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Thread: Stub nib in a daily writer?

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    Default Stub nib in a daily writer?

    I recently purchased a 1.5mm stub from Goulet. I bought it because I purchased a 1.1mm stub a few weeks ago and really liked writing with it. It actually made my sorry chicken scratch look downright elegant.

    This is true if I take my time writing on decent paper that doesn't suck the pen dry and feather like a sandhill crane.

    Does anybody use these broad stubs for daily writing (as opposed to calligraphic endeavors)?

    Just asking.

    Mark

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    Senior Member Bisquitlips's Avatar
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    Default Re: Stub nib in a daily writer?

    I do. Although a 1.5 is a little wide for my daily writing / note taking I like the 1.1 italic the best.

    Enjoy!

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    Senior Member tandaina's Avatar
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    Default Re: Stub nib in a daily writer?

    Yup. 80% of my pens are italics or italic-like (antique Pelikan nibs have very flat tipping that gives a stub like writing experience on anything bigger than an M). These are my everyday writers.

    However, to be clear, I write almost exclusively on Tomoe river paper. I stopped using cheap paper a long while ago. I have italics ground from nibs in size F to BBB. So I've got all the sizes I like. I just prefer italics, they are totally my everyday writers.
    ---
    Current pen rotation: way too many!

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    Senior Member Jon Szanto's Avatar
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    Default Re: Stub nib in a daily writer?

    If given the choice, I'll use a stub/italic all the time. Having said that, for most daily writing and correspondence, I rarely go over the common 1.1mm width, and only use the wider ones that I have for greeting cards, special notes, or addresses. I sometimes feel that if I pick up a standard M or F non-italic nib, especially after writing with italics, it is almost like the color has gone out of the world. I just lose expressivity.
    "When Men differ in Opinion, both Sides ought equally to have the Advantage of being heard by the Publick;
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    Default Re: Stub nib in a daily writer?

    Currently I'm writing with 100% italic nibs and concentrating on learning cursive italic. I mostly use broad italics that lay down a .8 to 1mm line, depending on which ink I'm using.

    Kent

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    Member rberg6868's Avatar
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    Default Re: Stub nib in a daily writer?

    I have a lot of pens stub nibs but I recently got a medium cursive italic nib from Franklin Christoph that I put in a Levenger L-Tech. It utterly transformed the pen. I love writing with it now and it is so expressive. Fresh from Masuyama I found it to hook the paper a little too much so I quickly ran it through the three finest grits of the smoothing kit from Anderson pens and it is about as close to perfect a writing experience as I have had.

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    Senior Member dneal's Avatar
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    Default Re: Stub nib in a daily writer?

    Most all of my daily writers are .5mm - .7mm stubs

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    Senior Member Potter's Avatar
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    Default Re: Stub nib in a daily writer?

    I'll often reach for my 1.1mm italics, they seem to make my writing more expressive... (and readable)

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    Senior Member youstruckgold's Avatar
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    Default Re: Stub nib in a daily writer?

    Another here for the cursive italics. Mottishaw makes a humdinger!

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    Default Re: Stub nib in a daily writer?

    My everyday writers are in the region of 1.1 to 1.3mm italics and stubs. The 1.5s I can use for everything, but I prefer to reserve them for work that needs to stand out. I'm no calligrapher, but I am used to fill in names and citations on certificates, and write the big presentation cheques. At home, I use the 1.5 nibs for labels and envelopes.

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    Senior Member Cob's Avatar
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    Default Re: Stub nib in a daily writer?

    Quote Originally Posted by Jon Szanto View Post
    If given the choice, I'll use a stub/italic all the time. Having said that, for most daily writing and correspondence, I rarely go over the common 1.1mm width, and only use the wider ones that I have for greeting cards, special notes, or addresses. I sometimes feel that if I pick up a standard M or F non-italic nib, especially after writing with italics, it is almost like the color has gone out of the world. I just lose expressivity.
    Perfectly put.

    All I ask a a starting point is that the nib should have a least a quality of definition about it; I call it "edge" An Italic is an extreme example of this but so long as there is something then I am reasonably content. I am particularly impressed with a 1918 Swan I have which has a flexible broad stub; I find this delightful to use.

    Cob

    SF2 Broad Stub.jpg

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    Default Re: Stub nib in a daily writer?

    Quote Originally Posted by dneal View Post
    Most all of my daily writers are .5mm - .7mm stubs
    Such as?

    I'm looking for medium stubs but can't find many in modern pens. I like pens but don't want to tinker with vintage ones. I also fear cursive or true italic for dailey writing. Less sharpness and more smoothness is perfectly fine for me.

    So, I would like to experiment before sending more valuable pens for a nib regrind.

    Franklin Christoph offers a medium stubs... Nemosine? anything else?

    EDIT: Pilot SU nib?
    Last edited by Fouez; April 26th, 2015 at 06:23 AM.

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    Senior Member Sailor Kenshin's Avatar
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    Default Re: Stub nib in a daily writer?

    Fouez, the Nemos have very rounded edges...worth trying at the price.


    I have a love/hate relationship with stubs/cursives/italics. I love the thick-thin lines. But as a southpaw hooker, I struggle with using them. The edges dig into the paper. The lines flatten out. I can even use Lamy's 1.5 without it looking too thick. But it still thins and flattens out due to my writing style.

    Which is why I was overjoyed to buy a Pelikan with a TIPPED italic nib. It glides. It doesn't dig. And it still permits variation to creep into my line.
    My other pen is a Montblanc.

    And my other blog is a tumblr!


    And my latest ebook, for spooky wintery reading:

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    Senior Member dneal's Avatar
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    Default Re: Stub nib in a daily writer?

    Quote Originally Posted by Fouez View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by dneal View Post
    Most all of my daily writers are .5mm - .7mm stubs
    Such as?

    I'm looking for medium stubs but can't find many in modern pens. I like pens but don't want to tinker with vintage ones. I also fear cursive or true italic for dailey writing. Less sharpness and more smoothness is perfectly fine for me.

    So, I would like to experiment before sending more valuable pens for a nib regrind.

    Franklin Christoph offers a medium stubs... Nemosine? anything else?

    EDIT: Pilot SU nib?
    Hmmm

    2 Conway Stewarts with factory IF and a 3rd I ground to a medium stub
    Visconti Classic I ground to a stub
    Omas Ogiva with a Pendleton Brown grind
    M800 Tortoise I stubbed
    M605 with a Pendleton Brown grind
    M400 with a Binder stub
    M200 and 300 I stubbed
    Montblanc 145 with a Pendleton Brown grind
    Kaweco Sport 883 by Visconti I stubbed
    Kaweco Sport 11 with a messed up OM that I corrected to a stub
    Lamy 2000 I stubbed
    Nakaya Piccolo with a Mottishaw italic
    Franklin Christoph 40 Pocket with a Masuyama italic

    Maybe more, but that's all I can think of. Also, "Italic" and "Stub" don't have concrete definitions. Some add adjectives like "crisp" or "cursive". I've found that you can have a very smooth, easy writing nib with a very fine horizontal line; so when I say I've "stubbed" a pen, I've just ground it how I like and don't worry about specific descriptors. I like a thin horizontal, and most would probably be called "cursive italic" by others.

    Send a medium nibbed pen to Pendleton Brown and get his "butter line stub", or pick up a FC with a Masuyama stub. I think you'll find that you end up with a nib that writes just as easily as any "normal" ball-tipped nib.

    --edit--

    Dug around my Photobucket for some pics...









    Last edited by dneal; April 26th, 2015 at 08:19 AM.

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    Senior Member Mags's Avatar
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    Default Re: Stub nib in a daily writer?

    I just enjoy regular Broad nibs with a rounder and more forgiving nib. But yes a stub is for me the very next best thing. I also enjoy a left foot oblique nib for everyday writing.
    Mags or Rob Maguire MB 149, 147, 146,144, Mozart, Boehme, Sailor Realo, Aurora Optima, Churchmen Prescriptor and Parson's Essential, Parker 51 1.3 mm stub, Parker Vacumatic 1939 OB Can, TWSBI's (540,580, Mini and Vac 700), Pelikan M 1000/800 Demonstrator 600/200 demoM/200 OBB, Visconti Rembrandts (2), Lamy, Cross, Watermans, Pilots, Sheaffer's, Omas 360 LE 84/360, GvFC, Esterbrooks J and SJ, Bexley Jitterbug, Taccia, Eversharp 1952 flex, Edison Herald, Franklin Christoph Piper.

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    Default Re: Stub nib in a daily writer?

    Quote Originally Posted by dneal View Post
    Send a medium nibbed pen to Pendleton Brown and get his "butter line stub", or pick up a FC with a Masuyama stub. I think you'll find that you end up with a nib that writes just as easily as any "normal" ball-tipped nib.
    I'm from Canada and, as far as I know, there's no renowned nibmeister in the country. So sending a pen to the USA for a regrind is kind of a pain. A costly pain because I'll probably have to pay custom fees on the way back. I know it'll get to that eventually but in the meantime I would like to "validate my theoretical love of the medium stub". Theoretically, a butter line medium stub would be perfect for me.

    So I'm back to square one. It's going to be a FC Model 19 with a medium stub from Masuyama... or a Pilot Custom xxx with a sutab (SU) nib.

    @Mark9117: I did'nt mean to hijack your thread but thought that my questions were closely related to yours

    @dneal: TY for the detailed answer. Great pics too! Your FC model 40 is fitted with an italic but for extra smoothness you recommend that I go with the stub from Masuyama?

    @fellow Canadian fountain pen enthusiasts: if you know of a nibmeister anywhere from coast to coast, please let me know.

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    Default Re: Stub nib in a daily writer?

    Quote Originally Posted by Fouez View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by dneal View Post
    Send a medium nibbed pen to Pendleton Brown and get his "butter line stub", or pick up a FC with a Masuyama stub. I think you'll find that you end up with a nib that writes just as easily as any "normal" ball-tipped nib.
    I'm from Canada and, as far as I know, there's no renowned nibmeister in the country. So sending a pen to the USA for a regrind is kind of a pain. A costly pain because I'll probably have to pay custom fees on the way back. I know it'll get to that eventually but in the meantime I would like to "validate my theoretical love of the medium stub". Theoretically, a butter line medium stub would be perfect for me.

    So I'm back to square one. It's going to be a FC Model 19 with a medium stub from Masuyama... or a Pilot Custom xxx with a sutab (SU) nib.

    @Mark9117: I did'nt mean to hijack your thread but thought that my questions were closely related to yours
    No problem. I'm learning a bit and enjoying it.

    Mark

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    Senior Member dneal's Avatar
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    Default Re: Stub nib in a daily writer?

    Quote Originally Posted by Fouez View Post
    @dneal: TY for the detailed answer. Great pics too! Your FC model 40 is fitted with an italic but for extra smoothness you recommend that I go with the stub from Masuyama?
    If you're new to them, then yes. You might sacrifice a bit of line variation by going with the stub. I found the Masuyama italic to be pretty crisp and unforgiving if you got out of the "sweet spot". I tweaked it a little, to smooth it out and make it easier to write with.

    Pendleton Brown sells pre-ground pens as well. He's got some Lamy 2000's for around the same money as a FC with Masuyama nib, and some TWSBI's for $120 or so. You can also send him a TWSBI or Pelikan nib (without the rest of the pen), which may help you on customs.

    Richard Binder had the easiest writing stubs, I think, but he's not selling pens or nibs anymore. Pendleton's offer the best compromise between line variation and ease of use. I really, really like them. They can feel a little crisp in regard to the feedback (particularly on the downstroke), but they don't snag or anything.
    Last edited by dneal; April 26th, 2015 at 01:03 PM.

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    Senior Member Sammyo's Avatar
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    Default Re: Stub nib in a daily writer?

    I was just in a week long meeting, I used a Edison Collier with a 1.1mm stub nib to take notes everyday. I love how it writes and have found no negative issues arising from it. Love the pen, love the nib. I also took a Parker 45 with a fine nib with me too... just in case, I only used it once to sign a get well soon card, and I love that pen too so it's not just favoritism
    Sam O

    "A fountain pen with a bad nib is like a Ferrari with a flat tyre..." - Brian Gray, Edison pens

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    Default Re: Stub nib in a daily writer?

    I just love my stubs - a vintage 18k medium stub nib scavenged from a broken late 1980's Pelikan M600, now installed in a tortoiseshell M400, ca. 1985, a Michael Masuyama med. stub in a Franklin-Christoph pocket 66, and a plethora of Lamy and JoWo 1.1mm stainless nibs - they seem to bring out the best in most inks, make my scrawls look halfway decent and allow me to vary my writing depending on the alignment of the nib to the horizontal... lots of fun, every day of the week! Thanks to all the inspiring contributions to this thread, folks!

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