How Often Should Nibs Be Replaced?

[rumbleroar]

Hey everyone, so I'm pretty new to fountain pens (first one yay!), and I was wondering, how often should I replace my nib? I have a Lamy Safari XF nib, and recently (IE yesterday) a jerk 'borrowed' it, and pressed down so hard on the paper that he left ink splotches, and now it writes funny. I think the line is wider, which negates the whole XF nib thing, and I was thinking about replacing it, but that's fifteen dollars I'm loathe to spend. I really need a thin line for my handwriting to approach legibility, though. Any advice?

[Fabienne]

In most cases you will never have to replace a nib through normal wear and tear. In the case of the "jerk" take a look at the nib through a magnifying glass ( a loupe if you have one, and you should get one if you are in this business as a fan). Are the tines forced apart a bit? Try squeezing them back together with your fingers. Don't lend out your pen to others, you might get a surprise...as you did. Good luck.

[Runnin_Ute]

I have a pen I have had since as far back as the late '90's (Waterman Phileas F) or early 2000's and it still has the original nib - works like a charm. My other pen I got around the same time or a little earlier (Lamy Al Star) I have played the interchangeable game for it. I have two different nibs - currently a 1.1 mm is installed, but have a F as well.

[Wolverine1]

I have pen, a Parker Duofold Sr (Lucky Curve). It was made in 1923, and has been used pretty much everyday since then. It is 90 years old, and the nib is the original one that came with the pen.

Bottom line is this- unless you have friends who misuse your pens, you should never have to replace your nib.

[linearM]

I have a vintage Moore pen from the early 1900's and it is my favorite writer so a nib can last a very long time. If the tines aren't properly aligned it is possible to gently realign the tines by putting slight pressure on the offending tine. Check out your nib with a 10X loupe (a very handy thing to have) If the nib is actually bent it can be sent out for professional help or try to find a replacement nib, which I don't think is too difficult with a Safari. Richard's Pens has some very good information on nibs.

[dcwaites]

I believe that HP Lovecraft replaced his pen several times throughout his writing life. He is the only person I know of who had actually worn out nibs.

 

Replacement Lamy Safari nibs are available from various sources (eBay, B&M shops) for between $10~$20.

 

However, get yourself a good 10x loupe first (might actually cost more than the nib for a good one, but you will never regret it) and see if you can re-align the tines. You need to know if they are out of alignment vertically, as well as how far apart they have been spread.

 

You can push one tine and then the next with your thumbnails, down and towards the centre to get the gap back to where it should be. General consensus is that there should be a fine gap all the way down from the nib vent hole to the tipping, however, I like my pens a bit drier, so I adjust get my tips to just touch.

 

Once the gap is right, look at the nib end-on to make sure the tipping is aligned vertically, otherwise the pen will be scratchy. If not, use your thumbnails together to gently push the tines in the opposite directions till they align properly.

 

Spend the time, go slowly, test between adjustments.

[rochester21]

Never is a good time to replace your nib.

 

(Of course, a self-respecting hillbilly will destroy a pen the moment he lays his hands on it, but i was referring to normal use by normal people).

Edited July 3, 2013 by rochester21

[RudyR]

Pay the 15.00 dollars and be done with it.

[UK Mike]

I have it on good authority that a good quality pen would require a nib replacement once in approximately every 6 life times.

 

Have a go at repairing your nib - it is good experience after all, and if that fails to work just order a new nib. The XF is only around £6.50 max in the UK.

Edited July 3, 2013 by UK Mike

[GabrielleDuVent]

I know exactly one person who wore down his nib. He was a writer, and he wrote probably over 4,000,000 characters (so that'd be about 20,000,000 strokes) before the nib wore down completely.

 

As for HP Lovecraft... Maybe Cthulhu chewed his nibs up. Or he wrote over 10,000 pages.

[Chrissy]

I'm going with never too.

[rumbleroar]

Never is a good time to replace your nib.

 

(Of course, a self-respecting hillbilly will destroy a pen the moment he lays his hands on it, but i was referring to normal use by normal people).

Yeah, this guy literally took it from my hands and then did that. Hillbilly for sure.

[GabrielleDuVent]

Never is a good time to replace your nib.

 

(Of course, a self-respecting hillbilly will destroy a pen the moment he lays his hands on it, but i was referring to normal use by normal people).

 

There are self-respecting hillbillies?! Why didn't I get a memo informing me of this?

[Sasha Royale]

I have fountain pens dating back to 1926. The original nibs still serve me well.

Your nib may have bees "sprung" but a heavy hand. I may be entirely fixable,

or may need to be replaced.

 

I don't let people "borrow" my fountain pens. We know what can happen.

If, in fact, the jerk "borrowed" your pen without permission, bill him for the

new nib. Otherwise, "knee-cap" him. (I hate bullies.)

 

Just kidding. >>>>>>>> (Hire someone to "knee-cap" him.)

[Wahl]

Invest in a nice BIC BP for "jerks", and keep your FP for yourself !

[Garageboy]

I've seen nibs wear broader or flat spot, but it can be cleaned up

[ThePenPiper]

I have it on good authority that a good quality pen would require a nib replacement once in approximately every 6 life times.

 

Have a go at repairing your nib - it is good experience after all, and if that fails to work just order a new nib. The XF is only around £6.50 max in the UK.

Having just arrived in the U.K. from the U.S. - everything here is far cheaper (Fountain pen wise) even with the exchange rate taken into account.

 

 

[Bo Bo Olson]

XF is a very thin and narrow nib western nib...and EF in Japanese..

They are often scratchy...so you were lucky it wasn't before someone bent it or knocked it out of alignment for you.. A good10-12 X loupe with good glass and coating is a once in a life time buy, good for looking at hallmarks in gold and silver, coins and stamps to. You need a loupe, a rubber ear syringe, and a needle syringe.

 

Some folks swear by EF. I seldom use them. First you have to use a bright vibrant saturated ink; for me the line is too narrow..

I like shading inks which are two toned, and not supersaturated.

 

I get by just fine with Fine nibs. I find F and M in regular flex shade well.

 

If you want super thin nibs Japanese is the way to go.

 

In modern days, most folks end up owning many pens...so nib wear is not a factor.

 

Back in the day of one man, one pen...it was possible to wear out a nib...after 5-7 years or so..as I read on the com once...but that was pre computer so one would have had to write all day...back when folks worked 12 hours a day, 6 days a week...only Christmas, New Years and the 4th of July off.

Clerks stood all day at tall desks, so they'd not get lazy in a chair.

Edited July 8, 2013 by Bo Bo Olson

[pajaro]

Hey everyone, so I'm pretty new to fountain pens (first one yay!), and I was wondering, how often should I replace my nib? I have a Lamy Safari XF nib, and recently (IE yesterday) a jerk 'borrowed' it, and pressed down so hard on the paper that he left ink splotches, and now it writes funny. I think the line is wider, which negates the whole XF nib thing, and I was thinking about replacing it, but that's fifteen dollars I'm loathe to spend. I really need a thin line for my handwriting to approach legibility, though. Any advice?

 

1. Never let anyone borrow a fountain pen.

 

2. Never let anyone borrow a fountain pen.

 

3. A nib, in the normal courrse of writing might need replacement in two or three lifetimes, barring damage done by morons.

[Ernst Bitterman]

I know exactly one person who wore down his nib. He was a writer, and he wrote probably over 4,000,000 characters (so that'd be about 20,000,000 strokes) before the nib wore down completely.

 

As for HP Lovecraft... Maybe Cthulhu chewed his nibs up. Or he wrote over 10,000 pages.

I'm trying to remember without looking it up-- if I haven't gotten the number wrong, there's something like 100,000 known items of correspondence Ol' Providence sent out, plus all the various drafts of the stories and rewrites and so forth. Even if his letters were limited to a single page, that's a LOT of writing.

 

And the sketches of Cthulhu really take it out of a pen. So many tentacles!

 

On the OP's issue; I've seen some pens that have a visible wear in the tipping (none made before 1960), and I've even met a couple (from 1910-1920) where the tipping is essentially gone, but unless your writing is of Lovecraftian proportions (in whichever meaning of the word you wish ) Jerky McHeavyhand put several decades of wear on that Lamy. The suggestions above for realignment have great merit, and you'll do better if you slide the point off before the attempt; it's easier to bend the tines down if the feed isn't in the way.