Buttery Smooth Pen With Fine Nib

[ruru3109]

Hey guys !

 

Do you have any suggestions for a buttery smooth pen with a Fine nib ? I have a TWSBI 580 right now and it just doesn't feel good anymore...

 

Thanks in advance

[pajaro]

Pelikan M400. Pelikan M600. Sheaffer Imperial.

[Pensei]

Any Pilot.

[effrafax]

Why not try to fix the pen you have? Have a look at the tipping with a strong magnifying glass, or if you have one, preferably a loupe (10x - 30x). Check that the tines are aligned and not out of whack. There are plenty of guides on this site and others as to what to look for and how to fix it, and it's not difficult, just requires the aforementioned loupe and some patience.

 

FYI I have a 580 with an EF nib, permanently loaded with Nooder's Catalpa, as it's the only pen I've tried that the ink doesn't misbehave in. I've also got a classic and a couple of Ecos with 1.1 ci nibs (which I've sharpened up a little). I enjoy using them all.

[effrafax]

P.S. There's also the option of replacing the nib. Nib units for TWSBIs are readily available, if you don't feel like fiddling with the existing nib.

[minddance]

Hey guys !

 

Do you have any suggestions for a buttery smooth pen with a Fine nib ? I have a TWSBI 580 right now and it just doesn't feel good anymore...

 

Thanks in advance

Why does it "not feel good anymore"?

[IndigoBOB]

Have you tried a more lubricated and/or wetter ink?

[Pichak]

+1 for Pelikan.

[RoyalBlueNotebooks]

No budget? +1 for Pelikan. My mother's Pelikans feel like butter on paper.

On a budget, Pilot's steel nibs are great. I haven't tried any gold Pilot nib but I can assume they only get better.

[keto]

Lamy. I'm mostly a medium guy, my aion is the smoothest thing I own.....but a couple days ago I bought a 2000, for a daily carry and bought it in EF because I'll be scribbling a lot of notes on cheap paper and don't want the wide line.....I am shocked how smooth it is, though it's admittedly not as fine as a Japanese fine.

 

Someone mentioned Pilot, I have 2 here that are not smooth....a Metro in F that I hate writing with, and a Falcon in soft medium that I love writing with, but I wouldn't call it smooth.

[LizEF]

I agree with fixing the pen you have, even if you do buy another. If the tines are already aligned, get some micromesh and/or mylar and smooth it out a bit. I found that I became more sensitive to feedback (as in, more aware of how the nib felt) after several months of using fountain pens (and after getting and using different pens). If that's what's happened to you, and you just want that nib a little smoother, no reason not to do it yourself.

 

As for smooth fine nibs... Remember that the Japanese brands will have a finer fine than the TWSBI, and from everything I hear, Pelikan nibs are notably larger than other western nibs of the same size designation (so a Pelikan EF might be closer to your TWSBI F, and a Pelikan F might be more like a TWSBI M). Though I'm not sure if this is only the gold Pelikan nibs or also the steel, so it would be wise to investigate that. But otherwise, yes, I've heard they're very smooth nibs.

 

Faber-Castell Looms are said to have amazingly smooth nibs.

 

My Pilot fine nibs (gold and steel) are very smooth. My Lamy EF was super smooth out of the box, as was my Nemosine EF.

[friedrichwild]

Pelikan's gold fine nibs are indeed buttery smooth. But they are as fine as a Japanese medium. Pelikan EF nibs are smooth enough and they are as Japanese fines (sometimes broader than that). Between pelikan EF and pilot fine (say pilot custom 823), i would choose Pilot. But if i were to choose between pelikan fine and pilot medium i would go with pelikan. All in all, if you really like a thin line, Japanese pens is your way to go.

Edited February 3, 2018 by friedrichwild

[ac12]

Search the forum, this question has been asked MANY times.

 

There are FOUR (4) variables that affect smoothness. The pen is only one of the variables. Change just one variable and smoothness goes away. And the variables interact between each other

• The pen
  • In general wider nibs are smoother writing, because the wider nib is less sensitive to the surface texture of the paper.
  • The nib must be in alignment, when held at writing angle.
  • The shape/profile of the tipping will affect smoothness. A nice sphere or elipse is probably the best. There are profiles on older pens which are NOT smooth.
  • An old pen that has a flat spot on the tipping, likely has an edge along the flat spot that will write scratchy.
  • The pen has to flow ink adequately. A dry pen will be scratchy, as it does not have enough lubricant/ink to adequately lubricate the nib on the paper.
• The ink
  • Ink is the lubricant between the pen and the paper. You need enough lubricant.
  • Inks vary in their lubricity, or how much lubrication they provide.
  • You MUST match the ink wetness to the pen's ink flow.
• The paper
  • For smooth writing, especially with a FINE nib, you need HARD SMOOTH paper, such as Clairefontaine and Rhodia.
  • In general the finer the nib the smoother and harder the paper has to be.
  • Surface texture of the paper can snag an XXF or finer nib.
• You, the writer
  • The more you press on the pen, the more friction you will have between the pen and the paper. So you NEED to write with a light hand.

Edited February 3, 2018 by ac12

[Driften]

I think you really need to ask why the 580 does not feel good any more. So the nib did feel smooth to start with? What changed? Paper, ink? How long have you used the pen? Maybe it just needs to be flushed out. The last thing you need is to spend money on a new pen and then it does not feel good any more. There is nothing in general wrong with the nib the 580's use.

 

If you are just looking for excuses to buy a new pen sure lots of options for a next level pen there is nothing wrong with that.

[minddance]

I agree with Driften.

 

If your TWSBI can "not feel good anymore", then that can happen to any new pen.

 

I am curious, what has changed?

[fphilipp]

My Pilot VP with a fine nib writes really smooth. Surprisingly so for such a fine nib.

[tgoto]

Some vintage ones might be worth looking into.

My Vacumatic is so smooth.

 

As for modern pens, I like Pilot VP fine nib.

 

Another option is to get a pen you like and get the nib adjusted by a nib meister...

[ruru3109]

I think you really need to ask why the 580 does not feel good any more. So the nib did feel smooth to start with? What changed? Paper, ink? How long have you used the pen? Maybe it just needs to be flushed out. The last thing you need is to spend money on a new pen and then it does not feel good any more. There is nothing in general wrong with the nib the 580's use.

 

If you are just looking for excuses to buy a new pen sure lots of options for a next level pen there is nothing wrong with that.

First, thanks for the suggestions guys ! As for what have changed, I'd say nothing much ! I actually let my pen sit for some weeks as I was out of the country. When I came back, I inked it with some asa gao, and it didn't feel as "smooth" as before. Paper is clairefontaine, and the nib is aligned and doesn't feel scratchy. I think I just got more sensitive to the pen's feedback !

[Driften]

First, thanks for the suggestions guys ! As for what have changed, I'd say nothing much ! I actually let my pen sit for some weeks as I was out of the country. When I came back, I inked it with some asa gao, and it didn't feel as "smooth" as before. Paper is clairefontaine, and the nib is aligned and doesn't feel scratchy. I think I just got more sensitive to the pen's feedback !

 

 

It could be you are just more sensitive, or if this was right after washing the pen out for refilling it could be there is moisture or something affecting the flow and in a couple of days it will feel like you remember it. Or if you did not clean it after it sitting a few weeks it might just need cleaning, but a few weeks should not have impacted a 580. My piston filling pens, including a Eco and 580, can go much longer then that before the nib drying out.

 

I have seen on two eye dropper filled F-C's as some of the water evaporated out of the ink my Iroshizuku inks did not feel as wet and the nibs did not glide like they used to, but topping them off fixed the issue.

 

Good Luck!

[Inkling13]

Something to consider, the thinner and finer your line, the more feedback or roughness will be perceived. Think about the next time you take a shopping cart into the parking lot. Your cart will transmit every crack, bump, rock and imperfection into your hand. But the moment you climb into your car with much larger tires, you feel it much less. I know it's not a perfect analogy, but similar.