Fountain Pen Nibs
Nibs are typically made from steel or gold. On the tip of the nib is a small ball, the cut of the ball determines the style of the nib (fine, medium, broad, stub etc.). Within those terms, there is no universal defintion, so a sedium nib by one company can be different from a medium nib by another.
The notation, 18 kt is commonly found on high end fountain pen nibs. While gold has been a popular material for pen nibs for some time, it has not always been so.
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Around 1808 Bryan Donkin received the first English patent for a steel pen nib. This design was refined around 1830 for a nib with a hole and slits that gave the nib better flexibility. The early steel nibs had their own issues with the corrosion of inks in use at the time being acidic and corroding the steel nib.
Gold started to be used as a material but it is relatively soft and with use, wore down. Around 1834 manufacturers started to use use iridium in the form of a small pellet that was added to the tip of the nib. This gave increased life to the nib.
I had the opportunity to watch the entire nib making process when I visited the Waterman pen factory in France a number of years ago. The metal that is used for the nib is rolled into thin sheets. The nib shapes are then stamped from the sheets to form blanks which are then heat tempered. Curving and shaping takes place and this adds strength. Then the tip is applied to the nib point. An ink canal is cut with and the point is ground, shaped and polished.
It is the quality of the tip, the iridium for example, that really in essence makes the writing experience of the nib.
Fountain pen nibs are typically classified such as fine, medium or broad based on the size and shape of the metal pellet on the tip of the nib that touches the paper. Some manufactures made many variations include oblique or italic nibs as well as those than can be slanted for left-hand writing. Pelikan, for example, has ten different nib styles ranging from Extra Fine, Fine, Medium, Broad, Double Broad, a Triple Broad, Oblique Medium, Oblique Broad, Oblique Double Broad and a Triple Oblique Broad. One of the challenges is to get the right nib for you.
Stores typically stock fine, medium and broads and even sometime the double broad. It is the exception store that stocks some of the other styles.
I had the opportunity for Gustavo Rodriguez, a noted craftsman with extensive experience with pen repairs and pen nibs, custom grind a nib for one of my Pelikan M1000's.
He asked for a sample of my writing, and to outline my expectations in the nib. I found the nib I had, a double broad M1000 to be a bit like writing with a paint roller. I wanted something with more of an "edge" to the line and a bit more characteristic to down and horizontal strokes.
He did a great job. The pen arrive back safe and sound and from the moment I filled it with ink, and the nib touched the paper, I knew this pen was now a real winner.
Visit his site at: to become acquainted with his background and to contact Gustavo.
Do nibs change according to one's writing? Well use over time they do. Is it safe to allow someone to sign with your pen. My view is it is.
Flexibility of nibs is another point that is discussed often. Is an 18 karat gold nib more flexible than a 14th karate gold nib? Maybe, but not solely based on the quality of the gold. The difference in flexibility based solely on the gold is negligible. Other factors in the construction of the nib have more influence. They include the thickness of the nib metal itself, the length and shape of the nib, the length of the slit and the way the nib is fixed onto the feed mechanism.
So, in my view, the nib is the pen. This is one of the great advantages of always going to a pen store and trying a pen out. You will never know if it is the right pen for you till you dip it in ink and you can experience the moment when the nib starts to glide across the paper.
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Greg Minuskin also offers pen re-tipping services. You can read about his services that include regrinds to italic/stub nibs, new sacs, nib crack repair and flow adjustment. His site also has tesimonials of his customers.
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