Fabled pelikan nib 'PF'

[pathobby]

I have heard of a Pelikan nib with the designation 'PF'. A German friend seems to remember having a Pelikano with one.

 

Does such a nib exist or is my friend mistaken?

 

PH

[eric47]

They exist. There have been a couple threads about the 'PF' and other hallmarks. There are some photos in this one, however the only photo with a 'PF' is a hidden one. The others are of the 'E|N' hallmark; I've seen some with 'PF' where the 'E|N' hallmark is in those photos.

Edited February 14, 2010 by eric47

[Toolan]

I have heard of a Pelikan nib with the designation 'PF'. A German friend seems to remember having a Pelikano with one.

 

Does such a nib exist or is my friend mistaken?

 

PH

 

Would that be. perhaps, P(elikan) F(ine) ?

 

Toolan

 

[EDIT]

 

Ooops... posted at the same time as eric47; P(elikan) F(abrik) it is !

Edited February 14, 2010 by Toolan

[Ondina]

They were the nibs that Pelikan made in their premises before switching to using Bock nibs ( I believe they have recently started to manufacture their own nibs once more). Old Style Pelikan 600, Toledo, etc, have such nibs. Wonderful, by the way.

[pathobby]

Would they designate a nib 'PF' for a relatively cheap school pen like the Pelikano?

 

PH

[gyasko]

They were the nibs that Pelikan made in their premises before switching to using Bock nibs ( I believe they have recently started to manufacture their own nibs once more). Old Style Pelikan 600, Toledo, etc, have such nibs. Wonderful, by the way.

 

That was the accepted explanation for a long time, but i think it has come into doubt. Why the other marks? Why the pre-Bock unmarked nibs? The Swiss customs hallmark explanation is more plausible.

 

As for the quality, i've had better luck with the most recent vintage nibs.

[Edgar Allan Bo]

Quote taken from another thread:

 

E|N is for a nib produced in France before the European Union took place (1992)

P|F is for a nib produced in Swiss, a country not yet wink.gif in the EU

Edited February 14, 2010 by Edgar Allan Bo

[Ondina]

Yes, the thread is here https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?/topic/91962-pelikan-nib-pf-signature/ and according to it , the PF would be stamped in nibs produced in Switzwerland. Mr. Propas always knows best about Pelikan, so I won't be the one contradicting him on this specific matter.

I have just found an ulterior post in which Rick Propas cites Herr Ehlers from Pelikan, in which the information about a Swiss origin of the nibs is confirmed https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?/topic/102443-some-good-news-about-pelikan-nibs/page__st__15__p__1022946entry1022946

Thanks to both for the updated info, you always learn here!

[Ondina]

Now, someone please ask who in Switzerland could be producing the nibs.....because some of us are already wondering and would like to know.

Caran D'Ache, Merz and Krell (Senator, Diplomat?) . They used to produce nibs for other companies.

[eric.zamir]

Now, someone please ask who in Switzerland could be producing the nibs.....because some of us are already wondering and would like to know.

Caran D'Ache, Merz and Krell (Senator, Diplomat?) . They used to produce nibs for other companies.

 

I wouldn't mind knowing the answer to that one. My two Pelikans have pf on them, and I assumed it meant Pelikan Fabrik.

Have they indeed returned to making their own nibs? That would be nice!

[eric47]

Now, someone please ask who in Switzerland could be producing the nibs.....because some of us are already wondering and would like to know.

Caran D'Ache, Merz and Krell (Senator, Diplomat?) . They used to produce nibs for other companies.

 

I wouldn't mind knowing the answer to that one. My two Pelikans have pf on them, and I assumed it meant Pelikan Fabrik.

Have they indeed returned to making their own nibs? That would be nice!

 

See Rick's blog about his visit to the Pelikan factory for info about nibs being made in house again.

 

I only have 4 M400/700 nibs with the E|N hallmarks. They're some of my best.

[hari317]

I wouldn't mind knowing the answer to that one. My two Pelikans have pf on them, and I assumed it meant Pelikan Fabrik.

 

Rick Propas has stated that the best explanation for the EN and PF marks are that they are customs stamps:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=109687

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=105502

 

Regards,

Hari

[TorPelikan]

According to an old 50s Pelikan catalogue, the description for PF nib is as follows

 

 

PF : Pfannenfeder für Schulanfänger, wird nur für Schulfüller geliefert

 

 

In this catalogue, these PF nibs are only for Pelikano and model 120, both are made for schoolboys and schoolgirls.

I own two PF steel nibs for original Pelikano which look very similar to "F" in size.

 

So, a German friend of pathobby who found a PF nib in his Pelikano is correct.

And pathobby's idea that those PF nibs are for school pens is also correct.

 

 

But surely there's another kind of "PF" marks on certain Pelikan nibs.

They are usually very small character engraved near the root of the nib and almost hidden when the nib is installed.

Some Pelikan Collectors in Japan regard these "PF" marks to be a sign of nib quality or nib characteristics.

 

As I know little about this "PF" mark and "EN" mark, I found two threads shown by hari317 to be very helpful.

 

 

regards,

 

Tor

[pathobby]

According to an old 50s Pelikan catalogue, the description for PF nib is as follows

 

 

PF : Pfannenfeder für Schulanfänger, wird nur für Schulfüller geliefert

 

 

In this catalogue, these PF nibs are only for Pelikano and model 120, both are made for schoolboys and schoolgirls.

I own two PF steel nibs for original Pelikano which look very similar to "F" in size.

 

So, a German friend of pathobby who found a PF nib in his Pelikano is correct.

And pathobby's idea that those PF nibs are for school pens is also correct.

 

Tor

 

I think this is the answer!

 

'Pfannenfeder' were produced for young writers and the have a small 'pan' on the tip rather than a ball or a point.

 

There is an explanation (in German) of these special nibs on this link

 

http://www.kallipos.de/pfannenfedern.html

 

I have one of these on order for a Pelikano... I am now looking forward to getting it in the mail!

 

PH

[gyasko]

But surely there's another kind of "PF" marks on certain Pelikan nibs.

They are usually very small character engraved near the root of the nib and almost hidden when the nib is installed.

Some Pelikan Collectors in Japan regard these "PF" marks to be a sign of nib quality or nib characteristics.

 

Yes, there is that school of thought. However, Pelikan had some QC issues in the period that these were made, which is a point touched on in the threads referenced above. That being the case, the nibs with the PF cartouche are probably somewhat worse than average -- assuming, of course, that they haven't been tuned or adjusted in some way.

[Feanor]

...

There is an explanation (in German) of these special nibs on this link

 

http://www.kallipos.de/pfannenfedern.html

...

 

Here's a translation for those of you who don't speak German. I'm a bit rusty, so if anyone wants to contribute corrections, feel free.

I also found the english version of the site, where they call them "ball point" nibs, although the descriptive paragraph isn't translated, so I'm posting my translation anyway. Note that where I say pan, they say ball point, and we both mean (I think) the drop of Iridium/tipping material found on nearly every nib nowadays.

 

What is a pan nib?

 

A pan nib, as opposed to a pointed nib, has a so-named "pan" as its writing point. Because of this, it produces a line somewhat fatter than a pointed nib, making it a bit easier to handle. Therefore, pan nibs are often favored for daily writing and for children who have not yet become skilled at writing. The many available pan nibs can be identified, apart from their appearances, primarily by their different elasticity and unusually large pans [iridium point/glob?]. When the nib is pulled, the width of the line can be changed by pressure. The more elastic the nib, the larger the possible line variation, but the more sensitively the nib reacts to "false" strokes, that is, when the nib is pushed. There is a writing guide here

 

Links:

Different line widths are caused by variations in pressure on the nib.

[encremental]

Hmmm .... two brand new M1000s I bought last year both had PF on their nibs, so its not just old pens - and maybe a bit ostentatious for school

 

John