Asymmetric Nibs

[Paddler]

Some folks mentioned this subject in another thread. I can't find that thread again so here's a new one.

I own a hoard of dip pen nibs that I have accumulated over years of crawling through flea markets and yard sales. Some of these nibs have asymmetric points. They have long, narrow tines that end in a fine stub. Some of these stubs have the left corner rounded off; some have a round right corner. The roundness is not due to wear; the nibs are all NOS.

One of the lefties is a Spencerian No.28 "Congressional". Another is the Esterbrook No.239 "Chancellor".

I may be too ham-handed to appreciate the nuances these nibs lend to one's writing experience. Can anybody tell me what the idea is behind the design?

[Kulprit]

Are you referring to oblique nibs?


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[Paddler]

Are you referring to oblique nibs?


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No, these nibs are cut straight across. One corner is rounded off. I would post a picture but I can't fit my camera to a microscope.

[jar]

The difference was seen in flowing scripts with shading greater on the leading or trailing edge of the letter.

[Paddler]

Yikes! I will have to look for that. I haven't been paying attention.

[grainweevil]

I'm really bad at mentally visualising this sort of thing, so can some generous soul tell me if the rounded edge would lay down more ink, or less? Presuming that's what Jar means by the shading difference. If that's not what he means, I'm even more at sea than even I thought.

[jar]

I'm really bad at mentally visualising this sort of thing, so can some generous soul tell me if the rounded edge would lay down more ink, or less? Presuming that's what Jar means by the shading difference. If that's not what he means, I'm even more at sea than even I thought.

It's kinda that. A sharp edge termination makes a sharp line while the curved edge will vary as it's relation to the paper changes through the stroke. Picture the nib moving over the paper as you make an up stroke. One side shows the effect of an italic nib while the other side shows a rounded nib effect. One side is hard the other soft.

[Barry B. Gabay]

I had a Parker 51 aerometric from the UK with exactly the nib jar describes. The seller referred to it as a 15 degree nib. It was awkward for me to use, so I removed the nib and traded it for a standard UK 51 broad nib. I still own a UK Parker 61 cartridge/converter-fill pen with the same sort of nib. Because it has a very wet flow, this one is more enjoyable to use than was the 51. My photo skills are right poor, so I doubt that a picture would provide much detail.

[jar]

I had a Parker 51 aerometric from the UK with exactly the nib jar describes. The seller referred to it as a 15 degree nib. It was awkward for me to use, so I removed the nib and traded it for a standard UK 51 broad nib. I still own a UK Parker 61 cartridge/converter-fill pen with the same sort of nib. Because it has a very wet flow, this one is more enjoyable to use than was the 51. My photo skills are right poor, so I doubt that a picture would provide much detail.

I always heard them called "Half Italics" and right or left foot depending on which side was the italic side (big toe was round).