Italic / Stub Nibs -- Favorites & Advice

[michaeldoleman]

I've been rather taken, lately, with stub nibs, and am keen to do some further explorations. It started with the addition of a 1.1mm stub to a Lamy Al-star, and proceeded, from there, to a Pilot Prera with "CM" (cursive medium) nib. I like both pens, but prefer the somewhat more subtle line variation and smoothness of the Prera. The pen itself, however, is SO strangely small -- to the extent that it's slightly awkward to use. I've now taken to dip pens, and have been liking the narrow Brause stub nibs. I had a TWSBI stub, but didn't particularly care for it because I felt that there wasn't enough difference in line width between the narrow versus wide stroke.

I'm wanting to branch-out a bit more, but from what I can tell so far, there don't seem to be a lot of options available. It seems that the narrowest stub that's most widely available is a 1.1mm -- Jowo has one in a #5 and #6, for example. I would like to try something a bit narrower than that, however, and don't know what to get. I've been wanting a Pelikan M200, and am now thinking of getting it in their italic nib, but don't know much about it.

Other than that, I'm wondering about custom options, and what to ask for in a custom grind. I'm thinking about perhaps having my Lamy 2000 reground into a cursive-italic, but hesitant because I don't know how it will turn out.

Can someone with experience in one or more stub/italic nib offerings, or in having pens customized to stubs give me some opinions or observations that might be helpful? I'd particularly love to hear about additional options that I have yet to try.

Thanks...

[junglejim]

You can try Pendleton Brown. He's well known for his very smooth BLS (Butter Line Stub) nibs that he custom grinds. His website is pendletonpens.com and you can also buy complete pens that he custom ground at:

https://www.ebay.com/sch/pendletonspens/m.html?item=253119386579&hash=item3aef1753d3%3Ag%3AhRgAAOSwpONZQt4z&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562

I have a broad nib on an el cheapo used Bexley that he ground for me and it is great! BTW, he will be taking a break for summer so he's not taking any more custom nib work.

All the Best.

[rodzilla1126]

I would recommend getting an Architect Grind from Mark Bacas over at Nibgrinder.com

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[silverlifter]

Mark Bacas ground my Lamy 2000 into a cursive smooth italic and it is one of my favorite nibs.

I also have a cursive italic from Mark and one from Pablo at FPNibs. If you are new to italics, you might find Mark's smooth variant a little more forgiving.

[Chrissy]

I particularly like Lamy 1.1mm stub nibs and have several on my Safaris, and Nexx pens. They are all really smooth to write with.
Italic nibs aren't the same as stub nibs - they have sharp corners where stub nibs have smoothed off/rounded corners. So I find Italic nibs crisper to write with.

I've made a couple of broader stub nibs narrower just by slightly smoothing down the side edges using a nib smoothing board. It's fairly straightforward to do this.

Favourite stub nibs include a standard Sheaffer and a standard Bexley.

My own preference is for nibs with tipping, but Lamy stub nibs are good enough without tipping.

[catbert]

Nemosyne has 0.6 and 0.8 mm stubs. You could also look at Italix and Franklin-Christoph.

[FredRydr]

Waterman 7 blue nib.

[Empty_of_Clouds]

@michaeldoleman, if you have a pen that takes a Jowo #6 then I fully recommend fpnibs.com for whatever grinds you may be interest in. Their costs are low enough to enable most people to at least sample a few different types. And yes, I am a more than happy customer of theirs! I have two custom pens that have their medium stub and medium cursive italic nibs fitted and they are a joy to use.

[Deb]

Esterbrook and Osmiroid ranges of nibs are hard to beat and are still widely available.

[FredRydr]

http://www.richardspens.com/images/ref/nibs/estienibs/ebpoints.gif

[Robert]

FWIW Pilot offers a factory stub (0.7mm) in its Vanishing Point line. Last year I ordered a VP Crossed Lines model from nibs.com with the factory stub. It writes very nicely and there was no extra cost for the nib.

[VertOlive]

Another vote for Pendleton Brown's BLS nib. I had a Safari ground by him and it's my favorite nib.

[BlkWhiteFilmPix]

A cursive italic can be difficult to write with -- I still haven't completely mastered one that I had John Mottishaw grind for me on a Pelikan M800 broad nib.

Pelikan's stock Italic Broad writes more like a stub. Best of luck with whatever you eventually decide upon.



47277

[azkid]

I'm interested in exploring CI/stub/italic nibs too.

You might want to check out some of the vintage stub/italic dip nibs, like the Esterbrook #942, if you haven't.

You probably know Lamy nibs come in 1.1, 1.5 and 1.9mm. I haven't tried them yet.

I found a seller on Etsy that is selling Jinhao nibs, 1.5mm - 2.9mm

[michaeldoleman]

Mark Bacas ground my Lamy 2000 into a cursive smooth italic and it is one of my favorite nibs.

I also have a cursive italic from Mark and one from Pablo at FPNibs. If you are new to italics, you might find Mark's smooth variant a little more forgiving.

I've contacted Mark about turning my 2000 into a CI, and I think I have all but decided to go that route. I've never 100% liked the way my 2000 writes, but love the pen. I think if it were a fine italic, I would write with it a lot more. Thanks for the input.

[michaeldoleman]

FWIW Pilot offers a factory stub (0.7mm) in its Vanishing Point line. Last year I ordered a VP Crossed Lines model from nibs.com with the factory stub. It writes very nicely and there was no extra cost for the nib.

Yes, I've seen those. I almost bought one at one point, but I just don't care for the design of the VP. I had a chance to demo one, and didn't like the way it felt in my hand. I do like the CM nib on my Prera, but that pen is SO dinky.

[michaeldoleman]

I have a Lamy 1.1 and 1.5, each attached to an Al-Star. Those make for nice pens, but even the 1.1 is a bit fat for my taste, for everyday cursive writing. I want something more along the 0.7 to 1.0 range. My Pilot Prera is very close to what I want, but it has other characteristics that are not quite right.

I've also tried a few dip nibs, and I do like those. They make for a nice experience, but dip pens are less "my thing" than a nice fountain pen with the nib that I want to go-to again and again.

[michaeldoleman]

Nemosyne has 0.6 and 0.8 mm stubs. You could also look at Italix and Franklin-Christoph.

Thanks for that -- I didn't know Nemosyne had those nibs available. I've never really paid too much attention to their pens -- I'm a bit wary, as they look a bit like a "cheapie/knockoff" type brand, but I certainly have no experience with them. Fanklin-Christoph seems like an interesting option.

[catbert]

Nemosyne has 0.6 and 0.8 mm stubs. You could also look at Italix and Franklin-Christoph.

Thanks for that -- I didn't know Nemosyne had those nibs available. I've never really paid too much attention to their pens -- I'm a bit wary, as they look a bit like a "cheapie/knockoff" type brand, but I certainly have no experience with them. Fanklin-Christoph seems like an interesting option.

Nemosyne pens don't appeal to me either, but since the nibs can be had separately and I'm also on a stub/italic kick at present I will probably investigate.

I do have a Masuyama medium cursive italic from Franklin-Christoph and like it a lot. It's much crisper than a Lamy 1.1, though.

[Katduffy]

Franklin-Christoph Masuyama stubs and cursive italic nibs are really smooth and the fine ci provides enough line variation to make my writing more interesting. Nemosine nibs are a good value for the money, you can buy just the nib and use it on a Jinhao x750 for an cheap Stub to play with. FPNibs has several pens for purchase and will grind a nib into a stub or cursive italic I’m very happy with the ci they ground on my Kaweco Al Sport. FPNibs also sells nibs and nib unit, I bought a #5 Jowo nib unit and had them grind it to a ci with semi-flex and a #6 Jowo nib unit with a stub grind with semi-flex, I’m thrilled with both of these nibs and will probably order from FPNibs again. Nibs.com ground several Nakayas and an Aurora into stubs and cursive italics for me and the Nibsmith ground two pens into stubs for me, I don’t hesitate to recommend both of these businesses.

[SIR]

+1 for a cursive italic from Mike Masuyama at F-C; will not disappoint!

[DomainOfDolin]

Cheers to italics and stubs! They're basically all I buy lol, but then again I do calligraphy so that sorta makes sense. RE: Pelikan's stock steel "italic" nib, it's generally reputed to be more of a stub, with a little but not tons of line variation. Still probably a worthy investment as they're getting harder to find.

For narrower nibs, I second someone's earlier mention of Nemosine .6 and .8mm stubs--they're a great add to anything that takes a #6 nib. I'd also give a look at Osmiroid calligraphy pens on ebay; they're generally cheap and come with a variety of stubs, obliques, italics, and the like.

Happy hunting!

[penwash]

My favorite stub nib is on my Montblanc 344G:

https://live.staticflickr.com/792/27530633678_e7ebe4bf50_z.jpg

[Butthurticus-VIII]

Kirk Spear over at penrealm.com does excellent nib work and grinds. He did a great job on my Montblanc 149. I got a smooth cursive italic in medium.


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[SchaumburgSwan]

My favorite stub nib is on my Montblanc 344G:

https://live.staticflickr.com/792/27530633678_e7ebe4bf50_z.jpg

Great, that's a nib I like! :-)

[KrazyIvan]

I have Bock, Jowo, Pilot, Nemosine, Stipula, Kaweco, TWSBI and Schmidt branded stubs. They range in sizes from .8mm to 1.1mm. 1.1mm is about the largest I can use comfortably. I think Stipula, TWSBI and Kaweco are rebranded Jowo or Bock nibs but I don't remember. The Schmidt was ground by pen maker of my Parsons Essential Italix. It's more of a crisp italic. I like them so much I decided to learn how to grind them myself. I was told that one of the pens I ground was tested by Pendleton Brown and he said it came out like his first attempts at nib grinding. I prefer to think it was a compliment. 😜

I like the way Lamy does their 1.1 but the flow tends to be a bit dry. Bock has a bit wetter flow and I tend to use those the most. Flow can be adjusted but out of the box wetness of the Bock nibs is to my liking.

[da vinci]

My Lamy Safari 1.1 nib is one of the cheapest yet best writing nibs that I own. If you can get to a pen show and have someone grind a nib whilst you are there, I suspect that will give you a nib with the best writing experience.

[guyy]

I had a 1980s OMAS with a medium nib. I really liked the pen, but the nib was a little boring. When it needed repairs, Mottishaw was still doing OMAS repairs so i sent it in and had them stub it. Usually i prefer a broader stub, but this one's gives just enough variation to keep me interested. It feels great, too. Just a super job.

I would recommend having a medium nib stubbed, if not by Mottishaw, then by someone else

[michaeldoleman]

My Lamy Safari 1.1 nib is one of the cheapest yet best writing nibs that I own. If you can get to a pen show and have someone grind a nib whilst you are there, I suspect that will give you a nib with the best writing experience.

I have each of the Lamy stub nibs, and do like the way the 1.1 writes and feels. A couple issues though... One, it's a bit wide for my taste, at least for everyday writing in cursive. Two, I don't like the grip section of any of the main Lamy pens it's intended for -- the Safari, Nexx, Al-Star. I wouldn't mind it on a CP1, but the CP1 is SO slender -- too much so for my taste. I'd put the nib on an Aion, but I don't know how well that would work -- my understanding is that the feed is somewhat different, to accommodate the Z53, as opposed to Z50 nib... I DO like the feel of the Aion (it's similar to my 2000), though, so if I knew it would work I'd probably get one for that purpose.

What I DO find the 1.1 useful for is my hobby of "conlanging" (i.e., making-up "constructed languages"). It's great for producing characters that look vaguely elvish or fantasy-ish :-)

[michaeldoleman]

I have Bock, Jowo, Pilot, Nemosine, Stipula, Kaweco, TWSBI and Schmidt branded stubs. They range in sizes from .8mm to 1.1mm. 1.1mm is about the largest I can use comfortably. I think Stipula, TWSBI and Kaweco are rebranded Jowo or Bock nibs but I don't remember. The Schmidt was ground by pen maker of my Parsons Essential Italix. It's more of a crisp italic. I like them so much I decided to learn how to grind them myself. I was told that one of the pens I ground was tested by Pendleton Brown and he said it came out like his first attempts at nib grinding. I prefer to think it was a compliment. 😜

I like the way Lamy does their 1.1 but the flow tends to be a bit dry. Bock has a bit wetter flow and I tend to use those the most. Flow can be adjusted but out of the box wetness of the Bock nibs is to my liking.

I had one of the TWSBI 1.1 stubs, and liked it, except that I found it to not give me the line variation that I wanted. It's a nice pen and a nice-writing nib, though, to be sure -- just not for me.

I now have 0.6 and 0.8 Nemosine nibs, but have only thus far tried the 0.6. And I have to say that -- at least mounted on their own "Fission" pen, I don't like it because it's simply way too wet. The pen, too, is so heavy as to be uncomfortable to use. The nib itself, however, seems perhaps promising. I think that with a little modification, and mounting it on a different #6 nib unit, it might work pretty well. I will try it out on a Franklin-Christoph and see what happens...

The other one I'm interested in is the 1.0 nib from Fountain Pen Revolution. I got an FPR pen as a gift, and was a bit surprised at how much I have liked it. It writes as well as my Pilot 92, with an EF nib. Not a bad looking pen, either, for the money.

Speaking of Franklin-Christoph, I purchased one of their modded nibs that they call an "SIG" (Stub Italic Gradient). It is a nice nib -- amazingly smooth -- but I have to be honest and say that I am not sure what to make of it. Maybe it's just me, and not knowing quite how to use it, appropriately. Perhaps my cursive style just doesn't suit it... But there is very little line variation, and the edges of the line are quite ragged, at least by my accounting. In fact, I was going to do a separate post about it, to ask after anyone else's experience with that nib.

As it is turning-out, there seem to be more options available than I'd thought, and -- to be honest -- I'm a bit confused and overwhelmed. I'm still grappling, a bit, with understanding the differences in nib styles: stub, calligraphy, italic, cursive-italic, oblique, etc., etc. I think I am beginning to have a handle on it, and from what I am gathering, my tastes veer more toward a truer calligraphy/italic type nib. For the most part, it's the distinct line variation and clean look to the line that I'm after. I feel it's those aspects which make my cursive writing look better and more interesting. So that's what I will pursue...

To date, the pen which still holds-up as the best overall experience is my humble little Pilot Prera with CM (Cursive-Medium) nib. It puts-down the line which most closely matches what I want. The only reason I'm still on the hunt for the right pen/nib is that the Prera's CM nib feels quite scritchy-scratchy, and it's such a small (and kinda ugly) pen.

My understanding is that if you want a true italic style nib, with lots of line variation, and really clean line quality, you are going to have to put-up with a bit of scratchiness and resistant feedback. I'm willing to do so, but still want to be on the lookout for the perfect sweetspot :-)

[michaeldoleman]

I had a 1980s OMAS with a medium nib. I really liked the pen, but the nib was a little boring. When it needed repairs, Mottishaw was still doing OMAS repairs so i sent it in and had them stub it. Usually i prefer a broader stub, but this one's gives just enough variation to keep me interested. It feels great, too. Just a super job.

I would recommend having a medium nib stubbed, if not by Mottishaw, then by someone else

I do think that, ultimately, the customization route is the way to go, for me. I'm a little gunshy, though, because of the two higher-end, custom nibs I've gotten, neither has really panned-out to be what I wanted. In retrospect, I think that I've just asked for the wrong things. So I'm willing to try again. I really don't think that it's a pure stub that I want, though. I think that most stubs are too rounded for me, and mostly just end-up putting-down a line that's more like a double-broad nib. The experience I am looking for is closer to a classic italic, I think.

[calamus]

+1 for a cursive italic from Mike Masuyama at F-C; will not disappoint!

Mike Masuyama is a genius. He repaired a badly bent 21K nib on my Sailor 1911, and tuned it, and when I got it back it wrote a million times better than it had when it was new!

[dneal]

Pendleton’s are the best for a start. Always write well, but can be a little toothy on the down stroke.

Masuyama is a real artisan. Factory perfect (visually). The CIs are not very forgiving to a new user. Better to start with one of his stubs.

I like John Mottishaw’s grinds too. Pretty much have to buy a pen from him to get a decent turnaround.

[guyy]

You could do worse than a Lamy stub. They're cheap and fit on a variety of Lamy pens. Those and the old Sheaffer No Nonsense are my favorite cheapies. The Lamy 1.5mm on an Al-Star ia my everyday work pen.

For more expensive pens, i've had great results from Mottishaw. I haven't used any other nib meisters for stubs, though, because i almost always go with a factory stub.

One thing : i love stubs & most of the pens that i as actually use are stubs, but i can't stand Japanese stubs or music nibs. I find that they make me write more vertically than i prefer. As a result, they're very uncomfortable for me. (I usually write with a ~45 degree angle of attack.)

[michaeldoleman]

You could do worse than a Lamy stub. They're cheap and fit on a variety of Lamy pens. Those and the old Sheaffer No Nonsense are my favorite cheapies. The Lamy 1.5mm on an Al-Star ia my everyday work pen.

For more expensive pens, i've had great results from Mottishaw. I haven't used any other nib meisters for stubs, though, because i almost always go with a factory stub.

One thing : i love stubs & most of the pens that i as actually use are stubs, but i can't stand Japanese stubs or music nibs. I find that they make me write more vertically than i prefer. As a result, they're very uncomfortable for me. (I usually write with a ~45 degree angle of attack.)

I do like the Lamy stub nibs. I have had a 1.1 and a 1.5 for a while, and used those on Al-Star pens. Recently I decided, however, that I really don't care for the Safari/Al-Star grip, and so I have an Aion forthcoming, to assume duty as carrier for my Lamy stub nibs.

For my everyday cursive writing, I find even the 1.1 to be a bit wide. Thus I like my Pilot Prera, which has a very similar writing quality, but is a bit narrower. It's a stop-gap, though, until I can find the *perfect* nib. My hope is that will be one of the Franklin-Christoph units I have on the way, as well.

[Lady Onogaro]

My favorite stub nib is on my Montblanc 344G:

https://live.staticflickr.com/792/27530633678_e7ebe4bf50_z.jpg

That is incredibly beautiful writing, Will!

[pajaro]

For some years I eatched for any italic or stub nibs. I found a few that were interesting. I think it's wise to investigate any you see or see advertised. You never know what you will find for a low price. Example: Montblanc 144 Bordeaux with medium italic for $10. It had a bad converter.

[Scrawler]

For some years I eatched for any italic or stub nibs. I found a few that were interesting. I think it's wise to investigate any you see or see advertised. You never know what you will find for a low price. Example: Montblanc 144 Bordeaux with medium italic for $10. It had a bad converter.

Amazing. You did better than me. I picked up a Waterman Commando with a #5 keyhole flex stub for $16 and I thought I was ahead.

[KrazyIvan]

I have Bock, Jowo, Pilot, Nemosine, Stipula, Kaweco, TWSBI and Schmidt branded stubs. They range in sizes from .8mm to 1.1mm. 1.1mm is about the largest I can use comfortably. I think Stipula, TWSBI and Kaweco are rebranded Jowo or Bock nibs but I don't remember. The Schmidt was ground by pen maker of my Parsons Essential Italix. It's more of a crisp italic. I like them so much I decided to learn how to grind them myself. I was told that one of the pens I ground was tested by Pendleton Brown and he said it came out like his first attempts at nib grinding. I prefer to think it was a compliment. 😜

I like the way Lamy does their 1.1 but the flow tends to be a bit dry. Bock has a bit wetter flow and I tend to use those the most. Flow can be adjusted but out of the box wetness of the Bock nibs is to my liking.

I had one of the TWSBI 1.1 stubs, and liked it, except that I found it to not give me the line variation that I wanted. It's a nice pen and a nice-writing nib, though, to be sure -- just not for me.

I now have 0.6 and 0.8 Nemosine nibs, but have only thus far tried the 0.6. And I have to say that -- at least mounted on their own "Fission" pen, I don't like it because it's simply way too wet. The pen, too, is so heavy as to be uncomfortable to use. The nib itself, however, seems perhaps promising. I think that with a little modification, and mounting it on a different #6 nib unit, it might work pretty well. I will try it out on a Franklin-Christoph and see what happens...

The other one I'm interested in is the 1.0 nib from Fountain Pen Revolution. I got an FPR pen as a gift, and was a bit surprised at how much I have liked it. It writes as well as my Pilot 92, with an EF nib. Not a bad looking pen, either, for the money.

Speaking of Franklin-Christoph, I purchased one of their modded nibs that they call an "SIG" (Stub Italic Gradient). It is a nice nib -- amazingly smooth -- but I have to be honest and say that I am not sure what to make of it. Maybe it's just me, and not knowing quite how to use it, appropriately. Perhaps my cursive style just doesn't suit it... But there is very little line variation, and the edges of the line are quite ragged, at least by my accounting. In fact, I was going to do a separate post about it, to ask after anyone else's experience with that nib.

As it is turning-out, there seem to be more options available than I'd thought, and -- to be honest -- I'm a bit confused and overwhelmed. I'm still grappling, a bit, with understanding the differences in nib styles: stub, calligraphy, italic, cursive-italic, oblique, etc., etc. I think I am beginning to have a handle on it, and from what I am gathering, my tastes veer more toward a truer calligraphy/italic type nib. For the most part, it's the distinct line variation and clean look to the line that I'm after. I feel it's those aspects which make my cursive writing look better and more interesting. So that's what I will pursue...

To date, the pen which still holds-up as the best overall experience is my humble little Pilot Prera with CM (Cursive-Medium) nib. It puts-down the line which most closely matches what I want. The only reason I'm still on the hunt for the right pen/nib is that the Prera's CM nib feels quite scritchy-scratchy, and it's such a small (and kinda ugly) pen.

My understanding is that if you want a true italic style nib, with lots of line variation, and really clean line quality, you are going to have to put-up with a bit of scratchiness and resistant feedback. I'm willing to do so, but still want to be on the lookout for the perfect sweetspot :-)

I am just guessing but I feel like maybe you tend to turn the nib while writing. I do it and it results in less line variation from some pens. In other pens I actually like the results. It may be that practice is needed in holding a pen with these types of nibs. The easiest to use are going to be those that have smooth corners so you don't grab the paper. Once I learned to angle the pen for maximum line variation, I moved to crisper italics. I still mess up and rip the [paper once in a while but it does not happen as often as it used to. :)

[DPWilkens]

My favorites are the Venus medium nib units made after they bought out Esterbrook in the late 60s. These aren't listed as stubs but by my definition (having a square or chisel shaped tip with rounded off edges) they fit the bill and make excellent everyday writers in any Esterbrook pen. They are not too much like the 2668 firm medium made earlier by Esterbrook, so Venus might have selected a different point for its production run of "medium" nibs.

[countrydirt]

I really like the TWSBI stubs. I just received a 1.1 Bock in a Ranga pen and I really enjoy it as well. The Bock is very smooth.

[calamus]

I have a couple of Esterbrooks that take the interchangeable Renew Point nibs, and yesterday I ordered a 2314-M, a "Relief Medium Stub" for one of them from Anderson Pens. It's a mild oblique stub. I'm looking forward to seeing how it performs. I'm going to put it in an SJ, and take the 9556 from it and put it in my hockey puck desk set for use at work, where hopefully the super-fine point will feather less on the cheap paper we have to use than the 9550 that's in there now does.

[guyy]

I have a couple of Esterbrooks that take the interchangeable Renew Point nibs, and yesterday I ordered a 2314-M, a "Relief Medium Stub" for one of them from Anderson Pens. It's a mild oblique stub. I'm looking forward to seeing how it performs. I'm going to put it in an SJ, and take the 9556 from it and put it in my hockey puck desk set for use at work, where hopefully the super-fine point will feather less on the cheap paper we have to use than the 9550 that's in there now does.
Q
I've used the 2314-M, the 2442 Falcon, the 9314-B and the 9284. The xx14 nibs are really obliques, which is fine. I liked the 2314-M and the 2442 much better than the other two, which felt too hard. The line variation with the 9284 isn't that great, at least not on mine.

[KrazyIvan]

Those vintage pens you find with stub nibs are great! I have an Eversharp Skyline with the original sticker on it. Marked as a medium but it is very stub like.

[wingwiper]

I am a fan of Pendleton's BLS italic/stub hybrid...............best of both worlds!