Lamy Safari OB/Italic help needed.

[Crim]

I'm going to be honest... I don't 100% understand the difference between OB and Italic (although I think I understand that stub and italic are the same). I've looked on the richardpens site, and even saw some of these samples (http://www.richardspens.com/?page=exemplaria.htm) but it kind of made more things confusing for me since he labeled things as cursive italics, crisp italics, etc...

 

When it comes to a Lamy Safari Nib, what am I in for? I'm assuming that he has different names for his samples because he grinds his own nibs, but can anyone show me some actual Safari OB/Italic nibs so I can see what I'm in for?

 

Currently I'm buying a Safari B (my first) from this seller, to see if I like the thickness. I can change it for another pen if I don't like it, so that's not a problem. I guess if I like M or B I might wanna get an OB or Italic in the same size, but I'd like to ask if you guys can give me a run down and some samples as well.

 

Do either the OB or Italic have a specific style of writing they are used/good for? Like is an Italic more suited for calligraphy, where as on OB is ok for calligraphy and better suited for neater printing?

 

Which sizes suit either of them best? If anyone has either an OB or Italic in any size, can they post a reference to their writing and perhaps I can put together a comparison chart to see which one/size I like?

 

Thanks for the help, I really appreciate it.

[twdpens]

Lamy oblique nibs, like the vast majority of "factory" obliques, are rounded points not designed to give line variation but to help people who hold their pen in a particular way (more info here). Lamy italic nibs, OTOH, are flat in profile so will give good variation between thick down strokes and thinner side strokes. However, unlike the type of nib that a trained calligrapher would use, the Lamy nibs have slightly rounded corners so normal cursive handwriting is possible.

 

Therefore, if you want a calligraphic style of handwriting, choose one of the italic nibs.

 

HTH,

 

Martin

[richardandtracy]

... the Lamy nibs have slightly rounded corners so normal cursive handwriting is possible.

And as a result the 1.1 nib gives a maximum line width of about 0.7-0.8mm wide. If you want a particular line width, I suspect that you'd have to go to the next size above that width to get roughly the line width you want.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

 

[diplomat]

(although I think I understand that stub and italic are the same)

 

The stub has a rounded edge, while the Italic should be crisp and angled. The trade off is between speed of writing and line variation.

 

But it's true that the Lamy Italics are kind of stubbed. But that's good because you can use them regularly at work, they are great nibs IMO.

 

Andre

[Ondina]

... the Lamy nibs have slightly rounded corners so normal cursive handwriting is possible.

And as a result the 1.1 nib gives a maximum line width of about 0.7-0.8mm wide. If you want a particular line width, I suspect that you'd have to go to the next size above that width to get roughly the line width you want.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

 

 

Thank you for specifying the real line with of the 1.1, drives me nuts when I read different italic sizes here, I never know what they stand for!

[Crim]

Ok well that brings me to another question. What exactly is 1.1? I'm going to kinda guess here... .5 is Fine, .7 Medium, and .9 is B (bold or big, not sure which is the write word). Would 1.1 be BB?

 

On the guy's site I saw him selling Lamy Nibs. Besides the EF, F, M, and B I'm so use to seeing, I also saw MK, LH (left hand?), 1.5mm and 1.9mm. http://item.taobao.com/auction/item_detail...06ab8a5907c.htm (if you want a reference). What would those extra sizes be?

 

I'm also pondering... should I just get one Safari and buy different sized nibs? Is there any downside to that?

 

Also any idea on what a good size to start off with an Italic nib would be? I haven't even ventured out of the Fine realm yet, so and talking about a maximum line width won't really help since I can't visualize it on the paper I'd be using =).

 

Last bit is what is a chisel point? That guy is also selling a Lamy Joy (Which I like the looks of) and when I checked an english descrip on another site it said it has a chisel point....

 

And how are richardpens obliques different? Maybe the person who recommended me an oblique was referring to one that he ground.

Edited September 11, 2009 by Crim

[lefty928]

Ok well that brings me to another question. What exactly is 1.1? I'm going to kinda guess here... .5 is Fine, .7 Medium, and .9 is B (bold or big, not sure which is the write word). Would 1.1 be BB?

 

On the guy's site I saw him selling Lamy Nibs. Besides the EF, F, M, and B I'm so use to seeing, I also saw MK, LH (left hand?), 1.5mm and 1.9mm. http://item.taobao.com/auction/item_detail...06ab8a5907c.htm (if you want a reference). What would those extra sizes be?

 

I'm also pondering... should I just get one Safari and buy different sized nibs? Is there any downside to that?

 

Also any idea on what a good size to start off with an Italic nib would be? I haven't even ventured out of the Fine realm yet, so and talking about a maximum line width won't really help since I can't visualize it on the paper I'd be using =).

 

Last bit is what is a chisel point? That guy is also selling a Lamy Joy (Which I like the looks of) and when I checked an english descrip on another site it said it has a chisel point....

 

And as a result the 1.1 nib gives a maximum line width of about 0.7-0.8mm wide. If you want a particular line width, I suspect that you'd have to go to the next size above that width to get roughly the line width you want.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

 

I'm going out on a limb here, and only because you seem like you know your stuff whenever you post (and your name is Richard), but are you the owner of the richardpens website? If so, I'd like to ask you how are your Obliques are different from factory ones. I remember someone recommending me an oblique if I wanted to learn calligraphy, but the first poster kinda contracted what the person originally told me... so I figure he might have been referring to your obliques.

 

Hi, Richard Binder does post here (as Richard), but richardandtracy is a different fellow member. And omigosh, if you are completely new to fountain pens and buying overseas, I'd highly recommend purchasing a separate Safari factory italic nib in 1.1 mm size (Pendemonium.com and SwisherPens.com have sold these for $11-12 USD in the past, as have others, but please email them first to see if they are in stock -- both vendors have very responsive and friendly people working there!).

 

Edit: I just found a good close-up image of the italic nib at Writer's Bloc (for 10 USD, plus shipping): Writer's Bloc store

 

 

There may be sellers much closer to you or via eBay. And the Lamy Joy has the same nib but a different shape -- a pointy end, I suppose to look more like a dip pen holder, and a somewhat more expensive price. Plus you can't cap, but I'm sure it would work fine and you could locate it at art and calligraphy and craft sellers as well as the usual fountain pen resources. I prefer the Safari shape, but with the Joy, you wouldn't be paying extra for an additional nib.

 

Please consider trying out the inexpensive factory nib from Lamy (easy to change) before investing in serious custom nibs, as it sounds as if you want to experiment and try things out. (And start with the 1.1 mm size, if you -- like me -- like fine points. Some feedback here has indicated even that is kind of thick, but it all depends on the writer's preferences.) That way you'd be making later purchases from a position of more hands-on experience. Also, if you are considering U.S. purchases in the future, Pendemonium.com offers quite good custom nib grinding at very, very reasonable rates and very good turnaround ($15 USD for the grind). I have purchased a Lamy Safari with a B nib and had its craftsperson custom grind a .5 mm left oblique nib (I am left-handed, so stick with the italic) -- and she can do stubs or whatever you desire. As stated earlier, the Pendemonium people are very responsive and helpful by email.

 

And I don't see a downside to purchasing different nibs for one Safari barrel. (I could hardly do that, as I have an experimental B as well as a couple fine nibs for mine stored somewhere), at least until you buy some interesting new inks and don't want to empty your pen and are impatient :-). Then you will have to get another pen!

 

P.S. I buy the EF round nibs, usually. They are not that fine and actually are sometimes indistinguishable from the fines.

Edited September 12, 2009 by lefty928

[lefty928]

I'm going to be honest... I don't 100% understand the difference between OB and Italic (although I think I understand that stub and italic are the same). I've looked on the richardpens site, and even saw some of these samples (http://www.richardspens.com/?page=exemplaria.htm) but it kind of made more things confusing for me since he labeled things as cursive italics, crisp italics, etc...

 

When it comes to a Lamy Safari Nib, what am I in for? I'm assuming that he has different names for his samples because he grinds his own nibs, but can anyone show me some actual Safari OB/Italic nibs so I can see what I'm in for?

 

Currently I'm buying a Safari B (my first) from this seller, to see if I like the thickness. I can change it for another pen if I don't like it, so that's not a problem. I guess if I like M or B I might wanna get an OB or Italic in the same size, but I'd like to ask if you guys can give me a run down and some samples as well.

 

Do either the OB or Italic have a specific style of writing they are used/good for? Like is an Italic more suited for calligraphy, where as on OB is ok for calligraphy and better suited for neater printing?

 

Which sizes suit either of them best? If anyone has either an OB or Italic in any size, can they post a reference to their writing and perhaps I can put together a comparison chart to see which one/size I like?

 

Thanks for the help, I really appreciate it.

 

Have you looked at the reviews section, by the way? There are a ton of reviews on the Safari and one on the Joy, with helpful images, including closeups of the nib and writing samples. There are at least two on the 1.1 mm italic nib on a Safari. Here is one: FPN Fountain Pen Review

 

P.S. Have you been in correspondence with Richard Binder? I wasn't quite clear from your posts. If you have e-mailed him and he has recommended an oblique nib because of info you've given him on your writing style, then I'd certainly consider that recommendation in your ideas for possible future purchases, whether from Richard Binder or someone else.

[coldman]

And the Lamy Joy has the same nib but a different shape -- a pointy end, I suppose to look more like a dip pen holder, and a somewhat more expensive price. Plus you can't cap, but I'm sure it would work fine and you could locate it at art and calligraphy and craft sellers as well as the usual fountain pen resources.

 

If by “can't cap” you mean that you can't post the cap on the end of the pen while you are writing, I believe you are mistaken. I tried one in a store, and it posted nicely.

[lefty928]

And the Lamy Joy has the same nib but a different shape -- a pointy end, I suppose to look more like a dip pen holder, and a somewhat more expensive price. Plus you can't cap, but I'm sure it would work fine and you could locate it at art and calligraphy and craft sellers as well as the usual fountain pen resources.

 

If by “can't cap” you mean that you can't post the cap on the end of the pen while you are writing, I believe you are mistaken. I tried one in a store, and it posted nicely.

That's good to know, as I've only glanced at in catalogs (Joy calligraphy pen). Very elongated pointy tip. Thanks for the info.

[Inka]

MK is the old terminology for the Medium nibs [not sure but I think MK stood for Mittel Kugel or German for Medium Ball], ground more into a ball shape than their other nib sizes so they're more forgiving to nib rotation and angle.

The new LAMY nibs marked as a "M" are supposedly identical to the old MK designation, so if you get one marked as either [and in some cases the MKs weren't marked at all] I've heard they tend to be more forgiving.

Unless you tend to rotate your nib counter-clockwise, writing with your right hand, an Oblique nib won't offer you much help and may actually hinder your writing, have heard some left handed over-writers say they benefit from Obliques.

As for the LAMY Italics in 1.1mm-1.9mm they will most certainly give you nice line variation and depending on how you hold them they can write fairly fine to rather broad, they are not ball tips at all but almost chisel-like with rounded corners and edges, they are Cursive Italics although some call them Stubs and some call them Calligraphy nibs, making it even more confusing.

I'm not new to fountain pens, certainly not new to nibs types, but I am new to LAMY and just recently finding out all this stuff for myself.

I recently got a LAMY Vista, basically a Safari with clear body of a demonstrator with a different name, got mine with the 1.5mm Italic after seeing many, many reviews of the 1.1mm and not being very impressed with the variation.

In fact just this morning I'd posted a writing sample using the LAMY Vista with the 1.5mm nib, compared to my Rotring Fine and Pelikan M800 F, you can take a look at the differences in line variation by clicking here.

I hope that helps some.

 

ADDENDUM^^^

Edited September 11, 2009 by Inka

[Crim]

Haha, no I don't think I'll have any of my nibs ground anytime soon, unless I can find someone who's good at it here in China (Since it would be cheaper). I was just saying that the person telling me to get an OB nib was probably thinking of something he might of made. I've seen the reviews but haven't really checked through all the details of the nibs they use and such... but I see that Inka has a 1.5 and I think I like that size, although I'm not entirely sure since I can't see it on the paper in front of me kinda thing.

 

I went ahead and ordered everything, and the Lamy Safari seller was nice enough to say I could interchange the nibs/pens if I didn't like the size, as long as I payed for the shipping. So I'll get a B for now, and when he gets his other nibs in stock I'll consider switching the pen for something else if I don't like the B, or just buying another one completely.

 

And yeah, the Joy caps. Not 100% sure why I'd want it over a Safari though.