Is It True That Nibs On Italix Pens Have No Tipping Material?

[grimne]

I've recently ordered an Italix Parson's Essential ( fine nib, non-italic) and am waiting for it to arrive. One thing that I didn't consider when researching for the purchase is that the Italix nibs, having been reground (although I'm not sure whether the round point ones also have this done), may lack tipping material. Does anyone know if this is the case? How much would this affect the nib's durability?

 

Cheers,

 

Harriet

[dooooooor]

The round nibs are standard Jowo German nibs I believe, so they have tipping. The medium and broad stub/italic nibs are ground down to the steel so they don't have tipping, and the fine stub/italic has a decent amount. Steel wears faster than the "iridium" tipping, but I think they should still last quite a while.

Edited May 12, 2014 by dooooooor

[grimne]

Thank you, that's good to know. Here's hoping that the round points are as smooth as the stubs/italics are reputed to be!

[KBeezie]

I would think that it would probably take a decade or more to really wear down an untipped steel nib on paper, as opposed to untipped gold (which is a softer metal, depending on it's alloy).

[grimne]

Great, thanks. If the pen even lasts that long I'll be pleased, considering the price.

[KBeezie]

Great, thanks. If the pen even lasts that long I'll be pleased, considering the price.

 

Seems that particular pen is spoken highly of. https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/197729-italix-parsons-essential-fountain-pen/

[grimne]

 

Seems that particular pen is spoken highly of. https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/197729-italix-parsons-essential-fountain-pen/

 

Yes indeed, I definitely relied a lot on the positive reviews of others when I went to buy it. The only things that are worrying me slightly is the lack of reviews of the round point versions, and that most of the reviews are recent so I don't know how well the pen will behave far into the future.

 

[edit] That link that you posted is from 2011, so I guess that latter point isn't so pressing - the pen has at least been around since then with few negative reviews.

Edited May 12, 2014 by grimne

[migo984]

 

Yes indeed, I definitely relied a lot on the positive reviews of others when I went to buy it. The only things that are worrying me slightly is the lack of reviews of the round point versions, and that most of the reviews are recent so I don't know how well the pen will behave far into the future.

 

 

 

I have a round point fine (burgundy) and a round point medium (black). They are rigid nibs but buttery smooth. They are adjusted so the flow is on the wet side so bear that in mind if you like drier nibs. They really do perform well. The pens are well made and, rest assured, if anything does go wrong, the after sales service by Peter Ford is exemplary. I will be buying another one (or two!) in the near future.

Edited May 12, 2014 by migo984

[grimne]

Excellent! Thank you for the peace of mind. Can't wait to try the Essential.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Lamy italic has no tipping, Osmiroid neither. I have a six nib set of them EF-BB. They fit Esterbrooks. The English made ones..Chinese made ones don't.

You get the real sharp line and will take ages to wear off.

Italic calligraphy the pen is held before the big knuckle like a ball point, and the nib is canted 45 degrees to form the letters.

Get a good Italic Calligraphy book to learn to draw the letters.

Faking it don't work.

[Renfield]

My Italix fine has tipping.

 

Although I retired the pen, as it just doesnt work for me.

 

The pen constantly runs dry. After filling it works like a charm. But after a few pages, the ink just wont flow through the feed. And I have to re-prime the feed, which just annoys me (I know it is easy to do, but puts me off a pen, and with the exception of a Parker IM, it is the only pen in my collection to do that)

 

The tines are aligned. I opened the tines for a wetter writer, closed the tines for a drier flow. Smoothed the nib in case it had baby bottom, flushed it with soapy water, pen flush, even a weak bleach solution, but nothing solved it. I tried different converters, loads of different inks, even some cartridges, but nothing has helped it.

 

Short of hacking the feed I just don't know.

 

I kind of just gave up on it, which is a pity as it is a nice looking pen.

 

Ren

[brownargus]

My Italix fine has tipping.

 

Although I retired the pen, as it just doesnt work for me.

 

The pen constantly runs dry. After filling it works like a charm. But after a few pages, the ink just wont flow through the feed.

 

Ren

My original choice was a pen with a fine nib and it exhibited similar problems. I asked for it to be exchanged for a medium and it is much better. It still very occasionally suddenly dries up but generally it is satisfactory and very smooth. The medium point is certainly on the fine side - similar to my Sonnet Fine. For the price it is an excellent buy and feels like a pen costing much more. Edited May 16, 2014 by brownargus

[bbs]

I have a stub, and it's got no tipping and is really scratchy. Was really disappointed after all the rave reviews.

[lowks]

Grinding nibs will remove some of the iridium tip (where iridium has been used by the maker) however enough should remain to give the nib a long life. In certain circumstances we may use silver solder as a tipping agent if retipping is needed. In further cases the nib may be left without any tipping material at all.

 

 

From the Italix site: http://www.mrpen.co.uk/contents/en-uk/d93.html