Nail Buffer: Friend or Foe?

[jicaino]

another not frequently discussed topic that Richard Binder brought up recently is the slit, it greatly affects the feel of the nib. If you remember I posted a very downlooking review on mdoern lamy 2000's, well, yesterday I was writing and the barrel threads (section side) snapped off, so I basically had a junker with a nib that's been a pain from day zero. I had the chance of doing pathologic anathomy over feed, nib, etc... the slit was ill conceived! worked on the slit, 50% improvement. Worked on the feed, 35% improvement. READ ON GUYS: REMOVED RHODIUM PLATING, 15% improvement on smoothness. I believe that the rhodium coat is what gives those lamy 2k nibs that jjjjjjrrrrrt when writing at fast pace.... almost like if it was silver (silver deposits like sponges over the substrate when you plate, you need to burnish and plate in layers if you want a good, solid thick deposit)

 

I got lucky at the fleabay with a guy from arkansas, I explained to him what use I intended for his stones and he sent me one piece of translucent and 2 of that deep violet almost black arkansas that are I'd say 90% perfect. No veins, grit coherence, excellent (also I bought a whole lot of soft arkansas for my pocket knives... and for certain shop tools that only see soft arkansas, those good stones that donates their body to the edge of the tool as Trevor mentioned. I'll try to get his contact information or at least seller name.

[TrevorML]

that would be good to get the seller's details... could do with a really good stone as I am sure mine is no where near what I could be called good

[piembi]

I use the nail buffers (fine side) if the nib is slightly scratchy and it works very well.

 

I used the Arkansas stone only twice - on nibs that had been so bad that I could not do worse. Both nibs improved considerably (from "not usable" to "quite o.k.") starting with the stone and finishing with the nail buffer.

 

The stone had been wet (as if sharpening a knife) and the buffers are used with an inked pen. Maybe I should try adding water, too :hmm1:

[ethernautrix]

I've referred to using an "emery board" when I guess I've meant a nail buffer, one with four different surfaces and varying degrees of grit, each a different color and each specifying a step, that is, "Step 1," "Step 2," and so on.

 

It's become a necessary part of my pen hobby. Last night, for instance, I used it to take the tiny bit of scratchiness out of my NOS Parker 21 Super's nib.

 

So, to answer the question: Friend!

[QM2]

Is this the same as the curved stone mentioned by QM2?

 

I have no idea what the stone QM2 refers to.. maybe but I doubt it

 

Heh, I have no idea either. I recall seeing references to some sort of stone, and remember thinking "how the heck?...", as I had assumed it must be "stone shaped" as opposed to flat.

 

Thank you for all the responses on this thread. I guess at the core of my original post was the question of whether the unofficial "nail buffer" method was a categorically bad idea, and whether I am in fact ruining my pens while foolishly believing to be smoothing them. The answer to that question seems to be "No", as long as I use common sense.

 

It was very exciting and "empowering" to discover that I too can smooth nibs, after being convinced that this is an impossibility. I have smoothed 3 gold-nibbed pens so far that now write perfectly, and have "sharpened" half a dozen un-tipped italic pens (turing them from cursive/stub to formal). It is quite a rush to be able to do this myself.

 

 

[QM2]

I've referred to using an "emery board" when I guess I've meant a nail buffer, one with four different surfaces and varying degrees of grit, each a different color and each specifying a step, that is, "Step 1," "Step 2," and so on.

 

It's become a necessary part of my pen hobby. Last night, for instance, I used it to take the tiny bit of scratchiness out of my NOS Parker 21 Super's nib.

 

So, to answer the question: Friend!

 

Ah yes, that is the kind I have! Steps 1, 2, 3. Cost me 99 euro-cents.

 

To smooth a nib, I literally write figure 8's with the pen using my natural handwriting and this does the job.

 

To "sharpen" a cursive italic, I move it rapidly back and forth sideways, then smooth.

 

In the case of my Stipula Saturno, I think there was too much iridium on the bottom side of the nib, and this was obstructing flow when attempting to write with the pen at a low angle. At least that was my theory after examining the nib. After a few figure 8's at a low angle, the flow became 100% normal, so I am guessing this theory was correct. I am so happy with this pen now!

Edited August 19, 2008 by QM2

[Pete]

another not frequently discussed topic that Richard Binder brought up recently is the slit, it greatly affects the feel of the nib. If you remember I posted a very downlooking review on mdoern lamy 2000's, well, yesterday I was writing and the barrel threads (section side) snapped off, so I basically had a junker with a nib that's been a pain from day zero. I had the chance of doing pathologic anathomy over feed, nib, etc... the slit was ill conceived! worked on the slit, 50% improvement...

 

If you're talking about the intertine space and the edge of the tine being too sharp and catching the paper, yeah, I agree completely. Perhaps its the way that I write, but 90% of the problems I have with scratchy pens is because a tine is too sharp.

[troglokev]

It was very exciting and "empowering" to discover that I too can smooth nibs, after being convinced that this is an impossibility. I have smoothed 3 gold-nibbed pens so far that now write perfectly, and have "sharpened" half a dozen un-tipped italic pens (turing them from cursive/stub to formal). It is quite a rush to be able to do this myself.

 

It's a simple trick, but remarkably effective. The hard part for blokes is enduring the questioning glances from the girls at the counter at the pharmacist! :embarrassed_smile:

[TrevorML]

It was very exciting and "empowering" to discover that I too can smooth nibs, after being convinced that this is an impossibility. I have smoothed 3 gold-nibbed pens so far that now write perfectly, and have "sharpened" half a dozen un-tipped italic pens (turing them from cursive/stub to formal). It is quite a rush to be able to do this myself.

 

It's a simple trick, but remarkably effective. The hard part for blokes is enduring the questioning glances from the girls at the counter at the pharmacist! :embarrassed_smile:

 

:roflmho: :roflmho:

 

so true... :roflmho: :roflmho:

[jicaino]

not only the inner edge of the iridium (wich is the very tip of the tine) being sharp can cause scratchy feedback, but sometimes, especially on flexy nibs (no need to take things to "full flex" estreme, a moderately flex nib would do) when the slit is wrong, your nib sings, as in produces a harmonic vibration when it slides over the paper. Sometimes tines "catch" against each other (even a minute amount of catching is a pain in the neck) and you feel that your nib needs smoothing and you can erase your whole tipping material without solving the issue if you didn't looked at the slit carefully. When a nib is in constant need of tweaking (and you're a regular FP user! ) you should knock your nib out and inspect the slit with at least 20x magnification. Look for irregular uneven surfaces on the walls, nicks, marring, imperfections in the angle (tines must be perfectly parallel not only like this -- but also like this

 

(][) (do you get it with this more than basic "emoticon" ? )

 

if you have, say (//) or (\\) your nib will catch up on the up-back stroke in the first example, like when drawing an O or 8 the closing loops, or in the down forward stroke in the second example. If your nib is like this (><) and you write with the 2 sides of the tipping it might do good, but it will be creep prone. too much of ()() and it will creep and be a hard starter. (||) (too separated) will most likely be a hard starter and will tend to blot or lay down a firehosy line. Hope I made it clear...

[teej47]

Hope I made it clear...

 

Very clear; way to go! Worth pinning, I think.

 

Tim

[jicaino]

thanks Tim

 

To further enlighten the given example, a crookd slitted nib will act as a tuning fork. when pressure is excerted on the nib, the tines pull up on the downstrokes and viceversa, when drawing cross lines (all of this is relative to nib rotation) the leading tine will pull "in" and the trailing will pull "out", if the space between them is not perfectly defined, they will rub producing many nasty feedback that can be misinterpretated as "nib needs smoothening" when it really needs slitwork. the more flex the nib has, the more tines behavior resembles an old solif front axle car suspension. (that's before McPherson figured it all out ) Unfortunately for FP users, "McPherson" nibs have failed to appeal to the general pennant. Sailor Trident among other contraptions comes to mind...

[TrevorML]

Juan

 

any chance of a mini tutorial on how to fix these problems once diagnosed from your excellent descriptions...??

 

cheers

Trevor

[jicaino]

I wish I had the discipline of taking closeups from the nasty slit cuts I've seen over the years (getting worse by the year! ) Bock has turned downhill since most acknowledged brands resourced to them for nibs (as in PELIKAN! ) The general idea is to have a V shaped channel from the breather hole down, and perfectly parallel "walls". I suppose I can draw pictures. The fix is simple: wet sandpaper (automotive grades, 600, 1200, 2500) mylar film, magnifiers, brass (or even better: copper) sheet, and a simple mandrel with a delrin collar or soft metal collar with a plastic set screw. I also have some really thin V shaped diamond files in 3 different grits for the really bad examples.

[TrevorML]

thanks for that Juan... if you have a chance I pic/photo of the mandrels etc would help this technically challenged old fart to see what you mean

[jicaino]

like this... sorry for the lack of organization or tech drawings... but this will give you an idea

 

http://www.jicaino.com.ar/lapiceras/nibslit.jpg

 

Of course you start with the coarsest abrasive (600) only if it's a "bg" problem. If not, 1200 is a good start. Only a couple of times with 1200, then 2500, if everything went smooth, you should be able to slide the 2500 mylar lapping film up and down, the 9000 too! (without excessive tine bend up and down)

this will give you plenty of flow. Flow regulation is adressed by burnishing the sides of the tines (outer sides)

Edited August 23, 2008 by jicaino

[limesally]

Terrific drawings and explanation! The angle of the slit is something I've never thought about or considered. Your posts have been real eye-openers. Thanks!

[TrevorML]

geez Juan... didn't expect you to do it right away !!!

 

that is an EXCELLENT run down of what to do... far more than I was expecting... thank you heaps!!!

 

never thought of burnishing where you say to do it... what is happening when you burnish at that part of the tines...? is it "flaring" out the tines towards the tip of the nib to open them up a bit?

 

[EDIT: ignore the bit about the burnishing... I had another look and this time opened my eyes!!! :embarrassed_smile: ]

 

and what do you use for your burnisher...? I have tried a variety of things but have not found anything I am happy with yet

Edited August 23, 2008 by TrevorML

[fountainbel]

Juan,

Thanks a lot for you enlightening postings on nib funetuning, very much appreciated.

In fact I apply some of the tricks you mentioned, but never thought on making & using a jig for holding the nib.

This is a simple but great idea!

Could you show us a picture & specify dimensions of the "V shaped diamond files in 3 different grits for the really bad examples".

Where did you buy these?

Francis

Edited August 23, 2008 by fountainbel

[TrevorML]

... DITTO what Francis said...

Could you show us a picture & specify dimensions of the "V shaped diamond files in 3 different grits for the really bad examples".

Where did you buy these?

Edited August 23, 2008 by TrevorML