I am interested in why people don’t change their handwriting to accompany their nib size.

[peroride]

On 6/15/2021 at 4:59 PM, collectorofmanythings said:

Why don’t people just change the size of their handwriting to accommodate the nib size?

 

In a similar vein, I've made ambidextrous attempts but have yet succeeded, so dominant hand writing prevails. Same goes for mirror reverse writing.

 

Why accomodate to the tool when the tool is to be used as wished? If not, get a new tool or keep practicing.

[ENewton]

I have always had a small handwriting and am contented with how it looks.  On those rare occasions when I use a broader nib--say, a Waterman medium, or a Sailor broad--I do find myself writing larger characters to preserve a certain balance between ink and white space, but I just don't care for the look of bigger, fatter letters.  To me, broader nibs are for addressing parcels, or for labeling a diagram that I will hold up for viewing by a group of people gathered in a room.

 

In addition to these aesthetic factors, my preferred notebooks tend to have lines or dots quite narrowly spaced.  Writing in a uniform size allows me to use almost any of my pens in the same notebooks.

 

 

[Muncle]

On 6/15/2021 at 8:26 PM, samasry said:

The pen should help you not hinder your work.

Summed up very neatly.

 

In work and play, most of what I put down iare small notes, lists, quick marks. And it doesn't matter what color, nib or size I write.

 

But I know, if I'm taking a lot of notes to and if I'm going to refer to them, then I need a fine job, be careful with my ink selection, and make sure I have a reliable pen. I can't be thinking too much about my writing style when I'm trying to get my notes down.

[TheDutchGuy]

Since developing difficulties when writing, I’ve learned to change speed, size and font to accommodate my abilities on a given day. Can’t just pick up any pen and go, so choosing the right pen for the moment is step #1. Then I change size and font for best results. On some days, a Japanese F with very small cursive works best. On other days, a stub with printing. Etc. This process takes about 1 minute on a good day and 15 minutes on a bad day. The upside is that I have developed several styles of writing that I can switch between, but it’s definitely Swiss army knife, jack of all trades but master of none. As might be expected, narrower nibs tend to make me write smaller (sometimes very small indeed) and v.v.

[maclink]

I'm currently journalling with a stub nib and am comfortable with it.  4 yrs ago, a stub nib would have been used for greeting cards or envelopes and the like.  Of course, I haven't lost the ability to use an EF/F nib.  I am now fluent with both styles, my hand writing size being different.

 

I do agree with the argument that the pen is a tool and it should be doing your bidding and not the other way around.  However, I do feel there's another aspect to this, albeit, as always, choice must be at the centre.  Do you wish, by choice, to grow accustomed to writing in a larger script/font.  If there's no usefulness, then why do it?

 

For me, it's part of the hobby.  I've always been a user first, when it comes to fountain pens.  Once I stop using them, I will immediately lose interest.  Being comfortable with a wider breadth of nib widths, has certainly enriched the experience for me.  Of course, the mileage varies for each and their own situations.  Just sharing and not preaching.... gotta give the disclaimer. 

[Karmachanic]

My question is; why would one purchase nibs that don't suit ones hand?

[MoriartyR]

I dunno. I feel that changing my handwriting to fit the nib size is rather like changing the number of children you have to match your house size, or cutting a section of your legs off to match trousers that are too short. It seems like a very onerous and ultimately unsatisfactory way to work around a problem when the alternative solutions - changing the nib, using another pen, or not buying the wrong nib in the first place - are straightforward.

If you are able comfortably to adapt your writing to take the best advantage of different types of nib, and you enjoy doing so, then great. I can see how that might give pleasure. For me, and I guess many others, handwriting is a very personal mode of expression and I would not wish to change the way I express myself merely because a pen has an unsuitable nib.

 

[gyasko]

This is a point i often raise myself.   Many people have a fetish for cramming as many words as possible on to their beloved cheap copy paper.  I’m not sure why, maybe frugality (“you see, i’m really saving money with this expensive pen and ink”) or because they believe it’s somehow “efficient”.  

[Muncle]

43 minutes ago, Karmachanic said:

My question is; why would one purchase nibs that don't suit ones hand?

Why go out for a steak dinner when you've got hamburgers at home?

 

I've been trying broad nibs a lot lately, because I like seeing the inks play, and change on the paper. As is said above , 90% of the time I don't need to worry about handwriting size.  when I do, I still have reliable finer nibs.

 

But I don't purchase italic nibs, especially sharp italics. I don't hold my hand or write in a manner that's enjo😋abl But give me an oblique any day!

[Karmachanic]

36 minutes ago, Muncle said:

Why go out for a steak dinner when you've got hamburgers at home?

 

So the FPnibs, custom ground, semi-flex, 14k nib I'm using today is hamburger.  In your world perhaps.

[Muncle]

25 minutes ago, Karmachanic said:

 

So the FPnibs, custom ground, semi-flex, 14k nib I'm using today is hamburger.  In your world perhaps.

Certainly not what I meant, and don't stretch to be offended by it.

 

What I meant is that people probably want to experiment and try out new things, instead of what they're used to.

 

Maybe I could have worded it as "why do people try new restaurants they don't end up liking?" instead of misquoting Paul Newman.

[Checklist]

14 hours ago, collectorofmanythings said:

What do you mean by that?

 

Just a semi-humorous note that I make more than my share of mistakes and do things a bit differently.  Thought that the "insulting wording" string had gone on long enough.

[sirgilbert357]

5 hours ago, Karmachanic said:

My question is; why would one purchase nibs that don't suit ones hand?

 

I can see both sides of this.

 

It is trial and error for me. I never know what I'm going to like until I try it. I've had everything from what could almost be called a needle point nib up to a 1.5mm stub. Never tried anything wider than that...I'd like to see my handwriting with a 1.9 stub. That would be fun to try.

 

I've never tried a music nib, zoom nib, Naginata, or architect nib. I tried a flex nib at a pen show once. It was a vintage wet noodle and was meh. I think I'd prefer semi-flex over a wet noodle. For writing flair, I honestly like the consistency of a stub or cursive italic much better...

 

And tastes change...your hand could change too. Mine has, at least. I had to re-learn cursive when I got into fountain pens. My "font" has changed a bit since that first year of constant writing practice.

 

Having said all that, I still have my *preferences*, but I wouldn't say I'd be opposed to owning a music nib or something, even if I don't anticipate writing daily with it. Plenty of us have more pens than we can reasonably use (and yet we continue to buy more), I see no difference in having NIBS on said pens that you may not use often (or at all, if you are a collector and just wanted to own a specimen of that particular nib, knowing you'll never actually write with it).

 

Most of this really is just a matter of personal taste and what appeals to us on an individual level. One person might be fine only writing with the same 5 pens, all in a Fine nib for the rest of their life -- another might want every nib size known to man to use and explore. The same can be said of those who don't want to change/adjust their personal "font" size or style to suit a nib's characteristics. The muscle memory is likely engrained and that person may have spent a lot of time working to perfect their writing style. They may not want to compromise that perfected personal "font" because of a nib not well-suited to their writing. I can totally get that, as I have spent a TON of time and HUNDREDS of pages of practice getting my cursive to where it is now.

 

I don't think the OP is criticizing anyone -- rather I think the OP just enjoys the conversational exchange of "why" we hold the position we do (whatever that position on this topic may be). I love threads like this. It's fun to hear from others about their writing style and how it got that way and why. And some of you guys have AMAZING handwriting. I could totally get it if a particular nib would compromise that and you just say "nope, not for me!" LOL.

[samasry]

8 hours ago, gyasko said:

This is a point i often raise myself.   Many people have a fetish for cramming as many words as possible on to their beloved cheap copy paper.  I’m not sure why, maybe frugality (“you see, i’m really saving money with this expensive pen and ink”) or because they believe it’s somehow “efficient”.  

 

What and where are these   Fountain Pen Friendly  cheap copy paper   of   which you speak?  

 

Even moderately priced   color/Laser/inkjet/copy  paper being sold at the moment in the US are not by any means fountain pen friendly.  You can not write   a single sentence with these without feathering and bleeding that render them useless. 

 

[sirgilbert357]

1 hour ago, samasry said:

 

What and where are these   Fountain Pen Friendly  cheap copy paper   of   which you speak?  

 

Even moderately priced   color/Laser/inkjet/copy  paper being sold at the moment in the US are not by any means fountain pen friendly.  You can not write   a single sentence with these without feathering and bleeding that render them useless. 

 

 

I had no issues with Noodler's Black in a fine nib on all of the cheapest paper I've used. Pelikan 4001 Black was excellent too.

 

Those aren't the most inspiring inks though...

[Sailor Kenshin]

On 6/15/2021 at 7:59 PM, collectorofmanythings said:

So I just have a little question..

 

Why don’t people just change the size of their handwriting to accommodate the nib size?

I hear so many people say some things like,

 

”I would love this pen, but it has a medium nib and it makes my handwriting look blobby.” 

Or, “I just dislike extra-fine nibs so much, they put down too fine a line for my handwriting.”

 

And when I hear this I just wonder, “Well why don’t you write a little bit bigger or smaller?” 
 

I am not talking about people complaining about extra-fine nibs being too toothy or broad nibs being too smooth, but the specific things about people’s upset on how it makes their handwriting look blobby or shaky or whatever else.

It just seems like people have their handwriting size set in stone, when I know my handwriting personally gets larger or smaller depending on whether I am using a broad or fine nib. 
 

Thank you all for your responses,

William

 

 

I do.  It just seems natural.

[torstar]

Every time my FP nib touches paper I adjust for the ink, nib size, pen itself, and the paper.

 

Even in the middle of a letter or underlining a book or printed document, or baseball score card over a few hours.

 

Like when I reach out to touch my cat's head, I never can guess the reaction...

 

Many on here refuse to adjust for their Moleskin journals, preferring (I guess???), to push heavy and bleed through 12 pages, just so they can complain about the product.... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[gyasko]

2 hours ago, samasry said:

 

What and where are these   Fountain Pen Friendly  cheap copy paper   of   which you speak?  

 

Even moderately priced   color/Laser/inkjet/copy  paper being sold at the moment in the US are not by any means fountain pen friendly.  You can not write   a single sentence with these without feathering and bleeding that render them useless. 

 

 

Who said it was fountain pen friendly?  It is almost certainly isn't.  The point is that people insist on using cheap copy paper, which is sub-optimal for fountain pens, often in pursuit of some ideal of Frugality.  Then they say they must use dry xf nibs because they're less likely to cause feathering, no matter what size they write in. 

 

I don't bother with cheap paper myself.  I have spent a lot of money on pens.  I want to enjoy them.  I won't if i use bad paper. 

[samasry]

12 hours ago, sirgilbert357 said:

 

I had no issues with Noodler's Black in a fine nib on all of the cheapest paper I've used. Pelikan 4001 Black was excellent too.

 

Those aren't the most inspiring inks though...

 

Thank  you  @sirgilbert357  for the  great  advice.

 

Unfortunately, I  have some sort of aversion towards black ink. I have no idea why, in my mind it should be great, but once I write couple of lines with it,  I  quickly return to my trusty blue inks.

 

Very good advice nonetheless, I appreciate it.

 

[sirgilbert357]

4 minutes ago, samasry said:

 

Thank  you  @sirgilbert357  for the  great  advice.

 

Unfortunately, I  have some sort of aversion towards black ink. I have no idea why, in my mind it should be great, but once I write couple of lines with it,  I  quickly returns to my trusty blue inks.

 

Very good advice nonetheless, I appreciate it.

 

 

I am the same way. I have a bottle of black ink, but it's just so boring...I never use it.