Iraurita Nib - What Is That?

[Eclectica]

Hi All,

 

I'm intrigued by this descriptive term which seems to be cropping up of late on eBay: 'Iraurita nib'.

e.g. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/JINHAO-250-Business-Signature-Pen-Iraurita-Nib-Metal-Fountain-Pen-14cm-5/401208541670

 

I've never heard of this material and have no idea what this actually is.

 

Clearly we are all familiar with good old star-born Iridium as a decent hard wearing tipping material - there are some great YouTubes of true craftsmen electrically attaching a blob to an uncut nib and then cutting the slot - an awesome art to be sure.

 

I have some theories on what Iraurita actually is:

 

1) Iridium with some gold plate somewhere on the nib (from the Latin: aurum being gold, and aureum / aureas being golden).

2) A novel Iridium/gold alloy of some kind but not widely described or documented yet.

3) No different metal tipping at all, just a melted tip (perhaps also quenched to increase hardness?).

4) Simply Iridium, but under a new name as a marketing ploy.

5) All source back to a single supplier in one of several warm non-English speaking countries who had a bad typo/translation day!

 

If someone has some more knowledge as to the etiology of Iraurita then I'm sure everyone will be enlightened.

 

Best regards,

Eclectica.

[Driften]

I am guessing it was a bad translation day. These days there really is not much Iridium used in tipping materials and most companies are using other rare earth elements. It's just too scarce.

[jar]

I am guessing it was a bad translation day. These days there really is not much Iridium used in tipping materials and most companies are using other rare earth elements. It's just too scarce.

Or a made up word like the Parker Octanium nibs.

[jekostas]

It's just standard Osmium based tipping material with poor translation. Also, real Iridium hasn't been used in tipping in decades - it's extremely rare and very expensive.

[Eclectica]

Aha - good to clear up that mystery then.

 

Thanks all.

 

Still good to know that the Osmium tip is also a piece of ancient star...

 

As I wrote upon the page,

the nib with which I writ has an age,

its tip comes from afar,

born in space from some distant star.

 

Ok - I'll go now.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Osmium tipping can be very good. I like the Osmia pens, which bought a patent @1922-24, and changed the name of the company to Osmia after the Osmium tipping; which then was as good as could be had.

I have some 8 Osmia pens, in steel and just as grand gold.........the tipping And nibs still works great after 70-85 years.

 

But I'd not expect that nib to be semi-flex.

 

There was a very good link, which I neglected to get, in linking is too new dog for me to think of, but it was about how much and how often companies changed the composition of their tips, with various rare earths, often every couple of years, looking for better and cheaper in the '20-30's. Each company chased it's own path....and had to keep up with the Jones.

 

I think Osmia stayed with their Osmium compound tipping until at least to when Faber-Castel took over in 1950, and later.

Edited August 1, 2018 by Bo Bo Olson

[Honeybadgers]

Regular old jinhao steel gold plated nib. It won't flex at all, but it should be smooth and wet.

[Snob]

Iraurita is just the name of the company that produces the nibs.

[bass1193]

Iraurita is just the name of the company that produces the nibs.

+1

[Phonz]

This are the days of miracle and wonder!