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#1
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"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!!! |
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#2
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"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. |
#3
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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. |
#4
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"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. |
#5
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"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 |
#6
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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 |
#7
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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 |
#8
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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. |
#9
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"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." |
#10
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---------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. |
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