24 k pure gold fountain pen nibs

[theswordguy]

On a more serious note, some of the new micro-alloys may actually be of some benefit for nib manufacture.

 

The choice of material will depend on what the designer wants for the nib: cheapness, flexibility or lack thereof, and perceived bling all come into that decision.

 

That's amazing. I would love to have a fully functional, shiny 24kt microalloy gold nib on my pen. Thanks for the link.

[Glenn-SC]

Pure gold fountain pens nibs would be mangled almost instantly, and would have NO flex -- just bend under pressure and stay there.

 

Since gold is a solid it has tensile strength and therefore would not "just bend under pressure and stay there".

Silly Putty would "just bend under pressure and stay there".

 

While 24 k gold is not as strong as some metals, it doe shave some strength and will resist some load prior to yielding.

Unfortunately I do not have my metals books with me at the moment.

 

Would it yield at too low a load to be useful as nib material? Yes. But it is not taffy.

[ZeissIkon]

I think that fountain pens manufacturers can in practice manufacture 24 k (pure gold) nibs, but they won't actually do it because of the softness of pure gold. The nib will break when the user starts to write.Am I correct ? 21k gold nibs are the best available ?

 

There are many stainless nibs that write as well as the best gold nibs, regardless of gold content. There are flexible steel nibs as well. What gold originally brought to the table for fountain pens (which had to last a while) was its corrosion resistance, because stainless steels didn't exist in the late 19th century when permanent nibs were invented -- but that's no longer an issue, as there are stainless alloys now that are barely distinguishable from 14k gold in terms of corrosion resistance (and modern inks are less corrosive than those from 50-120 years ago anyway).

 

It would certainly be possible to make a nib out of 24k or even fine gold, but there's no reason to do so -- such a nib would require more metal for strength, and thus would cost much more than a lower content nib, and still wouldn't add anything in terms of corrosion resistance, which is the only real reason to prefer gold at any stage in history. The other reason gold nibs are preferred is simply buyer perception -- for which 14-18k (depending on local regulations concerning what can be called "gold" as opposed to requiring some special label) is plenty.

[FrankB]

I have a fondness for 14k nibs, mostly because of the flex I have in some of mine. I would like to have a 21k or 24k nib just for the novelty, but I have not taken the time to seriously look for one.

 

This gold discussion reminds me of one of my favorite examples of silliness on the Bay. Have you noticed how some folks who really don't know what they are doing will just hoot and holler that the pen they are selling has a "genuine gold 'point'" and seriously believe the gold nib will bring a fortune their way?!

[Tsujigiri]

Yep, the higher karats don't feel different, it's the tipping that matters.

For flexible nibs, anything above 14k also runs a higher risk of being "sprung," so 14k is the most functional.

These statements conflict.

 

"The tipping" effects how smooth a nib feels but has nothing to do with the flexure or spring of the nib.

A nib that is a "wet noodle" (i.e. has lots of flex) will feel much different then one that is a "nail" Ii.e. has little to no flex at all) even though both are tipped with the same material.

So as you said, the high karat gold will be more flexible, be (and feel) much softer, and be at a greater risk of being over-flexed and yield (be "sprung").

 

Higher karat nibs don't necessarily feel softer; my 21k Sailor feels just as nailish as my 14k one. The manufacturer determines flex with the design of the nib more than the material. An 18k nib can be made flexy so it will feel exactly the same as a 14k flex nib, but it runs the risk of heavy damage, which is why no one does it.

 

Pure gold fountain pens nibs would be mangled almost instantly, and would have NO flex -- just bend under pressure and stay there.

 

Since gold is a solid it has tensile strength and therefore would not "just bend under pressure and stay there".

Silly Putty would "just bend under pressure and stay there".

 

While 24 k gold is not as strong as some metals, it doe shave some strength and will resist some load prior to yielding.

Unfortunately I do not have my metals books with me at the moment.

 

Would it yield at too low a load to be useful as nib material? Yes. But it is not taffy.

 

If a material is a solid, that doesn't mean it can't be malleable, which gold is. If a company were to make an untreated 24k flex nib, it would bend under use as psfred said.