Nibs that bring you joy

[sidthecat]

I have lost my heart to a Mabie Todd ringtop with a supernaturally flexible nib - Medium to Triple Broad. It's not its theoretical capacity that thrills, but that it flexes beautifully with the whisper of pressure I give it while writing. I have a lot of pens, and I could sell them all and just keep this one.

And it cost me like fifty bucks.

[Bo Bo Olson]

You will some day have more pens.

 

Chase The Nib.

 

If one only counts every other from F to BB in Stub and CI; there are at least 45 other different nibs; in all widths and flexes one can have. XXF, EF, F, M, B, BB...well some go wild and get BBB.

Nail, semi-nail, regular flex, semi-flex, maxi-semi-flex..........and three levels of superflex.....no hurry.......dither much, perhaps the nib width and flex comes in one of the 3 or so brands you collect; if you go back far enough.

 

Chase the nib you don't have and not some make and model. I really don't think you need all 51 colors of the P-51.

 

I have 35 semi-flex and 14 maxi-semi-flex.........very slightly flexi. Flair nibs (they write with a nice clean line).....not for calligraphy and how fat can I make the nib write....that is for superflex.

 

Slowly I got into springy comfortable riding regular flex nibs. (Some 15 or so of them now) That is a stage stiffer than semi-flex.........it too writes with a clean line............and being a touch dryer handles two toned shading inks better than semi-flex, which has to have a better paper and ink match for shading..............in semi-flex due to ease of nib bend and spread, is a wetter writer.

 

I put my first semi-flex pen a Pelikan 140, that I'd read about on the com on my thumbnail to check the flex.....; suddenly I knew what the fuss was all about, with out even inking the pen.

 

It is a life time hobby; And The Golden Rule of Fountain Pens IS: don't hurry.

 

Do not join The Pen of the Week in the Mail Club.

Nor pen of the month.

Pen of the quarter works best in you have so much time to profoundly dither. And get a better pen...having saved up money....suggest an antique glass milk bottle..

 

Then there the amazing inks.....and remember the paper that makes them dance.

[collectorofmanythings]

My Sailor Pro Gear Slim Mini- it is my favorite fountain pen. Personally, I love Sailor nibs and don’t mind that it is a nail and love the feedback.

[jandrew]

 

Weighing in here again --- I received a custom jowo #6 from Kirk Speer at PenRealm a couple days ago. It is a 0.2mm PO nib (a needlepoint posting nib). I told him I write with a pretty light touch but still want to "feel" the paper. This nib writes with the lightest touch in all directions, produces a very fine (but not too dry) line, and provides just the right "scritch scritch" tactile feeback (for me, anyway). A joyful nib to be sure.

[MHBru]

I have three Pelikan M800s that all write like a dream.. then I got a Nakaya and had John customize the nib before shipping and it is divine....  

[Zookie]

I have a platinum prefount that I love using! It's a tiny bit on the dry side, but that's an easy fix.

[maclink]

I recently got a Montblanc No 22.  It came with a springy oblique broad nib.  It's a joy to use, giving your writing a lot of character.  The grinds on some of these Montblanc pens can be really great.  There's a 220 model that I also got with a BB nib.  Again, an exciting nib, but alas, the pen leaks! 

 

The curious thing about all this is that I'm not a fan of broad nibs and use stub nibs only in special circumstances.  However, these two nibs are different.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Send it to Fountainble, (Franis Goossen in Belgium)  here on the com. Does great work economically. Otherwise I'd have to butcher a few corks myself doing it the proper way. I'd rather have someone who knows he's got two  elbows, than me who has one.

 

And do get it re-corked, not with a plastic gasket.

Properly corked, sized, then boiled in oil and beeswax, makes the smoothest of gaskets according to Marshal&Oldfield's masterly Pen Repair Book.

 

Yep as I preach semi-flex oblique is the only way to fly.

It is, I've regular flex obliques (Pelikans in they are 'modern' 82-97)  where you have to Hunt for line variation with a Honking Big 1 1/2 or 7cm thick magnifying glass. Nails and semi-nails have none to the minus 3. 

None to be had in semi-nail 400/600/& nail 800....which thankfully I don't have........learned about nail oblique with Lamy.

 

There are Bock 1000's from '97 to @ 2010 that were semi-flex, but when Pelikan took their nibs back in House they went to regular flex. I have a 1005 with OBB......sadness is contagious, stay away from anything but 50's-60's---'72 with Geha obliques.

 

I have OBB, OB, OM & OF in both semi-flex and maxi-semi-flex.

I decided OEF was too small for my old eyes so never chased one.

Well I did but someone had replaced the OEF on the Geha 790 with a maxi-semi-flex EF.....so I was happy.....taking a quick thought, EF is rather thin, in the old Vintage nibs as was, and back then I doubt if I had great enough paper for an OEF....and scratched it off my wish list.

3 hours ago, maclink said:

It came with a springy oblique broad nib.

[mouse2cat]

I am having a lefty love affair with this freaking Oblique Medium nib on my 1970s era 120 Pelikan

 

[Bo Bo Olson]

That's an M&K Pelikan  pen then, and I don't own any of them.

Could be semi-flex....but if it is....I didn't know, or I might have gotten one back when I was a pure semi-flex snob.

 

Some day get a  vintage ('50-65 for pelikan '72 for Geha)140, 400/400nn or Geha 790 in semi-flex oblique.

The Geha 790 is cheaper and has a tad springier nib than the Pelikans.

 

Two posters I respect told us that, and I took my 4 Geha 790's and 4 Pelikan 400/140/400nn's and tested them. They were right.

 

I pushed the equally as good and well balanced Geha 790 here on the com from the days when they were going for E-12*** compared to a E-60 for a 140 or 400...

Classic torpedo shape of the early '50's Swan or MB 146/9.

 

..now last time I looked a year or so ago, the 790 was going for E-60 over here on German Ebay...vintage 400's E-100, the 400nn, from E-100 to 120.....not the Buy Now Idiot price aimed at Americans of $280 or more.

There are still a lot of pens at 'reasonable' prices to be had on German Ebay.....if you Hunt....and don't get bid crazy.

Hunting for a pen at the right price....is fun.

But if you want a pen yesterday, and won't Hunt, you pay tomorrow's impatient price.

 

The seller has to take pay pal and ship to the States. Some won't ship outside of Germany fearing foreign postal services and too cheap to pay for paypal.

 

*** Yes, I alone am responsible for the price jump....I remember a passed poster telling me not to drive the price up....when it hit 19 up from 12....but I can't keep a secret....especially when I want folks to have fun, like I do.

 

 

 

[Ste_S]

At the moment, it's a Sailor fine steel nib on a Shikiori (Procolor). Has taught that me that hard Japanese fine nibs with pencil like feedback are actually loads of fun.

[Detman101]

Secretary of De Flex
Amazingly awesome and perfectly flexy in every way. Feed is a bit wetter than I'm used to but I'm adjusting to it.

 

[Mangrove Jack]

On 2/26/2021 at 11:59 PM, ibrahim said:

What are some of the best nibs that you have written with recently that you are filled with joy every time you pick up the pen and start writing?

 

1. A replacement Lamy 1.1mm stub nib I got for my Lamy Studio. An absolute dream to write with and has made my handwriting much nicer too.

 

2. Vintage Lady Sheaffer finger-nail nib medium. Smooth on all types of paper, even cheap photocopy paper. 

[Mangrove Jack]

Sorry double post. Unable to delete.

[Mangrove Jack]

Sorry. Double post. Can't for the life of me figure out how to delete a post.

[Mangrove Jack]

Sorry, double post. Unable to delete.

[OleJuul]

25 minutes ago, Mangrove Jack said:

Sorry, double post. Unable to delete.

You can edit a post and delete the contents of it.

There's generally no reason to actually delete a post and it would screw up the numbering.

[A Smug Dill]

12 hours ago, Mangrove Jack said:

Can't for the life of me figure out how to delete a post.

 

Essentially the same (commentary and) procedure as for this:

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/gallery/image/2329-how-to-request-to-move-ones-own-post-to-a-different-forum-section/

 

[Mangrove Jack]

Thank you Ole and Smug Dill.

[Arcticart]

 

I bought 2 broad "raw" nibs for grinding from bobby and this generic "Iridium point germany" came in the same bag as an extra. As it was an extra throw away nib, I figured I'd try grinding it to an architect on a defective Jinhao 159 I was prepared to toss as well. It was all for practice and I expected nothing. I got a nib that puts a smile on my face every time I write with it. Talk about beginners luck.