Welcome To The Broad Side...

[NotAWiz4rd]

As I wasn't able to find any threads on the topic via the search, so I guess here is the best place to ask:

What are some good "entry-level"-broad nibs/pens (preferably double broad or something in that range)? With entry-level I don't mean your usual entry-level pen but rather an entry level to the world of broad nibs (let's say up to 100$) with which one (myself) can try out whether broad nibs are a thing to "invest" in.

[BaronWulfraed]

Unfortunately, price is not right... I paid $165 for a Platinum 3776 Century with a "C" (approximately double broad) 14K gold nib.

 

The Lamy Joy(s) have italic/stubs -- available in three widths -- but are not the "all directions same width" that a spherical tip would produce.

[zaddick]

As I wasn't able to find any threads on the topic via the search, so I guess here is the best place to ask:

What are some good "entry-level"-broad nibs/pens (preferably double broad or something in that range)? With entry-level I don't mean your usual entry-level pen but rather an entry level to the world of broad nibs (let's say up to 100$) with which one (myself) can try out whether broad nibs are a thing to "invest" in.

Do you have a pen that uses Jowo nibs? You can simply buy a new nib to stick into a pen. That's the cheapest. The Lamys are good and nibs are cheap. KAWEKO sport pens have a variety of nib sizes and are easily swapped. Depends on what type of pen body you like and of you want a rounded tip or a stub like tip. Edited March 28, 2019 by zaddick

[NotAWiz4rd]

I'd prefer a rounded tip - I've got a 1.1 and 1.5 mm stub (Conklin Endura and Lamy Joy) but they're not really my thing because I always have to be cautious of how I hold the pen.

[zaddick]

I'd prefer a rounded tip - I've got a 1.1 and 1.5 mm stub (Conklin Endura and Lamy Joy) but they're not really my thing because I always have to be cautious of how I hold the pen.

 

Your best bet might be to have someone like Greg Minuskin retip a pen for you. i think that runs around $75. Sorry i don't have more specific ideas right now.

[zaddick]

For those interested in nib width writing samples...

 

 

[zaddick]

Large #8 nib from a Danitrio Genkai. these are nice soft nibs with a decent spring. I prefer the stubs, but sometimes a B will do...

 

[Ted A]

Birmingham Pens has Knox oblique double broad nibs. I think these fit a normal number 5 or 6 pen.

[ardene]

I'd prefer a rounded tip - I've got a 1.1 and 1.5 mm stub (Conklin Endura and Lamy Joy) but they're not really my thing because I always have to be cautious of how I hold the pen.

I empathise. Don’t give up on the stubs though. A solution, assuming you are right-handed, is to have the page straight in front of your torso rather than to your right. Another solution is to write slower when near the right side of a line. Your fingers will reposition the pen tip facing towards the cusp of your hand and its back away from your face. This becomes automatic with repetition and you won’t need to think consciously about repositioning the pen at all. On the downside, pen repositioning is slower, like practicing calligraphy, and not ideal for longer texts.

[ElFaylasuf]

Those MB samples may have just finished my conversion to the broad side.

 

How do I get one ? What green and orange are those ??

[zaddick]

Iroshizuku Yu yake is the orange. Montblanc Irish Green is the other.

[zaddick]

Duplicate post.

Edited April 1, 2019 by zaddick

[antleo]

Hi!

 

How about MB Special "S" Nib? Can it be classified as "the broad size"? I just tried this nib yesterday, and it feels wet and quite broad for my personal preference.

 

Greetings,

[zaddick]

Hi!

 

How about MB Special "S" Nib? Can it be classified as "the broad size"? I just tried this nib yesterday, and it feels wet and quite broad for my personal preference.

 

Greetings,

 

It's a large ball of tipping so I'd say yes. i think they stopped making the nib. It would be great for a grind!

[zaddick]

Here is a vintage nib in action. Writes like an older BB.

 

[zaddick]

not too far into the broadside...

 

[loganrah]

Today's stubs/cursive italics: two Graf von Faber-Castell Tamitios, with 1.1mm and 1.8mm nibs (not sure if I should call these stubs or cursive italics, maybe somewhere in between):

[ardene]

Today's stubs/cursive italics: two Graf von Faber-Castell Tamitios, with 1.1mm and 1.8mm nibs (not sure if I should call these stubs or cursive italics, maybe somewhere in between):

Proper stubs are rather thick at the nib edge ( the radius R mentioned in the diagrams here: https://www.franklin-christoph.com/specialty-nib-info.html ). Cursive italics are thinner - in effect they are thinner stubs. Virtually all steel calligraphy nibs are called italics by manufacturers, skipping the qualifier "cursive" entirely.

[loganrah]

Proper stubs are rather thick at the nib edge ( the radius R mentioned in the diagrams here: https://www.franklin-christoph.com/specialty-nib-info.html ). Cursive italics are thinner - in effect they are thinner stubs. Virtually all steel calligraphy nibs are called italics by manufacturers, skipping the qualifier "cursive" entirely.

The manufacturer terminology seems to be basically useless to me.

 

I'm not sure what to call these nibs because they give quite strong line variation, but they are very smooth. Definitely not a formal italic, there is a definite curve to the point, but too much line variation for a stub.

[Honeybadgers]

Man those regalia nibs are inspirational to me. His work was the inspiration behind me starting to modify nibs for the crossflex design, though when it comes to stacked stuff, I'm thinking more along the style of the sailor nagahara's, where only extra tines are stacked and not entire nibs.

 

My first flexible broad - a 1.1 cursive italic crossflex that goes to about 2.4mm.

 

Edited April 19, 2019 by Honeybadgers