ChrisC
October 22nd, 2015, 09:46 PM
I've always enjoyed nibs that write with some character. At the same time, I use my pens for daily writing, and I like to have something that I can just put to the paper without any special maneuvering. Stubs and Italics are very usable, but not as usable as rounds nibs. On the other hand, round nibs are boring. So, what to do? Stubbish nibs have been the answer for me. They are not common across the brands that I like, so I had to learn how to grind them myself. And I have!
Not a typical stub or italic where the tipping material is ground flat-flush with the tines, but rather a ball-type tipping which has been flattened, but still rounded at the point of contact with the paper.
These are just as just as smooth as round nibs because the point of contact with the paper is rounded. The nib is a square like an italic, but the actual part that touches the paper is almost as rounded as a balltip. I liken this type of tipping to be like Visconti's Opera concept, "Squaring the Circle." A circular nib tip has been flattened, yet still round to keep the smoothness.
Stubbish nibs include Montblanc's factory B and BB nibs. On the other end of the spectrum, you have B and BB nibs from Visconti and Omas which have no character. They are just round tips.
Who else likes this grind? It's a way of making B and BB nibs much more exciting, while retaining their smoothness!
Take a look at this Omas factory BB nib:
21835
And then take a look at this series of pens that I have turned from round nibs to stubbish nibs, with my own grinding technique:
21836
Here are some close-ups of the nibs and their tipping (TWSBI, Montblanc, Visconti). I left the round bit on the Montblanc nib to preserve the rare Kugel tipping.
218372183821839
Not a typical stub or italic where the tipping material is ground flat-flush with the tines, but rather a ball-type tipping which has been flattened, but still rounded at the point of contact with the paper.
These are just as just as smooth as round nibs because the point of contact with the paper is rounded. The nib is a square like an italic, but the actual part that touches the paper is almost as rounded as a balltip. I liken this type of tipping to be like Visconti's Opera concept, "Squaring the Circle." A circular nib tip has been flattened, yet still round to keep the smoothness.
Stubbish nibs include Montblanc's factory B and BB nibs. On the other end of the spectrum, you have B and BB nibs from Visconti and Omas which have no character. They are just round tips.
Who else likes this grind? It's a way of making B and BB nibs much more exciting, while retaining their smoothness!
Take a look at this Omas factory BB nib:
21835
And then take a look at this series of pens that I have turned from round nibs to stubbish nibs, with my own grinding technique:
21836
Here are some close-ups of the nibs and their tipping (TWSBI, Montblanc, Visconti). I left the round bit on the Montblanc nib to preserve the rare Kugel tipping.
218372183821839