Who Make Their Own Nibs

[georges zaslavsky]

Here is the summary so far taking everyones input. I tried my best to capture all the input, but my apologies if I missed any. Feel free to edit/add to this list as this is a group effort here.

 

As for Cross, I wasn't sure how to categorize it. From my understanding they no longer out source their nibs and brought it in house to their plant(s) in China, but given they shut down their Rhode Island manufacturing plant while maintaining their head quarters there, it would not be accurate to call it in-house, so I left it oursourced to supplier(s) in China. If anyone has any info regarding Cross to enlighten us please let us know.

 

Brands who make nibs in-house (in no particular order):

• Waterman / Parker
• Dupont
• Platinum / Nakaya
• Aurora
• Ancora
• Lamy
• Sailor
• Pilot / Namiki
• Montblanc / Cartier
• Pelikan
• Visconti - select models
• Wality
• Guider - gold units
• Romillo
• Inoxcrom
• Ratnamson - gold units
• Delta – select models
• Hero

Brands that outsource to Peter Bock:

Astoria

Bexley

Classic Pens

Cleo Skribent

Conway Stewart

David Oscarson

Delta

Dns-Drechselstube Neckarsteinach

Faber Castell

Kart Meisenbach

Kaweko

Norbert Zeplien

Sheaffer

Starbound Europa

Stefan Fink

Visconti

Waldmann

Krone

Signe Audiard

Lepine

Elie Bleue

Omas

Graye Tighson

Cleo

Taccia

Dupont – select models

Caran D’Ache

 

Brands that outsource to Jowo of Berlin

Monteverde

Dani Trio

Conklin

Marlen

Waterford

Tibaldi

Signum

Libelle

Montegrappa

Stipula

Lominchay

TWSBI

 

Brands outsourced to other:

Hakase – Pilot

Cross – supplier(s) in China

There are mistakes in this list Stipula, Montegrappa, Marlen and Danitrio use Bock nibs and not Jowo nibs. If not please confirm your source for claiming that they use Jowo nibs.

[max dog]

There are mistakes in this list Stipula, Montegrappa, Marlen and Danitrio use Bock nibs and not Jowo nibs. If not please confirm your source for claiming that they use Jowo nibs.

I found this link http://www.trustone.org.uk/jowo%20nibs.html

This Jowo nib distributor in the UK lists some brands they claim Jowo supplies the nibs for. I dont know how up to date the info is, so you could very well be correct. Will research this a little more and correct it. Thanks for pointing this out.

[hari317]

I found some nib stamps which indicates (partially) outsourcing

http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/Thomasnr/stamps_zpsb7263074.jpg

would that not depend on where you found these engraving dies?

 

Interesting stuff.

[terminal]

would that not depend on where you found these engraving dies?

Haha so true

[mohan]

sir, can you pls cite the source or provide a reference for this information?

 

Thanks!

Dear Hari,

Actually I am waiting for a medium tipped Wality nib for long time. I asked the supplier of Chennai for this. He informs that now it not produced in Kanpur at the moment but he will get me one as soon as the production starts.

[MrInkwell]

Interesting list that sounds about right, but there are very few references, if any.

 

All I can add at this point: Lamy make their own steel nibs, but not their gold nibs. My source is a colleague who has visited Lamy manufacturing.

[terminal]

All I can add at this point: Lamy make their own steel nibs, but not their gold nibs. My source is a colleague who has visited Lamy manufacturing.

I find that unlikely, and here's why. In November, Lamy released this video of their design and manufacturing process. They are pretty careful about saying what is made in-house versus outside. And they clearly say the nibs are made in-house. I just don't see why they'd lie about it:

2:40

"All the steel and gold nibs are produced in-house in Heidelberg"

[RMN]

Interesting video. Thanks

 

D.ick

[hari317]

Dear Hari,

Actually I am waiting for a medium tipped Wality nib for long time. I asked the supplier of Chennai for this. He informs that now it not produced in Kanpur at the moment but he will get me one as soon as the production starts.

Ok Thanks! In the meanwhile ask your dealer for the wality monotone steel color nib, they will write fatter and smoother.

[mr T.]

It is rumoured that the Pelikan m1000 nib is made by Bock. And that Bock for a while made more Pelikan nibs, but they took up production again themselves.

 

How Pelikan pens (and nibs) are made can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJyewMNX7uU

[mr T.]

What about Parker and Waterman? I would think at least Waterman makes their own nibs right?

Parker and Waterman make their nibs 'in-house'

[dduran]

 

How Pelikan pens (and nibs) are made can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJyewMNX7uU

 

I believe those are M800s? So during the era of the video we're still not sure if they already moved the production of M1000 nibs inhouse

[mirosc]

Cartier has the same owner (Richemont) as Montblanc, so it seems likely they share the same nib plant.

 

Not necessarily. Montegrappa is also owned by Richemont, but has a different nib source (as far as I know).

[RMN]

 

How Pelikan pens (and nibs) are made can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJyewMNX7uU

Another quite interesting video, thank you. I'm saving these for later.

 

D.ick

[jar]

 

Not necessarily. Montegrappa is also owned by Richemont, but has a different nib source (as far as I know).

 

Not exactly. Richemont owned Montegrappa from 2001 until late 2006. Since 2007 the Aquila family has owned Montegrappa.

[mirosc]

 

Not exactly. Richemont owned Montegrappa from 2001 until late 2006. Since 2007 the Aquila family has owned Montegrappa.

oh my.... Am I already that old?!

Thank you for the correction!

[hari317]

 

I believe those are M800s? So during the era of the video we're still not sure if they already moved the production of M1000 nibs inhouse

The nib shown being manufactured starting with the punching of the strip of gold is a M250 gold nib. Later in the video they show a M800's nib unit is being assembled into the sleeve along with the feed.

[paultyler_82]

 

it's like Toyota and Lexus with these guys... wonder what the high line of Sailor is called...

 

ok so:

• Pilot / Hakase
• Dupont - select models

 

 

Not the same at all. Your analogy is closer to Pilot and Namiki. Hakase is one of the last of the small craftsman penmakers out in the middle of nowhere in Japan. There used to be one in the back of many pen stores in Japan but it is a dying tradition. They used whatever nibs were available to them, Hakase having started with Sailor nibs and moving on to Pilot Nibs a long time back. Same with Nakaya, they use Platinum's nibs but are not the same company.

 

 

As to Wancher... they are Engika's store brand. Many products are made by many companies, exclusive in finish or materials, to be sold under the Wancher brand. Additionally, products may be further customized in house before being sold as a Wancher.

 

To the Chinese companies, many likely make their own nibs or use nibs supplied by Hero. Duke is an uncertainty, certain Duke and Uranus models use oddly shaped nibs unlike anything on any other pen, almost certainly these nibs are done in house. Wing Sung likely made their own nibs as well since they utilized a Sheaffer Triumph-style conical nib.

Edited June 17, 2013 by paultyler_82

[max dog]

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Edited June 18, 2013 by max dog

[max dog]

There are mistakes in this list Stipula, Montegrappa, Marlen and Danitrio use Bock nibs and not Jowo nibs. If not please confirm your source for claiming that they use Jowo nibs.

Hi Georges. I couldn't find anything so far to suggest Bock supplies nibs for Stipula, Montegrappa, Marlen and Danitro. Are you certain Bock is still the nib supplier today for these 4 brands you mention? The Bock website does not mention these brands although they mention the 17 others, and the UK supplier I mentioned earlier states Jowo supplies the nibs for these 4.