Pelikan Id?

[DrCodfish]

As a lefty, I can feel your pain ... a little bit. I am an over writer and unfortunately all those fabulously flexy nibs that everyone raves, are kryptonite to my writing. Don't take this the wrong way Bobo, but a CN derschrieber nail is always preferable to me than a super fllex nib. Though the springy gold nibs from the 50's I think treat me very well.

 

All complicated by the fact that I am a ham fisted ex-woodworker, more used to gripping a chain saw than a fountain pen. I envy you guys with the flexy nibs and the skills to use them.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Skills???????????? (I keep promising to practice....but my Mentor, Maynard G. Krebs keeps eeking 'work!!!' in my ears.)

I only have two Wet Noodles, I just scribble normal.....and don't even try to make a semi or maxi-semi-flex do as much fancy as they can. I'm satisfied with the natural flare of the nibs.

 

Semi-flex/maxi and obliques in both do add class with out me doing anything.

[Aysedasi]

I'm not sure it's a theme to develop here (and there are probably threads on it anyway), but is flex pretty much off limits to all left handers? The pens I've bought and had to sell on simply because I can't write with a nib that flexes. The worst for me is that I love vintage Aurora 88s, I've owned at least 8 and have bought countless spare nibs in the hope of finding one that runs a bit wide and is a nail that I can write with. But they all seem to be stupidly fine and flex all over the place!

[DrCodfish]

"...is flex pretty much off limits to all left handers?...." For me, the answer is pretty much yes. There are a few tricks to try to incorporate flex in lefty writing: Changing the orientation of the paper on the desk, changing to a neutral or underwriter positioning, changing how certain pen strokes are drawn. But these all seem to me to be akin to learning to walk a tightrope with crutches.

 

I've learned to inject a little more character into my lefty scrawl, ... with different nib grinds. The first time I wrote with a B nib which John Motishaw had stubbed for me, well, I was giddy. I have a collection of Stub and CI nibs that i really enjoy writing with, though I have found that a formal italic is an invitation to frustration for me

 

More recently I have had Mike Masuyama grind several nibs to right foot Italic, and they have worked out very well for me, but I notice I have to pay much more attention to nib angle.

 

I am toying with the idea of an Architect grind on a nib. But I think I will hold off on that until the day I can actually get to a pen sow and have a nib master actually see how I hold the pen and write it it. Then let him/her figure out what might work to help me get the results desire.

 

But hey, tyhis is just me,and w are all an experiment of 1.

[Aysedasi]

Thanks very much.

 

I actually find left obliques usually work for me - other than Pelikans, which seem completely different to others I've used. For me, the best nibs I've ever written with are Knox OBBs which I regularly buy to put in any pens which have a stock #6 nib. Far, far better than Bocks or or any of the other favoured #6 nibs.

[jmccarty3]

is flex pretty much off limits to all left handers?

 

It may depend on what variety of left-hander you are. I am a left-handed underwriter and can use flexy nibs, although I prefer left obliques. I like Architect's nibs as well. If you are a left-handed over-writer or a pusher (see an excellent discussion of left-handed styles on nibs.com), things may be quite different for you.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Aysedasi, up until @ 10 years ago, Aurora was the last of the semi-flex nib makers....so unless you have a more modern one, your 88's will be semi-flex....they are known for being the thinnest of the European nibs. In fact quite close to Sailor which is the Fat Japanese nib.

The vintage Aurora 88 was always on my to buy list.

I didn't find any on German Ebay, when I had money....and don't speak enough Italian to risk Italian Ebay.

Aurora has come out recently with it's old semi-flex nib under a more modern sounding 'flex' name.

In most it appears when one reads today....wouldn't dream of using the word semi-flex....in semi-flex....don't sound flexi enough for those who don't know better. So they are selling a semi-flex...under a more modern catch term, more with the times......and the nib is much more expensive than it should be, with it's new name.

 

Left handers don't have to use those oblique dip pen holders to get the same line that right handers are looking for.

 

I don't care for modern obliques no matter who makes them, in I'm spoiled by the '50-65 era German pens...out side of Lamy which were even then nails.

 

Often an oblique is only for those who cant their nibs being left eye dominant, so they can see the top of the nib.In the '50-60's when I was in School, there were always a few right handers who canted their nib....and I didn't know why.

 

There are nail obliques lefties can use, in they don't bend. In when I pull, they push, and a nib with some flex works against 3 out of the 4 ways left handers have to write.

One of course could learn Jewish or Arabic which are right to left scripts. Then a right foot semi-flex would do nice.

Edited August 5, 2017 by Bo Bo Olson

[Aysedasi]

 

It may depend on what variety of left-hander you are. I am a left-handed underwriter and can use flexy nibs, although I prefer left obliques. I like Architect's nibs as well. If you are a left-handed over-writer or a pusher (see an excellent discussion of left-handed styles on nibs.com), things may be quite different for you.

 

I'm an underwriter. I have the ink stains to prove it...... But flex has never worked for me, and I've tried very hard to find ways of writing 'around it'.

Edited August 7, 2017 by Aysedasi

[jmccarty3]

Hmm . . . if you're an underwriter, you shouldn't have ink stains, because your hand is kept below the writing line. Overwriters are the ones who have problems with slow-drying inks.

 

https://www.nibs.com/content/left-handed-writers

[Kalessin]

As a lefty overwriter, I find that I like Pelikan's oblique nibs. Sadly, since the discontinuing of obliques and extra broad nibs by Pelikan, buying odd-size nibs has gotten very expensive...

[Aysedasi]

Hmm . . . if you're an underwriter, you shouldn't have ink stains, because your hand is kept below the writing line. Overwriters are the ones who have problems with slow-drying inks.

 

https://www.nibs.com/content/left-handed-writers

 

Hmm, I still manage to smudge somehow......

[Aysedasi]

By the way, if anyone is interested in buying this pen, please say now and save me the extra work of putting it up for sale. Open to realistic offers!

 

[Bo Bo Olson]

I think that would be a grand pen for anyone who has not gotten into semi-flex.

Or don't have a non-ring 400 Tortoise with a 'better' nib than Modern. Narrower, writes with a cleaner line...has a springy comfortable ride.

 

I have it's very slightly stiffer nibbed brother a '90's-97 Germany Tortoise. Either would be good if one wants to use shading ink.

Edited August 13, 2017 by Bo Bo Olson

[Aysedasi]

Just for the record, the pen has been sold.