What An Interesting Difference A Stub Tip Makes

[BKCooper]

It has been a very long time since I have posted here. I recently just got an TWISBI- ECO with a stub nib. It was my birthday and my wife asked what I wanted after much thought I decided I wanted to get an eco. I sent my wife a link to amazon that showed an eco. I didn't even think about which nib it had on it and to my surprise I got a stub nib! I was not sure what to do I had meant to get a med or fine nib. Well I inked it up and fell in love with it! It makes my cursive look like I want it to. My handwriting teds to be small and cramped so the stub nib helps me to open it up and adds some nice wider parts that look awesome. I like that eco as well. So far it has been great and no complaints. Well I'll leave it there. Thanks for allowing me to rave a bit.

[Arcadian]

I agree! Stubs and italics are such a joy to use!

 

- P.

[AAAndrew]

Back in the day of dip pens, stubs were considered the pens to use when you needed to write quickly and smoothly. I'm a fan as well, and while I don't use them all the time, periodically I'll get one out and have fun with it. (both in fountain as well as dip pens)

 

I wrote a little about them on my steel dip pen site. https://thesteelpen.com/2018/02/05/stub-pens/

 

Here's a comparison I did one time between a stub dip pen (Hunt X-62) on the left, and a pointed dip pen (Eagle E840) on the right.

 

[Cast]

I too am a fan of stubs. I have converted my Lamys and Metropolitans to stubs. I bought a Twisbi Go with a stub. I wish there were other affordable stub nibs. I had hopes for the Sailor Calligraphy 1.5, but so far I much prefer the other nibs.

[sidthecat]

I oscillate between stubs and fines, but they are delightful things. For some reason most of mine are Mabie Todds and it's delightful to operate a stub with flex.

[SchaumburgSwan]

I oscillate between stubs and fines, but they are delightful things. For some reason most of mine are Mabie Todds and it's delightful to operate a stub with flex.

 

Absolutely!

 

I have some Mabie Todd Swan stubs (F, M and B ) and one Calligraph (italic type).

The F and Calligraph have a smaller sweet spot about the writing angle / rotation, while M and B are perfect for fast notes...

The flex on demand is fascinating...

 

Best

Jens

Edited September 26, 2019 by SchaumburgSwan

[sidthecat]

Oddly, I haven’t seen any broad or stub nibs among the gold-nibbed dip pens I’ve collected. I suspect the gold nibs are for a type of writing that depended on flex: restricted to calligraphers or women.

[AAAndrew]

Oddly, I haven’t seen any broad or stub nibs among the gold-nibbed dip pens I’ve collected. I suspect the gold nibs are for a type of writing that depended on flex: restricted to calligraphers or women.

Stub Metallic pens were first introduced around 1850’s. Esterbrook didn’t make their first one until 1871. The reason to use a stub pen, according to contemporary accounts, was that it was smoother than a pointed pen and so facilitated rapid, smooth writing. They were marketed to professions that required a lot of writing: judge, attorney, lawyer, congressional, chancellor...

 

My guess as to the dearth of stub gold pens is that because of the tipping, you did not need a stub for the pen to be smooth and a rapid writer. Without this need, you could just stick with a “regular” pen.

 

I wouldn’t be surprised if there were gold stubs, they copied a lot of what the steel pen makers were doing, but they are definitely not common.

 

I have a little bit on stub pens here. https://thesteelpen.com/2018/02/05/stub-pens/

[ItsMeDave]

Back in the day of dip pens, stubs were considered the pens to use when you needed to write quickly and smoothly. I'm a fan as well, and while I don't use them all the time, periodically I'll get one out and have fun with it. (both in fountain as well as dip pens)

 

I wrote a little about them on my steel dip pen site. https://thesteelpen.com/2018/02/05/stub-pens/

 

Here's a comparison I did one time between a stub dip pen (Hunt X-62) on the left, and a pointed dip pen (Eagle E840) on the right.

 

 

 

Very nice penmanship!

[Erik Dalton]

I too have taken an interest in stub nibs. They seem to slow my hand down and make me write a bit larger, and easier to read. Definitely makes my pathetic scratchings a bit more presentable.

[Misfit]

My absolute favorite nibs. I have 4 TWSBI Eco pens. One I had no choice on nibs, and it came with a F nib. Now it has a Nemosine 1.1mm stub nib. I have tried to make nib choice the deciding factor in pen buying, but I break my own rule sometimes.

 

Conklin has a nice 1.1, and this year Retro 51 came out with a 1.1 nib which is another nice writer. Of course there’s Lamy.

 

I have found the TWSBI Diamond 580 1.1 stub writes wider than the Eco/Mini 1.1.

 

If you want to see more, check out the Stub of the Day thread.

[Cursive Child]

It has been a very long time since I have posted here. I recently just got an TWISBI- ECO with a stub nib. It was my birthday and my wife asked what I wanted after much thought I decided I wanted to get an eco. I sent my wife a link to amazon that showed an eco. I didn't even think about which nib it had on it and to my surprise I got a stub nib! I was not sure what to do I had meant to get a med or fine nib. Well I inked it up and fell in love with it! It makes my cursive look like I want it to. My handwriting teds to be small and cramped so the stub nib helps me to open it up and adds some nice wider parts that look awesome. I like that eco as well. So far it has been great and no complaints. Well I'll leave it there. Thanks for allowing me to rave a bit.

 

I have just had the same experience! Wrote with round nibs for years, and then tried a Nemosine Fission with a 0.6mm JoWo #6 stub. My cursive writing is dramatically better. I think the stub forces my hand to be steadier and keep a more consistent angle, so the slant is much more consistent than with a round nib. Especially when I write with a Pelikan, with its very smooth and wet nib.

 

Question for everyone: If I get my Pelikan F nib (0.5 mm) ground to a Cursive Italic, will it give me the same type of improvement as with the stub above? Also attracted to the more crisp edges and line variation....

[AntiqueApprentice]

Hi

I'm a new convert to stub and italic nibs after writing with a fine or extra fine nib for almost 40 years.

What a difference the stub nib makes to both the inks used and my hand writing!

I'm now converting a number of my pens to the stub or italic nibs.

Cheers

AA

[dashreeve]

I am liking the stubs a lot as well! Unfortunately, I have spent way to much money on adding a stub collection!