Pilot Fountain Pens And Nibs

[Pen2009]

I had an opportunity to visit Pilot's Pen Museum this eaaly afternoon in Tokyo. When my Prera was being adjusted by one of Pilot's on-site pen doctors, we talked about Pilot pens and he explained me Pilot's approach in making fountain pens.

 

Here are the key points:

Pilot makes fountain pens which can write Japanese / Chinese characters elegantly. Japanese "hane" and "tome" in hand writing require some variation in your hand pressure. Toward this end, Pilot nibs tend not to be too slippery. Also, Pilot nibs tend to require some pressure as they are not meant to be "slippery" nibs.

 

When some customers prefer better ink flow, he spreads the tines a little to increase the ink flow from the feeder. Since Pilot's nibs are suitable for "hane" and "tome" for writing Japanese, a light variation in hand pressure on the nib will increase the ink flow. He admits some customers cannot control the pressure on the nib correctly as they prefer buttery smooth nib with which you can write without any pressure.

 

He showed me the graph which shows pressure each type of Pilot nib can take. On average Pilot gold nibs can be written with pressure up to 60 gram (I am not sure of the actual unit). Pilot's FA nibs can take more than twice hand pressure than a Music or Soft Fine nib, based on what I saw on that graph. He said Platinum nibs are typically around 50 g. Sailor nibs are designed for buttery smooth writing without any pressure.

 

He said FA is a speciality nib and many of the customers could not control the pen/nib correctly. He mentioned about the rail roading issues with FA when hand pressure is applied too much and ink could not keep up. Also, too much pressure on the FA nib causes skipping when you try to write a next character as the tines were spread out too much and could not close before you hit the next character.

 

He said controlling the nibs is part of fun in using fountain pens. To which, I have to agree. If all nibs were just buttery smooth and you could write without any pressure, nib designs, materials and size would not make much difference in writing experience, as only the tipping material will be doing the job.

 

Gold nibs are better because gold is more flexible than steel. This flex in gold nibs makes "hane" and "tome" in Japanese possible.

 

As my Prera is a steel nib (stainless stell), he said this nib is not as flexible as gold nibs. So, here I realized why I usually disappointed with steel nibs. It is easy for a manufacturer to make a steel nib smooth by equipping it with a robust tip; but, steel nibs cannot be like gold nibs due to its inherent limitation on its flexibility (or lack thereof).

 

My conversation with Pilot's pen doctor made me understand Pilot pens / nibs better.

Edited August 7, 2012 by Pen2009

[raging.dragon]

When gold was in short supply during WWII the German nib makers made flexible stainless steel nibs. So it is possible to make a flexible stainless steel nib, though it might a different alloy and fabrication process (say casting or forging versus stamping) and would definetly require thinner steel, carefully controlled thickness, and sophisticated post fabrication heat treatment (most likely hardening followed by spring tempering). Modern nibs are stamped from sheet metal then bent into shape. My guess is that they buy annealed sheet metal (since it's softer and thus much easier to form) then don't do any further heat treatment after fabrication.

[hari317]

Thanks for sharing with us pen2009.

[Tokugawa]

Was there any mention of Pilot adjusting their nibs for different markets? Ie.,Japanese (more flexible/less smooth) vs North American vs European (less flexible/ more smooth)?

[Pen2009]

Was there any mention of Pilot adjusting their nibs for different markets? Ie.,Japanese (more flexible/less smooth) vs North American vs European (less flexible/ more smooth)?

That is a good question. I should've asked him about it. When I visit Pilot museum next time, I will ask that question definitely.

 

I think Pilot only sells a certain line of fountain pens, such as Vanishing Point (aka Capless) and low end disposable pens, outside Japan officially as their global web sites do not show most of fountain pens Pilot sells in Japan. So, in that sense, I think they may not be adjusting nibs to different markets.

Edited August 7, 2012 by Pen2009

[jakelogan]

Was there any mention of Pilot adjusting their nibs for different markets? Ie.,Japanese (more flexible/less smooth) vs North American vs European (less flexible/ more smooth)?

That is a good question. I should've asked him about it. When I visit Pilot museum next time, I will ask that question definitely.

 

I think Pilot only sells a certain line of fountain pens, such as Vanishing Point (aka Capless) and low end disposable pens, outside Japan officially as their global web sites do not show most of fountain pens Pilot sells in Japan. So, in that sense, I think they may not be adjusting nibs to different markets.

 

My VP nib is the smoothest in my entire collection and writes greatly smoother than pens many times its price.

 

On the other hand, the Custom 74 I tried at a BAM was slightly springier but had a tooth on horizontals. 823 exhibited the same feeling, but was actually slightly smoother than the 74. Falcons tended to be smooth for what they were; never scratchy but extremely toothy if you are coming from a stiff-nibbed (slightly soft) creature such as the VP.

[Pen2009]

My VP nib is the smoothest in my entire collection and writes greatly smoother than pens many times its price.

Maybe that is the main reason Pilot is showing Vanishing Point on its overeseas web sites. Maybe VP's nibs are designed for smoothness for global markets at large.

[basterma]

Thanks for the post!

[JustinJ]

Thanks for the informative post. It sounds like a lot of problems people have with some fountain pens are do to user error. Part of the problem more than likely stems from the use of ball point pens and pencil.

 

I like smooth nibs but also enjoy nibs with a little feedback. I write better with a little feedback than with glassy smooth. I remember seeing a show on a famous calligrapher who was discussing the nib and paper needing feedback to allow good letter formation. He made the point that a smooth paper and nib results less control.

[professionaldilettante]

All fountain pens should require absolutely zero pressure to write. I think something got misinterpreted, but a pen should not need pressure. Even wet noodles will write, habit without the character that they were meant to write with.

[raging.dragon]

All fountain pens should require absolutely zero pressure to write. I think something got misinterpreted, but a pen should not need pressure. Even wet noodles will write, habit without the character that they were meant to write with.

 

I've had some (non-Pilot) fountain pens which, before I spread the tines a bit, required some pressure to get reliable flow. So it's definetly possible that Pilot intentionally adjust their nibs to perform this way.

[XiaoMG]

Hmm...I have tweaked some of my Pilots to write the way I like, but that seems to defy Pilot's philosophy, if it is indeed as the conversation above suggests. Oddly, I have tried a number of Sailor pens but have not yet encountered any that are exceptionally smooth out of the box or after nib alignment.

 

Between this and the Iroshizuku video in the other thread, I think I've lost some of my appreciation for Pilot.

[professionaldilettante]

All fountain pens should require absolutely zero pressure to write. I think something got misinterpreted, but a pen should not need pressure. Even wet noodles will write, habit without the character that they were meant to write with.

 

I've had some (non-Pilot) fountain pens which, before I spread the tines a bit, required some pressure to get reliable flow. So it's definetly possible that Pilot intentionally adjust their nibs to perform this way.

But this is assuming the nib has already been tuned to write. Your aren't flexing the nibs just to write, right?

[Tokugawa]

All fountain pens should require absolutely zero pressure to write. I think something got misinterpreted, but a pen should not need pressure. Even wet noodles will write, habit without the character that they were meant to write with.

 

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but don't soft, flexible nibs require a certain degree of pressure so that they perform their magic?

[raging.dragon]

All fountain pens should require absolutely zero pressure to write. I think something got misinterpreted, but a pen should not need pressure. Even wet noodles will write, habit without the character that they were meant to write with.

 

I've had some (non-Pilot) fountain pens which, before I spread the tines a bit, required some pressure to get reliable flow. So it's definetly possible that Pilot intentionally adjust their nibs to perform this way.

But this is assuming the nib has already been tuned to write. Your aren't flexing the nibs just to write, right?

 

I don't own any Pilots, but the one's I tried wrote fine with (what I believe to have been) little or no pressure.

 

However, it is definetly possible to (mis) adjust a nib so it requires pressure to write. I've had two nibs that skipped terribly unless I flexed the nib a bit. Writing with them without flexing the nib was an exercise in frustration. After I was done adjusting the nib to my taste (by permanently spreading the tines a bit) the pens would write reliably without pressure.

 

One of these was NOS straight out of a factory sealed box, this pen came from a brand known for writing wet so I'm sure it was a misadjusted nib that slipped through QC. It was faster and easier to adjust it myself than send it out the retailer, distributor or factory for adjustment. The second one I knocked way out of alignment while swapping nibs between two pens and afterward had to realign the tines and adjust the flow.

 

I have two flex nibs, a vintage Carter semi-flex and a Mottishaw custom flex, and they both write beautiful hair lines when used with zero pressure.

Edited August 7, 2012 by raging.dragon

[mhosea]

Oddly, I have tried a number of Sailor pens but have not yet encountered any that are exceptionally smooth out of the box or after nib alignment.

 

It's the nib geometry, mainly, I think. It's a hit or miss thing, for some folks smooth, for others toothy on some strokes. I seem to need to smooth the facets on either side of the gently curved foot that they put on the nib to get rid of the tooth on strokes from 8 o'clock to 2 o'clock.

[Pen2009]

All fountain pens should require absolutely zero pressure to write. I think something got misinterpreted, but a pen should not need pressure. Even wet noodles will write, habit without the character that they were meant to write with.

Actually, no mis-interpretation. Based on what he said, not "all" fountain pens are designed to write without pressure. Well, at least, not for Pilot by design. He specifically mentioned Pilot nibs' pressure tolerance is set higher than Platinum and Sailor on average.

 

This is partly because of Japanese / Chinese characters' "tome" and "hane." This characteristic in writing style is not mostly applicable for alphabets, however. If an average user can write without any pressure, he/she won't coax line variations with some pressures. Of course, this does not mean Pilot pens are scratchy. It is more toward ink flow as that is affected by how you control your nib (a little pressure, you have more ink flow and etc).

[Pen2009]

However, it is definetly possible to (mis) adjust a nib so it requires pressure to write. I've had two nibs that skipped terribly unless I flexed the nib a bit. Writing with them without flexing the nib was an exercise in frustration. After I was done adjusting the nib to my taste (by permanently spreading the tines a bit) the pens would write reliably without pressure.

The pen doctor at Pilot said he would adjust the tine spread for the customers who prefer better ink flow without pressure. He said many of core customers in Japan like Pilot's nib characteristics as they can express their Japanese writing well with Pilot pens better. Again, no pressure. no line variation. no "tome / hane."

 

However, Namiki is marketed and sold officially globally. So, Namiki nibs could be designed for super smoothness as many of Western customers prefer smoothnes.

[raging.dragon]

However, it is definetly possible to (mis) adjust a nib so it requires pressure to write. I've had two nibs that skipped terribly unless I flexed the nib a bit. Writing with them without flexing the nib was an exercise in frustration. After I was done adjusting the nib to my taste (by permanently spreading the tines a bit) the pens would write reliably without pressure.

The pen doctor at Pilot said he would adjust the tine spread for the customers who prefer better ink flow without pressure. He said many of core customers in Japan like Pilot's nib characteristics as they can express their Japanese writing well with Pilot pens better. Again, no pressure. no line variation. no "tome / hane."

 

However, Namiki is marketed and sold officially globally. So, Namiki nibs could be designed for super smoothness as many of Western customers prefer smoothnes.

 

It doesn't surprise me that different characteristics would be desirable for Japanese writing verus western cursvive. The experiences I related were with Visconti nibs, they were just convenient examples proving that it is possible to adjust a nib such that it requires applying a bit pressure to write reliably. Though I figure what the Pilot technician meant is that their nibs are tuned to write dry with light pressure and wetter with more pressure, which would allow for an effect somewhat like a flex nib.

[fiberdrunk]

I had an opportunity to visit Pilot's Pen Museum this eaaly afternoon in Tokyo. When my Prera was being adjusted by one of Pilot's on-site pen doctors, we talked about Pilot pens and he explained me Pilot's approach in making fountain pens.

 

 

 

Wow, that is so cool! I didn't know they had a museum! Thanks for sharing-- I really love Pilot pens.