Pendleton Brown Bls Treatment - Before And After

[dneal]

After my first experience with a Pendleton Brown Butter Line Stub (BLS) reviewed here, I sent two other nice but otherwise boring pens to Pendleton.

 

I had the forethought this time to jot down a writing sample before I mailed them off, to use for a quick before/after comparison. Pens were an Omas Ogiva and a Montblanc 145.

 

I think the pictures speak for themselves. Thanks Pendleton!

 

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa163/roomdog/Pens/OmasBLSBeforeandAfter_zps0aec31d1.jpg

 

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa163/roomdog/Pens/MB145BLSBeforeandAfter_zps8dcd3b00.jpg

[DBQMary]

Thank you for sharing. Very happy that you included before and after samples. I always wondered how different it would make the handwriting. This makes it very apparent. Enjoy!

[SujiCorp12345]

I love how they look after Pendleton's treatment. I'm going to have to send him one of my pens soon.

[FedericoMedina]

day and night difference

[zebra baker]

Your before and after writing samples are very convincing. Now I just have to figure which pen to send to Mr. Brown!

[b1lynch]

Wow - great visuals. Very compelling. Do you have any insight into what nibs make better candidates? I'm very impressed that you were willing to have your Ogiva done...I have an Omas Ogiva MOMA edition with a medium nib which I'm thinking would be a great candidate based on your experience and I have a Dunhill Sidecar (M) which is a beautiful pen and a wonderfully smooth writer but is kinda boring...this might make me reach for it more often.

 

Any thoughts are appreciated.

 

Bill

[dneal]

Wow - great visuals. Very compelling. Do you have any insight into what nibs make better candidates? I'm very impressed that you were willing to have your Ogiva done...I have an Omas Ogiva MOMA edition with a medium nib which I'm thinking would be a great candidate based on your experience and I have a Dunhill Sidecar (M) which is a beautiful pen and a wonderfully smooth writer but is kinda boring...this might make me reach for it more often.

 

Any thoughts are appreciated.

 

Bill

 

It depends on what you're looking for, and what your experience with stubs / cursive italics is. I think a stiffer nib works better, since you're going to make the nib shape do the "work" instead of the flex. I also think a M nib is about as fine of a nib as you would want to use, since you lose a little width in the process (which is something I prefer).

 

You definitely need to know what you're getting yourself into before you send a pen off for grinding. Once it's done, it's done. The factory spec and feel will be gone. You can buy a new nib, or have more tipping soldered on... but that's an avoidable expense. You could also try something like a TWSBI from Pendleton first.

 

Both pens above were purchased as closeouts, only in medium, and I prefer a fine nib. I rarely used the MB, making it a candidate; and I bought the Omas specifically intending to have the nib ground.

[b1lynch]

Thanks! I saw the after examples seemed to be narrower but I didn't realize that converting to a BLS would narrow the nib - I had assumed that you had the nib shaved down at the same time. The truth is I like the smoothness of a medium nib but the sharper line of a fine which was leading me to consider thinning down to a M-F, but it sounds like the BLS grind may be exactly what I need. I suppose the wise thing would be to test the waters with a TWSBI or even just one of my pens before jumping in with both feet. Thank you for the counsel, it's much appreciated.

 

Bill

[nickmazur]

Thanks so much for sharing these samples. I am new around here, don't even have a proper fountain pen yet, so please take my comments with a grain of salt. My first reaction is surprise that people would buy very expensive pens and have their nibs ground. However, I am beginning to understand how deeply personal fountain pens can be. Obviously, the stub suits your handwriting and your style more than the factory nibs do.

 

When I started searching for my first pen, I was convinced I wanted a used pen, perhaps even a vintage one. Now, I am a bit afraid that the previous user might have altered the nib somehow to suit their personal style. This makes my search a bit complicated.

 

Nick

[dneal]

Thanks so much for sharing these samples. I am new around here, don't even have a proper fountain pen yet, so please take my comments with a grain of salt. My first reaction is surprise that people would buy very expensive pens and have their nibs ground. However, I am beginning to understand how deeply personal fountain pens can be. Obviously, the stub suits your handwriting and your style more than the factory nibs do.

 

When I started searching for my first pen, I was convinced I wanted a used pen, perhaps even a vintage one. Now, I am a bit afraid that the previous user might have altered the nib somehow to suit their personal style. This makes my search a bit complicated.

 

Nick

 

No offense taken, and it's interesting to see other viewpoints.

 

I have a lot of pens with unaltered nibs, and I think the majority of used pens out there are unaltered. If someone has had a custom grind done, they're usually going to advertise that fact if they sell the pen. Many "nibmeisters" include some sort of proof of their work (i.e.: certificate).

 

I don't know that a stub / cursive italic suits my (mediocre) handwriting as much as I simply prefer the effect. The Omas, for example, was a closeout at my local store and purchased at a great price. If it were a fine or extra fine, I would have used it as is. The medium nib it came with was (to me) boring, and I could get the same look with a .7mm gel pen (except for the shading). It also was of little use to me as a daily writer. I primarily take notes; whether it's from meetings, making a to-do list, entering appointments in my planner, or annotating comments on various documents and presentations. A fine or extra fine nib becomes very useful due to limited space.

 

My experience with Pendleton's grind (in the linked Pelikan review) was that (with a light touch) it makes a medium nib capable of writing very fine, yet can also write with the width of a medium if desired. The added line variation adds a little interest / flair.

 

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa163/roomdog/Pens/OmasSample400_zps89aeb3db.jpeg

[pajaro]

I like the effect of the stub and cursive italic also, but my approach was to find factory stub or italic nibs. I accidentally acquired a Minuskin P51 1.2 stub that is nice. I like extra fine and fine nibs, and I see nothing wrong with having medium and broad nibs ground into a shape you will like. It's likely less expensive than pursuing factory stub or italic nibs. These nibs you had ground are great work. A lot of people have nibs ground, so there must be something to it.

[I like mango cheesecake]

I sent him one of my pens and it's now a pleasure to write with. Before it was just like writing with a jiffy marker

[katerchen]

Impressive ...

 

Did you ask for anything specific, or is this the default grind?

 

(Also : what was the turnaround time)

 

Thanks,

-k

[dneal]

I like the effect of the stub and cursive italic also, but my approach was to find factory stub or italic nibs. I accidentally acquired a Minuskin P51 1.2 stub that is nice. I like extra fine and fine nibs, and I see nothing wrong with having medium and broad nibs ground into a shape you will like. It's likely less expensive than pursuing factory stub or italic nibs. These nibs you had ground are great work. A lot of people have nibs ground, so there must be something to it.

 

I started with factory stubs / italics too, but I found out that there's a big difference between them and custom ground nibs. I like the custom jobs better.

 

Impressive ...

 

Did you ask for anything specific, or is this the default grind?

 

(Also : what was the turnaround time)

 

Thanks,

-k

 

That's the default grind. You can let him know how wet or smooth you want it, how much pressure you apply to the nib when you write, etc...

 

Turn around time is on his website, and you can pay a little more for "express" service (about 3 days).

[Behike54]

I just sent my new Lamy 2K with a "b" nib.

 

It's all true. Easy to work with, funny as hell, and great communication.

 

I think his turnaround time is reasonable, and his work speaks for itself.

 

I can't wait to get my pen!

[BamaPen]

What is really fun is to meet up with Pendleton at a pen show, then sit and interact with him as he grinds the nib. He will occasionally stop and hand over the pen to try, then he continues the process until it is exactly what I want.

 

He is always at the Atlanta Pen Show, so I always take at least one pen for him to work his magic on.

 

John

[I like mango cheesecake]

I took a pic of my hand position on the pen and sent it to him. He took that into account.

[Barnaby Bumble]

The Ogiva looks finer after the modification than the MB does. Do you find that to be the case in real life?

[dneal]

The Ogiva looks finer after the modification than the MB does. Do you find that to be the case in real life?

 

Most definitely. I included both of them in a "comparo" in This Thread, and noted that:

 

"The thing is that this particular nib is very flexible. It only takes the slightest pressure for the tines to spread and to get line variation. Combined with the stub treatment, it is difficult for me to get the results of the other two BLS's unless I write with the lightest of hands."

[Barnaby Bumble]

Heh. Yeah, I saw that thread after I saw this one. At least I found out the ol' eyes can still pick up fine detail every now and then.