Most Artistic Nib?

[sidthecat]

I've managed to accumulate a small selection of old pens - mostly ringtops - with semiflex to superflex nibs, and there are small and almost indescribable differences in the quality of the lines they make. I have Watermans, Moores, Wahl-Eversharps and a couple of Mabie Todd Swans, and the most beautiful line is produced by a little gold-clad Swan. There's some combination of metallurgy and craft (perhaps witchcraft) that makes some pens more "artistic" than others.

 

What's your experience? What nib, in your humble, is the most Artistic?

[Manalto]

Tiresome people are going to "inform" you that it's not the nib, it's the person wielding the pen that makes it artistic but I know what you mean. Sometimes my results far exceed my skill, thanks to an artistic nib. I haven't yet ventured into using flex nibs, but from my limited experience I'd have to say the medium italic on my Italix 'Parsons Essential.' The ease with which it creates line variation makes using it a real pleasure.

Edited July 24, 2015 by Manalto

[sidthecat]

I'd have said the same thing, but all of these brands react differently and distinctively to the variations in pressure that occur in writing. A Wahl nib has a sharper gradient between thick and thin than a Moore or a Mabie Todd Swan. Their recipes, or maybe their craftsmanship, are all different.

[Goudy]

A Wahl nib has a sharper gradient between thick and thin than a Moore or a Mabie Todd Swan.

 

My own experience (lots of Mabie Todd nibs, only a few Wahls and Moores) is that the best Mabie Todds outrank those other brands in any way that one cares to define artistry. But vintage nibs, even by the same maker, vary so widely that it'll be hard to make any generalisations that we'll agree on. I'm just happy that I've managed to find a few nibs with that special combination of "metallurgy and witchcraft".

[sidthecat]

Each one is an individual. In modern manufacturing this would be unacceptable.

[mhphoto]

Superfine, superflexible Waterman #2 for me.

Edited July 29, 2015 by mhphoto

[discopig]

I use a variety of nibs, though my favorites are usually either very fine soft modern japanese nibs (think like in the Pilot Falcon, Pilot Justus, etc) or flexible vintage nibs that produce fine lines (waterman, mabie todd, moore, wahl, etc). One vintage nib I really enjoy that is a bit odd is the Osmiroid Sketch Nib, it fits in my esterbrooks and is both semi-flexible and stub-ish, it makes really interesting sketches.

 

I really can't pick one despite listing those above, because all of them, especialy my vintage nibs, have their own unique traits that come in handy when I feel like doing something specific.

Edited July 30, 2015 by discopig

[christof]

... But vintage nibs, even by the same maker, vary so widely that it'll be hard to make any generalisations that we'll agree on...

I absolutely made the same experiences. Not two nibs are equal.

 

And my most flexible nib is a Swan too.

 

 

C.

Edited July 30, 2015 by christof

[sidthecat]

i have a very fine, very flexible Waterman #2 and it's a joy to write with. I can't describe how it differs from the Swan nib, but it does.

[______Zaphod_Beeblebrox]

No witchcraft involved!

 

I agree with the person above who stated it is not the pen but the user. With that being said, I seem to be more artistic when using my Conway Stewart Churchill Excalibur Fountain Pen with its awesome Extra Fine Nib!

[Keppo]

For doodling, consider fude nibs.

http://www.parkablogs.com/picture/comparison-of-fude-nib-fountain-pens-drawing