Bock #8: Titan Vs Gold

[Jebus]

For a possible pending purchase the nib will be a Bock #8.

 

Any user experience on the difference between the gold one and the titanium nib of that size?

 

How do they relate on size (M to B , flex (and perhaps stub or not)?

 

Currently I have a Bock #6 titan B in daily rotation. The new one can use some extra caracter (titan M stub, gold B,...)

 

I suppose it will be possible to testwrite the nibs, but some user experience might be very usefull of course.

[sketchstack]

Hello, I have several Bock #8 nibs. They are all quite nice but each has different characteristics.

 

I wrote a bit on my website, and I've attached my writing sample below. Some of my impressions have changed slightly now that I've used them in my Conid King Size for some months now.

 

http://www.sketchstack.com/conid-bulkfiller-king-size.html

 

#8 Gold Fine and Medium: Mine were very wet, and of course pretty soft. I had to tinker with them a bit to get the flow and feel the way I want. At first the Medium was very flexible. Too much for my needs so I re-seated the nib and pressed the tines together a bit. I still don't use the medium that much because it is a little too broad and wet for my taste. If you have experience with the temperamental Pelikan M1000 nibs, then you'll understand a bit about these #8 Bock gold. (But Pelikan is much more soft and bouncy.)

 

The fine gold is my preference of the two gold --it writes quite well and the line width is more what I was looking for.

 

#8 Titanium Fine and Broad: The broad, for some reason, is bouncier and more flexible than the fine. I rather like it, though it was over polished and had skipping issues that I fixed with some simple grinding.

 

In my experience with both #6 and #8 Bock titanium nibs, the #6 are very flexible but the #8 is not as much. Meaning the #6 borders on being a "flex nib" by some standards. I find the #8 to be fairly soft, but not proportionally flexible to the #6.

 

The fine titanium is very nice, but stiffer than the broad for some reason. It is stiff enough that I would say that the feel is closer to steel than to gold. I don't know why --maybe just a different batch of nibs as the tipping size has no bearing on how much the tines flex. The fine was a tiny bit dry, but that's easy to fix.

 

All of that said, if I did it all over again and could only choose one nib, I would choose the titanium fine because it was the least temperamental and I tend to write a bit hard. So it's probably my choice for all-around writing.

 

If you can, perhaps get a couple of titanium nibs to try out. They aren't as expensive as gold, and you increase your chances of getting something you like.Better to get the pen writing just the way you want it and have an extra nib lying around as opposed to getting the pen and you keep wondering if there's a better nib for you. That's what I did, hence all the Bock nibs in my collection. (Plus I like to tinker and try different things all the time ...)

 

Here is my writing sample almost immediately after I got the nibs. Keep in mind that I find this particular ink to be extra-wet (Noodlers Bernanke), so these writing samples may vary if you use a drier ink and/or a different type of paper like Rhodia.

 

http://www.sketchstack.com/uploads/4/9/6/7/49676353/combined_1.jpg

[Jebus]

Great feedback, thanks!

 

In fact the nibs I was mentioning:

• Bock #6 titan B: currently on my daily workhorse: Conid Regular Bulkfiller Streamline Demonstrator FPR
• Bock #8: saving for the CAISO Demonstrator (back in production at the end of april)

[sketchstack]

  On 3/26/2017 at 7:39 PM, Jebus said:

 

Great feedback, thanks!

 

In fact the nibs I was mentioning:

• Bock #6 titan B: currently on my daily workhorse: Conid Regular Bulkfiller Streamline Demonstrator FPR
• Bock #8: saving for the CAISO Demonstrator (back in production at the end of april)

 

 

I kind of figured that since you have a Conid as your avatar image, and there aren't a lot of #8 Bock compatible pens out there. I love my Conid pens, and in fact I'm waiting on delivery for a Minimalistica hopefully soon.

 

You may be at an advantage if you're based in Europe -- in the US there aren't a lot of places to get #8 Bock, so that's one reason why I got a variety initially. It would have cost a lot in shipping fees just to get one more nib down the road.

 

Actually your choice might be simpler if you get titanium as it looks like Conid is not currently offering the "fine" titanium. Perhaps that's a supply issue from Bock? Or maybe they're just trying to streamline the available nib options. (I kind of wish I had a medium titanium to play with ...)

 

Enjoy your King Size whenever you order!

[stephanos]

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but where can one get Bock #8 nibs in Europe? The #6 size are readily available, but the only place I've found that might sell them would have to do so via special order.

[sketchstack]

  On 3/30/2017 at 6:45 PM, stephanos said:

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but where can one get Bock #8 nibs in Europe? The #6 size are readily available, but the only place I've found that might sell them would have to do so via special order.

 

The only retailer I know of anywhere is Beaufort Ink in England. They seem to have the #8 titanium ready to ship:

 

http://www.beaufortink.co.uk/bock380.html

 

Conid can almost certainly sell extra nibs, though last I checked the titanium weren't available.

 

Finally, you may inquire with Fontoplumo as they carry a special edition orange ebonite King Size. They don't list the #8 nibs specifically for sale, but perhaps they sell them individually?

[stephanos]

Aha! Thank you very much.

[Kellysayssusu]

May I ask what fountain pen are you supposed to fit your #8 nib? I have a #8 nib but can't find a proper pen to use it

 

Thanks again and I'm sorry for my poor English><

[Jebus]

  On 8/26/2017 at 3:43 AM, Kellysayssusu said:

May I ask what fountain pen are you supposed to fit your #8 nib? I have a #8 nib but can't find a proper pen to use it

 

Mine came with the Conid Kingsize. I have finally chosen for the medium gold to get it stubbed afterwards.

 

It makes a stunning combination.

[rebcabin]

I looked at the Bock web site (https://www.peter-bock.com/products/nib-systems), and I didn't see anything called a #8. There are 350, 250, 220, that look quite large; perhaps the #8 is one of those?

 

In any event, supposing I bought some new lovely Rangas threaded for Bock #8; whence might I find nib units for them in the United States? Nothing obvious pops up on a Google search.

[silverlifter]

The Bock 380 is a size 8 nib.

 

As to availability in the US, see https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/300212-bock-nib-retailers-in-the-us/

Edited February 29, 2020 by silverlifter

[rebcabin]

tyvm

[cunim]

I have gold (M italic) and Ti (F) nibs for my Caiso. After swapping them around a bit I left the Ti nib installed and like it. Mine is certainly not hard, and is bouncy in the same way a KOP nib is. As to whether I prefer gold or Ti, I am not sure. I think I settled on the Ti nib not because I like it much better but because I am moving away from italics. Compared to the cost of the pen, a Ti nib is cheap. Get both.