DIY Nib Grinding Setup

[sndeshpande]

I designed and built my nib grinding setup using DC Motors used for Hobby Robotics. Today, I successfully ground my first nib (a BB to Naginata Togi style).

The setup consists of a 500 RPM high torque motor for a 1200 grit diamond burr and a 1000 RPM high torque motor for Proxxon Polishing Pads.

Though a step above the manual nib grinding I was accustomed to, I had to work around equipment imperfections, such as shaft wobbles. But they were easy to deal with at the low speeds I was using. Once I get enough hands on with this setup I plan to graduate to a better setup with a Pro grade BLDC motor.

 

I would definitely appreciate any pointers to sources for high grit (2000 - 4000 grit) diamond burrs for rotary tool use.

 

[OCArt]

Always good to see what others have found.  I've been grinding with some green rubber impregnated cylinders (I only use the green ones) and have found them both abrasive enough to remove material and soft enough to give a decent polish.

[mke]

I guess many people do not know the guide of Ludwig Tan and the "essay" of Wim Geeraets

A reminder that they will not be forgotten:

https://www.glennspens.com/aboutpens/Ludwig Tan - Grinding your Own Nibs - Glenn's Pens.pdf

https://web.archive.org/web/20081013162125/http://www.pentrace.net/penbase/Data_Returns/full_article.asp?id=403

 

[OCArt]

Here's a link to the Pentrace article with working images.  Thanks for telling me/us about this @mke

[Dillo]

I would recommend using flat stones. The diamond flat continuous surface stones are quite good for getting the rough shape and removing a lot of material and they work very quickly. I have used some ceramic stones after that for some of the clean up. Very fine Arkansas stones are often good for the final profiling, and following that, polish with micromesh abrasives and other fine abrasives to get a mirror finish. Using all of these abrasives wet is very important. It reduces the amount of dust, carries away the particles, and prevents the abrasives from clogging. This type of setup also prevents anything you are working with from heating up in any significant way.

[sajiskumar]

Thanks for sharing your setup@sndeshpande

 

Thankyou @mke, @OCArt, @Dillo for sharing your thoughts and useful links.

 

Everyone has their own unique Setup/methods for grinding/polishing nibs. There is no right and wrong method, if you get the desired results.

I use a mix of machine and manual grinding.  For most of the time, the first shaping/removing material is done using a disk with 1000/2000 grit sandpaper. Then for final sanding/polishing 5000, 8000, 12000 grit micromesh are used.

[Dillo]

As long as it doesn't leave tool marks or scrapes or marks in places where there shouldn't be, I would say it's workable. I think it's important to aim for a factory or better finish. Aside from the writing quality, the polish and lack of tool marks is a mark of good work quality. These days I've been taking macro photos of the tipping after I do a grind which I send to the person who will be getting the nib. It started as more of a "You're all done and ready to go home," but it's a good challenge because if it looks that good under strong magnification, that's a good sign.

[sajiskumar]

@Dillo would like to see few of your macro nibs photos, especially of your stub, italic, and ci grinds.

[Dillo]

If you send me a message using the message feature and give me an email address, I may be able to send some photos. I ran out of space on here a long time ago, so I have to either find a hosting service or figure out some other solution.

[sajiskumar]

@Dillo thank you so much for sending me the pictures.

Sharing some pics from Dillon with his permission.

[Dillo]

Thank you for posting this. As you can see, I go for a mirror polish. Practicing on the black finished Lamy nibs will also show you where your skills are deficient

[VacNut]

I believe in DIY, but I would be hesitant grinding my own vintage nibs or 14K/18K nibs. The risks outweigh the costs to have it done by a professional.

It is up to the owner of each pen on DIY, but their is a reason why skilled professionals are called “Meisters”.