Broad Or Double Broad Nakaya Stub

January 28, 2013

So, maybe, I just ordered another Nakaya. Let's just pretend that I ordered a Naka-ai in heki-tamenuri.

Normally, I go for fine nibs. And my broken Moon Cat has a medium cursive italic. Right now, this hypothetical Nakaya I ordered has a medium stub.

But I wondered what the draw is for B or BB nibs. I'm afraid if I order a nib like that it will make my handwriting fat and ugly. But, at the same time, I don't want to get in a rut, always ordering essentially fine nibs. So many people love B and BB nibs, I wanted to maybe give one a try. But on a Nakaya? I don't know.

Does anyone have an example of their writing with a B or BB Nakaya stub?

I want to see what I'm missing out on.

Thanks,

Susan

January 28, 2013

I am another that was in my comfort zone of fine nibs until the day I tried a Mike Matsuyama cursive italic that was ground from a Nakaya bold nib. It is around .8mm and it helps my writing to look so much better. Since this one I now have a selection of bolder cursive italic nibbed pens including my newest Decapod Twist that started as a BB and with John Mottishaws help is now a perfect for me .8mm cursive italic that is an absolute pleasure to use.

I still like and use my fine nibbed pens but it seems my journey is not yet complete.

January 28, 2013

I have an extra broad Neo Standard that John Mottishaw cut to a CI. I absolutely love it! I'm a guy who used to only use fine and extra fine MB 149s. I made the turn to broad and double broads and have not regretted doing so. It may take you a little time adjusting but I think you will enjoy the broad nibs when you get used to them.

My 2 cents worth!

January 28, 2013

I posted this somewhere before but don't know where, so here you go. The 0.6 and 0.7 mm stubs were ground from a Nakaya B nib. The 0.9 CI started life as a BB.

Do you have a Lamy Safari or Al Star laying around? If so, you can change out the nib for a 1.1 mm italic pretty inexpensively to see how your handwriting would look. The Lamy 1.1 has an actual line width that is very close to the 0.7 mm stub in the scan below.

January 28, 2013

suzyq, remember that the line variation of a stub allows you to have a fatter vertical line without such a strong likelihood of your lower case letters (o,e,a, etc) filling in with ink blobs, since the horizontal line will be much finer.

Also remember that, if your broader stub is too wide, Mottishaw can easily grind it into something finer; but if you have a fine nib and later want something broader, well, that's a different story!

January 28, 2013

I really like the Decapods I had JM do one in a BB cut to between a stub and a CI. I'd say the are somewhere around a .90 +/-. I love this tweener thing, its very very smooth like a stub, just slightly more crisp and more thin on the cross stroke. Its a true tweener. Liked it so much I had him do a Flexible Left Oblique with some of the characteristics of a CI the nib is cut at an angle but maybe not as pronounced. It is easy to use and is similar to JM's daily user. And it is a spectacular nib. In both cases, you'll will be amazed at how smooth they write. I use everything from F-BBB CI, Stubs, Flex and now I have an incredible Oblique I love and really one with Flex and several other characteristics. I think you would be amazed at how if anything they would improve your handwriting.

January 28, 2013

and just for the sake of argument the first was done with a nakai ai with a SM and flex added, second done with a BB Decapod cut to a Stub/CI ink Moonlight and the 3rd Decapod done with the Flexible Left Oblique cut BB Wild Chestnut. I far prefer the 3rd one, but clearly for be I write better with the BB's, and they for me are far smoother...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v209/mikefarha/IMG_0352_zps942ade57.jpg