Looking For A Smooth Italic Nib

[Jadie]

So after experimenting with fine, medium, and flexy nibs, I am ready to try something different!

 

I bought a Pilot Plumix a while ago and fell in love with the nice, sharp, crisp italic nib...but hated how "scratchy" it felt on paper. Then I went online and read about stub nibs, which are supposed to be smoother...

 

My question is, can I get the sharp, crisp writing of an italic nib by using a stub nib? Most writing samples I've seen with stub nibs don't have the angularity that 'true' italic nibs seem to offer. (Then again, maybe the writers just weren't writing in italic.)

 

Or would I be better off finding better ink/paper combos to offset the feedback of my existing italic nib? Maybe a different brand of italic nib would be less scratchy?

 

Thanks in advance for enlightening a nib newbie!

[AtomicLeo]

So after experimenting with fine, medium, and flexy nibs, I am ready to try something different!

 

I bought a Pilot Plumix a while ago and fell in love with the nice, sharp, crisp italic nib...but hated how "scratchy" it felt on paper. Then I went online and read about stub nibs, which are supposed to be smoother...

 

My question is, can I get the sharp, crisp writing of an italic nib by using a stub nib? Most writing samples I've seen with stub nibs don't have the angularity that 'true' italic nibs seem to offer. (Then again, maybe the writers just weren't writing in italic.)

 

Or would I be better off finding better ink/paper combos to offset the feedback of my existing italic nib? Maybe a different brand of italic nib would be less scratchy?

 

Thanks in advance for enlightening a nib newbie!

 

I have been on a quest for almost 3 years to find the best italic nib available. One that would add flair to my writing, but would not be too scratchy. I really need to write this up as a formal review, but a summary of want I have found

 

• A nib ground by a professional to a CI/stub will out perform any factory italic or stub nib. If you can get to a pen show where nib grinding is available, that will be the best way to get the kind of italic or stub that fits you.
  
• In my experience with fpwriting, Pendelton Brown and Richard Binder, Binder far and away has sharper stubs and CI nibs. Sharper translates to more line variation. You will need to write MUCH slower with one of Richard's grinds than Pendelton's.
  
• Fpwriting, based out of SIngapore, grinds what I would consider fine-sized stubby CIs. Somewhat smooth, just enough tooth and he offers many modified Chinese pens for under $50 with shipping. Great way to get a hand ground nib at a reasonable price.
  
• Of the three I have tried, Pendelton's nibs are the smoothest. Virutally no scratch what so ever, and the line variation is comparable to my pens from Fpwriting, although less than my BInder nibs. For $100, you can get a Pendelton Rosetta Magellan and it will be one of the best pens you'll own.
  
• If you do decide, to go with a factory ground italic nib Stipula has a great italic that they offer on the Passporto and Vedo models. I own both and it's the best factory italic I've tried.
  

[OcalaFlGuy]

If you have a Safari, get a 1.1 Cursive Italic nib for it for about $13. If you don't have a Safari, still get one and get the 1.1 as it's main nib. IMO it's a very nice ground nib and writes 3-4 times better than what it's cost would suggest. It leans towards a Stub with its amount of line variation but is smoooooth.

 

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

[fair isle]

As far as less expensive italic pens go I like Manuscript nibs the best, surprisingly smooth yet great italic definition. The main downside is the pen body itself, kinda cheap feeling and looking. They are easy to come by though, as many art supply stores and craft stores sell them.

 

The other pen that comes to mind is the Italix Parsons Essential. I have not tried this pen but I plan on purchasing one soon and it has some great reviews. Many people comment on how smooth it is for an italic nib which is why I mention it.

 

Here is a link to the review on FPN

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?/topic/197729-italix-parsons-essential-fountain-pen/

 

and here is a link to a video review on youtube

 

Good luck in your search!

[cellmatrix]

[*]Of the three I have tried, Pendelton's nibs are the smoothest. Virutally no scratch what so ever, and the line variation is comparable to my pens from Fpwriting, although less than my BInder nibs. For $100, you can get a Pendelton Rosetta Magellan and it will be one of the best pens you'll own.

 

I wholeheartedly agree. I have a pendleton ground BLS nib (butter line stub - sort of a cross between a stub and a cursive italic) on my vanishing point and it is both super smooth as well as having great line variation.

[raging.dragon]

There's a trade off between smoothness and line variation. A cursive italic will give you most of the line variation of crisp italic, but has corners rounded enough to be useable for cursive writing. A stub will be smoother, more forgiving of writing position, and have less line variation. It's also necessary to consider that stubs and italics will vary between different manufacturers and different nib technicians.

 

Franklin Christoph have reasonably priced pens with factory stub and italic nibs in both 0.9 mm and 1.1 mm widths. I believe these are custom ground by Michael Masuyama.

 

Pendleton Brown also sells inexpensive pens with customized nibs. Richard Binder and John Mottishaw can sell you a higher end pen complete with custom nib.

 

And there are several nib technicians to whom you can send on of your pens to have the nib reground.

[Mickey]

General notes: Edged pens (e.g., italic and stub) are technically more challenging than all but the finer 'round' nibs. The edge, once soled on the page, cannot be allow to roll up on to the corner* if one is to derive the smoothest performance and greatest amount of line variation from the nib. All other things equal, the wider the nib, the greater the line variation. It is generally easier to learn the correct technique with a wide nib (1.5mm or larger) than with a small italic nib (.5-.9mm). Stubs are easier to use, but provide less variation. A crisp italic nib need not slow you down, but it will require better technique to be used at speed. Learning to use an edged pen properly will usually improve your technique with other pens.

 

A custom ground nib, i.e., one which is ground by a nib-meister who has seen you write, will give the best balance of ease of use and line variation. (With decent technique, a fine-tuned crisp italic nib can be every bit as smooth and fast as a cursive italic or stub.)

 

* There are techniques where this is allowed to happen and where the corner of the nib is used to create hairlines, but this sort of thing falls in the realm of professional penman skills and doesn't really apply to your question.

Edited July 2, 2012 by Mickey

[Uncle Red]

[Jadie]

Wow.

 

Thanks for all the replies! The writing samples were a great bonus, too. =D

 

I am currently reading (and researching) through all of your suggestions. I'm afraid I don't have enough capital to consult the services of a custom nib-meister, so it's heartening to see that there are so many alternatives available.

 

Right now I'm really tempted by the Franklin Christoph option, mainly because I've always wanted an Eclipse---but then there's also the Rosetta, which has such a pretty cap design---and then there's Lamy, one of those pens that everyone seems to have but I've never tried in person (and the purple one is soooo nice)---and then, and then...

 

Whew. Looks like it'll take me a few days to calm down from italic nib overexposure. Not that I mind in the least, you understand.

[OcalaFlGuy]

Jadie there's another grinding option if price is critical.

 

Pendemonium will custom grind a nib for just $20 + shipping. That's only about $7 more for a nib custom ground to your "spec" than an off the shelf Safari CI. That is at least 30% lower than anyone else I know. Their grinder ground nibs at the nearby Sheaffer factory for over 40 years. If there is any downside it's that you'll communicate about your nib only with Pendemonium (Vs communicating directly with the nib person) but if you know what you want, that's not a real issue.

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

Edited July 3, 2012 by OcalaFlGuy

[TAWhite]

As far as less expensive italic pens go I like Manuscript nibs the best, surprisingly smooth yet great italic definition. The main downside is the pen body itself, kinda cheap feeling and looking. They are easy to come by though, as many art supply stores and craft stores sell them.

 

The other pen that comes to mind is the Italix Parsons Essential. I have not tried this pen but I plan on purchasing one soon and it has some great reviews. Many people comment on how smooth it is for an italic nib which is why I mention it.

 

Here is a link to the review on FPN

http://www.fountainp...l-fountain-pen/

 

and here is a link to a video review on youtube

 

Good luck in your search!

I have the medium italic version of this and it is brilliant. Very very smooth. So +1 for the Italix

[Uncle Red]

I have a pen groeund to a fine cursive italic from Pendemonium and it's very smooth and writes well.

[Jadie]

Still in the midst of reading and researching.

 

fair isle, I read through the review and saw the video link you posted, and I must say the Italix looks gorgeous! I love how the pen exudes an aura of classic elegance. (This is also one of the reasons I never bought a Lamy--the designs were too utilitarian for me, and I always thought the clips on the Safari and AL-Star looked like giant paper clips, haha. I'm picky like that. )

 

TAWhite, are your hands small? I've read about the pen having a heavy cap, so I was wondering if that affected writing for small hands (mine are tiny). I remember reading somewhere that small-handers just wrote without the cap and it was fine, but it'd be nice to have more opinions.

 

Mr Bruce and Uncle Red, does Pendemonium only offer Sheaffers/Parkers/other US brands for grinding? I don't want to send in any of my pens yet as I like their original nibs just fine.

 

Need to go now, but will write more later. Thanks again for everyone's help!

[OcalaFlGuy]

I was just on Pendemonium's site yesterday double checking their grind price for you and they have a pretty nice selection of Parker's and Sheaffer's with custom ground nibs already in them.

 

I personally think the custom grind of your pen is a much better deal money wise but that is certainly your choice.

 

You could always see if the have Esterbrook 9668 Medium nibs, buy one of those and have it ground before it's sent to you. That way, you could put it into any Estie pen you have or got in the future. The factory "italic" Estie nibs are very pricey, a custom ground 9668 nib will likely be cheaper and will also be a much nicer nib IMO.

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

[LisaN]

I have a lovely Sheaffer Sovereign II with a darling little stub triumph nib.

It is an expressive joy pen.

[Ted A]

I have several stubs: the Plumix. A Parker from the 1980s, Lamy 1.5, a TWSBI, and a Monteverde.

 

The TWSBI is very smooth, but is somewhat large. The Monteverde is maybe a slight bit less smooth. The Lamy is smoother than the Pilot but not as smooth as the others.

[Jadie]

Hello again!

 

So after drawing up lists and making comparisons and whatnot, I've narrowed my choices to two contenders.

 

1) Pendemonium's Sheaffer Delta Grip Fountain Pen, with a 0.8mm Cursive Italic nib ($45, USA)

 

or

 

2) Italix Parsons Essential with Medium Italic nib, for apprx. ($50.69 w/o engraving, UK)

 

Neither prices include shipping cost, I believe.

 

Both pens appeal to me in terms of style and cost. The Italix gets bonus points for sheer elegance, the Sheaffer points for its vintage-cool-factor.

 

I'm guessing in terms of line variation, the Italix would have a wider range because it's a true italic, but that the Sheaffer would be smoother?

 

Hmm...maybe I should go for the Sheaffer since it's Independence Day. :roflmho:

 

Or conversely, aim for the Italix as the UK is our closest relative. What was that thing about 'respecting your elders' again? Haha.

 

May I ask for a few more opinions before I make my choice?

[watch_art]

or you could do like this guy and grind your own nibs. Start with cheap stuff (like Pilot V-pen) and practice...

 

[OcalaFlGuy]

Jadie, if you decide to go with the Pendemonium already ground pen choice here's a 20% coupon for you if you order today or tomorrow.

 

http://www.pendemonium.com/inkygreetings/ig_070512.htm

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

[Jadie]

watch_art, thank you for the kind suggestion, but I'm afraid my hands aren't dexterous enough for that kind of work. I always get paper cuts, and I'm already stretching my luck by writing with sharp pointy metal sticks...haha.

 

Mr. Bruce, your link was a pleasant surprise, and ended up being the deal-breaker for me. I'll be happily awaiting the delivery of a Sheaffer soon! (First pen down on this page: http://www.pendemonium.com/pens_italic.htm)

 

And to everyone else who chimed in with their thoughtful remarks: :D I really appreciate it!