Pelikan 1950 Obb Nib Vs 2013 Obb Nib

[thott]

Hello,

 

I post in a German pen forum pictures of a Pelikan 2013 OBB nib compared with a

Pelikan 1950 OBB nib.

The different is huge as you can see at the pictures.

The nib tip of the 1950 nib is completely grinded down. This cause that you have to take

care of the right pen position. Otherwise the nib scratches. But this nib creates a fine

line variation.

The new OBB nib with the round nip tip is not so sensitive to the right pen position and

creates a more less line variation.

 

I think it is the request of today, to have a easy handling pen. The older nibs require

a kind of writing skill with a fountain pen. Which may be today is very seldom to find.

Is this a reason for the "general nib" and, let say, for a semi OBB nip.

Is the writing culture with fountain pens lost and only to find at some "old-timers"?

 

 

It starts a discussion in the German forum.......

 

Greetings

Thomas

Edited February 7, 2013 by thott

[Gris Nuage]

Oddly, I found the opposite to be true. The older nib guiding you, while the modern oblique lived up to its name by wanting to go off at tangents by forcing you to write at an uncomfortable angle.

 

Ironically, Pelikan's nibs of the 80's and early 90's are a joy to write with. Not sure why they changed them?

 

The second writing example says it best though - it just has more feel to it.

[Nibwitz]

Perhaps it is the quest for the ultimate smoothness? Or just the old nib workers with all the knowledge retired somewhere in the 90s? Perhaps the knowledge to make good nibs is lost?

[thott]

Perhaps it is the quest for the ultimate smoothness? Or just the old nib workers with all the knowledge retired somewhere in the 90s? Perhaps the knowledge to make good nibs is lost?

 

I think it is mostly a commercial reason.

I believe they still have skilled nib specialists.

 

First of all the market requests to have a pen which just write out of the box.

If the companies would sell nibs like the 1950 one, I am pretty sure that

they will have a lot of claims. I think at the earlier times most of the people

know how to handle a fountain pen. They could try it in the many stationery shops

and select the right one. In today's "ballpoint pens" time the expectations

to a nib is another one.

And how many are ordered online, without test at the shop.

That may be is the reason of the nib style changes like other things which changed over the

time in our daily life.

 

Greetings

Thomas

[NedC]

Probably the economics. If the cost of labour has increased relative to the cost of the tipping material used the simply welding the same big blob of tipping material to each nib the grinding it to the required size would be most likely be cheaper than shaping the nib, welding a wire of tipping material to the nib and then finish grinding it. Changes in metallurgy, I'm pretty sure that the tipping material used these days are the products of powder metallurgy and are probably a lot less expensive relative to the other pen components, especially skilled labour.

[tandaina]

Yup, I have an old OBB flex nib (a Montblanc, but still) and I love it. I find it VERY easy to use and incredibly forgiving. And it seriously helps my handwriting.

[tinta]

Boy, looking at the writing samples & the pictures of the nibs brings back old memories of a 1950s 14K OBB that I used for over four decades. I miss that 400NN.

[kaan]

I can support your theory about the new era (with myself)

Indeed times are changing, people are getting lazier / more practical

[Bo Bo Olson]

It was normal to have that 'flat' stubbish ""ground"" nib back then in the '50's and before.

 

When I inherited some old '50's pens as pure 'noobie' I thought some idiot took a file to them...not knowing it was normal. Thank god I did not toss those nibs.

 

'Iridium' was more expensive than gold; so less was used.

 

It wasn't until the '60's in my collections that German pens went for the American bump under the nib, except for Kugle/ball nibs. (I have some that are not school pens.)

Like on the Geha school pen. Which is FK.