Will metal caps damage nibs?

[stuffynib]

I’ve been eyeing this pen lately, and from what I’ve heard it has a good 14k nib. However, it’s made of metal (aluminum) and I was wondering if it would damage the nib if I try to cap it. Will it scratch/damage the nib?

Edited October 20, 2022 by stuffynib

[Strega]

I don’t understand how posting would damage a nib since that happens at the opposite end.  Do you mean capping?

[stuffynib]

Woops! Yes, I meant capping. Sorry!

[A Smug Dill]

@stuffynib Welcome to FPN.

 

Damaging the nib by capping has little to do with the material — metal, wood, resin, celluloid, ebonite, bakelite, etc. — of which the shell of the pen cap is made.

 

If there isn't enough headroom inside the cap to accommodate the nib, and you force the cap into place, then the nib will get damaged, even if the cap (or its liner, or ‘inner cap’) is made of plastic.

 

Assuming the nib is factory-fitted on the pen in question, then there is no reason to suspect there would not be sufficient headroom in the design or manufacture of the pen to accommodate the nib.

 

[stuffynib]

@A Smug DillThank you for the response! What I meant was if I was capping the pen and I happen to slide the nib and the cap together, would it scratch?

[A Smug Dill]

1 minute ago, stuffynib said:

What I meant was if I was capping the pen and I happen to slide the nib and the cap together,

 

That will depend on the texture of the matter, the incident angle, the respective hardness of the two metal objects colliding, etc.

 

Don't forget some metal pen caps have plastic liners; and some of those are full-length, while others may not be so.

 

There is no valid general answer.

[dipper]

11 hours ago, stuffynib said:

What I meant was if I was capping the pen and I happen to slide the nib and the cap together, would it scratch?

That is an interesting question.

 

11 hours ago, A Smug Dill said:

There is no valid general answer.

... because different makes and models of pen and cap design may have different internal geometries.

 

Let's have a close-up look at two examples..... Using two pens with transparent caps so we can see what is happening inside:

 

First, a Moonman pen. Nib inserted leaning over to one side as far as the cap opening and pen diameter will allow.

That is a pretty extreme tilt. Unlikely to occur in normal use - or even with moderate alcohol assistance 😉. However, I was surprised to find that the nib tip does touch the inside face of the cap. If you wiggle the pen sideways the steel nib tip actually flexes slightly. OK in this example with a glossy smooth plastic surface. But if the ham-fisted-cap-on effect seen above was done with a gold nib, in a metal cap with a slightly rough inner surface.......?

Bottom line is that even with a metal cap you would need to try unreasonable hard to cause a damaging nib/cap collision - with the specific pen and cap geometry seen above.

 

The second pen is more interesting. A Platinum Preppy. Platinum is a major Japanese pen manufacturer, so we can expect the cap design to be well engineered?....

The nib tip can touch the cap wall but only when the nib is barely inside. And an even more ridiculous angle of tilt is needed.

 

As soon as the nib moves any deeper into the cap it is impossible to make the nib touch the cap wall.

 

But there is a plastic step coming up..... can we hit that ledge?

 

No contact! Due to the design of the cap entry and the pen body, the nib swings towards the central axis of the cap. It is impossible to make the nib tip touch that plastic step edge.

 

Finally, as the cap clicks into place on the pen body, the nib moves into the little plastic spring-loaded cover piece. Again, it is impossible to make the nib touch the side or edge of that cover. The coil spring (visible at the top end of the cap) holds the cover piece snugly against the end of the pen grip section, reducing evaporation from the pen nib when stored with ink inside.

Verdict: A well engineered pen and cap design. Impossible to make the nib touch the inner surfaces of the cap except at the outer lip of the cap when first inserting the pen - at an extreme angle. If this cap design was duplicated in steel the nib would still be safe from any damage during capping.

 

However.....

The nib-tip clearances involved inside the Preppy cap are small. If pen designers in other companies are not alert to the design requirements it would be possible for a superficially similar looking design to show problems with nib tips hitting ledges inside the cap.

Or if, as many of us here do, we start swapping nibs between pens, or fitting longer ZebraG dip-nibs into fountain pens, then nib tip contact with the insides of caps is something to pay attention to.

[Karmachanic]

Humans cause nib damage.

[A Smug Dill]

4 minutes ago, dipper said:

Let's have a close-up look at two examples..... Using two pens with transparent caps so we can see what is happening inside:

 

Great illustration. Thanks!

[Bristol24]

3 hours ago, dipper said:

Let's have a close-up look at two examples..... Using two pens with transparent caps so we can see what is happening inside:

Wow! If the question was not answered with that detailed illustration, the question cannot be answered.  Then again, I have numerous pens with 14K nibs and have yet to damage one by capping the pen.  It just doesn't happen.

 

Cliff

[inkstainedruth]

The only nib I ever damaged by capping the pen was on one of my Noodler's Konrads -- I had pulled the nib and feed for thorough cleaning, but didn't get them back into the section far enough.  Someone at Luxury Brands very kindly sent me a replacement nib at no charge.  

And that was a steel nib -- NOT a 14K one....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[New PointyThings]

As others have mentioned, scratching the nib tip on the inside of the cap is usually not the issue. It's bending the tines or catching the tip between the inner and outer cap that does the damage.

 

Of course, not seating the nib deeply enough also doesn't help. I've definitely seen vintage nibs bent from this. Inner caps on vintage pens are often made of hard rubber or celluloid, which is much less forgiving to a nib tip.