Townsend Nibs

[bbs]

Hi - is there any rhyme or reason as to which sort of nib a Townsend comes with? It seems the usual is 18ct, but I've seen references to 14ct, and even stainless steel?

 

And are the older, US-made models any less nail-like than more recent counterparts?

[Russ]

Your observation is correct; the market changed. IIRC, the French standard of 18k as "gold" led manufacturers to follow suit. My older Townsend reads 14k 585. If I were to get a bold as I want, it would likely be very difficult to find one in 14k.

 

Anyone is welcome to correct or confirm my information; it may be only partially right.

[bigboy]

I have a Townsend with a Fine stainless steel nib. I personal like it. Compared to other stainless steel nibs, I like it.

[Chris]

I think the rhyme and reason is to do with the total cost of the pen.

 

My sterling silver Townsends have 18k (two-tone) gold nibs; my gold-plated/rolled gold and my black laquer Townsends have 14k gold nibs; my Medalist (chrome and gold plate) Townsend has a gold-plated (stainless) nib.

 

All write smoothly and have as much flex as ebony.

 

Chris

[lovemy51]

i find my townsend steel M nib a true medium with a little bit of spring. i like it!

 

don't have a cross gold nib to compare tho'.

[bbs]

Thanks all - the pen I was considering had a 14ct nib, but I think other pens have called to me more ....

[pkoko]

I heard that all Cross nibs are made in Germany so most of them are very good quality.

[Jerome Tarshis]

Who said "all Cross nibs" are made in Germany? For what years? Beginning in 2010? Beginning in 1982?

 

This kind of statement calls for a serious kind of attribution.

 

Certainly in the past some of them were clearly made by Pilot. For the Verve, for the Solo and Radiance, for what other pens I don't pretend to know. We have statements from either Jim Mamoulides (Pen Hero) or a Cross employee that, at least some years ago, Pelikan made nibs for the Townsend. We have had statements by our own Dillon Ang (Dillo) that he had seen (again, some years ago) nibs being made in Rhode Island.

 

Cross is not an unknown company, shadowy and obfuscated as some of its history appears to be, and someone authoritative knows where the nibs of today's pens are made. But may not wish to say. I should think some if perhaps not all Cross nibs are now made in China. But am willing to listen to the testimony of people who are in a position to know, and will speak for at least some degree of attribution.

[pkoko]

Who said "all Cross nibs" are made in Germany? For what years? Beginning in 2010? Beginning in 1982?

 

This kind of statement calls for a serious kind of attribution.

 

Certainly in the past some of them were clearly made by Pilot. For the Verve, for the Solo and Radiance, for what other pens I don't pretend to know. We have statements from either Jim Mamoulides (Pen Hero) or a Cross employee that, at least some years ago, Pelikan made nibs for the Townsend. We have had statements by our own Dillon Ang (Dillo) that he had seen (again, some years ago) nibs being made in Rhode Island.

 

Cross is not an unknown company, shadowy and obfuscated as some of its history appears to be, and someone authoritative knows where the nibs of today's pens are made. But may not wish to say. I should think some if perhaps not all Cross nibs are now made in China. But am willing to listen to the testimony of people who are in a position to know, and will speak for at least some degree of attribution.

 

Sorry for wrong info. When I bought my Townsend; I had reservations about it being made in China. But my retailer for Cross told me that don't worry it as the nib is still being made in Germany. My Townsend writes great and a really nice writer.

[Jerome Tarshis]

The Townsend, possibly yes. I hope so. The nibs were made by Pelikan in the past, and I wouldn't be astonished if they are still made by Pelikan. At least some of them. The gold nibs, let's say. Possibly all Townsend nibs, still.

 

But not "all Cross nibs." Cross sells some very cheap pens, some of them a little distanced from the company's main line of pens. The Penatia pens; the Franklin Covey offerings; and to tell the truth, my own Century II strikes me as a 100% PRC object. Earlier Century II fountain pens may have been 100% Rhode Island products. That model has been around for a while.

 

All of this stuff is subject to change. Cross ink cartridges seem to be made in China now, but at one time in the past they were made by a New England custom ink manufacturer called Chad Labs. (The Chad being a Mr. Chaudhury, IIRC.) Things do change.

 

By the way, I can endorse other users' feelings of pleasure about the Townsend. I feel the same way about mine. In my limited experience it's a delightful pen.

 

If I may address the original question: The material of the nib will be related to the price of the pen. For $60 you won't get a 14K or 18K nib in a new pen manufactured today. It will be stainless steel or gold-plated steel. For $350, on the other hand, you won't get a stainless steel or gold-plated nib. It is a simple relationship between price and expensive materials. (But if you buy a used pen on FPN or eBay you may well get a gold nib for very little money.)

[stefanv]

Just want to add another data point here. A colleague just gave me a Cross Townsend from a lot that was custom made (or modified?) about 15 years ago as gifts for employees at the company I work for.

 

The only visible (to me) differences between the pen I was given and this pen on the Cross web site are that the last 5mm of the cap is completely black instead of just having a black band, there's an approximately 8mm diameter circular emblem on the clip covering the part where "Cross" would appear, and the nib is marked "Cross 14k 585".

 

The pen is also rather tarnished. I thought gold was more resistant than that.

 

EDIT: If you click on the "10k Gold Filled" icon on the aforementioned Cross page, you'll see it with the same cap that mine has.

 

EDIT2: This is the first FP I've used that I find top-heavy when posted.

Edited January 14, 2011 by stefanv

[Chris]

Not everyone uses their Townsends posted - they can seem too unwieldy - try both ways and take your pick.

 

The cap colour is a sort of code - all black (about 5mm) is 10 or 12kt and thin black band with gold at the very top is 18kt but short black end (about 3mm) with no gold tip is 14kt (well, that is for the Classic range and I think the same code applied for the Townsend).

 

The nib is right at 14kt for the 10 or 12kt rolled/filled/plated gold - the actual terms vary a bit depending on where and when it was made.

 

Any tarnishing will rub off easily with a jeweller's polishing cloth but don't rub too vigorously as it is not necessary. Best to wipe over afterwards with a soft cloth to remove any traces of polish that otherwise will leave black marks on your fingers and everywhere else.

 

Chris

 

edit to add the u in colour!

Edited January 25, 2011 by Chris

[jslallar]

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................If I may address the original question: The material of the nib will be related to the price of the pen. For $60 you won't get a 14K or 18K nib in a new pen manufactured today. It will be stainless steel or gold-plated steel. For $350, on the other hand, you won't get a stainless steel or gold-plated nib. It is a simple relationship between price and expensive materials. (But if you buy a used pen on FPN or eBay you may well get a gold nib for very little money.)

 

 

Pens <$100 would likely have steel nibs. Pens @>$200 mostly would come with a gold nib. It is the category in between that may have either.

 

Back to the topic starter.

To the best of my knowledge (not saying much) Townsend have:

1. Steel nibs, either silver coloured or Gold coated.
2. 14K and 18K nibs. They are either single tone or two toned, and have either short or long tines in either variety of tones.
3. Haven't seen other than F, M and B factory fitted tip sizes. If there are any other known please enlighten me someone.

So there is a degree of variation in the nibs supplied.

Generally Solid Gold, Sterling silver, Tango with Silver (or Platinum) caps, and gold cap and the Lapis Lazuli and Jade versions will have Gold Nibs.

Medalists, chrome and lacquer versions will usually have steel nibs.

 

 

[crescentfiller]

I have a large (5 7/8" closed) gold plated Townsend, made in USA. It is a roller ball, unfortunately. Can anyone tell me if a fountain pen section-nib unit would screw into this pen's barrel? And, if so, where I might get a unit for it? I really like the pen and would like to make it regular user.

Thanks!

[jslallar]

I have a large (5 7/8" closed) gold plated Townsend, made in USA. It is a roller ball, unfortunately. Can anyone tell me if a fountain pen section-nib unit would screw into this pen's barrel? And, if so, where I might get a unit for it? I really like the pen and would like to make it regular user.

Thanks!

 

 

This has been discussed several times on this forum. Townsends are by far the easiest to convert. Just screw in the Fountain pen section. You will not be able to carry an extra cartridge that way though. Nibs are available from many sources but the best and probably the cheapest source is the cross comnpany website, go to

http://www.cross.com/ > Refills and Inks (drop down menu) > Shop all Founatin Pen Nibs, and select what you want..

Good Luck.

[rmizrahi]

I have a large (5 7/8" closed) gold plated Townsend, made in USA. It is a roller ball, unfortunately. Can anyone tell me if a fountain pen section-nib unit would screw into this pen's barrel? And, if so, where I might get a unit for it? I really like the pen and would like to make it regular user.

Thanks!

I just ordered an 23-carat gold-plated extra-fine nib from cross,cin. You can see the replacement nibs for the Townshend here. The folks at CROSS, particularly Charlene in repairs, have been very easy to deal with. She stated that the nib I purchased (with converter) from the CROSS site will screw directly into the position where the SelecTip rollerball now is. That's the nib, the nib ring and the black laquer (on my pen) shaft that attaches to the barrel.

 

Hope this helps!

 

R

Edited December 30, 2011 by rmizrahi

[Pen Nut]

If anyone is interested I have a solid 14k (585) Townsend nib unit that I will be selling soon. Further chat by PM please.