Nibs

[louishob]

Does anyone have an opinion about buying a new fountain pen on EBay ? I see VPs going from $80 to $90 minus shipping. Even with the $8 - $13 (from Japan) shipping it's below retail.

[wspohn]

Does anyone have an opinion about buying a new fountain pen on EBay ? I see VPs going from $80 to $90 minus shipping. Even with the $8 - $13 (from Japan) shipping it's below retail.

I buy tons of pens on Ebay.

 

As always, buy the seller, not the item, in other words look for a seller with a good reputation.

 

One should not neglect the sellers of new pens that are on this group. Sometimes their prices are as good as Ebay prices, and even if they are not, I often pay a slightly higher price just to support them and to be dealing with someone I know.

[Dillo]

Part of the reason why Gold nibs are popular is because of the belief that it will help the nib withstand against corrosion from constantly being dipped in ink. However, this is not really an issue nowadays as the modern stainless steel used in nibs are very corrosion resistant.

Only to a degree. There is no such thing as a truly corrosion-proof stainless steel; it's just that stainless steel -- even 316 surgical steel -- stains less than ordinary steel. And do bear in mind that nibs are not made from the most corrosion-resistant stainless steels; it's partly a cost concern and partly that the required mechanical properties aren't available in those steels.

 

And some inks are more corrosive than others; even today, inks with pH values as low as 1.7 (Omas Blue-Black) are in production. I see modern steel nibs, in some cases on pens less than 10 years old, that are terribly pitted -- some are no longer serviceable at all due to pitting.

Hi,

 

Have to second on this one.

 

I have see many modern steel nibs that are pitted or corroded beyond repair.

 

Most of the time, If you really must use a corrosive ink, you should use a pen with a very high karatage. I have seen 14K nibs discoloured by using a very corrosive (Yet modern) ink. Really, I don't recommend corrosive ink at all.

 

I still think 14K is best all around.

 

For pens that remain inked all the time, I make sure that they have gold nibs. If I ever need to use Ferrogallic ink. (I don't recommend it...) I use a gold nibbed pen which I can take apart reasonably easily. The thing that keeps Pelikans from using corrosive ink is the fact that most Pelikans like the Souveraen and Tradition series have small pieces of stainless steel. I have seen many of these stainless steel bits corroded too.

 

Try to use an ink that is near the neutral range and don't use something with too much dye.

 

Dillon

Edited October 10, 2006 by Dillo