Go gold, or not to go gold? {-That's a question?} ~But, yeah...

[Skip]

My first evah (and perhaps last?) 14K gold nibber pen arrived today... (~Yay?)
And as I suspected it would be, it's nib is wonderfully smooth and flowing. It's the smoothest, easiest writing pen I have in my entire fountain pen collection (~of about 25 of 'em).

And I'm not sure I especially like this... ~Maybe it's because all my other relatively inexpensive modern FP's have spoiled my tastes? ~Maybe along the way I've become too much of a cheap pen connoisseur? ~But I do like feedback when I write, and this gold-nibber is so smooth it appears to have almost none!
Now this might be great for those with strong, firm hands? But I'm a geezer and my hands tremble slightly and do not operate as precisely as they once (sort of?) did... So now with this ultra smooth pen that just glides across the paper effortlessly laying down ink, my handwriting turns into mush! ~I need that very noticeable, steadying feedback!

Actually I'm extremely grateful that this gold-nibbed pen turned out to be so effortlessly (annoyingly?) smooth to use. ~Because it means now I'll be happier with steel nibs with heavier feedback and will no longer envy others who've acquired gold. ~And I'll also save a helluva lot of $$$ along the way too! ':>})

I guess maybe I'm just too old now (and maybe also too plebeian?) to go for the gold.
~But enjoy whatcha got and whatever you use, -it's all good, right?
Skip ";>})

[Jon Szanto]

There is infinite variation in the feel and performance of nibs, both steel and gold. You cannot just a category/material/size/style of nib based on one nib, or on 10 examples of the nib, etc. That doesn't mean they are inconsistent, but there is a variety of experience. Beyond that, you aren't writing on gold, you are writing on tipping material, which used to be iridium. Everything but the cheapest category of nib is tipped with a harder metal, which means that this amount of friction - or lack of it - could just as easily be felt on certain steel nibs, since you aren't dragging steel across the page but tipping. And there are most definitely gold nibs that have feedback and 'drag', a characteristic that many attribute to Sailor gold nibs, for instance.

So don't be hasty in forming an opinion on ONE nib, as it really may only apply to that one. Write off gold nibs and you'll be missing many of the joys of a fine fountain pen experience.

[Robalone]

Yo Skip. Getting a bit of feedback to a super smooth nib is easy !

Get hold of some micro mesh ….in one of its forms …it’s easily available all over .
Then 'write' a couple of words ON the surface , with a bit of pressure… then check how it feels on paper …..
Repeat if needed to achieve desired 'feedback/ paper feel'

[Skip]

"So don't be hasty in forming an opinion on ONE nib, as it really may only apply to that one. Write off gold nibs and you'll be missing many of the joys of a fine fountain pen experience."

And also saving a boatload of money as I find many joys of fine fountain pen experience elsewhere...

Seriously tho, what you're saying makes sense. ~Of course there probably are gold nibbed pens with more feedback than the one I happen to have now. ~But I'm not going to pay $450 for a gold nibbed pen that costs but $150 with a good steel nib, in order to find this out! ~I've already experienced a bit of what many rave about; an ultimate smoothness of use with a good 14K gold nib. And I found it's not what I really like or want, and the cost ratio to obtain it slightly adjusted, slightly better, (or in my case less better?) is just not worth it to me...
~Somebody once told me, when you pay a lot for a more expensive pen that doesn't mean it's going to be a better pen for you; it just means you have a more expensive pen made with costlier materials..

[Jon Szanto]

Someone once told me "you can't take it with you".

If you have your mind made up, then enjoy what you have. Nothing wrong with that.

[Chrissy]

Someone once told me "you can't take it with you".

If you have your mind made up, then enjoy what you have. Nothing wrong with that.

They told me 'Shrouds don't come with pockets."

[Osiris]

Of course you would be doing yourself a disservice by spending the money on gold nibs if you're perfectly happy with steel nibs, but you'd also be doing yourself a disservice by dismissing all gold nibs based on the flawed logic of trying one and not liking it. For example, a Platinum #3776 nib is rock hard and often coarse as sandpaper, whereas a Pelikan M1000 nib is bouncy and smooth as teflon. Maybe you'll get the chance to try some different gold nibs without having to buy them at a pen store or a pen show, or by borrowing from a friend.

[Skip]

I don't fully understand how this Micro Mesh thing works? I thought the stuff worked like fine sandpaper and was for smoothing things? ~So why wouldn't further smoothing a nib's tip make it write smoother, with less feedback instead of more? ~What am I missing here?
Thanks..

[Skip]

I guess it might help to describe the pen and nib I'm talking about here as I am really not all that experienced with gold-nibbed pens? I just received my Pilot Grance. It's a thin, lightweight pen, very straightforward in utilitarian design IMO. And it has a 14k gold nib that writes like butter. It glides across the paper, effortlessly putting down a smooth wet line that requires almost no downward pressure on my part! (-Which I believe is known as 'having little feedback?') ~I guess in many ways this pen and nib might be described as a delight to write with...
However I'm a geezer with slightly shaky, less precise hands. And I find the lack of 'grounding' to the paper when writing disconcerting and my handwriting gets even more squiggly without it. ~So I'm uncomfortable with this style of ultra smooth writing, to the point where I'm thinking of only slightly using this pen for a little while (to see if I change my mind?) and then selling it....
That's what this is all about; this is why I'm saying I'm perfectly OK with sticking with steel nibbed pens. And yes, the incidental saving of $$ by doing this does not especially bother me. ~I don't want to "take it with me" (hey, I saw Scrooge too y'know?), but I also see no need to spend it on something I don't particularly like simply because I'm supposed to like it!

And then it's said that we should not forget that there are some good gold nibs that write more grounded! ~That give feedback that's very probably more like what a steel nib does? ~But then why on earth would I want to spend more for it? ~Just to look at the pretty gold?

[Marsilius]

I sometimes notice that whatever nib I have also varies based on the paper I am using. So, you could choose paper with more rag content? or more texture? and see if that makes a difference . . .
and you might try writing for a bit to see if it changes based on your writing
someone once told me to write on a brown paper bag for a bit before trying mesh . . . is that a thing to do?

[Woody]

I sometimes notice that whatever nib I have also varies based on the paper I am using. So, you could choose paper with more rag content? or more texture? and see if that makes a difference . . .
and you might try writing for a bit to see if it changes based on your writing
someone once told me to write on a brown paper bag for a bit before trying mesh . . . is that a thing to do?

I’ve tried the paper bag thing. I’m really not too sure if it made any difference, if at all. Also there’s writing on a nickel thing, again, not sure if it made a difference.
My go to is the micro sanding pads. The ultra fine is 12,000. I prefer the pads with backing, but also cloth backing.

In regard to steel or gold nibs I’ve written with both. For me the gold nib has more give, the steel less. For myself the added cost of gold does nothing for my performance.
As well I prefer steel because I do a lot of my own grinds. Far less expensive when you make a mistake.

[Inkxpert]

Gold nibs can be super smooth, but if you prefer more feedback for better control, sticking with steel might be the way to go. Save those bucks and enjoy the pens that feel just right for you!

[Osiris]

The way the micromesh works to make a nib less smooth as opposed to making it smoother is that you basically use a grit of micromesh that you would use before the final polishing stage, though this is something you obviously do at your own risk. As with any sanding, a person grinding, smoothing and polishing a nib will start with a very coarse grit to shape the nib and then finally end up with a very fine grit to polish it. If you take a coarser grit micromesh, it will leave some scratches on the tipping and make it feel less smooth on the paper, which would normally be polished out with an even higher grit micromesh. For example, if a nib specialist would normally use 8k, 12k and 16k grits to get a nib to be smooth, they might just stop at the 8k if you asked for a nib with feedback. Conversely, they might add an additional polishing stage after the finest micromesh grit on some sort of ultra-fine lapping material if the customer requested an extra glassy smooth nib beyond what would normally already be considered very smooth.

Another thing to clarify is that the term feedback refers to the amount of resistance you feel when you're gliding your nib across the page as you write, which is largely unrelated to writing pressure and how soft the nib is; you can have a soft nib with lots of feedback and a hard nib with no feedback whatsoever. It's just a measure of how rough the tipping material is, though of course if you write with extremely high pressure, any nib is going to feel less smooth than if you were to write with a feather touch. However, I find it much less fatiguing to write with a soft nib because when I'm writing at a rapid pace my writing pressure varies constantly, and a soft nib bends a little bit to absorb and even out the pressure so you don't feel like you're straining your hand as you press a bit harder. Gold will probably also last a lot longer than steel, even with modern steel alloys, though that's hard to tell because they've changed so much over the years and we don't really have any long term data yet.

Of the three major Japanese brands(Platinum, Sailor, Pilot), Pilot is by far the smoothest one and Platinum is on average the least smooth one. A lot of people describe Sailor nibs as having the feeling of writing with a pencil, for example. If I were you I wouldn't buy any, but whenever you get the chance to visit a fountain pen store or a pen show, ask to try a Platinum and/or Sailor nib. I think you'll be quite surprised how different they are compared to the Pilot nibs. Most of the European brands are rather smooth, though Diplomat and Graf von Faber-Castell also have a bit of nice pencil-like feedback from what I remember.

[Chrissy]

Gold nibs can be super smooth, but if you prefer more feedback for better control, sticking with steel might be the way to go. Save those bucks and enjoy the pens that feel just right for you!

This^^^. If you are happy that you have achieved the complete experience of gold nibs after trying one and finding it too smooth then why not stick with those steel nibs that you have tried and you know you like. By "fiddling" with a new gold nib to try to change it you might ruin it when you could actually sell it as is and make enough to buy some more of your favourite steel nibs.

[Lithium466]

Just use a different paper and/or ink. Some inks have low lubrication, Troublemaker Abalone is the one that comes to mind but there are many. I tend to eliminate them from my collection but if you go through ink reviews you'll find some.
Same with paper, rougher or more textured paper. Doesn't really have to be rough actually, if you have some Iroful it has a "feel" that will provide a bit more "grip" while not being rough at all either.

[Skip]

Gold nibs can be super smooth, but if you prefer more feedback for better control, sticking with steel might be the way to go. Save those bucks and enjoy the pens that feel just right for you!

This^^^. If you are happy that you have achieved the complete experience of gold nibs after trying one and finding it too smooth then why not stick with those steel nibs that you have tried and you know you like. By "fiddling" with a new gold nib to try to change it you might ruin it when you could actually sell it as is and make enough to buy some more of your favourite steel nibs.

Wise advice this, and I will follow it and not 'fiddle' with my gold nibber ~Thanks... ";>})

[Skip]

The way the micromesh works to make a nib less smooth as opposed to making it smoother is that you basically use a grit of micromesh that you would use before the final polishing stage, though this is something you obviously do at your own risk. As with any sanding, a person grinding, smoothing and polishing a nib will start with a very coarse grit to shape the nib and then finally end up with a very fine grit to polish it. If you take a coarser grit micromesh, it will leave some scratches on the tipping and make it feel less smooth on the paper, which would normally be polished out with an even higher grit micromesh. For example, if a nib specialist would normally use 8k, 12k and 16k grits to get a nib to be smooth, they might just stop at the 8k if you asked for a nib with feedback. Conversely, they might add an additional polishing stage after the finest micromesh grit on some sort of ultra-fine lapping material if the customer requested an extra glassy smooth nib beyond what would normally already be considered very smooth.

Another thing to clarify is that the term feedback refers to the amount of resistance you feel when you're gliding your nib across the page as you write, which is largely unrelated to writing pressure and how soft the nib is; you can have a soft nib with lots of feedback and a hard nib with no feedback whatsoever. It's just a measure of how rough the tipping material is, though of course if you write with extremely high pressure, any nib is going to feel less smooth than if you were to write with a feather touch. However, I find it much less fatiguing to write with a soft nib because when I'm writing at a rapid pace my writing pressure varies constantly, and a soft nib bends a little bit to absorb and even out the pressure so you don't feel like you're straining your hand as you press a bit harder. Gold will probably also last a lot longer than steel, even with modern steel alloys, though that's hard to tell because they've changed so much over the years and we don't really have any long term data yet.

Of the three major Japanese brands(Platinum, Sailor, Pilot), Pilot is by far the smoothest one and Platinum is on average the least smooth one. A lot of people describe Sailor nibs as having the feeling of writing with a pencil, for example. If I were you I wouldn't buy any, but whenever you get the chance to visit a fountain pen store or a pen show, ask to try a Platinum and/or Sailor nib. I think you'll be quite surprised how different they are compared to the Pilot nibs. Most of the European brands are rather smooth, though Diplomat and Graf von Faber-Castell also have a bit of nice pencil-like feedback from what I remember.

A great mini-education on nib modification, micromesh, nibs and tips, and the variances to be found in the gold nibs available on some of the more popular brands of pens! ~Thanks so much for taking the time for this! ~It shows me how little I know (so far) about FP's and their possible modifications...
~Thankfully I do know enough now not to get in over my head and try to modify a good gold-nibbed pen that I might want to sell later! (However I also have a coupla very inexpensive Chinese pens that I feel write too dry... ~Perhaps I should call these 'training' pens? ";>})

[wingwiper]

There is infinite variation in the feel and performance of nibs, both steel and gold. You cannot just a category/material/size/style of nib based on one nib, or on 10 examples of the nib, etc. That doesn't mean they are inconsistent, but there is a variety of experience. Beyond that, you aren't writing on gold, you are writing on tipping material, which used to be iridium. Everything but the cheapest category of nib is tipped with a harder metal, which means that this amount of friction - or lack of it - could just as easily be felt on certain steel nibs, since you aren't dragging steel across the page but tipping. And there are most definitely gold nibs that have feedback and 'drag', a characteristic that many attribute to Sailor gold nibs, for instance.

So don't be hasty in forming an opinion on ONE nib, as it really may only apply to that one. Write off gold nibs and you'll be missing many of the joys of a fine fountain pen experience.

10-4- agreed

[carlos.q]

~Thankfully I do know enough now not to get in over my head and try to modify a good gold-nibbed pen that I might want to sell later!

Wise decision!

[~JJ]

Skip, there is one central thing many of us nut-cases seem to forget or at least push aside in all this dizzying milieu: it is, after all, a WRITING INSTRUMENT! How often, & how much do you actually write? We needlessly get buried in all the possibilities, once we find one that meets our needs, & the question becomes, what is our purpose, our intent, regarding them? It's not like every time you pick one up it becomes a life-altering situation [unless you're writing rap music apparently! ...but that's another story]. What remains is, how far down the rabbit hole ya gonna fall?

One thing I have to remind myself now & then is something I soon discovered re becoming a 'Collector'.
They can make 'em a HELLUVA lot faster'n I can make what it take💰 to have 'em! 💸

Shields up --- engage!
~_/.