged" nibs.

Each nib (whether stub, cursive or formal italic) has its distinctive writing edge that has to be discovered by trial & error.

Once you find this spot, with its corresponding nib to paper angle, it may take some practice to use that nib in that attitude.

Keep in mind that the angle of your pen to paper will change as you proceed down a page of writing. As others have suggested, a slow & deliberate approach is best.

Before you bend anything or reach for any abrasive, concentrate on your grip.

Edited September 6, 2014 by tinta

[chas0039]

This whole discussion reminds me why one of the best things I learned to do was re-shape my nibs. It is a rare nib these days that can't be improved with a little polish. And I can now adjust the exact amount of width on the italic cross stroke. Too scratchy ? Easy fix. Want a sharper edge? Done.

 

I just picked up a Hero with an EF nib that came out M. 10 minutes later, EF.

 

And best of all, two beautiful Duofold Centennials with useless, to me, big fat M and B nibs are now a real EF and Broad Italic. And not Parker's idea of EF, my idea.

 

There is a whole new world of collecting and writing when I know that nib size is something I control.

 

And to the OP, I have a dozen italic nibs that vary all over the spectrum as to feel and feedback. Can't even tell when looking under a loupe how they will write. Makes things interesting.

Edited September 6, 2014 by chas0039