Binder XXXXF

[ksskss]

I have a 'Binderized' Pelikan M200 in both XXXF and XXXXF and couldn't be more pleased with them. Quick turnaround if you get something in stock vs custom work, which is something I'm looking forward to doing. Even though they are the gold plated nibs, they are superb writers. I don't begrudge him the time and waiting list he has for doing custom work. Would you have him ruin his reputation and crank out inferior work or hate doing it so much he quit doing it?

 

My other hobbiy, knives, particularly Japanese kitchen knives, has knife makers who have times typically of 3 or so months and some knifemakers with over three year waiting lists, some of whom are over 80 years old so they might die before you get your order filled.

 

---

Ken

[Philip1209]

Congrats, NKK, on your first custom grind! What pen is it for? A Pelikan or a VP?

[jdboucher]

Do you notice any difference between the Waverly (the way Binder tweaks very fine nibs to write smoother) and a regular stock nib?

[nkk]

Congrats, NKK, on your first custom grind! What pen is it for? A Pelikan or a VP?

 

It is a VP. Look forward to a Pelikan soon, and definately with an XXXF or XXXXF nib from him.

 

Do you notice any difference between the Waverly (the way Binder tweaks very fine nibs to write smoother) and a regular stock nib?

 

Aestheticaly, it is turned up. I will post pics later (on a day or two when I get to my dorm and camera). As for writing experience...show me a XXXXF out of the box and I will compare.

 

-Nkk

[lapis]

I'd buy a pen from Richard any day but not with x^yF. M or B is fine, so I guess I'm not fine at all.

 

Paul

[wspohn]

I understand impatience when a service you want will take a long time, but not the frustration some people seem to transfer to the workman.

 

Binder is good, and he does a lot of work and there is a long wait time. Live with that or don't use him, but don't criticise or suggest that he should somehow do something about it. Another nib customizer is quite up front and says that service takes X weeks, or if you want expedited service, you pay a significant extra premium and get the express treatment. Perhaps the impatient should look to that sort of arrangement if they are incapable of developing some patience.

 

I see this demand for instant gratification mostly (but not exclusively) among the younger generation. Maybe it has something to do with having the attention span of a gnat. In any case, the byword is 'patience, grasshopper'. Send pens away and forget about them. 3 months (or whatever) later it is almost like Christmas all over again when you receive a pen you had almost forgotten about.

 

Is it just me, or does the pursuit of fountain pens connote more a measured patient approach to life than many other hobbies.

 

I can just see Gen X bonsai hobbyists - "Grow, damn you, grow!"

[King of the Road]

I understand impatience when a service you want will take a long time, but not the frustration some people seem to transfer to the workman.

 

Binder is good, and he does a lot of work and there is a long wait time. Live with that or don't use him, but don't criticise or suggest that he should somehow do something about it. Another nib customizer is quite up front and says that service takes X weeks, or if you want expedited service, you pay a significant extra premium and get the express treatment. Perhaps the impatient should look to that sort of arrangement if they are incapable of developing some patience.

 

I see this demand for instant gratification mostly (but not exclusively) among the younger generation. Maybe it has something to do with having the attention span of a gnat. In any case, the byword is 'patience, grasshopper'. Send pens away and forget about them. 3 months (or whatever) later it is almost like Christmas all over again when you receive a pen you had almost forgotten about.

 

Is it just me, or does the pursuit of fountain pens connote more a measured patient approach to life than many other hobbies.

 

I can just see Gen X bonsai hobbyists - "Grow, damn you, grow!"

 

It's not just you. How can a society that uses instant cameras, instant fast cooked meals, instant text messaging, and so on, possibly know anything about patience. Have you ever caught yourself standing in front of the microwave saying: "Come on. Come on!" How much more instant do we want things to get? If you find yourself in those shoes, order a nice pen from the pros and learn a lesson from the wait.

 

[Wwillco]

I understand impatience when a service you want will take a long time, but not the frustration some people seem to transfer to the workman.

 

Binder is good, and he does a lot of work and there is a long wait time. Live with that or don't use him, but don't criticise or suggest that he should somehow do something about it. Another nib customizer is quite up front and says that service takes X weeks, or if you want expedited service, you pay a significant extra premium and get the express treatment. Perhaps the impatient should look to that sort of arrangement if they are incapable of developing some patience.

 

I see this demand for instant gratification mostly (but not exclusively) among the younger generation. Maybe it has something to do with having the attention span of a gnat. In any case, the byword is 'patience, grasshopper'. Send pens away and forget about them. 3 months (or whatever) later it is almost like Christmas all over again when you receive a pen you had almost forgotten about.

 

Is it just me, or does the pursuit of fountain pens connote more a measured patient approach to life than many other hobbies.

 

I can just see Gen X bonsai hobbyists - "Grow, damn you, grow!"

 

As a Gen-Xer, I read this, and saw the bit about the attention span of a gnat and automatically dismissed it; forgot about it, made a sandwich, played my guitar for a minute; got tired of that, decided to teach myself to draw, got as far as a stick figure, and took a nap. When I woke up, I decided to finish this post....

 

Anyway, for instant gratification with pens; just order a new one with a nib that he already has ground! Turnaround time is pretty epic, a lot better than I have seen from most (any?) other places. Good stuff is always worth the wait though =) Been waiting the gas tank and plastics on my bike for 2 months now, and have another 2.5 to go; It will be worth it for an epic custom paint job

[OldGriz]

I understand impatience when a service you want will take a long time, but not the frustration some people seem to transfer to the workman.

 

Binder is good, and he does a lot of work and there is a long wait time. Live with that or don't use him, but don't criticise or suggest that he should somehow do something about it. Another nib customizer is quite up front and says that service takes X weeks, or if you want expedited service, you pay a significant extra premium and get the express treatment. Perhaps the impatient should look to that sort of arrangement if they are incapable of developing some patience.

 

I see this demand for instant gratification mostly (but not exclusively) among the younger generation. Maybe it has something to do with having the attention span of a gnat. In any case, the byword is 'patience, grasshopper'. Send pens away and forget about them. 3 months (or whatever) later it is almost like Christmas all over again when you receive a pen you had almost forgotten about.

 

Is it just me, or does the pursuit of fountain pens connote more a measured patient approach to life than many other hobbies.

 

I can just see Gen X bonsai hobbyists - "Grow, damn you, grow!"

 

Got to agree with you Bill

I didn't think twice about sending a safety pen I just purchased on eBay to Richard, knowing full well I would not see it again for 16 weeks or so....

Other posters are correct, there are some nib grinders out there who have shorter wait times... but there are some people who are just not satisfied with anyone else but Richard and are willing to wait.

Not to denigrate the work of anyone else, but remember there are nib grinders and nibmeisters.... not all people working on nibs have the same experience... choose wisely.

Luckily, I get to see Richard at pen shows we do together so I get my nibs done at the shows. In fact I will probably bring 2-3 pens to Philly for him to do....

[Pensee]

Well here's my experience with Richard's nibs fwiw.

 

He was patient enough to exchange several e-mails with me as I explained that I was looking to replace hated Rapid-oGraph pens with more comfortable Pel m6xx.

 

Richard asked that I attach a sample of my art so he could look at it under a microscope.

 

Art sample was Rapid-o-Graphs & pencil sharpened with whetstone.

 

"Super-needle point" .004" arrived & I checked it against a pica pole. *Way* too thin!

 

Got out the hated Rapid-o-Graph 6x0 & his nib ended up being somewhere between the 6x0(.18mm) & a 4x0 (.14mm) so I estimate his nib is probably around .15mm!

 

Anyone who can grind a nib that's finer than a human hair *and* have it write upside down...

 

For detailing artwork or technical drawings this "ultra-super needle point" is astounding. It is smooth & has never 'caught' on any media-- even textured-- but then again I use very little pressure.

 

Since its 18k, the more I use it, the smoother it gets-- esp. upside down.

 

Told him "take your time"-- I'm in no hurry-- but he still had nib within a week.

 

As said, such a specialized nib for drawing or drafting isn't for anyone, but my point is that someone as busy as Richard must be-- he still took time to request a sample so he could do his best to emulate it-- that's five star customer service in my book!

 

(and Mr. Binder did not pay me for this testimonial, but a small donation would be nice... )

 

FWIW

 

--Bruce

[Keng]

Just visited the website...just wondering....is the price of custom nibs more costly now compared to a few weeks ago?

[GonZoneStudio]

I would like to know if requesting on the site a XXXXF nib FP, what would I get? what brand of FP, what kind of.

 

I dont see very clear how to choose my pen on the site

 

Thank you

[framebaer]

I would like to know if requesting on the site a XXXXF nib FP, what would I get? what brand of FP, what kind of.

 

I dont see very clear how to choose my pen on the site

 

Thank you

 

You decide whether you want a Pelikan nib or a Vanishing point nib. Then you specify what grind you want. Richard does also grind nibs on any of the new pens he sells but you don't have to buy an entire pen you can buy just a custom ground nib.

 

If you want an entire new pen-- just choose from the brands he is a dealer for (listed on the home page) and then specify the grind you want.

Edited January 10, 2009 by framebaer

[framebaer]

Just visited the website...just wondering....is the price of custom nibs more costly now compared to a few weeks ago?

 

I know there was a somewhat hefty price increase from Pilot on the Vanishing Point nibs at the beginning of January -which would account for the custom VP nibs to cost more.

[Silvermink]

Just visited the website...just wondering....is the price of custom nibs more costly now compared to a few weeks ago?

 

I know there was a somewhat hefty price increase from Pilot on the Vanishing Point nibs at the beginning of January -which would account for the custom VP nibs to cost more.

 

The price of the basic VP nibs and thus the custom nibs went up by $20.

[nkk]

Just visited the website...just wondering....is the price of custom nibs more costly now compared to a few weeks ago?

 

I know there was a somewhat hefty price increase from Pilot on the Vanishing Point nibs at the beginning of January -which would account for the custom VP nibs to cost more.

 

The price of the basic VP nibs and thus the custom nibs went up by $20.

 

Lol...that is what made me buy this and another, extra, medium. I knew I would get one eventually, so cheaper and sooner was better than ore expensive and later. And, in the spirit of procrastintation, my order was sent at 11:40 ish on December 31.

 

-Nkk

[Keng]

A hefty increase IMHO, now the nibs cost the same, if not more, as the body. Will have to re-consider my next VP purchase

[Robert Hughes]

The fabled Nibmeister seems to deliver perfection daily. I suspect he sucessfully practices Alchemy in his basement on weekends.

That's impossible. I have it on good authority that even he makes klunkers sometimes. No need to feed the myths.