Question about Parker 45 (oblique) nibs

Saturday at 09:23 PM

Hello everyone,

I am very much new to FPN and posted this originally in Of Nibs and Tines. I then discovered this part of FPN and thought it might be a better fit for this question (I hope it is not against any guidlines).

Recently I fell in love with the Parker 45 and its huge range of models and nibs. I am particularly fond of the oblique nibs and I acquired a few of them.

I hope some of the Parker 45 experts can help me

The nib sizes seem to vary a bit. I have two 14k "O" nibs. These are supposed to be extra broad oblique nibs. The first one I got is made in England and in a Parker 45 Insignia (no tassie, mid 1970s) It is akin to a oblique italic. I would also not call it a double broad yet it is quite broad.

The second one is an American-made, in a Flighter CT (black tassie, 1964-1969). This one is very broad and has a lot more tipping. It is way broader than the first nib and the imprint on the collar is closer to a "0" insted of the "O" on the first one.
I attached pictures. The English one is on the right, the American on the left.

Additionally, I also have a 14k "Z" nib (made in England) that is supposed to be a broad oblique. It is smaller than the American O nib, so that checks out. My freshly acquired "R" nib (14k, made in USA), supposedly an medium oblique, appears broader than the Z. The third picture shows the R - Z - English O - American O (left to right)

Do the American Parker 45 nibs run wider?
Or did the way Parker ground their nibs change during the decades-long run of the 45?

Or is it simply variation that has to expected of these nibs?

I know that nibs can be changed easily and so it is possible to have mismatched nibs and collars. However, I find it unlikely to have so much mismatching going on.

Do any of you have similar experiences or know anything about it?
Thanks in advance

Saturday at 11:10 PM

I think all my 45s may be US production; and I only have one 45 with an oblique nib (an OF) so I don't have a good answer for you.

I'm thinking that the nibs *could* have been modified/reground, or else replaced without replacing the feed or collar. But that may not be the case.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

Sunday at 04:06 AM

Fun nibs! I've not found 45 nibs to be super consistent as far as size. With the big nibs I suspect it mattered who was grinding them that day/week/year more than where they were made.

Sunday at 10:31 AM

Thank you for both your replies!

@inkstainedruth It could be possible that the nibs were reground or replaced. I am not so sure about that anymore, though.

@bsenn After some more research I found a video on YouTube. A nice gentleman by the name of chrisrap52 reviewed a R nib. He compared it to an O nib and measured the tipping material of the O to be 1.4mm and the one of the R to be 1.3mm. That is very close. Given the fact that there should be a size in-between (Z), I think the nibs do vary a lot. (Also, look at the shape of the tipping material, in my opinion very different)

The sample size is limited, but I think that is a fair assumption.

2025-01-22T01:53:03Z

Some day I will show my 45 speciality nibs.

Those are gorgeous nibs.

2025-01-22T11:24:41Z

On 1/19/2025 at 10:31 AM, Ludwig said:

Thank you for both your replies!

@inkstainedruth It could be possible that the nibs were reground or replaced. I am not so sure about that anymore, though.

@bsenn After some more research I found a video on YouTube. A nice gentleman by the name of chrisrap52 reviewed a R nib. He compared it to an O nib and measured the tipping material of the O to be 1.4mm and the one of the R to be 1.3mm. That is very close. Given the fact that there should be a size in-between (Z), I think the nibs do vary a lot. (Also, look at the shape of the tipping material, in my opinion very different)

The sample size is limited, but I think that is a fair assumption.

As a result of the 45 being a lower priced pen there was a time that people altered the shape of the nib for fun instead of replacing the nib. I must admit that I have done the same thing myself with Jinhao nibs creating a 30 degree oblique BB because I didn't enjoy the standard Fine. Preparing myself for a pic of my modified pens in the future FPN threads.

I would not be surprised if it turned out that the OPs pens have not seen a honing stone at some point