Pens for mathematics

[Lloyd]

Beerandmathematics: The main three pens I used in classes to get through Math Grad school were the:

• Safari (XF nib)
• Parker 51 (XF nib): huge ink capacity, ease of recapping, durability, reluctance to dry out
• Pilot/Namiki Vanishing Point (F nib): quick to retract/extend nib, comfort.

[mathguy]

It's been interesting to read this thread. I ind that a fine nib is as small as I would want to go. I use a Stipula Etruria F and a Marlen Journal F and both serve me well, even using basic copy paper for scratch work. I can't imagine using a XF or XXF nib, but maybe I write much bigger than some people. Even playing around with subsequences and nets using subscripts on subscripts, I don't feel a need to write with a finer line.

Edited February 19, 2011 by mathguy

[senor47]

Hello colleagues!

 

When I was in college, I used a Cross Century F for 4 years of BSc maths and an MSc. When I lost that it was a Cross Townsend F for the PhD. Now when I write equations/algebra my favorite is a M200 with a binderised stub 0.7 <img src="https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cloud9.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="cloud9.gif" /> . I think that to get the proper equation look (think TeX) you cannot beat an italics nib - when equations are typeset almost all letters (or at least the variables and functions) are italics.

It sounds very interesting.

 

I see that Binder now only offer 0.6mm or 0.8mm stub italic (I don't know why since even I remember that he was offering a 0.7mm too). Therefore, which of these nibs I should take into account on your opinion?

 

How's going with your nib right now? Is it a steel or a golden one?

Thank you

 

A citation, a citation! and on FPN, which is peer-reviewed.

 

My nib is getting smoother, particularly since I switched to the HP32# paper (HP colour laser paper 120gsm for us europenas). It is two tone gold from the M400 range, married to a M200 body. As far as I can tell, a gold ib does not feel any different to a steel one, other things being equal. The other things of course are flexibility and wetness. There are flexible steel nibs, and Pelikan nibs in particular are springier than most. For me the choice was aesthetic.

 

As to which size nib you should go for: a previous poster gave some good advice, but it is really difficult to measure down to 10ths of a mm. It really depends on whether you write big or small - and whether you are prepared to put up with a little more scratchiness, and less line variation for a little smaller size. My factory Lamy 1.1 italic nib is smoother than my Binder stub, but I find it too wide for writing notes as it creates a blob when I write "a" or "o" at speed - I use it for headings and Xmas cards though. The binder 0.7mm though sees regular service including for note taking. My non-stub nibs are all Fine.

 

Richard Binder may well be offering a 0.7mm, or he will be able to make it on request - just ask! Good luck, both with the nib and the maths.

 

I think you have a crisp italic 0.7. The Lamy 1.1 is broader so smoother I assume, but a stub is closer to a round nib than anything, so it should be really smooth. My Lamy 1.1 was awful for note-taking and writing at a fast pace.

[georges zaslavsky]

very interesting thanks for sharing

[Ytland]

I've spent quite a while looking for the perfect maths pen. I like something that's slightly flexy to allow for vector notation, but not to flexy so as to prevent the writing of a precise line.

Most fps these days are too broad to even deserve being looked at, but Pelikans ground down to an XXXF needlepoint tend to hit the balance pretty well. I also have a P51 EF that I carry to all exams as a backup in the unlikely event the m600 conks out.

 

A fine nib with MB Midnight blue...

 

The unbeatable combination.

 

My 2 cents in this great thread!

[gf1911]

For maths, I use a Cross Townsend with EF nib. I got the Platinum-coated model.

The EF is as fine as the Twsbi EF which is my other pen for maths.

The Twsbi I tried Pelikan 4001 Brown but it was not wet enough. The Twbsi works very well with Pelikan Edelstein Topaz.

Makes it a wet-writer.

 

In the Cross Townsend EF I use ferro-gallic ink from Rohrer & Klingner called "Salix"

It's a kind of royal/dark blue, and you can put papers in the washing machine, you lose nothing.

 

I ride by bike, and once I went under some very heavy rain and was not expecting it, and I had over

50 pages of work on the symetry breaking of weak electrofield that I lost because of this

(my maths are related to quantum physics mainly and nuclear theory). Since this day, I have been

using ferro-gallic ink to avoid losing precious work.

 

I buy the ferro-gallic ink from this web site :

Rohrer & Klingner Salix Ferro-Gallic

 

Here is a sample. Left side is Cross Townsend EF with Rohrer-Klingner Salix, right side is Twbsi EF with Edelstein Topaz.

Both nibs seem to be the same in width.

 

I am waiting for a Fine Nib Faber-Castell Ambition Pearwood. Won't use it for equations but for text that goes with them.

I like wood. I guess a pen with wood would be warm and nice to use, so I am looking for it. The Cross is very nice,

as I use it without cap and it's very light (lighter than the Twbsi).

 

http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/1602/echantillong.jpg

 

Here are the nibs close to one another :

http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/6566/crosstownsendtwibsi540.jpg

 

I don't have huge hands and myopy. So I write very small. On 1 cm height I write two lines.

I like very very fine nibs as such.

 

I am considering a Visconti Homo Sapiens, with the smallest nib available.

Probably bronze parts, because I don't like the steel model. I am still considering this.

[gf1911]

Yo!

Thanks for your insights mathemagician(s).

I been using FPs for about a year now--

all Lamy Safari's due to my poor graduate student budget.

I use EF on all but one of my Safari's and rarely use the F nib,

as the line it lays is just to broad for me.

 

I love my Lamys, but I've been wanting to buy

a more expensive pen recently.

I really want to buy a Japanese pen.

For example, I've been staring at a Pilot Prera.

But, not too expensive. Max 80$.

 

This pen would be exclusively for mathematics.

Any suggestions?

 

Thanks in advance!!!

 

I would suggest an extra-fine Twbsi. You need it to write "wet" so some inks won't cut it.

Grab a bottle of Edelstein ink with it, a color you will like (I tried Topaz but it's not dark enough...).

Pen is around 20 to 25 $

[mhosea]

Most fps these days are too broad to even deserve being looked at, but Pelikans ground down to an XXXF needlepoint tend to hit the balance pretty well.

 

Yikes! I prefer pens that write 0.5mm to 0.6mm lines. I have and use several in or close to this range for mathematics. OTOH, it's been some years since I had to take an exam or show anything I'd handwritten to anyone else. I guess I can remember when my needs might have suggested something finer.

[Vatsaria]

I use a platnium 3776 UEF as my main pen these days. I even flip it occasionally for things like $\int_{t_0}^{t_1}$. I had a Salior (xf nib) at one stage but it was a touch broad for me. I just use a cheap Lamy for marking. Mathematical Finance if it maters.

[Physalis]

I use a platnium 3776 UEF as my main pen these days. I even flip it occasionally for things like $\int_{t_0}^{t_1}$. I had a Salior (xf nib) at one stage but it was a touch broad for me. I just use a cheap Lamy for marking. Mathematical Finance if it maters.

 

The platinum UEF is a nice nib for math. Personally I've found the pilot PO (posting) nib to be really good. It provides an EF line without being scratchy. It's actually more fine than my nakaya xxf. The only problem is that it writes kind of wet, which leads to slower dry times.

[isildur]

On the cheap side of pens: I find the Pilot 78 G fine pens to be more suited to writing math (equations and such) compared to Lamys. Then there is Pilot Lucina F (and excellent and perhaps underrated pen). EsterBrook SJ with 1550 nib.

I love the pilot 78 Gs because they are cheap, reliable, very smooth and very precise.

 

On the more expensive side: Pilot VP, Custom 74, Sailor 1911, Faber Castell Ondoro.

 

 

There are times when I am not writing something to understand it myself, I find the slightly toothy Stipulas to be the best

[Terry Brack]

<!--quoteo(post=934681:date=Feb 14 2009, 12:57 AM:name=innoby)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (innoby @ Feb 14 2009, 12:57 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=934681"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=698520:date=Aug 12 2008, 01:47 AM:name=the hobbit)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (the hobbit @ Aug 12 2008, 01:47 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=698520"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Thanks man! I'm in the middle of working on my undergrad degree in Mathematics, and I've been dying to see other math people's thoughts on fountain pens. I usually go to my EF Vista. I've actually narrowed the nib a little more (I spent about half an hour on it with a bit of super fine sandpaper to get it smoothed out and smaller. The end result is that the pen is a bit more flexible and smooth like butter.)

 

Quick question:

 

What notebook do you use? I'm ordering a stack of Black n' Red notebooks I want to try for this semester. I really wish I could find a good notebook with graphing lines, but I haven't been able to find one that will work well.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

 

 

Have you tried moleskine? they make some good notebooks, I've use an Ohto FINE in one and had little if no smearing problems with that paper, the lines stay crisp and the ink dries quickly, the smooth texture of the paper is also great. And I'm left handed, which makes not smearing even that much more impressive. but since I did have flow issues and got rid of said pen, I have been writing with (gasp!) ballpoints and gel ink pens on these note books, and still they are enjoyable to write in.

<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

 

 

I tend to use apica or Tsubame notebooks. Most often though, I like plain old paper and a folder. I am trying to organize

a review of the paper I use.

 

 

marc

 

I use vintage Parker and Sheaffer pens with fine points for my math work. With most of these flipping the pen around its longitudinal axis so that the feed faces up will allow an even finer line, very useful for adding greek subscripts to superscripts etc. I recommend Rhodia grid notebooks and pads which behave wonderfully well with fountain pens. You can check them out at the www.exaclair.com website. Look at the model number 193008 for example. If you find what you like there you will have to find a retailer to purchase the books. There are plenty of Exaclair online dealers to choose from.