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Post by radellaf on Dec 11, 2020 4:56:32 GMT
... Good to keep in mind the division of cost between function and appearance for a pen, but I don't think you can put a definite threshold, across all brands, on where you're buying just appearance. I can say that if you'll go to around $200, you'll get to try the majority of the best nibs. If you stay under $50, you'll get some great pens, but you'll be getting standard nibs. Dunno if I'd call them "worse," but you'll be missing out on variety. Just for the heck of it, I'll let you know that even though this post is like 20 months old, I just came across it and I found it really super helpful. Thanks. Glad to hear that. Looking back at my post, it seems to be a rambling mess. Some good points, with lots of digression.
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Post by stompie on Dec 11, 2020 4:58:24 GMT
This thing about steel or gold nibs for flex always amuses me.
I enjoy using dip pens and some of mine are mapping nibs or crow quills. These are steel nibs and they are as flexible as those underage Russian gymnasts! So I always chuckle when gold is said to be the best flex material.
What does puzzle me is that they still make mapping/crow quill nibs today and yet no fountain pen manufacturer has used that steel to make a fountain pen nib and I have no idea why not! Neither do I understand why a FP manuf. does not use the material they use for a Zebra G dip pen nib which is also quite flexy.
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Post by ole on Dec 11, 2020 15:25:38 GMT
Flex is one aspect, and I guess there are a lot of personal preferences and opinions about that. Here is an article explaining why 14K is better that 9K or 18K. Supposedly it's the sweet spot of different aspects. Apart from looks, I do think that the fact that gold does not corrode with exposure to the acid environment of iron gall inks is the main practical reason for using it. Remember that in "vintage times", iron gall was the standard ink, although I don't think anybody talked much about that at the time. That's just what the old blue-black ink was.
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Post by radellaf on Dec 11, 2020 18:25:19 GMT
Back before chromium/stainless steel I can see why gold was the anti-corrosion choice, especially when the iron gall formulas were probably much more acidic. I do wonder if the springy dip-pen steel is less corrosion resistant. My challenge for dip pens is finding one that doesn't flex so darn much. Got some "bowl pointed" ones I mean to try.
These days, I haven't had any steel nibs corrode, nor do I really notice a difference, categorically, between steel and gold. I do like Sailor's 14k gold F nibs better than maybe anything else out there (the pilot 823's F is great, too), but I think they could have made it from steel. Sailor steel nibs I don't find interesting or impressive but I don't think it's the material. 21k should be horrible for a nib, too, but somehow they make it work just fine. I suspect that metallurgy has just come a long way. Especially Japanese metallurgy. If we're talking Bock or Jowo, then I _really_ can't tell gold from steel. The real gold do _look_ a little nicer than (very thin) gold plate, I think.
I did have soem steel _near_ a nib corrode. Pelikan M300 nib unit has a steel collar holding the nib on the feed. A little spot on it rusted out. I cleaned it up and there's a little hole in the collar, now, but no further corrosion. I'm guessing a small bit of the steel wasn't mixed right or something and so there was a small spot of not-stainless. The ink was mostly dried Sailor Apricot (alkaline).
I gotta take issue with the linked article. I have a couple of titanium nibs and they write great. It seems they think titanium and 18k can be easily sprung? I've never sprung a nib in my life. Unless it's a _flex_ nib then I don't flex it. I love the soft/springy feel of a lot of my nibs and know not to overdo it. If I didn't, I'd quickly learn, I wouldn't keep springing my 18k nibs. As for stainless just staining _less_, IDK. In theory, sure.
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Post by davidv on Dec 12, 2020 4:19:55 GMT
Back before chromium/stainless steel I can see why gold was the anti-corrosion choice, especially when the iron gall formulas were probably much more acidic.
Yes. My understanding is that gold nibs were a thing before fountain pens. So you could either have a steel nib that might corrode and that was meant to be disposable for your dip pen, or gold that wouldn't corrode. I'd guess there was also the jewelry factor and prestige of having nice writing tools. Even being able to write was something worth showing off at some times. I wonder if some of the gold nib thing is still just the lingering on of tradition: Everyone knows that the best pens have gold nibs...and so the best pens always get made with gold nibs...and on and on in circular reasoning.
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