Discovering The Beauty Of A Flex Nib

[leod]

I have just got some time to put a sac on this little pen (Waterman 52 1/2V) and tried it the first time and what a wonderful surprise, very flexible nib!

 

I tried some copperplate and it uses less effort write. Now i wonder why I tried to learn on the Namiki Falcon all this time.

I need to work on my handwriting now that I discovered what this thing can do.

 

It also opened a bit of interest in flex nibs and now looking for some larger size pens with flex to full-flex nibs.

 

I am looking for a larger sizesimilar pen about the size of the Pelikan M800? Would a Waterman 52, 7, Doric (although not easily obtainable) fit this criteria?

 

Does anyone have pics and/or other suggestions?

 

Tnanks!

[Indy_Pen_Dance]

The Waterman 7 will depend on the key nib color you find. Pink and black are the flexible nibs and can be very expensive. You can find a 52 or 55 for much less and have a pretty good shot at a flexible nib. The other thing that I have found looking at several #7 at DC, many of the color rings were in bad shape (crazed & cracked) and discolored. Purple and brown were very hard to distinguish. One day I will get a #7, but I will be very picky about the condition after what all I saw in DC.

[Indy_Pen_Dance]

I wanted to add that you have beautiful writing.

[Uncle Red]

A Waterman 5 or 7 will work but pay attention to the nib, also the 100 Year, 55 and 56 pens will work for you. The larger Doric pens will be good but not all have flexible nibs. Some of the Parker Seniour Duofolds have flex nibs and some of the English Duofold Maximas have them too.

[Mauricio]

leod,

 

Congratulations of your awesome penmanship with that flexible nib. You obviously have skills to handle those flexible nibs.

 

For the most part, vintage pens with significant to high flexibility nibs came in standard and small sized pens ... for vintage standards. Fairly few models in "oversized" vintage pens with very flexible nibs were manufactured. Back in that era, writers where used to writing with quills and dip pens, writing instruments which were slim, light and had small nibs/points. Unlike our era in which oversized and fairly heavy pens are common in the market place, oversized pens had a very small presence in the 1880s to 1930s. Even when you find those oversized vintage pens, they will have less weight and heft than a modern Pelikan M800 as Pelikan pens come with a metal piston mechanism that adds significant weight to the barrel. Moreover, the vast majority of the vintage oversized pens with flexible nibs will have from light to moderate flexiblity. If the most important criteria is the attributes of the flex nib, your universe will widen up significantly if you go with standard or smaller sized vintage pens and they will be more affordable as well.

 

A Waterman 52 pen is going to have about the same lenght of a Pelikan M800, but a barrel with less diameter and weight. On Waterman 7 pens, expect to pay a lot for those correct nibs with significant flexibility and those pens are sitll not as wide or have as much weight as the M800s. Likewise, expect to pay dearly for a clean Doric Oversized with all correct parts, fully operational and with a very flexible nib.

 

The following link has a review of three vintage oversized pens with flexible nibs I did some time ago ... Three Vintage Oversized Pens with Flexible Nibs. I collect vintage Diamond Point and Parker Jack Knife pens. Those are perhaps some of the best exceptions to minimize cost in those vintage oversized pens with significantly flexible nibs.

[leod]

Thanks for the compliments on the handwriting! It must be the working of the pen

 

The Waterman 7 will depend on the key nib color you find. Pink and black are the flexible nibs and can be very expensive. You can find a 52 or 55 for much less and have a pretty good shot at a flexible nib. The other thing that I have found looking at several #7 at DC, many of the color rings were in bad shape (crazed & cracked) and discolored. Purple and brown were very hard to distinguish. One day I will get a #7, but I will be very picky about the condition after what all I saw in DC.

 

Thanks for the suggestion on 52 or 55, i'd take another look at those orange 52/55 pens!

 

 

A Waterman 5 or 7 will work but pay attention to the nib, also the 100 Year, 55 and 56 pens will work for you. The larger Doric pens will be good but not all have flexible nibs. Some of the Parker Seniour Duofolds have flex nibs and some of the English Duofold Maximas have them too.

 

excellent, more choices I never considered before. what's the difference between Waterman 5 and 7? (hopefully its not 2)

will also try to look for Senior Orange (there's a pattern here) Duofolds!

 

 

A Waterman 52 pen is going to have about the same lenght of a Pelikan M800, but a barrel with less diameter and weight. On Waterman 7 pens, expect to pay a lot for those correct nibs with significant flexibility and those pens are sitll not as wide or have as much weight as the M800s. Likewise, expect to pay dearly for a clean Doric Oversized with all correct parts, fully operational and with a very flexible nib.

 

The following link has a review of three vintage oversized pens with flexible nibs I did some time ago ... Three Vintage Oversized Pens with Flexible Nibs.

 

I enjoyed reading your review and your site offers great selection of Vintage pens, the photographs are all very nice. Those Bexley Corona's (Orange pattern again) with flex nibs also look very interesting!

 

The Doric and Wat 7 should be last on the list now due to cost and other items mentioned above but still on consideration and will research more.

Edited August 20, 2012 by leod

[DreamInk]

FWIW I recently tried a Cleo Skribent Classic that bordered between semi flex to full flex, and that pen was probably the length of a Pelikan M1000 but the weight of an M600. It has a 14kt nib that's really nice and a piston filler to boot. Very nice writing by the way!

[leod]

FWIW I recently tried a Cleo Skribent Classic that bordered between semi flex to full flex, and that pen was probably the length of a Pelikan M1000 but the weight of an M600. It has a 14kt nib that's really nice and a piston filler to boot. Very nice writing by the way!

 

 

This white classic looks nice, are there any distributors in the US?

http://www.cleo-skribent.com/typo3temp/pics/ae3c78d4a9.jpg

[rizo52]

FWIW I recently tried a Cleo Skribent Classic that bordered between semi flex to full flex, and that pen was probably the length of a Pelikan M1000 but the weight of an M600. It has a 14kt nib that's really nice and a piston filler to boot. Very nice writing by the way!

 

 

This white classic looks nice, are there any distributors in the US?

http://www.cleo-skribent.com/typo3temp/pics/ae3c78d4a9.jpg

 

Try Papier Plume in New Orleans http://www.papierplume.com/ I bought my first from them and they are great people to deal with.

[Uncle Red]

The difference between the Waterman 7 and 5 is the size. They came in the same colors and had the same nib options but the 7 is bigger.

 

Rizo, let's see a review of the Classic. Do you really get as much flex out of it as Leod got from the Waterman 52 1/2 V?

Edited August 22, 2012 by Uncle Red

[DreamInk]

FWIW I recently tried a Cleo Skribent Classic that bordered between semi flex to full flex, and that pen was probably the length of a Pelikan M1000 but the weight of an M600. It has a 14kt nib that's really nice and a piston filler to boot. Very nice writing by the way!

 

 

This white classic looks nice, are there any distributors in the US?

http://www.cleo-skribent.com/typo3temp/pics/ae3c78d4a9.jpg

 

Try Papier Plume in New Orleans http://www.papierplume.com/ I bought my first from them and they are great people to deal with.

 

Not sure what type of material the nib is made of on the white Classic, but be sure to get the 14kt gold nib as the steel nibs are not nearly as flexible.

[akustyk]

That's an impressive attempt! I have only had experience with a Noodler's Ahab. If you have a Noodler's pen, how would you compare the two in terms of flex, nib, feed performance, etc. Thanks!

[Bo Bo Olson]

Between semi-flex and easy full flex/super flex, is the 'flexi' nib you see advertised by some of the pen restorers on English Ebay for Swan pens.

 

I call that maxi-semi-flex/'flexi' so folks can have a better idea where that flex set lies (assuming they have a semi-flex). A Pelikan 140 is semi-flex; a 400NN is maxi-semi-flex/'flexi' it spreads it's tines 3X a light down stroke.

 

IMO many are confused to what stiffness different flex grades have.

 

I feel that the super-flex/easy full flex spread their tines 4-5 X a light down stroke, just like a wet noodle, besides being considerable easer to flex than the 'flexi' nib.

 

I do like those vintage pre-66 German maxi-semi-flex/'flexi' nibs. Like the pre '55 English ones too, even if I only got a Wyvern. I have 12 pens in this range. The Swan also has 'flexi' nibs, along with regular, and semi-flex.

 

Do read Richard's article on how easy it is to spring a nib, by trying to make it do the splits.

[Scribblesoften]

Flex can vary from nib to nib. If you like the amount of flex in your 52 1/2 V you could always purchase a 52 and switch the nib. This would give you a full size body from the same era of Waterman pens with the nib that you like. Good luck in your search.