Montblanc Nib Sizes

[rvthof]

Again pictures belong to Darius. As posted 14-11-2009.

The Montblanc oblique nibs:

 

 

Edited May 22, 2016 by rvthof

[rvthof]

Later in this thread Darius posted the pictures with a ruler. From these I only have one picture.

I needed to enlarge 432% on my Epson printer to get a 1:1 print.

 

 

 

I hope these are useful and thanks again for the great work by Darius!

[Ceelo]

I wish I'd stumbled across this thread earlier, very helpful. Could this be a pinned post at the top?

[carlos.q]

Thank you!!!

[lunarfp]

Later in this thread Darius posted the pictures with a ruler. From these I only have one picture.

I needed to enlarge 432% on my Epson printer to get a 1:1 print.

 

 

 

I hope these are useful and thanks again for the great work by Darius!

 

For the sake of completeness, here is the Montblanc oblique nibs writing sample (with a ruler):

 

Again, all thanks to Darius.

Edited May 22, 2016 by lunarfp

[Tom Kellie]

[Mister Mont Blanc]

 

For the sake of completeness, here is the Montblanc oblique nibs writing sample (with a ruler):

mbnibswithscale01lr_1024 copy.jpg

 

Again, all thanks to Darius.

 

Thank you so much for reposting these! I come back to this thread topic time and time again and have no longer been able to pull up the pictures that were so helpful!

 

Thanks again to you and to Darius!

[Tom Kellie]

~ This thread is useful when I'm daydreaming about possible nibs.

The comments and images bring my wandering imagination back to grounded reality.

The geometry and physics of precious metal nib faces are constraints within which much might be accomplished.

With high quality ink and paper, nibs are deeply satisfying, without any one nib being capable of everything.

When I was first was learning about fountain pens I wondered if a flexible noodle of an OF nib with italic characteristics had been made.

What lunacy! Yet it's such idle dreams when combined with nib + ink + paper + writer realities which eventually are refined into rudimentary understanding.

This thread is one of the treasures in the Montblanc Forum.

Tom K.

[jslallar]

sample sizes of the nibs

[Tom Kellie]

~ jslallar:

 

That's an impressive comparative nib handwriting sample.

Thank you for posting persuasive visual evidence that OBBB nibs write well with panache.

This is well worth bringing to the attention of a few friends who balk at the prospect of writing with a broader nib.

Tom K.

[MarkHanks]

Yes. It is MB's #6 nib. The third digit in the current meisterstuck lineup denotes the nib size. 4,5,6 and 9.

 

In case you are wondering, there is no universal standard across brands for the nib size number.

 

 

(1)

 

So, 9-size nib of 149's in 'F' point can be slightly larger, if not similar to the 4-size nib of 144's in 'M' point?

 

I find 144's 'M' is just a bit too broad to my writing-dimensions and my naturally cursive writing. So, would it be safe if I opted for 'F' when I acquire 149?

 

 

(2)

 

And would oblique nibs help or overkill, if the user already has years of cursive writing habit out of normal round point F or M nibs of other makes? My shoulder movements are almost zero and my palm is angled at between 10AM and 11AM of the clock when I am writing and most of the alphabet movements are achieved between thumb and index finger and the firm grip of the pen between them with the base of the palm resting almost firmly on the paper. Typical student's grip in India as tempered by his boarding school discipline. (My writing thickness varies between higher side of narrow and lower side of broad - more of narrow than broad, say 0.45cm x 0.4cm (WxH). And the most frequent use of 149 will be for loads of letter-writing.)

 

 

(3)

 

Under the said conditions, would it be too risky too opt for OM, oblique medium, if not an even OB, oblique broad for my natural cursive letter writing? Would it further improve my (round-nib) habitual cursive style? Or, should I play it safe by buying just an "F"? Or, could I give into a little temptation and try "italic fine" or "italic medium" to make my cursive get even better?

 

 

- (The sample below is done using 0.40mm or 0.45mm thickness Sukma Pigma Micron pen (NOT a fountain pen)).

 

- (From all the writing samples of others, I realized I should never try OB or OBB or OBB for general purpose and high-volume letter-writing. OB, OBB and OBBB seem to help those with not-so-great cursive acquire a make-believe cursive style, forgive me, if this is found offensive - although OB, OBB, OBBB can be terrfic for anyone who hope to write large-size text, say, 10-15 lines per an A4 sheet in beautiful cursive with as much floweriness as possible).

Edited October 7, 2018 by MarkHanks

[hari317]

 

 

(1)

 

So, 9-size nib of 149's in 'F' point can be slightly larger, if not similar to the 4-size nib of 144's in 'M' point?

 

I find 144's 'M' is just a bit too broad to my writing-dimensions and my naturally cursive writing. So, would it be safe if I opted for 'F' when I acquire 149?

 

 

(2)

 

And would oblique nibs help or overkill, if the user already has years of cursive writing habit out of normal round point F or M nibs of other makes? My shoulder movements are almost zero and my palm is angled at between 10AM and 11AM of the clock when I am writing and most of the alphabet movements are achieved between thumb and index finger and the firm grip of the pen between them with the base of the palm resting almost firmly on the paper. Typical student's grip in India as tempered by his boarding school discipline. (My writing thickness varies between higher side of narrow and lower side of broad - more of narrow than broad, say 0.45cm x 0.4cm (WxH). And the most frequent use of 149 will be for loads of letter-writing.)

 

 

(3)

 

Under the said conditions, would it be too risky too opt for OB, oblique broad for my natural cursive letter writing? Would it further improve my (round-nib) habitual cursive style? Or, should I play it safe by buying just an "F"? Or, could I give into a little temptation and try "italic fine" or "italic medium" to make my cursive get even better?

 

 

- (The sample below is done using 0.40mm or 0.45mm thickness Sukma Pigma Micron pen (NOT a fountain pen)).

 

- (From all the writing samples of others, I realized I should never try OB or OBB or OBB for general purpose and high-volume letter-writing. OB, OBB and OBBB seem to help those with not-so-great cursive acquire a make-believe cursive style, forgive me, if this is found offensive).

One is the nibs line width size(also called nib grade). Which is denoted by EF F M B BB etc. other is the physical size of the nib, i.e. how big the nib is. This is denoted by 4, 6, 9 etc. e.g. a M 144 nib will be smaller than a M 149 nib since the 149 is a larger pen. But both M nibs can be expected to make similar line widths on paper. Having said that, the nibs are individually hand made and then sorted onto the grades. So it is reasonable that no two Ms might write in the exact same way. They will differ. But they will all fall into a band of values which MB training tells them is a M.

 

MB boutiques have nib tester pen sets. You can demand to try out various nibs grades to see which one suits your hand the best.

[MarkHanks]

I have a Mark Twain with a BB nib. It took about a month for this nib exchange through a retail in the U.S.

 

Just for your reference, I did the same for my Grace Kelly. It was so quick. It took about a week or so through the same retail.

 

Just curious, at the end of the day, do both Mark Twain and Grace Kelly go back into the same briefcase?

[Ghost Plane]

After 6 years, the poster might not be on the board anymore.

[MarkHanks]

Hmm.

For some reason, www.head-fi.org is better content-managed than our beloved FPN.

[AlohaLani787]

 

 

(1)

 

 

I find 144's 'M' is just a bit too broad to my writing-dimensions and my naturally cursive writing. So, would it be safe if I opted for 'F' when I acquire 149?

 

 

Maybe, maybe not. One of my F nib pens is awaiting an exchange to EF because it was so wet it was discernibly broader than my M nib.

 

MB boutiques have nib tester pen sets. You can demand to try out various nibs grades to see which one suits your hand the best.

 

The test pen nibs should be close, but are not an actual representation of the nib one might receive, depending on Montblanc's tolerances for a particular selection. Also, if the pen doesn't have the standard nib, i.e., a specialty or LE, the nib may be softer than standard and affect its writing, as I discovered with my pen.

Edited October 8, 2018 by AlohaLani787

[MarkHanks]

One is the nibs line width size(also called nib grade). Which is denoted by EF F M B BB etc. other is the physical size of the nib, i.e. how big the nib is. This is denoted by 4, 6, 9 etc. e.g. a M 144 nib will be smaller than a M 149 nib since the 149 is a larger pen. But both M nibs can be expected to make similar line widths on paper. Having said that, the nibs are individually hand made and then sorted onto the grades. So it is reasonable that no two Ms might write in the exact same way. They will differ. But they will all fall into a band of values which MB training tells them is a M.

 

MB boutiques have nib tester pen sets. You can demand to try out various nibs grades to see which one suits your hand the best.

 

 

Thank you. Great info. I spoke to the local boutique. They do have a tester kit that I can try during my next visit to city. Thank you, Hari. Very helpful.

[MarkHanks]

Maybe, maybe not. One of my F nib pens is awaiting an exchange to EF because it was so wet it was discernibly broader than my M nib.

 

 

The test pen nibs should be close, but are not an actual representation of the nib one might receive, depending on Montblanc's tolerances for a particular selection. Also, if the pen doesn't have the standard nib, i.e., a specialty or LE, the nib may be softer than standard and affect its writing, as I discovered with my pen.

Thank you. I am glad I going going for the normal 149, not a special edition. Hope the tester kit is accurate enough.

 

I love the look of most special edition pens but all come with highly polished steel grips that I find not hard to hold during long writing sessions. Also, all special editions must be 146, if I am not wrong? I am considering a real big fat pen with a large nib, 149 or Pelikan M2000. Also, larger the nib in 18K or higher gold the better the softness and nib customization and somewhat added flex, I guess? Never tried such big nibs except in Jinhao so far.

 

So which flagship sports the best nib among Montblanc, Pelikan and Sailor as per your experience in general and, say, in "F" or "OB", in particular?

Edited October 8, 2018 by MarkHanks

[AlohaLani787]

Thank you. I am glad I going going for the normal 149, not a special edition. Hope the tester kit is accurate enough.

 

 

So which flagship sports the best nib among Montblanc, Pelikan and Sailor as per your experience in general and, say, in "F" or "OB", in particular?

 

I'm not the right person to answer your question as I do not own any Pelikan or Sailor pens.

 

What I've gleaned from reading at this forum is that in general Montblanc nibs tend to write wider than other manufacturer's pens, especially Asian models.

[DrDebG]

Thank you all so much! You have helped me greatly decide my next Montblanc nib. I was wondering if the B or BB were more stubbish, and you answered that. I currently have an OB which I enjoy, but I would like a bit more line variation. I think I will go with a BB for my next Montblanc.

 

Comments, anyone?