Dip Nibs And Steel Fountain Pen Nibs

[Mon34480]

Other way round. A dip pen style fountain pen nib. From the responses in this thread it would seem that there is very little difference in manufacturing either, or in materials (tipping notwithstanding). The issue with putting a dip nib in fountain pen section (assuming it will fit) is that the nib will rust fairly quickly. If there was a non-rusting zebra G, for example, the Frankenpenning of this nib would be a dream!

 

There are many pen makers who do something similar eg: desideratapens who makes fountain pens with the use of dip nibs.

 

I believe dip nibs are made from steel because it's more malleable hence more flex but it would also mean that it rusts easier. SS as a material for flex nibs to achieve a "similar" flex as dip nibs will either have to be thinner or a custom design for the wings, if it's thinner then it would be more prone to springing the nib or breaking. Making the wings (eg SS shiro nib) for flex can work but when considering the very niche market of flex pens it probably isnt viable to make them nor deal with users springing their nibs.

[Bo Bo Olson]

The 'diamond point' found on gold nibs of the 1890's and later, was Iridium and much more expensive than gold. (It took until WW2 before tipping a pen became perfected....the tipping from the '30's can still be lumpy or have chunks rip out.) It wasn't the gold that made gold nibs so expensive but the Iridium mined from a 3-4 inch layer in only in Italy, then. (From the asteroid strike 73 or so million years ago.)

 

 

The regular steel dip pen nib was extremely well made from 1860's on with a lot of hand work. I was shocked at how much work was done to make great nibs. There is an article somewhere on that.

They were 'made' to wear out, in you bought by the 1/4 gross in small little boxes from 14-20 cents in the 1902 Sears Catalog. In they were on the gold standard there was no inflation, today's yearly "good" (only for the rich) 3% would have been considered a disaster.

 

I'm sure thrifty folks resharpened them even then.

[ac12]

As mentioned in several other threads, the manufacturer cannot sell enough to make money, so they won't make it.

They have to sell THOUSANDS of nibs to make back their development and manufacturing cost.

 

Another factor is tipping.

#1 a nib maker like Jowo does not make dip pen nibs, that I know of.

#2 the dip pen nib makes don't tip their nibs.

So you would have to have a dip pen nib maker, make the nibs, then ship the nibs to another company to tip and slit the nib.

 

For Jowo to make a dip pen nib, would require Research and Development work = cost. Then making the punch dies = MORE cost.

 

Even for a current dip pen maker to make a pen/nib out of stainless steel will require R and D, as the behavior of SS is different than the carbon steel used in current dip pen/nibs. This R and D would involve; what grade, thickness and tempering/treatment of the SS, etc.

Edited December 12, 2015 by ac12

[Cryptos]

EoC would like to offer profuse apologies to any newer members here who have been robbed of the exciting opportunity to fully utilise the site's search functions in the golden hunt for the historical threads that relate to this subject.

 

EoC feels very bad about all this, and will now go and perform some appropriate acts of contrition.

[Randal6393]

@Bo Bo Olsen : The work to produce a dip nib is still quite high, especially a flexible one. Recently toured the Speedball plant in Statesville, NC. They make, among other nibs, the Hunt 101. Their process is almost identical to the process in the Birmingham, England pen factory described in the article you mention. A greater degree of automation but the basic process is the same. In fact, some of the holders and jigs used to create the nibs were designed for the Hunt factory by artisans in Birmingham. And had "Made in Birmingham, England" stamped on the side.

 

Enjoy,

[Bo Bo Olson]

Randal....so I know where to get some should I ever try to learn to write.

 

The Hunt 101 is a very flexible nib....I have the 99-100-101 and they are so so flexible. Make a Wet Noodle look like uncooked. If there is an Earthquake in California, those nibs flex.