F and XF nibs

[inkypete]

I usually write with medium nibs and, sometimes, broad. From time to time I could use a fine or extra fine nib for certain use but when I have tried to buy such have never found one smooth enough for my hand - they are always a little scratchy.

Is it possible to get a smooth writing fine or (preferrably) XF nib or are they always a little on the scratchy nail side?

[Con]

I have a Carene F and it isn't scratchy in the least.

[calliej]

My Lamy EF was scratchy until I eased up on the pressure now its smoother - dry but smoother.

 

I hadnt even realised I had a heavy hand but I think the F and EF/XF highlight even the slightest pressure

 

I think also that the coating on the paper would make a difference.

 

I am wondering if there is a way to make the ink flow better as I am sure this would also ease the scratch.

[theblackpen]

I am wondering if there is a way to make the ink flow better as I am sure this would also ease the scratch.

 

I spread the tines of my dry nibs and with little effort but a lot of care,increasing ink flow makes alot of difference.Read the articles on Richard Binder's site or the ones on nibs.com.

 

Japanese Fine or XF nibs made by Pilot/Namiki and Sailor are very smooth ,from my experience with a 1911 F and a VP Fine.Platinum is great too.

So probably a japanese F would be a good choice.

[Martius]

I usually write with medium nibs and, sometimes, broad. From time to time I could use a fine or extra fine nib for certain use but when I have tried to buy such have never found one smooth enough for my hand - they are always a little scratchy.

Is it possible to get a smooth writing fine or (preferrably) XF nib or are they always a little on the scratchy nail side?

 

There are some VERY smooth F and EF nibs out there. For instance, find yourself a Cross Solo F (which writes more like a Western EF because the nibs were made by Pilot), and you will see what I mean. Very fine and glass smooth. The Japanese are the best in general when it comes to great F nibs. Platinum, Sailor, and Pilot have all supplied me with great F nibs.

 

My Lamy EF was scratchy until I eased up on the pressure now its smoother - dry but smoother.

 

I hadnt even realised I had a heavy hand but I think the F and EF/XF highlight even the slightest pressure

 

I think also that the coating on the paper would make a difference.

 

I am wondering if there is a way to make the ink flow better as I am sure this would also ease the scratch.

 

All the Lamy 2000 nibs I've had (3) have been strangely closed up at the tip. You can't get a decent ink flow out of then unless you use heavy pressure. I'm surprised more people don't complain.

 

I use very light pressure but I love the 2000, so naturally I had to increase the flow. I did it by very carefully inserting a piece of plastic (from a battery package in my case - anything relatively soft that won't damage the inside of the tines should work), and pushing it toward the breather hole until I got the flow increase I desired. This is best done with the nib removed from the pen, which you can do by pushing it BACKWARD out of the section. Once you open up the tines a bit, these pens flow great under light pressure.

 

Best,

Summer greer

[John Cullen]

HI

 

I tend to hold my pens at a high angle and so when I write there is more pressure pushing the pen down into the paper than there should be. As a consequence, I sometimes find Fine points a little scratchy or draggy when the problem is at least partly due to the fact I hold the pen the way I do. If you hold your pen very high, that might be something to think about.

 

I also think it is to some degree a matter of the way the company shapes the tipping material. If the nib requires you to keep the sweet spot dead on the paper and you tend to twist your hand when you write, you may feel some drag, and this will likely be worse with the small tip on a Fine nib than it would be on the medium tip of a Medium nib.

 

For example, I have found that the Pelikan 800 fine nib is more tolerant of how it is used than is the Sailor 1911 Medium nib. Perhaps the Pelikan nib is putting down more ink, and that might be part of the issue too.

 

On the other hand, if you have a light hand and hold the pen at a reasonable angle and don't twist your wrist around, you might not have any problems. j

 

j

[misterh]

I have a fine nib Bexley America The Beautiful and it is very smooth.

Edited June 4, 2008 by misterh

[Penache]

My Sailor Sapporo Mini with EF nib is actually the smoothest writer I have, followed closely by the Pilot Decimo with F nib. I highly recommend both pens as daily writers.

[Judybug]

I have Cross Townsends with F and XF nibs. They are wonderfully smooth. My favorite pens!

 

Judybug

[HDoug]

I use XFs and .5mm - .4mm cursive italics, and I find that all nibs get smoother the less pressure I use. I'm not saying that there aren't differences among nibs, but this has been a reliable "fix" for my scratchy nibs.

 

Doug

[Kelly G]

Try a vintage Sheaffer Triumph nib in F, EF, or what I've seen referred to as Needlepoint. They are usually quite firm, but usually very smooth as well.

[Songwind]

I have a nice smooth Pelikan fine from Richard Binder. I also had an XF that was very smooth but too thin for me.

 

My Wahl-Eversharp Symphony has a fine flexible nib and it is extremely smooth.

My fine Parker Vacumatic is also fine.

Same for my Reform piston-filler.

 

So, yes, smooth fines and extra fines are very possible. They do require a lighter touch for optimal performance, and I think their smaller contact area amplifies the effects of any blemishes.

[psfred]

Very light writing pressure and perfect nib alignment and condition will give you a very smooth F or XF nib. You may need to train yourself to write with no pressure (I've still got the bad habit of bearing down if I write fast, a nasty habit from using ball points).

 

I've got some very nice fine and very fine nibs -- an Estie 9460, an Estie 9550, a 1550, a Sheaffer needlepoint (installed, in of all places, in an Esterbrook J, section and all), several Parker "51", and probably my favorites, three or four Sheaffer Triumph Gregg nibs.

 

After re-aligning the tips, all of them are quite nice. The Esties and the needlepoint were quite smooth as received. The Parker's needed work in most cases due to quite a bit of wear on the tipping.

 

As noted above, you may need to adjust an XF nib to write with a good flow at no pressure -- it's really a requirement for smooth writing, as any significant pressure is going to drive the point into the paper. All of my Sheaffer Gregg nibs were actually bent upwards and to the left from excessive writing pressure, and believe me, they were very scratchy as received. Once correctly aligned and with proper slit size, they are super writers and very smooth.

 

Peter

[bluemoon]

I tend to use xf, xxf or f nibs because of my smaller handwriting, and for very fine nibs, you may try Japanese pens. Among modern pens, Pilot vp is an excellent pen, you may give it a try... cross makes some wonderful xf nibs, Sailor/Namiki is another good choice for xf... And if want to give vintages a try, Parker '51' and vacumatics are among the best, and most of them turn up with a fine nib... I have a Parker 75 with a xf nib which writes like a dream. And the finest and smoothest I have seen is a

semiflex pilot from the 30's.

 

 

[jdboucher]

like the original poster, i have had terrible experience with fine ballpoints, i just find them very scratchy. can anyone reccommend a good, inexpensive pen that comes in a fine, or extra fine?

[Shangas]

If Fine/XF nibs are universally scratchy and badly manufactured, I've just wasted about $2000 on pens over the years, because I *only* use fine nibs. And I've never had a single scratchy one.

[dcwaites]

My first eBay P51 has an extra-fine nib. It was a little scratchy when I got it. A little care and attention from The Pen Shop and it is now a nice, smooth writer.

 

Don't forget that even a very smooth extra fine nib will pick up the bumps on rougher paper, just as a car with tiny wheels will pick up the bumps on a road.

 

It may help to use an ink like PR Tanzanite. Because the tiny nib doesn't put down much ink anyway, it won't bleed and feather like it would in a broader nib.

 

 

[Songwind]

jdboucher: what counts as inexpensive in your mind?

 

Like I said, my Reform fine point is very nice. People say good things about Pilot fines, and they can be had pretty inexpensively.

[BearsPaw]

like the original poster, i have had terrible experience with fine ballpoints, i just find them very scratchy. can anyone reccommend a good, inexpensive pen that comes in a fine, or extra fine?

 

Does it have to be a ballpoint? I have two Pilot "Execugel" rollerballs with fine inserts, and they are fine. I also have a couple Pilot fountain pens with fine points that are very smooth. I have a XF Lamy (which is not as fine as even a medium Pilot) that was scratchy at first, but with time it became smooth. My Hero 100 isn't labeled, but I would call it a fine nib, and it is pretty smooth. I've heard that Hero is rather hit or miss though.

[Donald594]

]

 

All the Lamy 2000 nibs I've had (3) have been strangely closed up at the tip. You can't get a decent ink flow out of then unless you use heavy pressure. I'm surprised more people don't complain.

My 2000 has a great ink flow, out of the box. My fine writes like a b/m in my opinion