Cross Nib diferences

[small]

Hey guys first post here. I'm not a huge FP user I have two currently a Lamy Safari and a Cross Century II. I like writing with them as well as a Bic Cristal 1.6. Both Fountain pens have Medium NIBs. I have been trying to find a possible side by side comparison on the Cross nibs. I found one for Lamy and see that the difference between M and F is so slight not to be worth trying and moving to the EF would be a better choice. Its a more obvious size difference. I'm not certain how the Cross compares. I'm guessing its about the same, as most comparisons I see, appear to be that way, just not that big of difference. Yet, and there seems to always be a few, where there is a definite difference between sizes when compared side by side.

Here's the thing. I spoke to the person at the shop where I bought the Cross who said the Medium should be okay, all they had in stock too I'm sure she didn't want me walking out without a pen. After trying a few different inks (Cartridges and bottled) I'm still not too happy with it, so a change is in order. With the forms and ledgers at work the ink seems to spread out and even bleed trough, even on some notebook paper this can happen. I think its a combination of my writing, the ink, the paper and the nib. The writing styles not gonna change much,neither are the forms, the inks like I said have been changed a few times so now I'd like to change the nib size. It was suggested on a different forum to try writing with the nib upside down, this does produces a nice fine line but scratchy. I still get some bleed trough, Any idea if a Extra Fine will feel that same way, scratchy? Still lay a lot of ink and bleed through? If it wasn't for the price of the cross nibs I'd try to change one size at a time just thought I'd get some input before I make the purchase.

Maybe I just need to keep playing with inks but I really like Blue/Black and that might be part of it too.

Thanks in advance.

[ac12]

I do not know about the current Cross, but my original Century seems to run narrow.
I have 2 Cross Fine nibs that write like old Parker XF nibs, and a Cross Medium that writes like an old Parker Fine nib.

If I change nib sizes, I would change by 2 steps, unless I know for certain that the target nib is the size I want, for specifically the reason you stated, a 1 step change may not be significant enough. Example I went from a Lamy F to a XF, because the XF is exactly what I wanted, and they do not list an XXF (2 steps smaller than a F). The Lamy XF is like my old Parker F nibs.

How a XF nib feels (smooth or scratchy) depends on several factors (pen, paper, ink).

Pen - First the tip of the nib has to be aligned. If it is not aligned it will NOT be smooth.
- If the tip of the nib is not round and smooth, it will NOT write smooth on standard paper. I have some older XF nibs with SHARP tips. These tips write scratchy in most papers.
I have been very surprised at some of the Chinese F nibs. They run narrow, and a Chinese F is equivalent to a Western XF. The nibs that I used were VERY SMOOTH. And looking at the tip with a loupe, the tip was a nice ball, not a sharp point or a blade like some of my other XF nibs. That smooth ball is what gives it the smoothness (and lack of scratchiness).
- Next, a WET nib helps the pen write smooth by putting down more ink for the nib to glide on.
However, a WET nib also puts down more ink to feather and bleed through.
So there is a delicate balance, you want the nib to be wet, but not too wet.
- If you just bought the Cross, I suggest contacting Cross and asking if they could do a nib exchange for a smaller size nib (Fine or XtraFine).

Paper - While you can't do anything about your paper, you can at least understand the issues caused by the paper.
If the paper is HARD and SMOOTH, it will handle most XF nibs.
Texture in the paper surface will cause friction with the nib and if rough enough will snag the XF nib. And many of todays standard papers will be difficult or snag a XF nib with a sharp tip.
My mother was an accountant, and the ledger paper she used was HARD and SMOOTH and heavy, so the XF nibs she used did not have anything to snag on. This stuff is very different than the standard 20# office paper.

Ink - If you get a thicker/dryer ink like Pelikan, coupled with a wet pen, you have a nice lubricated pool for the tip to glide on.
A more watery ink does not have that lubrication property, and the XF nib will just go thru the ink and feel scratchy.
- Secondly, a really WET ink will bleed and feather more than a dry ink. Example I was testing a Noodler's ink and the ink line out of a M nib looked like a BB nib. The ink just hit the paper and spread and bled through.
- A dryer ink that you should try is Pelikan.
- However, if the pen is dry, going to a dry ink can cause it to skip, due to lack of ink flow. It is all about matching the ink characteristics to the pens characteristics. A wet ink for a dry pen, and a dry ink for a wet pen.

[cwent2]

And always remember and never forget - PRESSURE - A Fountain pen is not a ball point - Lighten up on the PRESSURE, relax, breath.... Oh.

Seriously, a fountain pen should write using no more than it's own weight on the paper.

[small]

Thanks. I get that these pens and fountains in general are refereed to as being idiosyncratic. The lamy and cross with the same ink on the same paper are different colors and bleed different. If I write with the nib upside down with the cross the line is almost the same as when used properly. The Lamy makes a very nice fine line.

I made an order for an extra fine nib for the lamy and Cross shows they are out of stock for the extra fine on their website. Paradise pen does not stock a Extra Fine so I'll be looking for one for the cross. I will also try a few more inks I think I'll buy samples from now on until I find that good combination.

Thanks again.