Nib Modification Etiquette

[Sandy]

Pens were not static tools.

If the nib wasn't working it got replaced, filed or ground to suit the owner's hand.

The pens were made to be repaired, nibs were supposed ot be replaced or reground.

A nib that has been well used over forty or fifty years may need some attention - and it was made to get that attention, or be replaced.


If the nib isn't working - get it reground, or source a replacement, if you can.

It was one of the design features of many older pens.

[calamus]

I had a nib way more bent than that, that Michel Masuyama straightened for me. It came back looking like new and writing better than it did when it came out of the box. I've used it for years now, with no problems. He did not have to remove the tipping first and straighten it and then re-tip it, as someone earlier in this thread suggested. In fact, I've never before heard of anyone doing that.

[noahs_ark]

My preference is to leave it alone unless it's not working right. But even if someone decides to modify a vintage nib, as long as its done by someone that knows what theyre doing, it's their choice. Leave the practicing to the wing suns haha.

[Cyril]

I don’t mess with grinding vintage nibs. First there’s respect for their history; I want to experience it. Second, I usually buy vintage pens that I’ve already established I like their nibs. And third, perhaps most of all, vintage nibs don’t have the big blob of iridium for the nibmeister to grind into that modern (~post ‘60) nibs have.

That third point of Fred's is pretty important. I have no hesitation having either myself or an actual qualified person tune a vintage nib, but I think long and hard if I am considering an actual modification. The final arbiter, in my case, is if the pen will never leave my ownership, and rarely if it is of significant vintage worth.

[QUOTE=amk;328449]I have sent a Waterman Pink Nib to be professionally repaired. On the other hand I've chopped a Pelikan 101 CN nib into a stub, because one of the tines was broken.

+1 Have a nibmeister straighten it.

I have some 14k nibs with broken tines/missing materials on one side tines.
Those nibs are only good for grinding to italic/ italic cursive so that is the only way to reuse them.
Grinding vintage maks no sense to me as they have different characters within every nib .
So the best way is to find a style or script to mach the way they write. It is the process of a hand lettering and in creative writing that is good way to use a pen.
I have learnt through few people that a vintage nib doesn't need grinding unless it has a damaged tip and the last hope of rescuing it to usable stage then it is the bottom line.
Shaping back to original shape, mending a nib from a bent or out of alignment must be also considered with care between DIY or nib nibmeister intervention.

[fountainpenkid]

I have some 14k nibs with broken tines/missing materials on one side tines.
Those nibs are only good for grinding to italic/ italic cursive so that is the only way to reuse them.

What about retipping? Provided the nib is valuable enough--like is the case with my Soennecken 111--grinding away the remaining tipping is hardly the only option. In my case, I decided to change the grade of nib, but I certainly could have had it brought back to the original EF.
Here's the result by Minuskin*:
IMG_2951.jpg

*very, very grudgingly, I had to send it to Greg Minuskin as he seems to be the only person in the U.S who can do this at the moment (Brad Torelli says he has a tremor at the moment that makes him feel uncomfortable doing this work right now)) I would not recommend using him for anything other than retipping, and even then, only if (like in my case) the nib is truly uncommon or special and justifies the very high price of his work and stress of dealing with him (no returns or modifications**, immediate nagging for payment, no explanation of his work etc.).
**my nib is a little toothy (which I did not specify) and with a better businessperson I would reach out to rectify it. with him, I can't

[guyy]

if a nib needs to be retipped anyway, i don’t think there’s a problem with having it retipped with a different size.

[FredRydr]

if a nib needs to be retipped anyway, i don’t think there’s a problem with having it retipped with a different size.

Yes, of course. If a nib must be repaired in order to function again, you might as well get your money's worth with your specifications.