Smooth Pen That Gives No Feedback

[ibrahim]

I tried to smooth pens with sand paper before and each one of them I damaged and regretted having done it in the first place. I should know my limitations.

[Flounder]

There are lots of pens with smooth nibs. If you want smooth with absolutely no feedback, I would suggest a fairly bold nib ground wiith a generous semi-flat pad area, referred to as "padding" in Richard Binder's nib smoothing workshop notes.

 

I have 3 pens with nibs ground this way. They are all Newhaven nibs:

 

* A 50's English Duofold Senior nib in a Duofold AF (not the one I reviewed here on FPN)

 

* Two Parker 51s. One of the 51s was '49 marked, the other was unmarked in a late 51.

 

Due to the pad, they write quite wet despite a close tine gap, have no hesitancy at all, no feedback I can discern, and do feel like they are skating on the ink. and I'm not a very good skater.

 

This feature is of course nib specific rather than model, which isn't much hep in a search!

 

Having said that, I prefer a slight feedback over absolutely none myself. These nibs, are expertly ground, but get little use.

 

[ibrahim]

Flounder, you are so amazing and your reply is very helpful. Such detail and all these explanations! Thank you very much. Have a lovely weekend.

[sirgilbert357]

I tried to smooth pens with sand paper before and each one of them I damaged and regretted having done it in the first place. I should know my limitations.

 

MicroMesh is a more forgiving tool in my experience...I have done the sandpaper too, don't know what grit it was (it was included with an Esterbrook I bought), and it wasn't that great of a finished result. I had no idea what I was doing though, lol. That's why I would practice on a few cheap nibs first. You can get replacement Noodler's nibs for between 2 and 6 bucks to practice on if you already have a pen that takes them.

[ibrahim]

sirgilbert357, you make excellent points. Frankly, I want to be sure I use a pen as a tool and not to turn it into an obsession, I hope I just want to get the right pen and be done with it. So, to buy the micro mesh kit it at least 20 dollars. And why waste money? I could use this twenty dollars to buy more bags of beans or something for the house. Expenses never end and I want to act responsible, and not keep buying cheap pens so I can micro mesh them and do none of the writing that I am called to do

 

I appreciate very much your interest on my behalf and willingness to help, sirgilbert357. Have a very lovely day and a super weekend.

[sirgilbert357]

sirgilbert357, you make excellent points. Frankly, I want to be sure I use a pen as a tool and not to turn it into an obsession, I hope I just want to get the right pen and be done with it. So, to buy the micro mesh kit it at least 20 dollars. And why waste money? I could use this twenty dollars to buy more bags of beans or something for the house. Expenses never end and I want to act responsible, and not keep buying cheap pens so I can micro mesh them and do none of the writing that I am called to do

 

I appreciate very much your interest on my behalf and willingness to help, sirgilbert357. Have a very lovely day and a super weekend.

 

I completely understand. Sometimes we just need a tool to get the job done!

[BookCat]

One of the smoothest nibs I have out-of-the-box is on a Cross Century II. The nib is gold and it wasn't a cheap pen when I bought it in 98. The pen is really nice, but men may not like it because it's very thin.

 

Another very smooth nib is on a Hero 616 (a Chinese copy of the Parker 51). This is only smooth because I spent time working on the nib, making it broad and so smooth it glides. It wasn't the first fountain pen I'd worked on and I had ruined a few when starting; all of them were only £1 or £2 each.

[Abner C. Kemp]

Alright, here's my take and I hope it is helpful.

 

The fact is, there is always some quality issues with nibs. Actually, maybe not even quality issues, but simply each nib is going to be very slightly different. So, if you take a group of 10 Faber Castell Looms, you might find 4 that are really smooth, 2 that are decent, and 4 that are feedbacky. Your writing angle also makes a difference -- so, the nib a nib that you find feedbacky might be a buttery smooth writer for someone else. The fact that you've tried a Lamy 2000 and a Faber Castell and have been unimpressed means it is unlikely there is a "better" manufacturer you will find for nib smoothness. Actually, it seems as if Faber Castell is generally mentioned as having the smoothest steel nibs.

 

Point is, there is no nib that you can buy that anyone can guarantee is going to be smooth. In my case, the smoothest nibs I own are on a Lamy 2000 and a Pilot Metropolitan. Seriously, my $15 Pilot Metropolitan is smoother than my Pelikan M1000, Pilot Custom 74, Faber Castell Ambition, exc. And, that's not to say those other pens have "bad" nibs -- actually I quite like a little bit of feedback in some nibs.

 

In my experience there is 3 ways you can find the smoothest nib possible.

 

1. You can visit a brick and mortar store where you can try out the actual nib you are going to purchase.

 

2. You can send your nib to a nib mister who can smooth your nib based on your preferences and writing style.

 

3. You can buy some 8000 and 12000 grit paper and practice smoothing nibs yourself (which is what I did to my metropolitan). Obviously, I probably wouldn't go doing this to a 14k gold nib right away but if you purchase a few cheap pens and practice it might be something you would want to try on your Faber Castell.

[Buzz_130]

I enjoy my fountain pens with different levels of feedback. I like the feeling of the contact with the paper. As I'm writing, I like the sensation of the act of writing with a fine writing tool. Different nib manufacturers, different nibmeisters, and even different owners define, create, and use nibs with different ideals in mind.

 

But as you are looking for the buttery smooth feel on a fountain pen, you will generally want a broader nib. The nib travels on a pool of ink as a lubricant that moves over the paper. The more ink you are laying down, the more likely you will have a smooth feel. Additionally, you will have to figure out your sweet spot on your nib. If you rotate the angle too high or too low or rotate too far left or right, you'll find any fountain pen will become a scratchy device. Additionally, you'll have to consider your paper. The feedback comes from the contact of the nib and the paper. You're only looking at 1/2 of the equation. The Japanese make incredibly smooth paper that feels like glass. And it's one of the reasons I don't use it much as I like that feeling of feedback.

 

To get everything you are looking for in your pen, you should buy a pen that you like in your hand. The weight, balance, diameter, and nib should be something that you like. Then take your pen to a pen show to sit down with a nibmeister for the smooth grind for your hand. All of them watch how you write, and you can provide the instant request for change. Your second best option is to send away to a nibmeister.

 

Otherwise, it's going to be guesswork on buying a pen with the qualities you seek.

 

Buzz

[ibrahim]

Crazy Cat Lady, I appreciate your commenting. My wife has a pen like your and it is so beautiful and we both love it for how it writes, for the botanical decoration on it and it is her daily writing journal pen I am aware that the broader the nib the smoother it is hahaha but I want to eat my cake and have it too hahahha I want it fine and super smooth, all at once! Aren't I picky?

[ibrahim]

Abner C. Kemp, your input is so valuable to me. It's enlightening to me that your Pilot Metropolitan is smoother than my Pelikan M1000. No more lusting for me after the Pelikan M 1000 as it is obviously not going to meet my need for the magic pen It is good to hear you say that you like a bit of feedback in your writing. I need to learn from you and get used to a bit of feedback in my Faber Castell Loom. I appreciate very much your detail and so helpful reply.

[jar]

Finding very smooth nib pens is not too hard. Finding very smooth fine nib pens that are pretty has not been much of a problem. Finding very smooth fine nib pens that are pretty, well built and reliable has never seemed like a great challenge. Finding very smooth fine nib pens that are pretty, well built and reliable and are cheap has been near impossible.

 

A few of my favorites

Montegrappa Juliet.

http://www.fototime.com/3801B14340D4033/large.jpg

ST Dupont Neo-Classique EF

http://www.fototime.com/0BEE23C66840591/large.jpg

Graf von Faber Castell Intuition Terra Cotta

http://www.fototime.com/F69F50F248ED7E3/large.jpg

Caran d'Ache Ecridor Retro

http://www.fototime.com/537F6681C1019C8/large.jpg

Conway Stewart 100

http://www.fototime.com/512C3258062B971/large.jpg

[ibrahim]

Buzz_130, I loved your input and read it with enjoyment and I felt enlightened by it. From you I can learn to like the feeling of the contact with the paper. And for the buttery smooth seek the broader nib. I will also keep in mind to take my pen to a pen show to sit down with a nibmeister for the smooth grind for my hand. No doubt I am getting educated through wonderful friends on the site here like you. I will also look up Japanese journal paper.. I love journaling and of course the smoother the better.

[ibrahim]

Finding very smooth nib pens is not too hard. Finding very smooth fine nib pens that are pretty has not been much of a problem. Finding very smooth fine nib pens that are pretty, well built and reliable has never seemed like a great challenge. Finding very smooth fine nib pens that are pretty, well built and reliable and are cheap has been near impossible.

 

A few of my favorites

Montegrappa Juliet.

http://www.fototime.com/3801B14340D4033/large.jpg

ST Dupont Neo-Classique EF

http://www.fototime.com/0BEE23C66840591/large.jpg

Graf von Faber Castell Intuition Terra Cotta

http://www.fototime.com/F69F50F248ED7E3/large.jpg

Caran d'Ache Ecridor Retro

http://www.fototime.com/537F6681C1019C8/large.jpg

Conway Stewart 100

http://www.fototime.com/512C3258062B971/large.jpg

 

 

Your pens are beautiful and you are so beautiful. Beautiful people have such beautiful taste. Interestingly, I couldn't help but admire your table cloth and the beautiful design you have. I looked up the price and I am SO glad you can afford such pens. May you be blessed in every way and prosper immensely, dear friend.

[jar]

 

 

Your pens are beautiful and you are so beautiful. Beautiful people have such beautiful taste. Interestingly, I couldn't help but admire your table cloth and the beautiful design you have. I looked up the price and I am SO glad you can afford such pens. May you be blessed in every way and prosper immensely, dear friend.

 

You can get the same results with less expensive pens but only by investing personal effort. You can either invest in learning how to smooth a nib or hire someone already experienced to do it for you.