A nib that is silky smooth would be…

[ibrahim]

Last time I went to the pen show I found a Waterman Le Man 100. It is elegant and smooth, but not completely smooth as it has some feedback, plus it’s hefty. I have come to learn that I enjoy lightweight pen. 
So what is your favorite silky smooth nib that doesn’t have any feedback whatsoever?

Even my attractive, broad nib, cream color Lamy Safari does have some feedback, sigh*

Apart from my uniball pens and Energel pens, I have yet to identify that fountain pen that has no feedback. By the way, don’t suggest Lamy 2000 as I bought it twice and I wasn’t impressed in the least. Same goes for Pilot E95. 
 

[ajoe]

It may not be in your budget, but the most dependable and smoothest writer I have ever owned, and still do, is a Montblanc 146. Actually the 149 is just as smooth, but probably too large from what you described.

[ibrahim]

Just now, ajoe said:

It may not be in your budget, but the most dependable and smoothest writer I have ever owned, and still do, is a Montblanc 146. Actually the 149 is just as smooth, but probably too large from what you described.

where can I buy a Mont Blanc 146? I have always eyed them but the reviews on Amazon made me think twice. I’m afraid the 149 would be too big for my hand. 

[ajoe]

Ideally, you want a Montblanc boutique or dealer where you can try the pen first. Or you can buy from Montblanc.com with a 20 day return privilege.

 

You can also check Montblanc.com for your closest dealer/boutique. The price for a new one will be the same regardless where you buy.

 

Finally, if you want used, give the Fountain Pen Hospital in NYC a call and see if the have anything they will stand behind.

[ajoe]

By the way, MB also has a 90 day nib exchange on new pens. So, for example, if you buy a medium nib and then find you would prefer a broad or fine, the exchange is free.

[ajoe]

Just checked, Mori Luggage & Gifts, is an MB dealer in Raleigh.

[dipper]

A nib that is silky smooth could be .......

polished ....

with 12000 (or higher?) grade micromesh, or mylar paper.

 

And the nib tipping size would probably be ........

M or B.

 

After any reworking of nib tipping I polish my nib tips with 8000 grade micromesh. Cautiously - because I prefer to retain moderate feedback.

 

Used gently on a well adjusted broad nib, as @ibrahim's Lamy safari, 12000 grade can make a nib feel like a ballpoint pen slithering on plate glass. At least in terms of what I consider "slithering".

 

But some writers want even more slitheryness...

That is when Mylar Paper can be used. (Though I have never wanted to go that far.)

 

[ajoe]

28 minutes ago, dipper said:

with 12000 (or higher?) grade micromesh, or mylar paper.

Never mind, question answered by video you added.

[dipper]

5 minutes ago, ajoe said:

When you do that, do you start at 12,000, or do start lower and work you way up.

I always start with the coarsest grade appropriate, and work towards finer grades in steps, doing as little work as possible at each step. That principle applies to anything from:

Smoothing plasterwork repairs on a house wall (starting at 60 grit!)

To reshaping nib tips (starting at 600grit for me, or 1200grit for others),

To "polishing" (starting at ..?.. See next paragraph.)

 

If just "polishing" a nib, that is already properly adjusted such that the tines are perfectly aligned, and is not scratchy - a nib that needs just that extra "gloss" finish at the nib-to-paper contact area to reduce feedback...?

The starting abrasive grade depends on what you mean by "smooth".

 

For me, with my writing preferences, I start at 8000 micromesh and usually go no further.

 

If you are seeking the ultimate limit of smoothness then your nibs may already be what I would find "too slippery". That is why I posted a link to the Goulet video, where polishing starts at 1 micron Mylar film, and progresses to 0.3 micron.

 

I have not checked the full range of micromesh grit grades available. There are many of them, colour coded for ease of use. I have only 8000 and 12000 because that was the two grades stocked by my local pen shop. The proprietor told me I would probably not need the finer 12000 grade, and he was right.

 

 

[ajoe]

@dipper, thank you very much for that information. 

[A Smug Dill]

3 hours ago, ibrahim said:

So what is your favorite silky smooth nib that doesn’t have any feedback whatsoever?

 

That sounds like a logical contradiction in itself to me, asking about something that cannot possibly exist.

[effrafax]

Just to contrast, if not contradict, the Goulet video, check out Richard Binder's page on nib tuning here: http://www.richardspens.com/ref/nibs/beginners.htm

 

Take particular note of point 2!

 

From another source, lost in the mists of time, I learned that you should never use mylar on a hard surface, but hold the mylar in the air and gently move the nib across that.  Mylar can and will remove a lot of metal from the nib if you are not very careful (I refer you to Richard Binder's page!).  He also has a downloadable PDF of the notes from his nib tuning workshop, which you can get here: http://www.richardspens.com/pdf/workshop_notes.pdf

 

 

[ajoe]

CORRECTION

 

Above I referred to the Montblanc 146. Somewhere along the way, Montblanc dropped the 146 name from their LeGrand model. If searching for that pen, use LeGrand and you will find the same pen as the 146 referenced above. Apologies if this caused confusion.

[ibrahim]

11 hours ago, A Smug Dill said:

 

That sounds like a logical contradiction in itself to me, asking about something that cannot possibly exist.

I am surprised that a pen connoisseur like you would say that, especially it has come to my knowledge that Visconti with a palladium nib fits that criteria, so do some vintage Sheaffer pens. 

[ibrahim]

2 hours ago, ajoe said:

CORRECTION

 

Above I referred to the Montblanc 146. Somewhere along the way, Montblanc dropped the 146 name from their LeGrand model. If searching for that pen, use LeGrand and you will find the same pen as the 146 referenced above. Apologies if this caused confusion.

That helps a great deal. I did some search and found pens there with the right diameter. 

[ajoe]

12 hours ago, A Smug Dill said:

 

That sounds like a logical contradiction in itself to me, asking about something that cannot possibly exist.

 

To declare that something cannot exist is always a dangerous assertion.

[dipper]

10 hours ago, effrafax said:

Just to contrast, if not contradict, the Goulet video, check out Richard Binder's page on nib tuning here: http://www.richardspens.com/ref/nibs/beginners.htm

That is all excellent advice.

 

Two important things in the Goulet video are how very little movement the pen makes on the mylar in the total process, and how the result is tested on paper so frequently during the process.

 

This is the merest whisp of change made to the tipping surface texture.

[A Smug Dill]

5 hours ago, ajoe said:

To declare that something cannot exist is always a dangerous assertion.

 

A nib that “that doesn’t have any feedback whatsoever” is simply never going to make it into my list of favourite nibs. Writing with a “silky smooth” or “buttery“ smooth nib is already a chore to me, and completely absent feedback would make a nib ”unusable” to me for writing in a controlled manner — and, again to me, perfect expression lies in having, and exerting, exactly the right amount of control to deliver the intended observable outcome.

 

Since I alone decide what criteria I use to assess what is good and enjoyable to me in deciding my favourites, I think it's actually pretty safe to say a “silky smooth nib that doesn’t have any feedback whatsoever” that is my “favourite” cannot exist, when I dislike them categorically.

[ajoe]

2 minutes ago, A Smug Dill said:

Since I alone decide

 

Good to know.

[Penguincollector]

When it comes to smooth nibs, I really enjoy my Pelikan M800. I think the current generation of these might even be a little glassier feeling than mine is.  There’s a variety of sizes for Pelikan if the M800 is too large or heavy.