Nib Modification Etiquette

[ceebert]

Where is the line drawn on having a nib reground?

I’d never have a Mabie Todd reground, unless there’s a problem… Pelikan M400s, sure, they’re common as dirt, chop it up. A collectible versus a modern mass-produced item, that’s easy.

Where does a Mont Blanc 14 fall? I’ve got a stub that’s bouncy and sweet, and would make a lovely oblique italic. Do I? It not like it’s a pristine Wahl, but it’s not a JinHao either. Someone might actually want this someday.

Should I worry over this? See, this kind of thing is what made people say “Get a hobby” in the first place. It’s a pickle.

[FredRydr]

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.

[Jon Szanto]

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.

[mizgeorge]

I happily alter vintage nibs if they're damaged beyond reasonable repair. Retipping is pretty much out of the question for us in the UK now - the only option used to be Spain, but they won't ship to us any more, and the costs of shipping to and from the US are prohibitive. There is supposed to be someone here that's making and retipping nibs, but they don't respond to enquiries, which doesn't bode well for any sort of service level.

So a vintage nib with the tip of one or even both tines missing becomes a stub. Sure, it won't last forever, but I'd rather use it than scrap it. And the writing experience is fabulous.

[fountainpenkid]

I've been pondering this recently...the Soennecken 111 Superior (light tortoise) I have coming turns out to have tipping material missing on one tine and will need to be retipped. It was an EF nib (with feed stamped as such), but I'd much prefer a stubby medium/broad. Still don't know what to decide...I do wonder if the feeds are nib size-specific. I don't plan on ever selling the pen, if that makes a difference.

[guyy]

Where is the line drawn on having a nib reground?

I’d never have a Mabie Todd reground, unless there’s a problem… Pelikan M400s, sure, they’re common as dirt, chop it up. A collectible versus a modern mass-produced item, that’s easy.

Where does a Mont Blanc 14 fall? I’ve got a stub that’s bouncy and sweet, and would make a lovely oblique italic. Do I? It not like it’s a pristine Wahl, but it’s not a JinHao either. Someone might actually want this someday.

Should I worry over this? See, this kind of thing is what made people say “Get a hobby” in the first place. It’s a pickle.

Regrind a Montblanc 14 into an oblique? No way.

Two digit MBs are the last gasp of classic MB nibs. I am a Wahl fan, but two digit MB nibs are every bit as good as those on Wahls. Current production MB obliques are nowhere near as nice as those on the two digit pens.

Also, there's no need. You just need to find an OB or OBB nib or pen and swap. They aren't that rare. If you don't care about 14c vs 18c, you can swap in a nib from a 24.

I have a couple two digit obliques. PM me.

[An old bloke]

I don’t mess with grinding vintage nibs. First there’s respect for their history; I want to experience it. ...

I'm of the same mind. One of the foremost reasons that I buy vintage fountain pens is to experience using an instrument of a previous time -- often a time long before my birth. There is also the mental association to the people and their experiences of those historical decades. For me, as a student of history that is important, and more important than any imaginable benefit that 'fine tuning' may offer.

To me, grinding the nib on my late wife's grandmother's Mabie Todd nib for instance would be akin to ripping out the instrument panels of a 1930s Tiger Moth (a vintage biplane) and replacing them with modern VDUs and a GPS. That said, in the end, it is your pen and your decision.

[silverlifter]

Where does a Mont Blanc 14 fall? I’ve got a stub that’s bouncy and sweet, and would make a lovely oblique italic. Do I?

In this case, the decision was made before you. The 14 wasn't offered with a factory stub, so someone else has already had it ground.

Generally, though, I'm of the view that only damaged vintage nibs should be reground. I say generally, because I am guilty of having a Parker 51 nib ground to a CI. I manage to get to sleep at night by telling myself that replacement nibs for the 51 are still relatively abundant. And because the grind was done on a nib I purchased as NoS specifically for that purpose.

[guyy]

Where does a Mont Blanc 14 fall? I’ve got a stub that’s bouncy and sweet, and would make a lovely oblique italic. Do I?

In this case, the decision was made before you. The 14 wasn't offered with a factory stub, so someone else has already had it ground.

Generally, though, I'm of the view that only damaged vintage nibs should be reground. I say generally, because I am guilty of having a Parker 51 nib ground to a CI. I manage to get to sleep at night by telling myself that replacement nibs for the 51 are still relatively abundant. And because the grind was done on a nib I purchased as NoS specifically for that purpose.

Even untouched, the broads and double broads of the 14 and the other pens in the two-digit series will write like stubs. Their nibs are very similar to the wing nibs of the 1950s and have similar writing qualities. These are the last great MB nibs.

[silverlifter]

These are the last great MB nibs.

Completely agree. I was assuming the OP could accurately distinguish a factory (or ground) stub from a stubbish <B>.

[guyy]

Some writing samples

[ceebert]

I’m notso hotso on identifying MB nibs. I have a 12 and a 221, both EFs, and that’s all my MB experience until this 14. I have been hanging out with old Pelikans and new Kawecos, mostly.

This MB 14 seems not to be a true stub, but all of the stubs I’ve known have been 21st century. This is a stub-y broad if anything, minimal variation at zero pressure but lavish and soft like pre-war Mabie Todds (well, the two I have). The nib is a wee bit bent - this all started with considering having it straightened. Seems to work fine this way. Hmmm.

F527E01D-A255-4C86-909C-2C6FC6129EE9.jpg25B1D9A4-3C67-48CF-B9EB-FE5684D8E251.jpg

Yes, that’s a pizza box.

[guyy]

Looks like a medium, but it’s bent. It needs to be straightened before anyone can properly evaluate its writing characteristics. I would still be against modifying it because the tipping is intact.

[wingwiper]

Looks almost like a r/h oblique, but that is probably because it is bent down and boy is it bent? Iridium looks good...........send it to a nibmeister where he can remove nib, feed, straighten nib, tines and resmooth?

That also looks like fat-medium as well

[5Cavaliers]

Excellent discussion. I would recommend sending the pen to your favorite nibmeister for repair. You may find that after it has been repaired, you may appreciate its unique nib personality more.

If I may wax poetic here, every pen has its own personality. I have several MB 146s with OB nibs and each expresses itself differently.

[amk]

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.

For me it's a pragmatic decision based on the state of the nib and the reputation of the maker and nib. I wouldn't be too bothered about regrinding a Parker 51, the nibs are not the big thing about that pen and there are thousands of them around. Great nibs like Swan or the older Watermans I won't touch. Waterman 1980s nibs on the other hand? Sure, why not?

[KrazyIvan]

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m9...eykbo1_500.gif

[ceebert]

We’re going to let the Mont Blanc be, and thank you all for the discussion.

This pen writes beautifully, and I haven’t used anything else since I got it. The nib is bent at an angle - about 15 degrees! - and the left tine rides high, which is where the oblique stuff came in. The notion of letting the pen be itself is appealing. If the nib works as-is, ought I still have it straightened for the tipping’s sake? Or just keep filling it and smiling?

[silverlifter]

If the nib works as-is, ought I still have it straightened for the tipping’s sake? Or just keep filling it and smiling?

I would have it straightened. A bent nib is under more stress and that may shorten its lifespan. Also, my OCD would drive me crazy looking at it while I wrote.

[FredRydr]

+1 Have a nibmeister straighten it.