M800 "pf" Nib

[Pen_Noob]

I got a Renaissance brown new pen with a PF nib inside.

From my 100+ fountain pens, this is clearly the best writer, wet, soft, perfectly tuned, an incredible writing machine.

 

Now I am afraid to write with it, not to damage it in any way (I seem to be sometimes adept at damaging nibs, especially by dropping pens which ofc fall directly with the nib down).

Edited February 24, 2018 by Pen_Noob

[mroctober]

Interesting. Pelikan has such a long history, there is always something more to learn.

[Bo Bo Olson]

I'd not replied to this post in I'd not had an 800. I do now, a W.Germany to '87 @ 1990-91 regular flex one, which are famous for being a tad more springy than the '90-91-97 era regular flex ones.

 

I in W.Germany nibs, I have a 200 OM, small 600 OBB and just inked in I got it last month an 800 OM. It has the pf on it. As does the 600. The 200 doesn't, in it's gold plated, not gold. The 1005 (1997 1000's introduced...black and 'silver' 1005 in 2013...**** and boy did I get a hell of a bargain...at E200....just saw it on sale for $750. ) also has a pf on it. It is a Pelikan made 1000 nib, in it is regular flex, and not the Semi-flex Bock made for the 1000 when they made nibs to Pelikan's own specks, from '97 to when Pelikan took the nibs back in house.....???2010???.

The harder blobby nibs were wanted by Pelikan, in they still make exactly what they had Bock to make, outside the 1000 now being a regular flex. Exact same complaints for a Pelikan nib as for a Bock nib.

 

So the PF was also made on Pelikan made nibs of 18K/750.....don't know about the 14K/585.  Not on my 14 K 605 nor one of my '50's 14 K 400's. Too much trouble to go digging for all my pre-98 400's.

 

I don't know if Pelikan had Bock make the 200 nibs or not, but they remain regular flex, and are not fat and blobby tipped, a half a size narrower, giving a clean line. 

 

 

Post '97 800 is a nail, instead of the 'softer' regular flex. That is the year the 400/600 went to semi-nail.

Pelikan wanted nibs ball point users could use with out the 'extremely complicated' way to hold a fountain pen properly....don't want to scare them off....so went to a harder nib and a double ball/kugal nib tipping...ie, fat and blobby and writes vertical.

Harder nib cut repair costs, in Ham Fisted Ball Point Barbarians, had a harder time making a pretzel out of the nib.

 

I

[amberleadavis]

I just got one. It is an amazing nib. It is flexy and stubby.  

[Bo Bo Olson]

Amber...post '97 800 nibs are nails.

 

'82-90/91 W.Germany nibs** are a tad more springy regular flex than the '91-97. '85 for the 200, '87 for the 800.

I had vowed not to have a 800 unless it was a W.German one. I'd once trans-mailed one to Spain in the German seller refused to mail out of country. So I got to play with it for three days. Then it was too large a pen for me.

I'd not call mine flexi, but you are more into nails, so might think so. It is nice and springy.

 

 

** 800 '87, then '88-89, (mine) and then '90/91 are the three West German 800 pens....experts can tell apart... Looking at their work was able to date mine.

 

I don't know about the post '97 nib, but I have an old chart. pre-Japanese, at least before '97.

Conway Stewart was a real fat nib, then came 'fat' Parker, the '"skinny" Sheaffer, then regular 400/600 Pelikan. the 800 had it's very own nib standard thinner than the 400. And last was the skinny Waterman.It was skinnier than even the 800.

But the Pelikan EF was as thin or thinner than Waterman's EF. WOW....how times change....not always for 6he best.

 

I really didn't and don't worry my 800's OM is narrower than my 200's OM; both W.German.  Never even checked it out.

Besides normal tolerance/slop which goes from fat M and or skinny B to skinny M and or fat F....and all are in tolerance. That is more a thing for folks into skinny nibs than folks who went wide.

 

[amberleadavis]

@Bo Bo Olson I agree with you it is not a flex, but compared to my modern Pelikans it is much softer.  I was thrilled to get a W German nib. This pen is pristine, I don't think it had ever been inked.

[Bo Bo Olson]

1 hour ago, amberleadavis said:

but compared to my modern Pelikans it is much softer. 

Yes, its a very nice springy regular flex and modern post '97 Pelikans are semi-nail for the 400/600, nail for the 800.

The newer after Bock 1000 nibs are regular flex. When Bock made the nib it was semi-flex.

 

The 1000 was the last Bock nib taken back into the Pelikan In-House.

I WOG that the the date was @ 2010 in at my B&M I'd tested the 1000 to semi-flex, with another semi-flex in the other hand.

 

Everyone complained bitterly about what Bock did to that great Pelikan nib..........when it was back in house........the very same complaints continued in Bock had made exactly the nib Pelikan told them to make...harder to bend for less repair costs.

 

Fatter double ball tip so the ball point/roller ball user wouldn't get confused with learning to hold a fountain pen low like a fountain pen instead of high like a ball point. New motor skills are hard to lean when one is over 21....as proven by all the old golfers.

 

Therefore the fat pointed double ball modern nib. An Now... they finally in the last 4 or so years ruined the grand 200's nib with fat double ball nibs also.

The tear drop nibs write with a cleaner line than the fat blobby ones.

[amberleadavis]

Thank you for sharing!  I am so excited to write with it.

[dennis_f]

2 hours ago, amberleadavis said:

Thank you for sharing!  I am so excited to write with it.

 

Congratulations on an awesome find!  Very few things (relatively speaking of course) feel better than finally getting your hands on a beauty as hard to locate as this.

Enjoy it.  Have fun!

D.

 

[amberleadavis]

17 minutes ago, dennis_f said:

 

Congratulations on an awesome find!  Very few things (relatively speaking of course) feel better than finally getting your hands on a beauty as hard to locate as this.

Enjoy it.  Have fun!

D.

 

 

 

Thank you.

[Bo Bo Olson]

I don't know what width your 800 is, but regular flex (F and above)  is a fine flex for two toned shading inks.

 

Sometimes semi-flex is too wet for shading inks, needing a perfect ink, and paper match to shade.

[amberleadavis]

17 hours ago, Bo Bo Olson said:

I don't know what width your 800 is, but regular flex (F and above)  is a fine flex for two toned shading inks.

 

Sometimes semi-flex is too wet for shading inks, needing a perfect ink, and paper match to shade.

 

I am pretty sure it is a medium.  I'll try out some shady inks next fill. Of course, it will have to be a green ink. 

[Bo Bo Olson]

When I came back to fountain pens after 40 years in the Ball Point Desert, I had a P-75 M. I went wide. My F's wer4e 'only' space holders until I could get wider nibs in that make and model...due to LOM and Collectors Impatience, I never did get those wider nibs in the makes and models I had in F.

 

How ever I slowly got into regular flex M's, especially for shading inks.

M is so unfairly disrespected. Everyone goes fat or skinny, leaving the lonely M, begging with cap in hand, for a drop of ink.

[Gaeleus]

“PF” means Pelikan Fabrik.  I have seen it on some of the European specds pens 

[roshpens]

This one of my M800 PF nibs. 

[carlos.q]

On 5/7/2023 at 12:14 PM, Gaeleus said:

“PF” means Pelikan Fabrik.  

Could be… but then again that is just a supposition:

https://thepelikansperch.com/2014/09/22/the-pf-pn-nibs-explained/#more-783

[AceNinja]

6 hours ago, roshpens said:

This one of my M800 PF nibs. 

that blue ink looks deep, vibrant, and gorgeous!  May I know what ink is it?

[roshpens]

13 hours ago, AceNinja said:

that blue ink looks deep, vibrant, and gorgeous!  May I know what ink is it?

Thank you ! Ink is from Scribe. No mention of what kind of blue it is. I initially thought Scribe =Scribo. LOL

[Penguincollector]

31 minutes ago, roshpens said:

Thank you ! Ink is from Scribe. No mention of what kind of blue it is. I initially thought Scribe =Scribo. LOL

It’s the man that created the Penman inks. Similar to Penman Sapphire, I think the name is Scribe Indigo. It’s supposed to be better behaved. I keep meaning to try it but keep getting distracted by literal shiny things (i.e., more pens and shimmer inks). It’s beautiful.

[Bo Bo Olson]

We are living in the Golden Age of Inks............sometimes that is a sad thing.