Poll: At what angle do you hold your pen?

[thibaulthalpern]

From Nakaya's website:

 

What angle do you hold your pen? According to Nakaya:

1. if you hold your pen around 50 to 45 degrees, your angle of writing is low; around 60 degree is average, around 70 degree is high.

 

2. the closer your grip is towards the nib, the higher the angle your pen will be.

Edited December 9, 2008 by thibaulthalpern

[thibaulthalpern]

In going with their criteria, I apparently hold my pen at a low angle and it is because I grip my pen higher up in the section. I never realised this.

 

This might explain why several months ago when I had a Lamy EF nib grinded for me to an even FINER extra fine from Pendemonium, I could see no difference. When I traded the pen with Kurt ((bleep)) he wrote back to say something like, "Hey, it is a true EF". I looked at the images he produced (and there was also a shot of his hands holding the pen in writing position) indeed the line was quite fine. He was also gripping the pen very close to the nib whereas I would grip it further up.

[thibaulthalpern]

Oh whoops. This should be moved out of the Japanese forum into say "Writing Instruments". I'll inform the moderators.

[someonesdad]

I have a suggestion for folks that post polls: your answers should include all possible answers, otherwise some folks may not vote. For example, I can't really pick one angle, because it depends on the pen and the material I'm writing on. The angle I use varies from around 40 degrees (maybe a bit less sometimes) to 60 degrees or more. Thus, this poll could have benefited from two more answers: "it varies" and "other".

[RevAaron]

Mine varies between 45 and 80; sitting at a desk, it's around 50, standing up writing in a notebook it is around 80, standing at a standing-desk it is about 70.

[Doug C]

I selected average, but it could also be in the 50 degree range since I tend to hold each pen a little differently (and all bets are off for Vanishing Points-I hold them in 3 or 4 different positions).

 

 

 

[Pensee]

everyday writing: around 45-50

 

using it like a paintbrush for fillingin block letters in cartoons: as low as 30

 

using it for tiny pointalism in cartoons: as high as 90

[thibaulthalpern]

How about I suggest your "everyday regular writing angle". These are in fact the options Nakaya gives so in a way I'm curious to know how others would respond to their question.

[lapis]

20 - 30°

 

Mike

[dumdummuoi]

I voted 45-50 because that's what it was with the pen I was holding at the time (Visconti Kaleido Voyager). However, it varies depending on the size of the nib and the shape of the section. Apparently the measurement that I tend to keep constant is the distance between my fingers and the writing surface, and I always hold the pen as close to the nib as I can without actually touching the nib/feed. Thus, if the pen has a small nib and a section that allows me to hold the pen so that my fingers are closer to the tip of the nib (like a Sailor pocket pen, for example), then I hold it at a higher angle--70 degrees or so for the aforementioned Sailor pocket pen.

Edited December 9, 2008 by dumdummuoi

[I am not a number]

I vary the angle to suit the pen (which is probably the wrong way to go about things but I like to get the most out of the nib). Unfettered by such constraints I would probably be in the 45 to 60 degrees from the horizontal bracket.

[stevlight]

This might explain why several months ago when I had a Lamy EF nib grinded for me to an even FINER extra fine from Pendemonium, I could see no difference. When I traded the pen with Kurt ((bleep)) he wrote back to say something like, "Hey, it is a true EF". I looked at the images he produced (and there was also a shot of his hands holding the pen in writing position) indeed the line was quite fine. He was also gripping the pen very close to the nib whereas I would grip it further up.

Richard Binder always asked for the angle you hold the pen when he does a grind--He rocks!

[Rainwalker]

I vary the angle to suit the pen (which is probably the wrong way to go about things but I like to get the most out of the nib). Unfettered by such constraints I would probably be in the 45 to 60 degrees from the horizontal bracket.

This is my approach as well - use the angle that fits the pen.

[knitwit1912]

I don't have an FP to hand as I just ordered my first (isithereyet?isithereyet?isithereyet?) but using one of the ballpoints here at work, I write at about a 70-degree angle. I'd think it would depend on the pen--anything with a grip section I'll hold where that section is, which might change things. Should be interesting to see if there's a change when I get my pen.

 

Also show of hands--how many people, on reading the poll, picked up a pen just to see what their writing angle is as they'd never paid attention to it before?

[thibaulthalpern]

Also show of hands--how many people, on reading the poll, picked up a pen just to see what their writing angle is as they'd never paid attention to it before?

 

Not only that, I folded a piece of paper -- opposite corner to opposite corner -- to get a 45 degree angle and then looked at where my pen angle was. It's lower than 45 degrees ;-)

 

[dumdummuoi]

Also show of hands--how many people, on reading the poll, picked up a pen just to see what their writing angle is as they'd never paid attention to it before?

 

Not only that, I folded a piece of paper -- opposite corner to opposite corner -- to get a 45 degree angle and then looked at where my pen angle was. It's lower than 45 degrees ;-)

 

I picked up two very different pens to test and extrapolate results, and held a third pen upright while testing so I can estimate my angle

[BillTheEditor]

Normally I am sitting upright in my chair.

[I am not a number]

...how many people, on reading the poll, picked up a pen just to see what their writing angle is as they'd never paid attention to it before?

I've done the Nakaya customer form before, it's when you arrange an electronic scale under a piece of paper and then level the whole arrangement to simulate a standard writing surface in order to work out how much force you exert on the nib, that you realise the luxury weekend for two in the padded suite with an imaginary friend of your choice is not far away.*

 

*Obviously this never happened to me.

[John Cullen]

Normally, seventy degrees.

 

The consequences of this are quite apparent to me. If I have a very firm fine nib, I usually experiecne some resistance on the upstroke. The reason for this is that I am sort of pushing the pen into the paper rather than pushing it up the paper.

 

Some nibs are less tolerant of my high angle than others. The Sailor 1911 nibs are not, IME, tolerant of angle of attack, especially if you turn your wrist to the right or left. Pelikan 1000 nibs can really seem dry and resistant at high angles.

 

If you write at a 70 degree angle, there are some nibs that are very forgiving, or you can have Richard Binder take this into account when he tunes a nib for you. I just got a Pelikan 800 nib back from him that he added a waverley point to, meaning the tip of the nib is turned up a tad so more of the tipping material touches the paper when the pen is held at a high angle. It is a very nice adjustment.

 

just my two cents, j

[ANM]

Also show of hands--how many people, on reading the poll, picked up a pen just to see what their writing angle is as they'd never paid attention to it before?

 

Not only that, I folded a piece of paper -- opposite corner to opposite corner -- to get a 45 degree angle and then looked at where my pen angle was. It's lower than 45 degrees ;-)

 

 

Everyone should be aware that the only time you get a 45 degree angle by folding apiece of paper corner to corner is when the paper is a square, not a rectangle.