Custom Nibs

[Ru4scuba?]

I know from some of my FP dabblings that custom nibs are popular for some folks....was curious what custom nibs B&Bers have, where they acquired them and how they perform.

I know there are stubs, cursive italic, crisp italic, thin flexible nibs for crazy calligraphy etc. and probably a ton I don't know about.

Don't have any myself...haven't graduated to this level of FP calculus yet...but I imagine I will...most I'm willing to try so far are stub italics...

What do y'all have?

 

[ChefJohnBoy-ardee]

I had a steel nib on a Pelikan M200 BB ground to a Cursive Italic by the fine folks at Pendemonium. It is a great writer and I love the lines it produces.

 

[Ru4scuba?]

I had a steel nib on a Pelikan M200 BB ground to a Cursive Italic by the fine folks at Pendemonium. It is a great writer and I love the lines it produces.

Cursive italic is crisper than a stub to my understanding...do you find it hard to write with? Did it take some getting used to?

 

[nemo]

I find that the more I know about fountain pens, the more I like stock vintage nibs. That said, I do have a few custom grinds from modern nibs -- mostly cursive italic in the narrower range (< 0.7mm). They do take a little getting used to (CI).

The crisp italics I find too hard to use for my style (fast and flowing) and I have plenty of stubbish broad nibs, no need to grind any more.

 

[Ru4scuba?]

I find that the more I know about fountain pens, the more I like stock vintage nibs. That said, I do have a few custom grinds from modern nibs -- mostly cursive italic in the narrower range (< 0.7mm). They do take a little getting used to (CI).

The crisp italics I find too hard to use for my style (fast and flowing) and I have plenty of stubbish broad nibs, no need to grind any more.

Interesting...what makes the ink flow more quickly in your opinion? I wouldn't have expected that a cursive italic goes through ink any more quickly than say a stub italic or regular factory point...

 

[ChefJohnBoy-ardee]

I think Doug meant his writing is fast and flowing but he will correct me if I'm wrong.

Crisp Italics have too sharp of corners for some writing styles and you end up catching the nib on the paper if you aren't careful and end up splattering ink everywhere and it makes an awful noise and slows down your writing...

 

[Ru4scuba?]

I think Doug meant his writing is fast and flowing but he will correct me if I'm wrong.

Crisp Italics have too sharp of corners for some writing styles and you end up catching the nib on the paper if you aren't careful and end up splattering ink everywhere and it makes an awful noise and slows down your writing...

Good to know for when I try my first CI then! What's the best interchangeable nib pen?

 

[ChefJohnBoy-ardee]

Uhhh, different rabbit hole. How much we talking here?

 

[nemo]

I think Doug meant his writing is fast and flowing but he will correct me if I'm wrong.

That's what I meant. An uphill and to the right stroke or loop often catches on the right corner of the nib. Not so often with obliques strangely enough.

 

[Ru4scuba?]

That's what I meant. An uphill and to the right stroke or loop often catches on the right corner of the nib. Not so often with obliques strangely enough.

Aha...so you have to change your writing style to the pen then? IOW, for a CI it sounds like your upward strokes need to account for the corners...

 

[ChefJohnBoy-ardee]

Its just different. You kind of have to slow down but not too crazy. A lot depends on your writing style already. Pilot 78g's in B or BB are stubs so you can try those out fairly cheap if you think you want to try a wider nib. TWSBI and Lamy have inexpensive interchangeable nibs if you want to drop more coin on one pen.

 

[Ru4scuba?]

Its just different. You kind of have to slow down but not too crazy. A lot depends on your writing style already. Pilot 78g's in B or BB are stubs so you can try those out fairly cheap if you think you want to try a wider nib. TWSBI and Lamy have inexpensive interchangeable nibs if you want to drop more coin on one pen.

TWSBI...good to know got one on the way with a broad stub!

 

[ChefJohnBoy-ardee]

They have 1.1 and 1.5 too. Not sure what the tip is shaped like on them so I can't tell you what it is specifically.

 

[brianw]

Crisp Italics are 90 % of my writing... Love them, and they take the lightest touch possible

 

[Boro62]

TWSBI and Lamy have inexpensive interchangeable nibs if you want to drop more coin on one pen.

I've got the 1.1 on my lamy studio right now, slowly becoming one of my favorite writers

 

[Ru4scuba?]

Crisp Italics are 90 % of my writing... Love them, and they take the lightest touch possible

Brian, where are you getting your nibs ground? Only custom I've ever had was a Binder ground stub (still use it)...great pen! Also, have you ever tried an oblique?

 

[ChefJohnBoy-ardee]

Pendemonium has decent rates and turn around time. I like my CI Letta did. She ground nibs at the Sheaffer factory when it was in Fort Madison, IA.

 

[Ru4scuba?]

Pendemonium has decent rates and turn around time. I like my CI Letta did. She ground nibs at the Sheaffer factory when it was in Fort Madison, IA.

Cool thanks for the tip!

So to speak...

 

[maxman]

I prefer cursive italics or italic in general because they slow me down.
My writing is horrible with a fast flowing pen and super smooth nib.
I prefer toothy nibs.

I'll tell you a story about that. I went to a meeting once and had to give the meeting facilitator some notes that I wrote on a regular blank piece of paper with a cursive italic (maybe crisp?).

He looked at the paper for a minute, gave it to the #2 in charge and said what kind of printer did you use to print this?"
I told him it was hand written with a fountain pen that had an italic nib.

He looked at it again and didn't quite believe me.

 

[Cave_Dweller]

I've had a couple of Pelikan nibs reground - one by Richard Binder, and another by a chap who goes by the Forum name "Oxonian" on Fountain Pen network. Both were completely transformed by the attention.

I struggle with Fountain Pens generally, being a left hander, but I really love proper ink in a proper pen. Collecting ink can get to be as addictive as anything else - we have around 60 bottles, and no sign of stopping!