Stub O' The Day

[Uncle Red]

Wow, so that's not a sticker. Wild. Waterman had tried a lot of self fillers in the Teens but I never knew they flirted with Piston fillers.

[griz8791]

 

 

. . . .

 

griz, thanks, I'm glad you are watching and I hope you get a chance to post a picture of something.

. . . .

 

 

 

Edited May 24, 2013 by griz8791

[jar]

http://www.fototime.com/41382D95243A732/medium800.jpg

 

 

Rouge-et-Noir BB.

[AlejoPlay]

Capture.jpg

Your handwriting is awesome.

 

And a Pelikan M200 with a Binder cursive italic is not Junior Varsity! I envy you for having one of those!

[tinta]

Trying to upload my first writing sample. Hope it works.

[tinta]

Not as sharp as I'd like, but it worked!

tinta

[Uncle Red]

Looks good Tinta, keep practicing.

[da vinci]

To follow up on something I said to Pokermon in the post just above:

 

Waterman's piston filler, flexible 14k stub nib

 

I got this pen last year in a trade with an esteemed FPNer. I'd never heard of a Waterman's piston filler and he said that as far as he could tell they were only made for a very short time and only distributed in Switzerland. I think late 1940s or early 1950s is the best guess about date of manufacture, and if anyone has more information about this model I'd love to learn more. The nib, as usual, is the star of this pen - a very flexible (not a wet noodle, though) 14k stub nib. No markings on nib or barrel as to size, so I would guess it to be a BB in the vintage style, and indeed it behaves very much like a vintage Pelikan BB, though this nib is slightly easier to flex. Here are a couple of photos:

 

DC, I have been an admirer of your handwriting for a while. Could i ask a cheeky favour?

 

Would it be possible for you to post a photo of you presenting one of your stub nibbed pens to paper. What I am particularly interested in is the rotation of the nib, to understand how you get that lovely line variation. When I am using my stubs it seems as though I should be holding the pen so that the nib is at a right angle to the bottom of the page. That cannot be right? It feels more natural to hold the nib at an angle ( so the corner of the nib points to the top right and bottom left of the paper sheet, if you see what I mean. Any thoughts (from anyone!) most welcome.

[dcpritch]

 

The above was written with a pen that has a nice nib, not as wide as some seen on this thread, but smooth and semi-flex:

 

Summit S100, 14k B nib

 

This pen has a very nice, inconspicuous chasing pattern. The nickel trim is refreshing after seeing so many black pens with gold furniture. The 14k nib is a B that has some flexibility, not a huge amount, but enough to make it fun to use. Solidly built in every way.

 

 

[dcpritch]

HI davinci, what a nice compliment! Rarely do I hear such words as there are so many real masters around here who are actually deserving of praise for their artistry.

 

I think you write the same way I do, with the corners of the stub pointed to the upper right and lower left corners of the paper, and the nib "facing" the upper left corner of the page. I hold the paper at about a 30 degree slant, and by that I mean the page, beginning at vertical, is turned 30 degrees to the left. I have heard that a 45 degree slant is preferred for flex writing, but that's not comfortable for me and I've not yet forced myself to learn a different way. I don't use a stub so that it is oriented at right angles to the top of the page. Here's a sample with the Bexley used a few posts above, and this time I was actually paying attention to the details you mentioned:

 

 

 

 

[da vinci]

HI davinci, what a nice compliment! Rarely do I hear such words as there are so many real masters around here who are actually deserving of praise for their artistry.

 

I think you write the same way I do, with the corners of the stub pointed to the upper right and lower left corners of the paper, and the nib "facing" the upper left corner of the page. I hold the paper at about a 30 degree slant, and by that I mean the page, beginning at vertical, is turned 30 degrees to the left. I have heard that a 45 degree slant is preferred for flex writing, but that's not comfortable for me and I've not yet forced myself to learn a different way. I don't use a stub so that it is oriented at right angles to the top of the page. Here's a sample with the Bexley used a few posts above, and this time I was actually paying attention to the details you mentioned:

 

 

DC, thank you for your detailed reply. It is exactly what I needed.

 

The only difference is the page slant. I will give that a go. Unfortunately, I suspect what this means is that i simply need to practice more, and pay attention to detail.

 

Cheers, Da Vinci

[Robinkeys]

Robin, you accomplished something I've never worked up the nerve to even attempt. Awesome!

 

 

Thanks, dcpritch. Unfortunately, the pen went up to that great pen case in the sky a week or two ago when I accidentally lost it. I later found out that the person who had picked it up had unscrewed the barrel instead of the cap, and, being an ED filler, the pen dumped ink all over his hands. Because of that, he threw the pen away. I sure loved that pen.

 

Two or three days afterward, the Sheaffer VFM that I had received for Christmas literally snapped in two at the black plastic threading.

 

It was a bad pen week...

[mhphoto]

Here are all of my current stubs. I'm definitely beginning to appreciate them more.

 

http://i1355.photobucket.com/albums/q712/FiveCatKnittery/28930FCA-7C0D-4A6B-AA30-44E64876AF6B-54568-0000089F0290CF64_zps9ee3ce0d.jpg

[sethk]

Okay. This thread has really got me thinking about branching out. I have been a, more or less, dedicated fine nib vintage pen user (my one exception is a rather broad medium nib Jinhao X750). But now, I really want to get a stub nib. I've yet to buy a pen for even $20. What should I look for if I want to play with something stubish? Should I look for something widely available like the Pilot 78G or just hope that I luck into a vintage pen that happens to have a stub nib?

[dcpritch]

I would try out the 78G with a B or BB nib. They are a very inexpensive way to try your hand at stubs. Please let us know what you end up with.

[sethk]

I would try out the 78G with a B or BB nib. They are a very inexpensive way to try your hand at stubs. Please let us know what you end up with.

Thanks for the feedback. I just ordered a 78G with a B/stub nib. I'm a bit of a cheapscape and got one on Ebay ($10 including shipping), so it'll take a couple of weeks to get here but I'll post an update with pics one I get to play with it.

 

Eventually I'd love to snag some stub Renew Points for my SJ, but I'm glad to have a quick and cheap option on the way for my foray into stubbing.

[TMLee]

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/FP/STUBS/Eversharp%20913%20Symphony/001.jpg

 

Recently acquired Eversharp Symphony 913 14K Flexible Stub

 

Testing out on TR paper , in my own TMLee Journal #121B

 

Very impressed with this nib.

Factory stub.

Wrote smooth when first inked.

 

Very flexible.

 

Smallish nib.

Edited June 8, 2013 by TMLee

[TMLee]

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/FP/STUBS/PILOT%20Custom%20823%20Sutab%20nib/004.jpg

 

A modern stub ...

This is the PILOT Custom 823 but fitted with a <SU> 'Sutab' nib which I swapped out of the PILOT Custom 743.

 

This is a large nib , size 15. 14K nib.

 

True to many reports here, the 823 is a very reliable writer.

 

The stub width here , being Japanese (Eastern) is narrower than European stubs.

This stub is more like a medium stub.

[da vinci]

#TMLee - nice journals and pens! I havent tried one of the more upmarket Pilots yet, but am looking to remedy that sooner rather than later.

 

That Pelikan Brown is a nice colour - i think brown is an underrated ink colour

[sethk]

I would try out the 78G with a B or BB nib. They are a very inexpensive way to try your hand at stubs. Please let us know what you end up with.

My 78G stub arrived early! I've attached an image of my first couple of stub trials. I also chanced upon a Sheaffer No Nonsense calligraphy set with some italic nibs of differing widths, so I'm starting to play with those too. I'm having fun so far and am keeping hope alive that my penmanship will is making as much progress as my collection.