The Finest Nib You Can Get

[martin155]

Hi,

I am thinking about ordering the Platinum Century 3776 UEF pen but I am also considering the Saibi Togi and Nakaya UEF. What nib is the finest of these and is there so finer nib/pen than this?

 

Could you please recommend me which pen would be most suitable, I am looking for relatively dry nib with more contact with the paper and the finer the better since I have very small hand witting. Thank you

[cellmatrix]

Hi,

I am thinking about ordering the Platinum Century 3776 UEF pen but I am also considering the Saibi Togi and Nakaya UEF. What nib is the finest of these and is there so finer nib/pen than this?

 

Could you please recommend me which pen would be most suitable, I am looking for relatively dry nib with more contact with the paper and the finer the better since I have very small hand witting. Thank you

 

Getting super fine lines

 

This has been an interest of mine for a while and I can give some advice here:

 

1 nibs

If you want to experiment with a less expensive super fine width platinum, try getting a preppy with a 0.2 nib If you want to go finer, then go for platinum or Nakaya UEF as you suggest. The nakaya and platinum century UEF's are going to give you the same widths. I've not used ultra fine sailor nibs but I have used the pilot 912 with po nib. Its pretty darn fine, as fine as you can get I would wager. Also if you want dry, then try pushing the tines together on whatever nib you are using to make the space between them smaller. This will also help reduce ink flow.

 

2 ink

You should stick with dry ink. Platinum blue black or Pelikan blue black 4001 are relatively dry iron gall based inks, with pelican being slightly drier, but diamine registrars or ESSRI are even drier yet and give even tighter lines.

 

3 paper

Use a relatively non-absorbant paper such as Clairefontaine. It gives the tightest lines generally. Avoid tomoe river, if you want fine lines. I find this paper is more absorbant and always will give you wider lines than clairefontaine, no matter what ink or pen you use.

 

Good luck!

[peroride]

My first Sailor was a 1911L EF

 

I tried a tester Platinum 3776 UEF at Anderson's Chicago.

 

It was like a pencil; not for me.

 

So if you like a dry extra extraly fine, your choice of Platinum UEF is the way to go.

 

Another option that is as close to my Sailor EF is Kakuno EF at a more affordable price.

 

I've since moved to wider sizes and found I could grind my own extra fine off Lamys or JoWo, if needed.

 

Here's another great data point:

https://youtu.be/CKbmVgVlmtM

Edited October 5, 2019 by peroride

[martin155]

 

Getting super fine lines

 

This has been an interest of mine for a while and I can give some advice here:

 

1 nibs

If you want to experiment with a less expensive super fine width platinum, try getting a preppy with a 0.2 nib If you want to go finer, then go for platinum or Nakaya UEF as you suggest. The nakaya and platinum century UEF's are going to give you the same widths. I've not used ultra fine sailor nibs but I have used the pilot 912 with po nib. Its pretty darn fine, as fine as you can get I would wager. Also if you want dry, then try pushing the tines together on whatever nib you are using to make the space between them smaller. This will also help reduce ink flow.

 

2 ink

You should stick with dry ink. Platinum blue black or Pelikan blue black 4001 are relatively dry iron gall based inks, with pelican being slightly drier, but diamine registrars or ESSRI are even drier yet and give even tighter lines.

 

3 paper

Use a relatively non-absorbant paper such as Clairefontaine. It gives the tightest lines generally. Avoid tomoe river, if you want fine lines. I find this paper is more absorbant and always will give you wider lines than clairefontaine, no matter what ink or pen you use.

 

Good luck!

Thank you for the information. Which nib do you have in Pilot 912? Do you think the Pilot has finer line than Platinum 3776?

[cellmatrix]

I have the po nib in the pilot 912 which is pretty fine. I know the po nib is finer than platinum extra fine 3776. Im not certain if its finer than the UEF nib. I also have an FA nib for the pilot 912 that was Spencerian customized by Greg Minuskin and it writes very fine too.

[ethernautrix]

I have both the Pilot PO and Platinum UEF, and I'd say the UEF is just a smidgen of a smidgen finer than the PO. It's a close call, and ink and paper choices can add variation.

[mongrelnomad]

I have a Saibi Togi and would urge you to hesitate unless you really really need a line that fine. Using one is not a pleasant experience.

 

I have tiny, cramped, borderline indecipherable handwriting. My favorite nib is a Japanese FM.

[Mech-for-i]

I have them all ; all three I would concur with the mentioned . If you are just after fine fine .. go with a Pilot PO would be the easy safe way out .. Platinum UEF & Sailor Saibi Togi can produce finer line but you would had to be very prudent in how you write and at these fine line writing the ink the paper and your writing effect a lot.

 

In actual writing my experience is that all 3 produce really fine writing and any real difference there its not discernable or if there are your choice of ink ; paper and how good or how bad you write dictates more

[NeverTapOut]

I like nibs on the EEF side because I write small and in block letters.

I had Mark Bacas of The NibGrinder make me a PO nib for a bespoke pen.

The nib was excellent because you cannot spread the tines and he can tune the wetness any way you would like it.

With such a fine nib I would go with medium wetness versus a dry nib because the pen is going to write a line of approx 0.20mm or less.

With that fine of a line I would use saturated inks because the line is so thin the pen will write a light line to begin with. I hope this makes sense.

Regards,

David

[jar]

I find the ST Dupont EF nib to be finer than any of my Japanese pens. Also the vintage Sheaffer accountants nibs.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Some of the finer Esterbrook nibs are pretty fine. One of them is the finest I own.

[hellokloh]

The finest nib I have is an XXXF or something from www.fpnibs.com. Without too much difficulty I can write a whole block letter alphabet in half an inch. But, other than showing off on Instagram, it's not useful for much.

 

I've tried a few saibi togis, and while they are really fine, I've found them hard to use, even sharpness aside. The tipping is curved downward, so if I'm writing with my face fairly close to the paper (as I often do when writing tiny or trying to draw something small)... it's hard to see where the tipping comes in contact with the paper. The "normal" tipping shape is much better for that level of precision (for me).

[Mech-for-i]

The finest nib I have is an XXXF or something from www.fpnibs.com. Without too much difficulty I can write a whole block letter alphabet in half an inch. But, other than showing off on Instagram, it's not useful for much.

 

I've tried a few saibi togis, and while they are really fine, I've found them hard to use, even sharpness aside. The tipping is curved downward, so if I'm writing with my face fairly close to the paper (as I often do when writing tiny or trying to draw something small)... it's hard to see where the tipping comes in contact with the paper. The "normal" tipping shape is much better for that level of precision (for me).

 

similar experience here , custom grind XXXF or something like that is surely fine but the usage demands , and I've found that quasi architect point probably a better all round XXF provided one know how to employ the writing technique demanded

[stan]

Susan Worth used to sell pens with extra extra fine nibs. After she passed I was fortunate to acquire a Sailor XXF from her collection that was ground finer and smoother by the Sailor nibmeister Nagahara.

[Jadie]

If its just a fine writer youre after then the finest nib I ever owned was a $2.50 hooded nib Duke I got off Taobao. Those lines were needle thin but wet, and the smoothest writer I ever had.

 

Sadly I dropped it while running up the stairs and have yet to find a perfect replacement for it since. In short, you can try cheaper Chinese models if you dont mind the hit and miss; theyre designed for a populace that writes with complicated, multi-stroke script so good fine lines are popular enough to be well done (most of the time).

[aurore]

The Realo F I used to have was very fine, finer than any European EF I have ever seen, yet quite responsive hence produced a super thin line with no pressure and a reasonably fine line with a heavy hand. Sailor EF has to be extremely fine, anything finer would be a needle (that said I love very fine nibs).

[Daosus]

I have a Platinum UEF and various Pilot nibs. The Pilot PO is a tiny bit broader than the UEF, but MUCH more forgiving. It's my favorite nib. Another option is to go with a custom grind. There are a few nibmeisters that do excellent very fine nibs. My recommendation is John Mottishaw or Mike Masuyama.

[Scylax]

I havent tried a Sailor but that may or may not be finer. Having tried about 6 UEFs I find they are quite variable in how fine they actually are so if possible test first. Pablos xxxf grinds are amazing and are my daily writers (I write 5 or 6 lines per line of Optik). Again I notice a little variation but his best are unbeatable. Ink and paper definitely makes a difference- smooth paper is a must. Dry ink can help but depending on the nib, may or may not be comfortable