Who Make Their Own Nibs

[Bo Bo Olson]

I did a tour of the Lamy factory this summer. They only showed a tiny bit of the roof top tree covered garden break area.

There is three different areas,The first features a roofed outdoor tables and winding brick path, with smoke areas benches in hedges, bushes and trees. The other two sections is where you can be alone with sculptures in grass and trees, or the section with a pond.

 

The steel nib making is on the ground floor, the gold on the second with much older machinery. The actually making of the gold nibs was not shown to us.

Part of the QT of the nib is checking for scratchiness by sound. 8 nibs at a time. Those who don't sound good are tweeked by a woman.

 

The workers making gold nibs must have all been sent on breakfast break about 9 when we came through. Only two women were grinding/polishing 2000 ball points in the corner.

 

What really surprised me was each front portion of a ball point cartridge is drilled out...it was an older oil bath machine; that still works fine.

Edited October 16, 2013 by Bo Bo Olson

[Mike_Dowling]

I have no issue with a Bock or Jowo outsourced nib, I do have a problem with paying exorbitant amounts for a pen that doesn't even make their own nib in house. Same way I have no issue with a watch with an ETA movement (I own one), but I do have issue buying a watch for 5 X's as much with the same ETA 7750 or 2892-A2 in it.

[jar]

I have no issue with a Bock or Jowo outsourced nib, I do have a problem with paying exorbitant amounts for a pen that doesn't even make their own nib in house. Same way I have no issue with a watch with an ETA movement (I own one), but I do have issue buying a watch for 5 X's as much with the same ETA 7750 or 2892-A2 in it.

 

 

Unlike the ETA 7750 movement, not all Bock nibs are the same.

[max dog]

Hi,

 

Cross had a number of nib suppliers. The Solo was from Pilot as was the Verve. The Townsend was from Pelikan. The other nibs from the Pre-China pens were made in-house in Rhode Island. They made both 18K gold and steel nibs in the same room. All Cross pens were hand-tested and adjusted. I had visited Cross prior to their move and saw them make nibs there. Cross also made their own feeds, and I saw the feed making equipment. I wouldn't be surprised if Cross moved their machines to China, but I wouldn't be surprised if they still make them in-house although in a different place.

 

Dillon

 

That's nice to hear Cross use to make their own nibs in house and not all were out sourced. If their pens and nibs are still being made in their own Cross facility in China instead of contracted out, that is good news.

 

I've always been fond of Cross because their pens are truly made to serve you a lifetime, and their industry leading no questions asked life time warranty, which I've experienced first hand, is still alive and well. With the recent divestiture of the writing instruments division to new owner Clarion, I am hopeful they will continue to survive and thrive.

Edited October 20, 2013 by max dog

[max dog]

Although I have no doubt that Bock and Jowo can produce some of the finest nibs in the world for their clients, I have a particular attraction to brands like Montblanc and Pelikan who make their nibs in house. I also like restaurants that bake their own bread and whip up their own desserts from scratch. That's just me.

 

They can claim true pride in their own craftsmanship.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wegi5MH9Bmc&feature=player_embedded

Edited October 20, 2013 by max dog

[Mike_Dowling]

 

 

Unlike the ETA 7750 movement, not all Bock nibs are the same.

 

That's not really true either, many makers enhance the 7750, Hamilton's H21 adds a longer power reserve and some other features for example. Breitling enhances the Valjoux and 2892 A2 movements too.

 

Either way, I wouldn't pay huge money for a pen that outsources nib manufacture on a matter of principle.

[terminal]

Ok so I was just watching Dan Smith's review of the Conway Stewart Wellington (

) and at about 4:38 in he says, "Conway Stewart makes all their nibs from 18k gold" which made it sound like the nibs are made in house. I think we've pretty well sorted out in this thread that this is not a true statement, but I'm just noting it.

[RMN]

 

That's not really true either, many makers enhance the 7750, Hamilton's H21 adds a longer power reserve and some other features for example. Breitling enhances the Valjoux and 2892 A2 movements too.

 

Either way, I wouldn't pay huge money for a pen that outsources nib manufacture on a matter of principle.

Of course that is your opinion, and you are welcome to it. But it would be about the same as saying: I don't pay for car manufacturers that don't make their own tyres and batteries, And I don't pay for computer manufacturers who don't make their own memory chips.

 

NO penfactory makes all their material completely from scratch. They buy the resin/celluloid, they buy the gold sheets, they buy the converters, whatever.

 

Making your own nibs is only good policy if you can make a great number of nibs. Buying the equipment for nibmaking for just 200 nibs a year is not wise. It would make your nibs very expensive, and thus your pens.

 

But I find it OK if you want to pay double for a selfmade nib.... I am happy with a good Bock nib, and that way I can buy two pens, and have twice the fun....

 

 

D.ick

[josephchow42]

Nakaya makes their own nibs? I have always thought they get their nibs from PLatinum?

Lamy makes its own nibs.

 

I believe Nakaya is the premium brand of Platinum...

Most Japanese brands still keep their nibs in house I believe

 

[UK Mike]

I agree that a nib is made entirely to the specs from the customer (be it TWSBI, Sheaffer, FC, et al), so the "a nib on a FC will be much better than the one on a TWSBI mini" sentiment is, imo, complete rubbish.

As this thread has been revived I noted that you seriously misquoted me - I said the nib in a "GRAF VON FABER CASTELL" - you surely are not intimating that the nib of a TWSBI Mini is specified to a higher standard than the gold nib of a Graf von Faber Castell? Careful what you think you have read before saying a comment is complete rubbish because it may bounce back.

[Dillo]

 

I believe Nakaya is the premium brand of Platinum...

Most Japanese brands still keep their nibs in house I believe

Not really. They are a separate company although they are very closely related. Nakaya nibs are tuned at Nakaya.

 

Dillon

[Mike_Dowling]

Of course that is your opinion, and you are welcome to it. But it would be about the same as saying: I don't pay for car manufacturers that don't make their own tyres and batteries, And I don't pay for computer manufacturers who don't make their own memory chips.

 

NO penfactory makes all their material completely from scratch. They buy the resin/celluloid, they buy the gold sheets, they buy the converters, whatever.

 

Making your own nibs is only good policy if you can make a great number of nibs. Buying the equipment for nibmaking for just 200 nibs a year is not wise. It would make your nibs very expensive, and thus your pens.

 

But I find it OK if you want to pay double for a selfmade nib.... I am happy with a good Bock nib, and that way I can buy two pens, and have twice the fun....

 

 

D.ick

 

I think the nib is a little more vital to the fountain pen than say the battery of a car let's get real, if Ferrari outsourced their engines to KIA would you be OK paying 1 million dollars for one? In fact the nib and feed ARE the heart of the fountain pen.

 

Anyway many pens using Jowo and Bock nibs can be thousands of dollars and some "in house" nibs can be quite reasonable. So your point about cost is irrelevant. If I'm paying big money for a pen I want an "in house" nib, same way as if I'm paying big money for a Swiss mechanical I want an in house movement. I have watches with ETA movements and they're great but I wouldn't pay 5K+ for them, I also have pens with Jowo and Bock nibs, I just wouldn't pay big money for them.

[Harlequin]

As this thread has been revived I noted that you seriously misquoted me - I said the nib in a "GRAF VON FABER CASTELL" - you surely are not intimating that the nib of a TWSBI Mini is specified to a higher standard than the gold nib of a Graf von Faber Castell? Careful what you think you have read before saying a comment is complete rubbish because it may bounce back.

 

I most definitely am intimating that. You may treasure the FC nib, others may not. Whether a nib is any good is COMPLETELY dependent on how the nib is made. Just b/c a nib is made from gold, in house, by a brand you like does not mean it is the superior of another nib made to better specifications by a third party nib maker. As a matter of fact, the material the nib is made from almost doesn't matter in regards to its performance if the specs being used to make it suck- it's all in the specifications requested.

 

Just b/c FC made the nib in house doesn't mean that it isn't a POS. Likewise, just b/c TWSBI outsources nibs to Bock or JoWo doesn't mean they aren't superior in every way to an in house made nib by anyone.

[josephchow42]

 

I think the nib is a little more vital to the fountain pen than say the battery of a car let's get real, if Ferrari outsourced their engines to KIA would you be OK paying 1 million dollars for one? In fact the nib and feed ARE the heart of the fountain pen.

 

Anyway many pens using Jowo and Bock nibs can be thousands of dollars and some "in house" nibs can be quite reasonable. So your point about cost is irrelevant. If I'm paying big money for a pen I want an "in house" nib, same way as if I'm paying big money for a Swiss mechanical I want an in house movement. I have watches with ETA movements and they're great but I wouldn't pay 5K+ for them, I also have pens with Jowo and Bock nibs, I just wouldn't pay big money for them.

 

Can't agree with you more! I use TWSBI and likes it a lot. But if I need to pay hundreds of money for a pen, I would go for a company that makes its own quality nibs.

[Harlequin]

I have a question though... what if an in-house nib is in fact inferior to a Bock or JoWo nib? There are plenty of cases where that could happen; I would venture to say it happens most of the time, except on the very high end of a manufacturer's line. How do people feel about an "in house" nib on a higher priced pen if it is just not as good as an outsourced nib?

[georges zaslavsky]

Just b/c FC made the nib in house doesn't mean that it isn't a POS. Likewise, just b/c TWSBI outsources nibs to Bock or JoWo doesn't mean they aren't superior in every way to an in house made nib by anyone.

Twisbis are known for having a huge failure rate and being average quality writers, I wouldn't compare the nib of a TWISBI with the one of a Graf, those are distinct worlds

[terminal]

Anyone know where JEAN PIERRE LEPINE pens get their/his nibs?

[dduran]

Twisbis are known for having a huge failure rate and being average quality writers, I wouldn't compare the nib of a TWISBI with the one of a Graf, those are distinct worlds

 

I think the point being made by Harlequin, is that there's a possibility, no matter how small it is, that a TWSBI nib can be better than a GvFC nib. e.g. getting a GvFC (or any other nib directly from a manufacturer and not adjusted from the likes of John / Binder) does not have a 100% guarantee that it'll write perfectly.

 

So an in house made nib isn't a guarantee.. better chance maybe but not 100%

Edited November 27, 2013 by dduran

[Montblanc owner and lover]

For jp lepine i don't know but i know someone who know him personally...i can ask if you want...

[terminal]

For jp lepine i don't know but i know someone who know him personally...i can ask if you want...

It would be awesome to be able to add it to this thread! Thanks!