Stub O' The Day

[dcpritch]

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

 

Eversharp Symphony 913 14K Flexible Stub

 

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

 

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

 

TM, those are great pens, wonderful nibs, and I know well how nice your journals are! Thanks (belatedly) for showing us some great pens.

[dcpritch]

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.

 

Seth, how are you liking the Pilot 78G and Sheaffers after a few weeks of use? Are you getting used to the width of the nibs and writing a little bigger?

[griz8791]

[dcpritch]

Here's a pen that makes a regular appearance in my rotation:

 

Fred Faggionato "Le Geb" briarwood flattop, Bock 18k M nib stubbed by Dillon Ang (2011)

 

Fred Faggionato hails from France's Pyrenees Mountains and now works out of the Provence region. He makes a number of different models but for me, I could not get my eyes off his briarwood flattop and last year, about this time, I finally got one. The 18k Bock nib is a very nice size and has some spring to it, and I sent it to Dillon Ang (FPN: Dillo) for him to grind the nib to a smooth stub, which he did in marvelous fashion. Now, the nib is a stub with flex (actually, with spring, not quite enough there to really call it flex), my favorite combination.

 

This pen is made with a threaded plastic sleeve inserted into the cap so it can be screwed to the section. The section is made of woodgrain ebonite with a threaded brass sleeve that screws into a brass fitting in the barrel. All of this is very well thought out and is sure to aid in the longevity of the briarwood, and makes for a very nicely weighted and balanced pen - lighter than a celluloid pen of equivalent size. It fills via a converter and I assume it would take large int'l cartridges, but I haven't tried any as I prefer bottle ink.

 

This is what the nib wrote like when I first got it, before it was stubbed:

 

And here it is after it was stubbed - you may notice the nice line variation it now presents due to the nib having been ground to a stub:

 

A little more of a close-up:

 

 

And, hopefully before you become too bored, here is a side-by-side comparison of the "Le Geb" next to a Platinum 3776 briarwood. The Le Geb is 5-7/8" or 149mm long capped.

[dcpritch]

Tibaldi Modello 60, 18k B nib stubbed to 1.1mm by Greg Minuskin (1995)

 

This must be one of the most strikingly handsome pens I have ever seen, at least it seems that way to my eye. The Tibaldi celluloid in ivory and deep blue (nearly black) shimmers in the light with a unique pearlescence, the lines are perfect, the triple raised gold cap bands, sculpted cap lip, matching gold ends - each encasing striped celluloid jewels, subtle imprint on the barrel - it all just exudes classic Italian styling. And the nib is every bit the equal of the rest of the pen - huge, simple and elegant, plus it has the Tibaldi imprint sometimes missing from pens of this model.

 

Ron Zorn repaired the piston mechanism (and of course he did a fantastic job, making it better than original), then Greg Minuskin worked his magic on the nib. It is wide and smooth, with fantastic ink flow and expressive line variation. I have never put anything but black ink in this pen, mostly because I can't really think of a better color to match with the pen's material. I've used Aurora Black but now use vintage Parker Super Quink Permanent Black (with solv-x), my new favorite black ink. This pen is 148mm capped.

 

Pics:

 

[dcpritch]

Matador 334 1/2, steel OB nib (c. 1940s)

 

This is an unusual pen in that no one I know of has ever heard of this model - it obviously matches the number of a Montblanc model of similar vintage. It may be something of a frankenpen but it might also be a Matador; here's what I can tell you: the "OB" on the blind cap - opposite the 234 1/2 imprint - matches the nib size, the piston system seems very much like other Matadors, the cap is ebonite and has no marks, the ink window is ambered, and the clear barrel was once perfectly black but turned transparent when a very expert pen repairman (who was repairing for me the piston) dabbed the inside of the barrel to clean it. The steel "M" Matador nib is an OB and has amazing flex, as can be seen in the pics. Very similar, in fact, to Montblanc steel nibs of the same era (1940s). I put this pen up for sale a few months ago and some kind FPNers contacted me to discuss the quandary presented by this pen, but no good answer came to the fore. If you can shed some light on this curious pen please do so - I'd love to learn more.

 

Pics:

 

[dcpritch]

Esterbrook J, copper, steel 2284 nib

 

Here is the humble Estie J with one of my favorite nibs, a well-used 2284 nib. This particular pen belonged to my Grandmother and was given to me after her passing in the 1990s. The nib I picked up somewhere along the way and, like most of the Esterbrook 2284 nibs I've tried, is smooth with very even flow, maybe a little on the dry side, and with decent line variation. I like the Esterbrook J model - it has a nice girth and balance, holds a nice volume of ink, and is very durable.

 

Happy Fourth of July everyone!

 

 

[Houston]

[Uncle Red]

[sethk]

 

Seth, how are you liking the Pilot 78G and Sheaffers after a few weeks of use? Are you getting used to the width of the nibs and writing a little bigger?

 

Thanks for asking! I really like the way the Pilot writes and I've inked it up with some Omas Sepia as a sidearm to my serious pen (an aluminum Muji with a fine point and black ink). The 78G has been starting hard for me, which may have something to do with my being overexcited and inking it immediately without taking care to clean any manufacturing residues from it first. The Sheaffer nibs have been fun to play with, thought they take more effort to write with, so I don't use them daily. I imagine I will once I start to work on my handwriting more diligently.

 

I love your recent posts on this thread, particularly that handsome Tibaldi. Keep it up and I'll do my best to do the same.

[Uncle Red]

[dcpritch]

 

 

Hi Houston, thanks for posting here, nice pens you showed! That Nakaya is such a classic design, and John Mottishaw is certainly one of the very best in making a stub nib write like a dream. I have a couple of pens with Medium stub nibs and like them for when I need to write small. I've heard of smaller stub nibs but have never tried one.

 

... Keep it up and I'll do my best to do the same.

 

Hi Seth, glad you are liking the pens you have. I always find it amazing how different the feel of each pen/nib can be.

[dcpritch]

 

 

 

 

 

Uncle Red, The stub nib on the Wahl pen is fantastic!

 

I've not tried one of the Knox stub nibs (or any Knox nib, for that matter). How do you like it?

[dcpritch]

Pelikan M20 Silvexa, 14k BB nib

 

This pen is often overlooked here in the States but I have had a few of them and each one has been a great writer. Plus, Pelikan is as good as anyone, and better than many, at making a piston filler and this pen is no exception. It has a usable ink window, holds a nice amount of ink, is lightweight without being flimsy, and writes incredibly well. The 14k nib has a bit of flex - not much due to its semi-hooded design, but enough spring that one notices it with a little pressure. The best part (for me) is the width and stubbish character of the nib. A Pelikan BB is WIDE! and smooth, and offers great line variation without any sharp edges to slow one down. If you want to write in a classic Cursive Italic hand this pen is not likely a good candidate, as the edges aren't crisp enough, but it certainly does perform well for casual writing with a flair. There is an embossed metal Pelikan logo at the top of the cap and an inscription at the cap lip that reads, "Pelikan 20 Silvexa + Germany". No other inscriptions appear on the cap, barrel, feed or nib, other than the design shown on the nib in the photo below.

 

 

[Uncle Red]

 

[dcpritch]

 

 

 

Wow that's a huge, wide nib for such a small, thin pen. Looks like a ton of fun to use!

[Uncle Red]

DC, yes it is fun. It is a bit wet so I tried the Sasquatch which is a bit dry and that seems to be working well.

 

I did reply yesterday about the Knox nibs but my post seems to have Vanished. The 1.1 stub is very much like the 1.5 stub on my Vac 7oo, I suspect the Knox is a Jowo made nib too. It's more forgiving of the nib/paper alignment than the Waterman above. The Knox is smooth and has good line variation.

[Earthdawn]

http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac10/thevaporcafe/NakayaKikyo_zpsef127ea2.png

Nakaya Neo Standard in Kikyo Blue

 

Medium/soft ground to a stub by John Mottishaw

Edited July 10, 2013 by Earthdawn

[georges zaslavsky]

Stipula Isola Lipari

The Writing Equipment Society 2003 Limited Edition

 

 

 

 

Very nice pen , I am going to receive the same pen than yours but in marbled grey and blue celluloid with a flexible fine nib, congrats on your pen.

[dcpritch]

http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac10/thevaporcafe/NakayaKikyo_zpsef127ea2.png

Nakaya Neo Standard in Kikyo Blue

 

Medium/soft ground to a stub by John Mottishaw

 

How do you like the MS stub nib? I usually like a wider nib than a Medium, especially a Japanese medium, but this one looks intriguing.