Two Vintage "Flexy" Nib Pens

[Snargle]

Last week, I scored several fountain pens from a local junk/antique shop. These particular two needed some repair parts (sacs and a J-Bar) ordered. The parts came in yesterday, I finished the restorations last night, and inked them up this morning. Both have what I would call semi-flex nibs. When pressure is applied, the nib tines spread, and a thicker line is laid down on the paper. I expected it from the Orange "Safety" pen, but the flex on the little Waterman surprised me.

Here's the first one...a Waterman (or "Waterman's" as it's labelled) Thorobred. I wonder if the name refers to the red "bloodlines" in the grey pearl plastic? It's got an unusual "ballpoint" nib. I haven't been able to find out a lot of information on this particular nib, but it writes extremely smooth, with a medium-to-broad line, and when flexed, gives a nice line variation.

Next is a big orange flat-top pen, labelled "Safety". It's a Duofold copy and has a nice, flexible 14K gold nib.

Both pens are a lot of fun to write with. The Waterman's is probably the most user-friendly, with a smooth nib that still allows a lot of line variation. The Big Orange has a much sharper nib that has a tendency to catch on the paper, but offers nice flexibility if you take it slow and easy.

 

[syngent]

Nice pens Larry.. that waterman nib is a crazy little thing

 

[nemo]

Nice pens! I have a couple Thorobred pens myself, one black with a cool inscription from Poland and another light green that looks a bit like an Estie. Neither has the "ballpoint" but both are rather flexible. Back in the '50s and '60s Pelikan came out with a K series nib (Kugel) that was easier to use and had a much bigger range of usable angles (sweet spot).

I've had a few Warranted nibbed pens and one in particular which is probably the closest thing to a wet-noodle I'll ever have! Awesome nibs.

 

[oc_in_fw]

Very nice indeed.

 

[celestino]

Very nice score! Enjoy the pens.