Comparison of a few different Osmiroid nibs

[PithyProlix]

Here's a quick and embarrassingly dirty comparison (sorry for the smudges, water drops, disorganization, general messiness, etc.) of a few Osmiroid nibs, none labelled 'italic', all first-generation versions that are compatible with the Osmiroid 65 & 75 model pens and Esterbrooks that take Renew-Point nibs. Dip tests only using a Nakabayashi Logical Air Swing notebook (7mm between lines) and vintage Omas Sepia ink. My pressure in normal writing is light.

 

I have a stash of Osmiroid nibs that I purchased en masse and, up until this, I had used only the Copperplate, Sketch, and various italic nibs.

 

I've also hot linked to an Osmiroid nib chart below.

 

Notes:

• Subjectively, nib width designations are close to corresponding Japanese designations, all in all.
• The Rolatip and 65 W nibs, even the broadest tested here, have a very fine horizontal stroke and a significantly broader vertical stroke. This was a very nice surprise and it gives a nice italic-like flair.
• The Rolatip Medium Soft is not much softer than the Rolatips that aren't labelled soft and line variation seemed to require a similar amount of pressure. Not sure that I would agree with the description in the chart of "Soft Medium": "An easy flexible point that gives a more fluid line." 
• Pressure used for line variation with the Rolatips and 65 W was fairly hard but nothing remotely close to damaging any of the nibs. Trying to flex the fine resulted in a couple holes in the paper. There are much better flex nibs for line variation, such as the Copperplate and Sketch nibs, as well as pens from other manufacturers, of course.
• That said, even though you have to work a little for it, the Rolatip Broad does give some nice flex and, combined with the thin horizontal stroke and quick snapback, gives some nice variation. Note the description in the chart: "For larger writing with variation of line thickness."

 

Questions:

• What the heck does the "Wing" designation on the Rolatip E. F. nib mean? It's not in the nib chart and, except for the tip size, it looks to be identical in design to the Rolatip Fine. 
• And what's the 65 W? It's not gold-plated and I'm guessing it's likely the nib that came as standard with the Osmiroid model 65 pen but what does the "W" mean? Obviously, it's not a wide point.

 

I really, really like these Rolatip nibs but, unfortunately, I'm out of compatible pens to put them in (e.g. Osmiroid 65/75, compatible Esterbrook (such as J-series), compatible Koh-i-noor Rapidograph, Burnham B48)! Also, unfortunately, the Fine and Broad nibs I have - one of each - have broken feed pegs and I don't have a Rolatip Medium ...

 

 

[txomsy]

Thanks for the comparison, it is most interesting; and a pity that Osmiroid is no longer.

[Grayspoole]

Thanks for posting this. I have an “embarrassing” collection of Osmiroid nibs and pens, going back to my high school years (when dinosaurs still roamed the earth). I love using them. Although the Copperplate and various fine writing nibs offer some flexibility, they are not as fine nor flexible as I need when writing “Copperplate” and Roundhand styles of calligraphy so I still opt for dip pen nibs over these. The Osmiroid italic and broad nibs are excellent for practicing broad edge scripts, however, and are easier to use that broad edge dip nibs..

 

The Osmiroid Music nib is one of my favorites. It is quite different from other “Music” nibs and is essentially a small, long tine, flexible crisp italic nib. It is excellent for approximating the fine italic hand known as cancelleresca, although it is not as fine as the crow quills used by the 16th century masters.

[PithyProlix]

59 minutes ago, Grayspoole said:

Thanks for posting this. I have an “embarrassing” collection of Osmiroid nibs and pens, going back to my high school years (when dinosaurs still roamed the earth). I love using them. Although the Copperplate and various fine writing nibs offer some flexibility, they are not as fine nor flexible as I need when writing “Copperplate” and Roundhand styles of calligraphy so I still opt for dip pen nibs over these. The Osmiroid italic and broad nibs are excellent for practicing broad edge scripts, however, and are easier to use that broad edge dip nibs..

 

The Osmiroid Music nib is one of my favorites. It is quite different from other “Music” nibs and is essentially a small, long tine, flexible crisp italic nib. It is excellent for approximating the fine italic hand known as cancelleresca, although it is not as fine as the crow quills used by the 16th century masters.

 

I'm a fan of the Osmiroid italic nibs too. Alas, I don't have the Music nib.

 

Thanks for the comments!

[nigelg]

Its not the only osmiroid music nib either. Somewhere stashed away I have this one.

 

[Tony1951]

My very first fountain pen at the end of the fifties or perhaps the very start of the sixties was an Osmiroid. It would certainly have been an entry level model because there was not a lot of spare money in our house. I think I got it for my ninth birthday. At school by that stage we were issued with Victorian style dip pens - a stick, more or less  pencil sized with a ferule on the end and a species of cheap, steel copperplate nib. The ink we used was horrid, powder based black ink. Sad to say - none of my early fountain pens worked for long, not because of any fault in them, but because like the other kids, when mine ran out of ink, I filled them with the horrible school ink. Pretty soon, they became blocked and would not respond to washing under the tap. It amazes me now that the teachers who presided over this, did not know enough to warn us not to use that ink in a fountain pen. Perhaps they didn't know, which says quite a lot in itself. 

 

I was quite surprised to read that someone above still has their school fountain pens and that they still work. I do retain a couple of Shaeffer No Nonsense pens which I used at work some thirty years ago, and a cheap little Parker Jotter from about 2000, but all the others ended up either lost or in the dustbin.

[Grayspoole]

19 hours ago, Tony1951 said:

 

I was quite surprised to read that someone above still has their school fountain pens and that they still work. I do retain a couple of Shaeffer No Nonsense pens which I used at work some thirty years ago, and a cheap little Parker Jotter from about 2000, but all the others ended up either lost or in the dustbin.

 

I used my Osmiroid pens for calligraphy practice, so I kept them well. My school work was completed with ballpoint pens and pencils, all no longer extant.

[Tony1951]

On 10/30/2022 at 7:52 AM, Grayspoole said:

 

I used my Osmiroid pens for calligraphy practice, so I kept them well. My school work was completed with ballpoint pens and pencils, all no longer extant.

 

You were obviously a more careful and mature child than I was.

 

Anyway - I just won an auction the other day for an Osmiroid 65 fountain pen which was my first ever fountain pen. I am hoping it will work nicely when it comes.