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Nibs For Work And School


Vunter

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This may sound like a dumb question because what nibs to use for different purposes is very much a personal preference kind of thing; nonetheless, I'm going to ask it anyways. At this point in the Hobby, I have tried all sorts of Nibs and have really started to hone in on what I like. What gets it going for me are stub nibs I find them incredibly fun to write with and also like the aesthetic they bring to my writing.

In all my research and experiments I see that people often recommend using Fine nibs for school, work, notes etc... I only really tend to write with Stub nibs or Medium nibs since those are my preferences, but am I wondering if it's really worth getting one or two fine nibs for said purpose? I've tried a few fine nibs and I tend not to like them more than Stubs, but at the same time have never written much beyond a couple of sentences. I'm curious if there are other people out there that are in the same boat as me and picked up some fine nibs for the sole purpose of work, school, and notes even though they have other nib preferences?

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The only reasons I can see to use a nib other than your personal preference are:

  1. If someone else has to read what you write. And this can depend on additional details - e.g. if you're trying to fill out tiny fields on a form with a 1.9mm stub, well, whoever has to make sense of it isn't going to like you.
  2. The circumstances make you want to write with something different (e.g. you'd rather write small to get all your notes for a class onto fewer pages than use your normal nibs, even though a small nib isn't usually your preference).

Beyond those (and whatever of that kind of thing I missed), I see no reason to switch nibs. (And "everybody else is doing it" is a really bad reason, in my opinion.)

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The only reasons I can see to use a nib other than your personal preference are:

  1. If someone else has to read what you write. And this can depend on additional details - e.g. if you're trying to fill out tiny fields on a form with a 1.9mm stub, well, whoever has to make sense of it isn't going to like you.
  2. The circumstances make you want to write with something different (e.g. you'd rather write small to get all your notes for a class onto fewer pages than use your normal nibs, even though a small nib isn't usually your preference).

Beyond those (and whatever of that kind of thing I missed), I see no reason to switch nibs. (And "everybody else is doing it" is a really bad reason, in my opinion.)

Thanks for your opinion. My initial thinking was pretty much exactly what you touched upon.

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I used fines & mediums for school/paperwork/work orders primarily due to paper quality. If I was using my own notebooks or paper, there was never any reason not to use whatever pen I wanted. It's worth keeping at least a medium nib at the ready though because there are inevitably times when you will have to write on paper where you have no control over the quality, but may still want to use a fountain pen.

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Try a soft fine. See if that floats your boat. Like the Pilot <SFM> nib. it is a joy.

 

I am not that into fine nibs but use a few for work stuff. My favorite fine nibs for this purpose are Sheaffers. Sailor also makes fine nibs of high precision, which can be fun for drawing etc.

 

But if you are writing see if the bounce and wetness of the Pilot soft nibs gives you some fun. Again, I prefer big nibs but I do reach for my C74 with the soff fine medium pretty often and really enjoy it.

 

Like you, I am an edge nib guy. Stubs.

Looking for a cap for a Sheaffer Touchdown Sentinel Deluxe Fat version

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I have used fountain pens for my whole adult life but had only ever used fine or medium nibs because they were what came with the pen from the shop. I had never even heard of oblique or stub, and thought that italic just described a nib that came in a child's inexpensive, poor quality calligraphic pen set at Christmas. In short, I was an ignorant functional user.

 

Then, three years ago, one of our trainees at work opened my eyes to the rich variety of pens that were available when he brought a fabulous vintage pen to work (he had restored it from junk). A new journey of discovery began (and continues).

 

I had learned about old pens but still knew nothing about the variety of nibs available. At my first pen show, in January 2014, I was mesmerised by watching John Sorowka (the renowned UK nibwright) at work grinding a nib for a customer. I think that he could tell that I was spell-bound because, when he had finished with that customer, he started telling me what he was doing. He watched me write and diagnosed that I was a nib rotator (I didn't even know that there was such a beast) and used a vaguely italic style in my writing. He invited me to try a double-broad left oblique cursive italic nib on a Parker 75 Cislele. WOW! Just WOW!! He said afterwards that the look on my face as I wrote was like watching a blind man see again. I bought that pen from him immediately and a very expensive hobby – no, passion – was born.

 

From then on my M and F nibs became despicable, crude instruments and everything had to be LOBBCI. One of two pens that I sent to him to grind came back with a bit less line variation – his way of introducing me to stubs.

 

After the initial infatuation, pragmatism made a much needed return as I realised the BB or BBB nibs were just not practicable for work. So, my work pens are now either medium or medium-broad, although I often can't resist adding a LOBCI to the work armoury. No, let's be honest, the LOBCI is the preferred, and useable, pen and the M and M/B play supporting back-up roles.

 

Anyway, in conclusion, after a long pre-amble, I would suggest that you use the nib that gives you the optimum compromise between pleasure and practicability. For me it's a broad oblique cursive italic nib but everyone has their own favourite.

 

Have great fun deciding.

 

Cheers,

David.

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Eventually,*** one gets to German '50-65 era stubbish semi-flex....and the step beyond that is German Oblique of that era....no other era's. You have the stubbishness, the fair flex and a ++ ride, along with the oblique.

 

I wouldn't stop at that Pilot' "soft-what ever" but go straight to the real goods of '50-60's German Semi-flex.

 

***in spite of living in Germany it was eventually too....in spending money on a "fountain pen" was so odd, ....then E40-50 way back in the good old days for a Pelikan 140 was expensive.

7-8 years ago....I didn't know it was cheap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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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My boss had a long dalliance with stubs until he bought a Skyline from Mr. Minuskin with a needlepoint mod. He says it's a revelation.

I suspect his next project will have a very pen-derived style.

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The reason that I used a US Parker Fine nib in college was simply to be able to get more writing on a line and thus more writing on a page. And I wrote small.

 

I use a wider nib on paper at work, because the lesser quality paper has a less smooth surface and the XF/F nibs feel real scratchy. So I have to go to a wider M nib, to get a somewhat smoother writing feel.

 

If I was doing bookeeping, it would be a XF, to write numbers into the small boxes.

I used a 0.3mm pencil in college for writing numbers on columnar paper.

 

Similarly, writing on forms, the box size drives how large a nib I can use. And usually the box sizes are not large enough, and with a US Parker F nib or TWSBI/Lamy EF, I still end up going outside the boxes. I swear that people who design forms, do not actually fill them out to see if they can write and fit their own forms. 10 digit phone number in 1/2 inch???

San Francisco Pen Show - August 28-30, 2020 - Redwood City, California

www.SFPenShow.com

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  • 2 weeks later...

Poor paper and a wet ink needs an EF nib...F could be too fat.

 

Often in the work place or school where paper is give out for tests....it is as cheap as possible...after all it was ordered by a ball point user....who don't know the difference....nor care.

 

The only thing one can do is use a drier ink..if one wants to stay with an M...Pelikan 4001 would be good.

Maybe you can smuggle some Pelikan 4001 Blue-Black over the border....or order a single bottle from Europe. It might get through US customs, especially if you order three or four inks.

R&K IG inks would do too in they seem dry.

 

4001 Royal Blue fades.

Edited by Bo Bo Olson

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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As others have said, write with what you love. It will add pleasure to activities like taking notes, writing first drafts, and even thinking things through before a decision. And sometimes that added bit of pleasure shows up clearly in the results.

That said, loving big nibs has its costs--you can't write fine letters as legibly, so you either have to use large notebooks or put so few words on a page that the result ends up looking like conceptual art instead of orderly notes. Nothing wrong with that. Also, broad or edged nibs will have trouble with poor-quality papers. So you may have to spend more than you'd like on your notebooks, you may go through them faster, and you may have to carry another kind of pen for writing on other people's paper.

Small costs for the joy of writing as you wish.

By the way, don't be surprised if your tastes shift or broaden in the future. Lot's of people here have changed nib preferences over time, or become incredibly picky about which pen they will use for what purpose. It's all part of the progressive disease.

ron

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Thanks everyone for all the awesome advice. I'm taking it all in and I have decided to get one or two F or EF pens/nibs for occasions where I can't control paper quality and for form signing. I absolutely loved those ideas/suggestions. I have stuck with my Stub nibs for note taking and it hasn't given me any issues with space so like many have said I'm going to write with what I enjoy.

Now it's time to start an adventure for searching for the right fine nib and pen. Just when I finish one fountain pen adventure seems like I manage to create another. It's like whack a mole lol.

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