To grind or not to grind my vintage 149. Need some advice please. Thx!

[dmvara]

So hello to all.   It's been awhile since I have posted on here.  So here is my tiny question.  I have 2 149s.  One is the calligraphy and the other is a vintage with the ebonite feed.  I was contemplating sending the vintage one in to Nibsmith for a grind to either a stub, CSI, or CI.  I guess I am not sure if it is worth changing the M nib in favor of something else when I already have the flex Calligraphy.  Will I be let down and gravitate back to the flex more even after grinding down the 149 to a different nib?  Should I just leave it as a M nib?  I have never written with a CI or CSI style nib.  I have only written with  a metal stub and I am certain it is totally different experience with an 18k nib.

I could just sell it off and just keep my 149 Calligraphy, but it is nice to have a vintage piece.  Just trying to decide what is the best course of action.  Thank you for any advice you may have and have a great day my fellow writers.

[Karmachanic]

I'll  have a 149 F CI ground 3:1 arriving in the mail tomorrow.

The Calligraphy experience is one thing and  a CI another.  It's your pen, do what you want.  😁

[Paul-in-SF]

The only possible downside I can see is that your nib will no longer be "original," you will have modified it. That might affect the re-sale value (I don't know by how much), especially if your vintage 149 is of any historical interest in its own right. Only you can decide how much this possibility concerns you. 

 

Karmachanic is write, any of the nib grinds you are proposing will be a different writing experience from the calligraphy nib. So keeping the vintage pen and modifying it seems like a very reasonable choice to me. 

[dmvara]

4 hours ago, Karmachanic said:

I'll  have a 149 F CI ground 3:1 arriving in the mail tomorrow.

The Calligraphy experience is one thing and  a CI another.  It's your pen, do what you want.  😁

Very true.  I guess I will have to decide if keeping both is worth it for me.  I don't have a lot of pens.  I just need a few to make me happy and enjoy writing.  I do have my bullseye set on a Hemingway, so I might sell off the vintage 149 for some cash to offset that one which will be a bank breaker for sure.  LOL!

[dmvara]

3 hours ago, Paul-in-SF said:

The only possible downside I can see is that your nib will no longer be "original," you will have modified it. That might affect the re-sale value (I don't know by how much), especially if your vintage 149 is of any historical interest in its own right. Only you can decide how much this possibility concerns you. 

 

Karmachanic is write, any of the nib grinds you are proposing will be a different writing experience from the calligraphy nib. So keeping the vintage pen and modifying it seems like a very reasonable choice to me. 

Ye, I thought about that too and I asked Lisa and in her opinion it's just a 149 which is true to some degree.  If it was a Writer'e edition that would be a whole different story.  Time to think about it... thanks!!

[meiers]

I PERSONALLY do not send my pens to be ground down --- ever!

I like all my nibs... the way they are… 

 

[meiers]

8 hours ago, Karmachanic said:

I'll  have a 149 F CI ground 3:1 arriving in the mail tomorrow.

The Calligraphy experience is one thing and  a CI another.  It's your pen, do what you want.  😁

Pictures and writing samples perhaps?

[Karmachanic]

4 hours ago, meiers said:

Pictures and writing samples perhaps?

 

Maybe.  I'll see what  I can manage with an old 'phone and available light. 

 

[Arcadian]

I also have a Calligraphy, and an older 149 (80's, not exactly pure vintage) that has been ground from an M to a CSI. I say grind it! It's a much more fun and rewarding writing experience. 

 

 - P. 

[meiers]

14 hours ago, Karmachanic said:

 

Maybe.  I'll see what  I can manage with an old 'phone and available light. 

 

That’s my kind of pen photography. 

[meiers]

12 hours ago, Arcadian said:

I also have a Calligraphy, and an older 149 (80's, not exactly pure vintage) that has been ground from an M to a CSI. I say grind it! It's a much more fun and rewarding writing experience. 

 

 - P. 

Please share a few photos: nibs and writing samples. I am always willing to learn. 

[CS388]

Lovely pens.

 

Yes, you'll never match the experience of the calligraphy nib, but you could turn it into a good daily user.

Medium nibs are the most common - if it was one of the rarer cuts (OBB etc) I'd be advising against a grind - but, in your current situation, I agree with your course of action.

 

You could also try swapping it out for a different 149 nib, providing you can find a donor.

 

Good luck

 

 

[dmvara]

3 hours ago, CS388 said:

Lovely pens.

 

Yes, you'll never match the experience of the calligraphy nib, but you could turn it into a good daily user.

Medium nibs are the most common - if it was one of the rarer cuts (OBB etc) I'd be advising against a grind - but, in your current situation, I agree with your course of action.

 

You could also try swapping it out for a different 149 nib, providing you can find a donor.

 

Good luck

 

 

Thanks for the tip...=-)

[dmvara]

15 hours ago, Arcadian said:

I also have a Calligraphy, and an older 149 (80's, not exactly pure vintage) that has been ground from an M to a CSI. I say grind it! It's a much more fun and rewarding writing experience. 

 

 - P. 

Yea, I see your point too.  I guess I will  just have to weigh what I want to do.  Might take the plunge...thanks!