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Thread: Is this really a medium nib??

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    Default Is this really a medium nib??

    I've recently purchased a Montblanc Noblesse. The listing said that it had a medium nib, but it seems more like double broad to me. You can see this in the picture below, where I've compared it to a medium Lamy nib.

    I've never owned a Montblanc pen before, nor am I a pen expert, so is there something I should know with regards to the Nibs on (1990s) Montblanc pens? Are they known to run very wide? Am I holding it wrong?

    mbm.jpg

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    Senior Member jar's Avatar
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    Default Re: Is this really a medium nib??

    Yup, likely a medium. Of course there are also Montblanc medium nibs that are even more narrow than your Lamy.

    What you need to know is that there are no standards for what a "medium" width is. Some companies have ranges to difine widths but even those may change between models or eras.
    Last edited by jar; April 3rd, 2014 at 04:34 PM. Reason: appalin spallin

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    Default Re: Is this really a medium nib??

    Same or different ink? Even the same nib with a slight flow adjustment can have a lot of line width variation.

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    Default Re: Is this really a medium nib??

    Hi

    Also don't forget that there is no international standard for nib sizes, so you cannot compare Nibs from different makers, and sometimes different pens from the same maker have a different standard, a Montblanc Medium is only a Medium when compared to other nibs attached to the same pen, A Montblanc Medium can be quite different to a Sailor Medium which could be quite different to a Lamy Medium. My MB 146 & 149 are both Mediums but the 149 is much finer then the 146.

    Not all Mediums are the same.

    Paul

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    Default Re: Is this really a medium nib??

    That is more variation than I would believe if everything were equal but it is possible.
    Are those both the same ink?
    Are you putting any pressure on the nib? The stiff Lamy nib won't give up much but the MB nib will (usually) respond more easily to pressure.

    On non-absorbent paper with as close to zero pressure as possible I would expect a western medium to run about .7mm stroke width with something like Waterman Serenity Blue.

    I have legitimate EF nibs that on some copy papers will make a full 1mm line when I get .5 mm with the same pen and ink on somethinig like Rhodia. There are even some papers that make a M nib write like a magic marker.

    Do some vertical and horizontal strokes with the same ink on the same paper. It is harder to overpressure lateral strokes and with a standard ball nib both directions should yield the same line width. That would answer the pressure question. Then try some different paper if you can.

    Some inks also absorb more into the paper than others.

    Nib wetness also will affect line width. I would not be surprised for the Lamy to be running dry and the MB to be running wet.

    Just looking at the pen tipping if I was forced to guess I would say medium, but I don't really know that pen.

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    Default Re: Is this really a medium nib??

    Definitely not a M from Montblanc. Is like a BB to me.

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    Default Re: Is this really a medium nib??

    The shape of the tipping material suggests it's a medium. Certainly not a BB for Montblanc.

    IIRC, your earlier photo of the same pen showed a rather wide slit between the tines, which could easily make a generous M write like a marker. Have a look to see if you need to close the tines a little.

    The writing angle is relevant too.
    Kai

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    Default Re: Is this really a medium nib??

    It sure looks 10/10 wet and medium. Did it gush ink?
    Mags or Rob Maguire MB 149, 147, 146,144, Mozart, Boehme, Sailor Realo, Aurora Optima, Churchmen Prescriptor and Parson's Essential, Parker 51 1.3 mm stub, Parker Vacumatic 1939 OB Can, TWSBI's (540,580, Mini and Vac 700), Pelikan M 1000/800 Demonstrator 600/200 demoM/200 OBB, Visconti Rembrandts (2), Lamy, Cross, Watermans, Pilots, Sheaffer's, Omas 360 LE 84/360, GvFC, Esterbrooks J and SJ, Bexley Jitterbug, Taccia, Eversharp 1952 flex, Edison Herald, Franklin Christoph Piper.

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    Default Re: Is this really a medium nib??

    We'll see if this works, but I recalled and found a nib sizing chart from nibs.com nibs.com//tippingsizespage.htm. This link may or may not work, I couldn't copy/paste on my phone into Tapatalk.
    Clearly they had a higher and more comprehensive conception of the duties of society toward it's members than had the lawgivers of Europe of the time, and they imposed obligations upon it that were shirked elsewhere... But it is the provisions for public education which, from the very first, throw into the clearest relief the originality of American civilization.

    Alexis de Tocqeuville "Democracy in America" (George Lawrence Translation)

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    Default Re: Is this really a medium nib??

    Nope. Didn't work, but close. Brings you to nibs.com but not directly to the nib size page. Its in the links to the left of the page.
    Clearly they had a higher and more comprehensive conception of the duties of society toward it's members than had the lawgivers of Europe of the time, and they imposed obligations upon it that were shirked elsewhere... But it is the provisions for public education which, from the very first, throw into the clearest relief the originality of American civilization.

    Alexis de Tocqeuville "Democracy in America" (George Lawrence Translation)

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    Default Re: Is this really a medium nib??

    Further, MB is not one of the companies listed. Sorry for the diversion.
    Clearly they had a higher and more comprehensive conception of the duties of society toward it's members than had the lawgivers of Europe of the time, and they imposed obligations upon it that were shirked elsewhere... But it is the provisions for public education which, from the very first, throw into the clearest relief the originality of American civilization.

    Alexis de Tocqeuville "Democracy in America" (George Lawrence Translation)

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    Default Is this really a medium nib??

    Test
    Last edited by GING GING; December 28th, 2014 at 12:01 PM.

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    Default Re: Is this really a medium nib??

    My 80's 146 has a medium nib that writes very similarly to your example.

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    Default Re: Is this really a medium nib??

    Well that writing example is more like my Montblanc Boheme B nib than any M that I have tried.

    Have a look at the writing for each nib on the Montblanc web-site and see what you prefer.

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