I Am Looking For Wet Pen With Half Hidden Nib

[Forsberg]

Hello!

 

I am owner of the one pen which I like - Renoird Roman Time. This is how it looks on image:http://www.galante.pl/img/imagecache/777b1b5b84dfe50797c07e4227299551bf3ddd1d.jpg

 

I am looking for the pen which:

- is wet - I love shades of the ink. Letters can be darker on the bottom, brighter on the top.

- is butterlike writing

- nib is half-hidden - I do not like full nibs (optionally Parker Vector style is ok also)

- nib is not thin, I love fatter writing

 

Is there already a pen like that? I live in the Netherlands and I thought about giving my current pen to the master but it is hard to get anyone like that here.

I already used sand paper to make my nib better but I do not think that I achieved something.

 

I am also willing to give a chance for Chinese pens as they are not bad from my experience.

 

 

[mike.jane]

You could consider an ASA Sniper (made in India). Here's the link http://asapens.in/eshop/fountain-pen/asa-pens-india/asa-sniper-hooded-nib-fountain-pen-india-online

This probably the only place where you can buy one, as they are hand-making them when ordered.

 

Perceived pros for you:

- Hooded nib,

- if you ask them via email i'm sure you'll be able to buy it with a Broad ( B ) nib even though it's not a choice on the page right now. (German made M is also a true German M, the way you might have experienced before, not that thin)

- You can use the pen as an eye-dropper and it will then be a pretty wet writer. (I used to have one, can say from experience)

- Many different colour ways available.

- ASA is a company that really cares about their craft and is fairly active here on FPN, too.

 

Subjective cons:

- The pen is a fatty. It's a very girth-y pen.

- I said I used to have one. Its true that I personally was not that happy with the one I had. It was really all in the nib. It was a (German) Schmidt M that I never get to working properly. Too bad. I was pleased with the rest of the pen though.

- The wait time, as the pen is made to order, can feel long.

 

Another note: There are different ways to make a pen write more wet (and it's not always right on perfect when a pen is new): One thing are wetter inks. You can see that mentioned in reviews.

You can also make (very careful) adjustments to a pen's nib. Or maybe get a replacement nib that was adjusted by a master of this (a nibmeister)

 

Hope this helps.

 

Edit: Oh, and of course the benchmark for all hooded nib pens is the vintage Parker 51. IMHO, you would have to invest somewhere close to US$100 for one that's in good condition, restored, well working and with a broad nib (as most 51s exist with an American F nib, other sizes are more rare)

I have a 51, too. No, I am exaggerating, I have a 51Special (the budget version with a steel nib), all of them are worth these prices IMO. Most FP users would agree, too.

 

Edit #2:

I also saw in the FPN classifieds that someone is selling a vintage Aurora88 in black/silver with a B nib for $110 shipped. It's a pen that has many similarities to the more iconic 51. That's all I know about this though. Also, no affiliation with the seller whatsoever.

Edited September 21, 2016 by mike.jane

[carlos.q]

Lamy 2000 with a medium nib may fit the bill.

 

 

 

But please do not use sand paper to smooth the nib.

[bjmoose]

I have a vintage Aurora 88 with a Medium 14kt nib, it is VERY wet, and I find the nib to be closer to a Broad than a medium. A great pen which can be bought for quite a reasonable price.

[sandy101]

Yes, the Lamy 2000 may well suit the bill.

 

Waterman Carene may be worth a shout too.

[NinthSphere]

Old Aurora 88s, Parker 45s, the Franklin-Christoph Model 25 come to mind. If the Parker 51 look does it for you, you could also track down a larger nib to have installed.

[ac12]

The 51 is really a FULL hood nib. At least on mine, the only thing that sticks out is about 1.5 - 2 mm of the tip of the nib.

 

WET butterlike writing calls for a wet wide nib; old US B, or European M or B, or wider. Maybe a B for you.

The nib size can be ordered on current production pens (like the Lamy 2000). On older pens (like the Parker 45 and 51), it can be hard/expensive to find the specific nib you want, as the pen and nibs are no longer in production.

A nib meister likely will be needed to adjust the ink flow to get it to what you want.

 

BTW, you really don't want a WET pen. That will put down a dark like with no shading. The nib needs to be wet, without being too WET. This can be a tricky balance to reach.

Shading is dependent on the pen, the ink, the paper and you the writer. Change and one variable and you may stop getting the shading you want. So take the ink and paper you use to the nib meister.

It is best to deal face-to-face with a nib meister, so you have the opportunity to test his adjustment, and give him feedback, to get the nib as close to what you want as possible. One of the things the nib meister will want to see, is how you write, because that will determine the adjustment needed.

[stephanos]

What is your budget? Without knowing that, it's hard to comment.

 

Having said that, if your budget allows for it, a Lamy2000 is likely to be a good choice. Go for a B or M nib.

 

With a more constrained budget, you might consider a Parker Vector or perhaps a vintage Parker 45. Good, reliable writers, with good, smooth flow and that kind of nib.

 

An alternative might be a Sheaffer Targa. They can be had relatively inexpensively and I have found the B nib to be smooth and juicy, and a great pleasure to write with. Of course, the Targa has the very opposite of a hooded nib. But you didn't say why you didn't like the full nib. If it's an aesthetic choice, then the Sheaffer inlaid nib may be different enough to the classic nib to be attractive.

 

 

And yes: don't use sandpaper to smooth your nib: you're likely to have the opposite effect.

I have a range of sandpaper - from 200 to 2,500 grit - which I use to experiment with cheap nibs (you can find them for under $1 per piece if you look hard enough). But even then, once I've finished playing, I use micromesh to smooth them out (I use a set that runs 1,500 to 12,000 grit, and I have an even finer sheet on its way).

[Erik Dalton]

Go to YouTube and check out Stephen Brown's vids. There are tutorials on smoothing and tuning a nib, making all sorts of adjustments. He will show you the proper micro mesh to use.

Practice your skills on your old pen, buy some Jinhao pens, they are good writers and very cheap, perfect for practicing your pen tuning. Then go buy the pen of your dreams.

[Ernst Bitterman]

You might also look for Waterman of the late 1940s with a Taperite section-- they were chasing the popularity of the Parker 51, but the writing properties are more old-fashioned. This would require talking to someone who sells vintage pens and knows about the field, too, as finding one wider than fine can be tricky.

 

My first thought was in the direction of the Lamy 2000, though-- mine (with an EF point!) manages some pleasant shading.

 

Third thought-- Pilot/Namiki Capless/Vanishing Point (I've lost track of which combination of names they use in the European market). The points are actually a lot like the firmer sort of Waterman "Taperite".

Edited September 21, 2016 by Ernst Bitterman

[Sasha Royale]

My HERO 266 is fairly wet. For 2€, the risk is minimal. Use your wettest ink, infused with traces of dish detergent.

[Monbla]

The first pen that comes to mind that would meet all your requirements would be any of the older hooded nibbed Aurora 88s from 1948 up through the mid 1970s. I have 5 of them from a 1948 model, two from the '50s and one from the late '60s and one from the early '70s and ALL have lovely soft semi-hooded 14k nibs and put down a nice free flowing line of ink with a nice degree of shading of line. Here:s a pic of a first year (1948) model. The main changes made in the '60s/'70s were the shape of the metal cap and the clip. They are very affordable for a supurbe writing pen !

1. http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh215/michaelintexas/Fountain%20Pens/Aurora%2088%203_zps38gelhep.jpg

[sirgilbert357]

Lamy 2000 with a medium nib may fit the bill.

 

 

 

But please do not use sand paper to smooth the nib.

 

My thoughts exactly on both counts. 12,000 grit Micro mesh, a loupe, some brass sheets and a bit of patience are all you need to tune darn near any nib.

[Inky.Fingers]

Check out venvstat.com

[woleizihan]

I think parker 51 might be a good choice. My 51 demi is very wet and the hooded nib makes it harder to dry out. The only problem is that the majority of 51 have F nib so it might take some work to find a broader nib.

[martinbir]

I immediately thought it was an exact description of a Lamy 2000. Mine has a medium nib.

[Forsberg]

Thanks guys.

My budget is around €20-100 (I live in Europe). Is perhaps someone from Netherlands and know good "master" here?
I see propositions but tell me why almost all of the pens are built in "old style" - I mean Parker 51 looks like used by grannies (at least mine in older times).
Aurora 88 looks slightly better but still. The best external look from propositions you've given is Lamy 2000. I think, however it is still far behind my current pen - I think it looks fabulous and has ideal proportions - the nib is not fully hidden, nor fully showed up. Also it's shape is as nice as the rest of the body.
However if I tested some kind of Aurora's 88 and it would please me I would get it, but first I need to check writing ^^

http://www.palico.pl/tl_files/renoird/kolekcje/RD%201917/RD%201917%27%27%27%27.jpg


Regarding "wetness" of that what I meant - from my experience wetter pen = smoother writing this is one of the reasons I like weeet but I also desire shading writing. Here is example what I would to have on most kind of papers:

http://i.imgur.com/GBDMTZe.jpg


http://i.imgur.com/Y0Obi9r.jpg


Original nib's size is F if i remember but I made it a bit wider by sand paper (I am a n00b and don't know any other technique).

On the site one of the member posted (venvstas.com) I've seen some quite nice pens. However it is too expensive to try it in blind.
The most important question is about someone in the Netherlands living. Anybody?

[sandy101]

The reason the Parker 51 looks like it is "old style" is because it is "old" style. Parker pretty much stopped making them in 1972 - and the design came from the 1940's. The Lamy 2000 design is also fifty years old. Both pens are regarded as classics of their day, as they functioned well with the materials and designs of their day.

 

Many hold the opinion that pens made in this era are much better than the pens of today, as then, pens were people's primary writing instrument - not typewriters, computers or telephones which meant more care went into the design. People were supposed to be able to use them all day, and not get too fatigued. The pen was supposed to let you write, and not get in the way.

 

Hooded nibs are not as common as they used to be - so a vintage pen might be the best solution, or you may have to look at a compromise.

[sirgilbert357]

The reason the Parker 51 looks like it is "old style" is because it is "old" style. Parker pretty much stopped making them in 1972 - and the design came from the 1940's. The Lamy 2000 design is also fifty years old. Both pens are regarded as classics of their day, as they functioned well with the materials and designs of their day.

 

Many hold the opinion that pens made in this era are much better than the pens of today, as then, pens were people's primary writing instrument - not typewriters, computers or telephones which meant more care went into the design. People were supposed to be able to use them all day, and not get too fatigued. The pen was supposed to let you write, and not get in the way.

 

Hooded nibs are not as common as they used to be - so a vintage pen might be the best solution, or you may have to look at a compromise.

 

I see this all the time, but feel there is a serious lack of objective conclusive evidence to back it up. If I wanted to play devil's advocate I could go on about how modern materials are further refined, current manufacturing processes have improved tolerances and that any pen over 50 bucks could arguably be considered veblen goods and the manufacturers know it, so they pay attention to the details respective to the pricing. Some pens are better balanced than others, but that's back into the realm of subjective...

 

I saw a number of vintage Pelikans at the Dallas Pen Show Saturday and not a one of them seemed better made than the modern ones I handled at the same time...

[eliweisz]

Parker 45 with a Medium nib fits your budget. Semi-hooded nib is just a little bit springy, quite wet and very smooth. The pen was in production for about 40 years, there's a vast array of styles, colours and finishes. NOS available. Affordable. What's not to like?