"Breaking-in Fountain Pens" - Truth or Fiction?

Some say that a new fountain pen nib will "adjust" to it's owner, i.e.
the nib will wear according the angle and pressure its owner employs,
and become smoother.

I must say that while I'm skeptical, (irridium is pretty hard stuff)
my pens do seem to smooth out after months of use.

I'd be interested in opinions on this issue.

GO FLAMES GO!!!

"morten" wrote in message
m...
Some say that a new fountain pen nib will "adjust" to it's owner, i.e.
the nib will wear according the angle and pressure its owner employs,
and become smoother.

I must say that while I'm skeptical, (irridium is pretty hard stuff)
my pens do seem to smooth out after months of use.

I'd be interested in opinions on this issue.

GO FLAMES GO!!!

In previous threads on this topic (Google Groups is your friend), Frank
posted about how it was really the user who got broken in, not the pen.
However, it seems to me that what gets broken in isn't the tip but the rest
of the nib, depending on material. Then, again, since iridium hasn't been
used for tips since WWII, some may be softer than others and get polished
with use over time.

So, taking a cue from Nancy Handy, what sport do the Flames play and which
state and/or entity do they represent?


--
~~Bluesea~~
Spam is great in musubi but not in email.
Please take out the trash before sending a direct reply.

I have read from numerous sources that no modern fountain pens use actual
iridium in their nibs.

Cuba

On 21-May-2004, (morten) wrote:

Some say that a new fountain pen nib will "adjust" to it's owner, i.e.
the nib will wear according the angle and pressure its owner employs,
and become smoother.

I must say that while I'm skeptical, (irridium is pretty hard stuff)
my pens do seem to smooth out after months of use.

I'd be interested in opinions on this issue.

"morten" wrote in message
m...
Some say that a new fountain pen nib will "adjust" to it's owner, i.e.
the nib will wear according the angle and pressure its owner employs,
and become smoother.

I must say that while I'm skeptical, (irridium is pretty hard stuff)
my pens do seem to smooth out after months of use.

I'd be interested in opinions on this issue.

GO FLAMES GO!!!

my opinion.

yes, there is probably *some* break-in but I don't think that it has much to
do with wear on the nib. at least not in the short term. And I've had
scratchy writers that I continued to use for a long time and they never
stopped being scratchy until I learned to work on my own nibs.

My problem with this theory is that I have had people say that they've been
told that allowing someone else to use their pen will "ruin" the nib. True,
it the individual has never used an FP and presses too hard or something
they could damage it - but that isn't what this person had been told.
They'd been told that such use would actually change the tipping such that
you could no longer use the pen. That's bullhockey!

Most of my pens are second-hand. And possible third or forth. On only
*one* pen did I see wear that indicated the users habits. A Sheaffer
snorkel which was made in the 60s. I think 40 years is sufficient for such
wear. :P But none of the other second hand pens I've bought show any such
wear at all. Fortunately, that snorkel was used by someone used an angle
that I use when writing. I do not see how it's possible for people to buy
so many vintage pens that have been used by who knows how many other people
and yet have no problems with them at all.

so there! :P sorry - this was a bit tangential.

I agree that I think a lot has to do with the person getting accustomed to
using that particular pen and learning the "sweet spot" of the nib. And
months of daily use *might* improve the feel of the nib for you. But if
you've recently bought a pen that is scratchy than I would not wait for it
to get smooth - it could take years to do so rather than months. a minor
amount of work by someone who knows what they're doing can make that nib
buttery and comfortable for you.

my .02 and then some.

"KCat" wrote

yes, there is probably *some* break-in but I don't think that it has much
to
do with wear on the nib. at least not in the short term. And I've had
scratchy writers that I continued to use for a long time and they never
stopped being scratchy until I learned to work on my own nibs.

Are their websites where a person could learn more about nibs and how to
adjust them or is there a book on the subject?
Obviously I am a newbie to the "real" pen market.
Actually, I thought those kit pens were decent pens but then I don't use a
fountain pen very much.
I seem have a lot to learn about what defines a quality pen and what makes a
so so or just OK one.
Any advice or information would be very much appreciated.

William Lee

Cuba wrote:
I have read from numerous sources that no modern fountain pens use actual
iridium in their nibs.

Cuba

Now, as before, the manufactures typically use a combination of platinum
group elements. These elements are expensive to separate into pure
elements.

--
Tom Morley | Same roads
| Same rights
| Same rules
AIM: DocTDM

KCat wrote:

snip


Most of my pens are second-hand. And possible third or forth. On only
*one* pen did I see wear that indicated the users habits. A Sheaffer
snorkel which was made in the 60s. I think 40 years is sufficient for such
wear. :P But none of the other second hand pens I've bought show any such
wear at all. Fortunately, that snorkel was used by someone used an angle
that I use when writing. I do not see how it's possible for people to buy
so many vintage pens that have been used by who knows how many other people
and yet have no problems with them at all.


snip

With all due respect, how do you *know* what you saw as user
wear was the result of idiosyncratic behavior? While not
impossible, such a result seems unlikely on the surface given
Sheaffer's known level of quality and the hardness of tipping
material in general. While a defective nib is always a
possibility, could it not be that the nib was poorly ground?
MIB pens with poorly ground nibs are not that unusual, which
brings us right back to the quality issue. It just doesn't
seem (to me) like a single lifetime of use could show
pronounceable wear unless it was Tithonus' pen (as long as he
could use it, anyway :0).

Mark Z.
feeling garrulous, as if you couldn't tell

So, taking a cue from Nancy Handy, what sport do the Flames play and which
state and/or entity do they represent?

Thanks for the interest. The Flames, of Calgary Alberta, are in the
National Hockey League. This team, coming from the second smallest
market in the league, with one of the lowest payrolls and against all
odds has defeated a string of much more highly ranked teams to make it
all the way to the finals of North American hockey, the Stanley Cup.
Flames passion is spreading all across Canada, because this is the
last Canadian team left in the playoffs of Canada's national sport,
and because the Flames are truly a Cinderella story.

"KCat" wrote in message m...
"morten" wrote in message
m...
Some say that a new fountain pen nib will "adjust" to it's owner, i.e.
the nib will wear according the angle and pressure its owner employs,
and become smoother.

I must say that while I'm skeptical, (irridium is pretty hard stuff)
my pens do seem to smooth out after months of use.

I'd be interested in opinions on this issue.

GO FLAMES GO!!!

my opinion.

yes, there is probably *some* break-in but I don't think that it has much to
do with wear on the nib. at least not in the short term. And I've had
scratchy writers that I continued to use for a long time and they never
stopped being scratchy until I learned to work on my own nibs.

My problem with this theory is that I have had people say that they've been
told that allowing someone else to use their pen will "ruin" the nib. True,
it the individual has never used an FP and presses too hard or something
they could damage it - but that isn't what this person had been told.
They'd been told that such use would actually change the tipping such that
you could no longer use the pen. That's bullhockey!

---------SNIP---------

Probably. But it IS an easy and polite way to smilingly refuse
someone's request to borrow my pen.

One colleague at work also likes fp's, and he caught on to using my
excuse, while asking me privately, "That's not really true, is it?
But we won't tell anyone."

---------SNIP---------

Probably. But it IS an easy and polite way to smilingly refuse
someone's request to borrow my pen.

well there's all kinds of issues with that - not just potential damage to
the nib. I had a boss that liked to "acquire" pens, pencils, coffee cups
with my name on them!

and someone who has never used one can damage it by using too much
pressure - especially softer nibs. so if anyone uses my pens it is with my
observation only or someone I trust to listen to me when I explain "you
don't have to use any pressure..." Or it's a nail like a Phileas.

most people that are curious about my pens - are not curious enough to care
that much about trying them. so yeah - it's easier to just put them off
gently.