Lamy Safari Architect nib - is this a unicorn? ht

[DrCodfish]

I've seen suggestions that there is an architect nib for the Lamy Safari.  Does this exist or is it just a rumor with no legs? 

 

 

[AmandaW]

Maybe they're talking about the Hanzi nib? (Renamed Cursive nib, I think.)

 

[inkstainedruth]

I installed a Hanzi nib on one of my Lamy pens (the Azure al-Star SE from a few years ago).  I don't think of it being at all like what I think of for an architect nib.  The Hanzi nib is more of a semi-flex, whereas an architect nib will apparently make lines opposite to what a stub nib would).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Lithium466]

I might have been unlucky with my Lamy Hanzi nib then.

It was absolutely hard as a nail, the grind was nothing special, not even smooth, and the lines produced way too thick for my taste. Basically felt like a cool looking Z50 M, less smooth, with a very slight line width difference between vertical and horizontal lines.

[Black Spot]

never heard of a architect nib. 

[inkstainedruth]

Do you mean for Lamy pens, or just in general? 

An architect nib is one that's ground sort of the opposite to a stub -- you get wide lines on the horizontal strokes and fine lines on the vertical ones.  

I tried someone's pen with an architect nib a few years ago at a pen club meeting but it didn't really wow me (although the experience did teach me that M600 pens were NOT as heavy as I'd thought they were, after trying one of the M600 Pink and White LE ones from a few years ago at a pen show I was at).  

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Astronymus]

Must be the Hanzi. There is no Lamy Architect Nib.

[A Smug Dill]

1 hour ago, Astronymus said:

Must be the Hanzi. There is no Lamy Architect Nib.

 

True, but then I have not heard of any of Diplomat, (Graf von) Faber-Castell, LAMY, Pelikan, Aurora, SCRIBO, Tibaldi, Visconti, Pilot, Platinum, Sailor, Hero, Jinhao, WingSung, Delike, Moonman/Majohn, HongDian, Asvine, ADMOK, etc. offering a factory-fitted (and officially designated) Architect nib, for any pen model in the past seven years.

 

In terms of nib/performance/writing characteristics, I've certainly heard of 14K gold EF nibs on the LAMY 2000 model having some sort of ‘architect's grind’ characteristics in the writing outcomes. Does that extend to any of the Z5x models of LAMY EF nibs? Who knows?

[Astronymus]

1 hour ago, A Smug Dill said:

In terms of nib/performance/writing characteristics, I've certainly heard of 14K gold EF nibs on the LAMY 2000 model having some sort of ‘architect's grind’ characteristics in the writing outcomes.

I can imagine this might happen by chance. But not as a default.

 

Overall architect nibs are not a thing for western writing as the lettering has been based on stubs for centuries and architects don't draw with fountain pens anymore. If you want to produce architectural or technical drawings by hand these days, you'd either choose mechanical pencils or fine felt pens aka fineliners for consistent line width. Most planning is done in 3D today by CAD on a computer screen. The computer will provide the drawings by norm and your requirements for details. All you have to do is adding measurements, tolerances and commentary for production. Drawing by hand was a laborious and time consuming business. Corrections and changes in design often meant you could begin from the start. With CAD the engineer can concentrate on the problem and the solution at hand, respond to troubles and implement changes much, much fast. Assemblies can be tested in a virtual environment before they are made. It's more intuitive.

[Dillo]

Lamy changed their nib grind in the past couple years so that the EF nibs no longer have a blunt architect like grind on the tip. The nib tip profile has changed. Previously that was the case for most of their EF nibs

 

A true architect nib hasn't really been offered in recent years installed in pens off the shelf by any mainstream maker

[MegChris]

I think Tom’s Studio offers an architect nib.