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Thread: Conical/triumph nibs

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    Default Conical/triumph nibs

    Sifting through the Sheaffer pens on eBay I notice that not all conical or triumph nibs have the upturned Waverley-type tip. Is this a normal variation, or is someone out there straightening nibs. I cannot find any source information regarding which nibs were supposed to have this feature.

    Cheers,

    D.

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    Default Re: Conical/triumph nibs

    Jim Mamoulides has a good article on the triumph nibs: http://www.penhero.com/PenGallery/Sh...riumphNibs.htm where he notes that the degree of upsweep varied (more pronounced in the 1940s).
    Vintage. Cursive italic. Iron gall.

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    Default Re: Conical/triumph nibs

    "Another innovation of the Triumph nib was a slight upward taper at the end. This was for two purposes, one, like the conical shape, was for strength in writing through carbons so that it would not pierce the paper, the second was to allow the nib to be used upside down with a finer line. This tapering is more pronounced on 1940s Triumphs, which also had generally shorter and fatter nibs, than on TM pens."

    left out it #3, the upturn at the end was designed to make push strokes smoother.

    I find the upturn most pronounced of all on open nibs of the late 30s. Vac FIller Balances, open nib Crests. My sample size & knowledge is not really large enough to argue with Jim Mamoulides but ...

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    Default Re: Conical/triumph nibs

    I happen to have one of the short nib cartridge pens in what is almost certainly the original box, which is emblazoned "Skripsert," the name of the cartridge and pen, I thought.

    The pen was found in an antique store mall among several other fountain pens in a particular booth. (I also got my 51 Custom at the same time).

    The linked article refers to these pens as Cartridge instead. Interesting.

    I had hoped mine had a PdAg nib but apparently it is stainless steel per the article.

    But anyway, it is interesting to read about the up stroke and reverse writing. I think I had heard about the former but not the latter.

    I assume the latter is for carbon copies? As with the 51, if I write in normal orientation and apply pressure required for carbon copies, the line width increases from F to M or maybe even B as the tines spread.

    That wouldn't happen in reverse although it seems like it would force the tines together and reduce or cut off ink flow? I'll have to try it some time.

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