How Scratchy Are Pelikan's Gold Ef Nibs?

[Kpp80202]

I have read that Pelican's fine gold nibs run quite broad, and I've read that their extra-fine nibs (not sure of which material) are not very smooth writers, but haven't seen anything specifically reviewing Pelikan's extra-fine gold nibs. I'm asking because I think my next purchase may be a Pelikan M600 (or possibly an M800 if I can find a deal), and I don't think anything much broader than a Lamy fine steel nib would work well with my somewhat cramped handwriting. (For what it's worth, I love the smooth feel of the Lamy fine nib.) Can you experts let me know your thoughts?

[Bo Bo Olson]

First the 400-600-800&1000 are @ 1/2 a width wider than semi-vintage '82-97 and vintage '50-65. The 200 is still semi-vintage width.

 

Gold is not necessary softer, springier or better than steel. I do have fantastic vintage steel nibs that match the gold ones.

A nail is a nail, be it gold or steel....and the same for any other flex rate.....I have fine steel and gold semi-flex nibs that are equal.

 

I personally find the springy regular flex 200's nibs to be more enjoyable than the modern gold ones.........it is as nice and springy as my 1005. Regular flex use to be 'normal issue', but by the '90's companies went away from it because of Ham Fisted Ball Point Crossover users bending the hell out of the nibs.They went to stiffer nibs. Pelikan knows many folks still hold a fountain pen like a ball point so made the nib tips fat and blobby with the double kugel/ball and a thicker point.

 

The 200's I have don't have that. One can get the nib in gold plate and as long as one is soft in cleaning it it should last years. The 200 writes with a nice clean line, because it's the same nib from semi-vintage days.

 

I have a small 'pre-'97 600 OBB, that writes like a OB 1/2 compared to my 1000 OBB. I found my 605 BB to be fat, when when compared to vintage era German OBB's and B's.

(I'm not really factoring in the normal Tolerance of a nib that could have an EF that exactly = as an F and still be with in tolerance. There will be fat and narrow nibs in any nib size, from any company....even the so called number nibs a 1.0 could just as well be 1.1 or 0.09 and still be with in tolerance. If one gets horseshoe close....be happy....in the tolerance is hand grenade wide.

 

Every company has it's very own standards....often having to do with the ink they produce, and their niche.

Back in One Man, One Pen days, Parker made a fatter nib than Sheaffer, in their market survey at the Old Corner Pen Shoppe & brand loyalty showed a fatter nib. Had they made a nib the same width as Sheaffer, some Parker fella could have made a 7-10 year major mistake and bought a Sheaffer instead of a Parker.

 

I would not expect those fatter nibs to be scratchy even in EF. To me I would guess the EF to be a EF-F if compared to a 200 or semi&vintage nibs. If you use a dry ink, it can write up to 1/2 a width narrower, if you use a a good slick paper like Rhoda 80/90g, it can write up to 1/2 a width narrower.

 

Ink is very important, in Pelikan makes a dry ink, they make the nib wider and feed write wetter to balance the dry ink. Waterman made narrower nibs to tame their wet ink.

(Now many Noodler's users consider Waterman inks as dry.

A wet ink and poor paper will make any nib write wider.

 

I do have a EF in 200, which is as is 1/2 a width narrower than modern, and I asked Fritz to go through his nibs and pick the narrowest. I don't consider it scratchy. For an EF I think it's smooth; I don't chase EF's. There is sound when one writes. I've got a fairly lubricated DA Royal Blue in it.

If I"m into the narrowest line, then a Pelikan 4001 ink.

 

I have an old chart from before Japanese pens became popular Pelikan EF was the narrowest of all in semi-vintage days...narrower than Parker, Sheaffer....narrower than the slightly narrower Waterman nibs of that era, which were narrower down to EF where Pelikan was narrowest. I would expect the 200's nib to be the same as it once was.

 

You can screw a springy gold plated or even steel regular flex 200 nib on a 600...it or a 400's nib is not noticeably smaller.

The modern fatter 400/600 are semi-nails, the 800 a nail, the 1000 depending I think on when made either semi-flex or a springy regular flex.

The narrower 200's nib gives a very good springy ride....which would be a plus in EF.

 

There is more to nibs than just narrow, which or how much spring the nib has can matter.

I bought a 200 in marbled brown and gold. With permission of Fritz Schimpf.

I do like the 600's medium-large size, good girth, and it is still light and nimble. I had a wonderful vintage semi-flex B on it.....

It's now a 1.0 stub.

After you buy your 600 EF, take @ $27 and buy a 200's EF.

Edited October 25, 2018 by Bo Bo Olson

[debraji]

I have m200, m400, and m600 Pelikans, in my preferred EF width. Some of the m200's have been a little scratchy, but I was able to smooth them myself, and I just have basic skills. The gold-nibbed m400 and m600 pens have all been super smooth (as long as the times were properly aligned).

 

However, the EF's, gold and steel, have not been consistently narrow. Some write a reasonable EF width, and others are markedly wider.

 

It's basically a crapshoot.

[ENewton]

I have a Pelikan 140 extra fine, and it has feedback--certainly more feedback than my Lamy has--but I wouldn't call it scratchy.

[Kpp80202]

Thank you all for the feedback and commentary. And Bo Bo, you have taught me much with your post. Much, much appreciated.

[1nkulus]

However, the EF's, gold and steel, have not been consistently narrow. Some write a reasonable EF width, and others are markedly wider.

 

It's basically a crapshoot.

+1

 

You would expect a bit more consistency considering the EF tax.

 

Unfortunately, nib tolerances are quite loose where a fat 'F' = skinny 'M'.

Edited October 26, 2018 by 1nkulus

[PAKMAN]

I started buying my Pelikans with xf nibs because the fine were too wide for my liking. The xf are just right for me, width wise. Some have been a little toothy some have been just right, smoothness wise. A few seconds work smoothing the toothy ones was all it took to make those just right also. So no big deal either way for me.

[inkstainedruth]

I don't normally like EF nibs all that much. But I love the EF nib on my M405 Striated Blue. It's just perfect. No scratchiness, no skipping, no problems.

I actually reach for that pen more than I do the M405 Stresemann, which has a B nib. Nothing wrong that nib either, but it just doesn't wow me, and I'm thinking about maybe getting it reground to something like a cursive italic at some point, just to be a little different (it's technically not the correct nib for that pen anyway -- I wanted a B nib for it so I took what was available, which turned out to be a two-toned nib, but that just makes, my pen a little unique ).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[1nkulus]

I actually reach for that pen more than I do the M405 Stresemann, which has a B nib. Nothing wrong that nib either, but it just doesn't wow me, and I'm thinking about maybe getting it reground to something like a cursive italic at some point, just to be a little different (it's technically not the correct nib for that pen anyway -- I wanted a B nib for it so I took what was available, which turned out to be a two-toned nib, but that just makes, my pen a little unique ).

 

I prefer a two-tone nib on RT/CT pens.

A two-tone nib on a Stresemann is great. A 'B' nib ought to yield a nice 0.7/0.8mm CI.

[DougS]

RT/CT?

[inkstainedruth]

It means "rhodium trim/chrome trim". The M405 series pens have rhodium plated trim and nibs, instead of the gold of the regular M400 pens (I presume that the larger pens would be similar in their trim).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[1nkulus]

It means "rhodium trim/chrome trim". The M405 series pens have rhodium plated trim and nibs, instead of the gold of the regular M400 pens (I presume that the larger pens would be similar in their trim).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

+1

 

All models ending 'xx5' are RT while the others are GT.

[pajaro]

The modern EF nibs are not scratchy unless you do something to make them scratchy. All the old stuff some people like might be different.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Thank you all for the feedback and commentary. And Bo Bo, you have taught me much with your post. Much, much appreciated.

Thanks, we all, or most of us start of ignorant at many levels............I still consider my self rather paper ignorant (even if I have 40 papers)....and my ink knowledge is not up to where it could be.

Could have really learned how to write also.

 

Writing is 1/3 nib width&flex, 1/3 paper, 1/3 paper and in that order.......someone said I needed another 1/3....the writer.

 

I know a bit about German pens (living there where they are cheapest), not much about American....a touch about English, and am ignorant of French, Italian and Japanese pens.

 

If one alternates stub and CI from EF to -BB, there are some 45 or so, nib widths and flexes. Chase the nib you are missing, make and model second.

What do you want the nib to do?

Chase the nib.

 

Once Richard Binder's site, gave me 98% of all I knew, now it's only 93%...in one should learn something in a decade. His site is the bible of fountain pens: nibs, filling systems, good advice about inks and ever so many beautiful vintage pens.

Richard, was one of the great nibmeister and repair men before he retired a few years ago.....there are 5-6 Pen people that are first name. Like Richard, Rick, Ron, and a few others. As one fades away there comes another.

I must have copied 4 megs of posts when I was new............hummm, should go back and read them.

Edited October 28, 2018 by Bo Bo Olson

[1nkulus]

@Bo Bo Olsen

 

You never stop learning until you are six feet under, or at least you shouldn't. Knowledge is power...

[Bo Bo Olson]

Fun too if you don't have to take a test.

[1nkulus]

Fun too if you don't have to take a test.

 

Definitely, no matter how much you think you know it always turns out to be the tip of the iceberg.

 

The more you study, the more you know

The more you know, the more you forget

The more you forget, the less you know

The less you know, the more you study.

So, WHY study?