Stub O' The Day

August 7, 2013

Not a fan of Parker or the 51, but the nib on this one is wonderful to write with and who can argue with a great nib?

August 8, 2013

I'm glad to see some folks tuned in, and now here is one of my go-to pens:

Bexley Poseidon Magnum

This pen is made of a transparent tortoise acrylic, which as far as I can tell is a non-production color, and the section is made of the same material instead of the usual black acrylic, so this pen may well be a prototype - I'm not sure. There is just enough transparency to offer a hint of what's inside, but not the level of clarity so as to be considered a "demonstrator." I really like the thickness of this pen and, at 139mm, its length is perfect for a non-poster like myself.

The main feature of this lovely instrument is the nib - a stock Bexley 18k Stub nib made by Bock, unmodified but as sweet a writer as one could ever hope for. It is smooth, butter smooth, and yet there is enough ooomph left in the corners of the nib that it provides great line variation. The converter allows me enough ink to enjoy using this pen for several pages of writing, but with the wet line laid down by this wide nib I won't stray far from my ink source, especially if I'm sitting down for an afternoon of writing (which actually never happens, so no worries).

Absolutely beautiful pen, thanks for the great photos.

August 9, 2013

Oops, I forgot to put the pen in the picture! Well, I'll just take a low quality snap of it here in my back yard.

(That's Katniss in the background.)

September 3, 2013

1960s Montblanc 32, 14k OBB nib

This pen is lightweight, holds a decent amount of ink, doesn't raise eyebrows, and and is one of my favorite pens to take into meetings, especially when I want to be sure no one is looking at my pen (or, if they do, they won't know what to make of the semi-hooded nib). Plus, the nib is fantastic - smooth, easy to use despite the oblique shape, great line variation and even a little spring. The threaded ink window is clear enough I can tell if I'm running low on ink. These 1960s Montblancs are great every day carry pens, in my opinion.

September 3, 2013

1930s Radius Superior, flexible No. 6 stub nib by Greg Minuskin

One of my favorite things in pendom is a flexible stub nib. There just isn't anything else that is as much fun to write with - wide, thin, fat, skinny - a flexible stub can do it all. This pen is an early 1930s button filler by Radius in the larger size - Superior - made of burgundy arco celluloid. The material is fantastic but the nib is everything with this pen: it is wide, smooth wet, smooth flexible, smooth and with incredible line variation smooth - did you notice any subliminal messaging?

Here are some pics:

September 6, 2013

September 7, 2013

thanks!

among the modern stub nibs out there (and there are quite a few), i like most my 1.3mm palladium nib on the visconti wall street LE:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8149/7459787712_f3e8c455f1.jpg

What ink is that on the Wall Street LE? Gorgeous.

September 7, 2013

September 7, 2013

September 7, 2013

1930s Radius Superior, flexible No. 6 stub nib by Greg Minuskin

One of my favorite things in pendom is a flexible stub nib. There just isn't anything else that is as much fun to write with - wide, thin, fat, skinny - a flexible stub can do it all. This pen is an early 1930s button filler by Radius in the larger size - Superior - made of burgundy arco celluloid. The material is fantastic but the nib is everything with this pen: it is wide, smooth wet, smooth flexible, smooth and with incredible line variation smooth - did you notice any subliminal messaging?

Here are some pics:

The covetousness. It burns. That is a beautiful pen and a simply SPECTACULAR nib. I did not know jealousy could sear quite this hotly.

September 8, 2013

2005 conway stewart 100 italic broad

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/georges2/pens%20%20and%20pen%20reviews/P9280394.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/georges2/pens%20%20and%20pen%20reviews/P9280395.jpg

September 10, 2013

Here's a Waterman Thorobred with a great stub on it.

http://i1315.photobucket.com/albums/t595/fivecatpenagerie/97D8C887-2AB8-4D19-9C2A-BAD67BAA2EDB-14669-00000258AF179CC8_zpse3256234.jpg

This little gal's been helping me write this morning.

http://i1315.photobucket.com/albums/t595/fivecatpenagerie/1D6D8AC1-388B-4015-AC6E-E17A7926FEF4-14669-00000258A7CC3DDA_zps9d906ad7.jpg

October 8, 2013

Whaddya mean, "not a stub"?! That is a great looking nib. I've never tried a nib with that grind but it has always interested me. How do you like using it?

October 8, 2013

irriger, I love the vintage factory stub nibs! And yours is especially nice. Well done!

October 8, 2013

2005 conway stewart 100 italic broad

Georges, that is a very pretty CS. I've yet to acquire a modern version but I understand the nibs are exceptional. Do you have a writing sample?

October 8, 2013

Here's a Waterman Thorobred with a great stub on it.

This little gal's been helping me write this morning.

http://i1315.photobucket.com/albums/t595/fivecatpenagerie/1D6D8AC1-388B-4015-AC6E-E17A7926FEF4-14669-00000258A7CC3DDA_zps9d906ad7.jpg

The pen is nice, but the cat! She looks like either a great helper or a trouble maker. What's her favorite ink?

October 8, 2013

Parker Victory MKII, Newhaven 14k stub nib

I am liking more and more the vintage factory stub nibs. They aren't as wide as, say, a Bexley stub (1.3mm) or a Montblanc or Pelikan 3B, but they have a very vintage feel and often a little flex. The English nib (indicated by the "N" on the lower portion of the nib, meaning Parker's Newhaven facility) on this Parker Victory is fantastic. It writes with perfect flow for shading and is quite smooth. Sometimes it emits a little squeak as my vintage Pelikan nibs do, but generally it just flows and goes with nary a complaint. The clip on this pen has an exceptional amount of room at its top, between the clip and the barrel, which I assume (because it is English) is to allow the pen to be easily placed in the front pocket of one's tweed jacket. Aluminum button filler. I'm guessing this pen is from 1945 or so, but certainly there are Parker Victory experts out there who could help me be precise.

Showing the dark blue color, and also a size comparison to a Waterman's Commando, from about the same era:

October 8, 2013

Delta 500, Fusion stub nib

Ever since Delta came out last year with its Fusion nib there has been a fair bit of controversy about it. Several threads here on FPN have seen lots of comments about whether the nib works, is it modern alchemy, its a sham, etc. I was on the list with fountainpen.it forum and received last year one of the special edition piston fillers made for them by Delta; I seem to recall hearing at the time that this was the first pen on which Delta put its Fusion nib, but that's really neither here nor there at this point. The Fusion stub nib on this pen is, out of the box, one of the smoothest nibs I've used. I can't really comment about the hype or the criticism, but I will say I like the nib.

******************

In September, my good friend Jim Sanders [PoohCornerPens here on FPN] began a thread on the Zoss List about his experience with the Fusion nib, which seems to match mine, only he is more knowledgeable and so his thoughts are actually worth reading. I'll reprint his initial comments here:

I'm not calling this a pen review, but ever since the Delta Fusion nibs were introduced I've been very interested in the performance of these pens. I wanted to use a pen, with a mounted nib, so I could see how the nib performed. Those who know me have heard me say that a stick with a nib properly installed works as well as a $400 nib holder, AKA the "pen". ...

I spent several hours writing today with the pen and in my 25 years of purchasing, using, selling modern pens I would say this is maybe the #1 out of the box writing experience I've had to date.

As an engineer (nuclear) I haven't quite figured out the interaction between the stainless steel nib and the 18k mask, but I will work on this metallurgical marvel a bit more as time goes on, but the old saying "the proof is in the pudding" is applicable here. I'm inclined to hitch my ride on the connection between alloy metals in the nib and the nib feed, with the effect on ink flow, which is a basic no brainier, since ink flow (capillary flow) between the ink holder (sac, converter, barrel) is maybe the #2 factor.

The mechanics of the nib and the grind, along with the user's skill level will then dictate the line and variation, which I suppose would be the #1 consideration in the "proof of the pudding" argument. Any other insight would of course be very welcome, as my training and education is not specifically in metallurgy, but is in nuclear radiation and shielding, health physics and biological/medical effects of ionizing radiation, heat transfer and fluid flow, & reactor core physics. My spin is that of all the stock stub italic nibs I've ever used, Delta normally had the best performance. Stipula is probably second and Aurora is third with some reservations. Omas may be tied there.

This nib is the smoothest, most responsive, best line variation, and best flow from the factory, nib I've used. I can't quantify those statements as yet, but as I continue to experiment I may have some more conclusive data. In my opinion then (as we say IMHO) this is certainly worth the time to test, if you can get to a place that has the pens for sale. ... So do your homework and take a chance. I can't vouch for all nib sizes, flow, and other variations, but I'd for sure give this pen a big 10.

I will say that if you want the more custom piston filled version of this pen with the two toned mask nib (Fusion) you really only have one source, that being Chatterley pens and Bryant Greer. I can comment that the converter filled version of the pen seems to perform OK and I'm not a big fan of C/C filled pens.

And I'm always more inclined to use a pen with a custom set up from someone like Greg Minuskin, Mike Matsuyama, or John Mottishaw, among others. Even among these custom pens, the Fusion 82 performed well. Of course there's no or little flex to speak of, but then with great flow and nib characteristics that's not a big deal with me.

I hope ya'll enjoy the comments.

Questions are welcomed.
Best and blessings
Jim

October 9, 2013

Thanks for the reprint!

Don't care much for the marketing speak about gold on steel, but these nibs (specifically the stubs) seem to perform very well.

Definitely made me interested in a Delta with Fusion nib. Put it on my shortlist

October 9, 2013

I haven't been able to catch up on this great thread yet, but I thought I'd make my first entry to the party—my Italix Parson's Essential with a fine stub. On this paper—a Clairefontaine Basic Life Unplugged book—the line appears narrower than it does in most other contexts. But everywhere it's a nice tight line with just some subtle line variation. It looks great in my journal.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5542/10172839756_b68788c82d_c.jpg

Untitled by papabear163, on Flickr