Dip nibs for novice

[Clive-Andrew]

Hi to all.

If this question has already been asked and answered please forgive me. I am very new to Calligrapyhy i have a straight holder and an oblique one on its way, i have only two nibs in my possession, Brause 361 and a Zebra G nib. What can i expect to achieve with these two nibs? which other nibs do you reccommend? I'm not exactly sure what style of writing i will be aiming for, i am just getting used to the way these work. I write every day with around ten to twelve various fountain pens all with different colour ink, and this pleases me.

In advance thank you to all replies and suggestions.

Clive-Andrew

[Empty_of_Clouds]

I am still a novice... well, not even that advanced really... but I find the zebra G to be somewhat harsh. I use them but prefer the Esterbrook Falcon #48 nib for a firm point with a touch of flexibility.  My preferred nib is a Gillott 404.  Cannot afford them, especially at the silly prices vintage stuff goes for.  A close second is the Blanzy-Poure Departementale Cementee #2552.  These can be found in whole boxes at reasonable prices and are very forgiving for us beginners.

Other than that, I leave it to the experts to advise.

[AndyT]

Absolutely no claim to expertise here, but it seems to me that the consistent quality of the Japanese G nibs makes them easy to recommend for anyone who is starting out.  They won't give you any nasty surprises and ought to get you off to a good start.  Vintage nibs are invariably nicely made, but the market is a bit weird and it would pay to study prices before buying.  If you have a yen to do Ornamental Penmanship you'll need to look into high performance pens, but better to find your feet with something more tractable in the first place, I think - after all, even a true wet noodle fountain pen nib is quite firm compared to the average dip pen.

And talking of which, there are plenty of fountain pen types around here, so please feel free to tell us about yours. 

[Tales from the Nib]

I started with the Nikko G nib, I still use it sometimes still. I'm no way an expert, but I found it the easiiest to use.
I go back to it at times it's like a comfy blanket I guess.

[RobertFontaine]

The hate to love it Gillott 303 seems to be teaching the most about the pointed pen.   It forces a light touch and a better understanding of the nib.   The G-Nibs are definitely usable but feel like writing with a ballpoint comparatively.

[Clive-Andrew]

Hi to all and thank you for your replies.

@ Empty_of_Clouds i dont know the difference between vintage and non vintage nibs, but i've seen the Gillott 404 nib in the UK for 0.76p£

@ AndyT i have fountain pens from Pilot, Kaweco, Twsbi, Edison, Kaigelu. I also have 3 Ranga pens from India on order.

Clive-Andrew

[prasad]

Hi Clive-Andrew,
The Gillot 404 you have seen there is blue in colour and current production nibs.  The vintage ones were bronze in colour.  The general thumbhole is that the quality of the vintage nibs are better than the modern ones.

The Gillot 303 is a very sharp nib and requires a very light hand.  They also have been facing quality issues in that you will get some nibs in a lot that are misaligned or just won't write. 
The Gillot 404 is also quite fine but does not give as large a swell as the 303. 

These are both cheaper nibs and work well once you develop a hand for it. 

The Ranga pens are good and if you have a #5 feed and nib on any of them, you can fit out the G nib and make a nice flex pen.
If you haven't got any of them with the #5 and it is still not shipped,  email Ranga and ask him to put a couple of feeds in with the pens.  Specifically ask for a #5 feed.

http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/282426-rangas-mr-kandan-does-it-again/

If the pens are not yet made, and you are interested in this, I can send him a G nib from here and he can fit it out in one of your pens you ordered.

I got a dip pen made from him too
http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/265884-a-dip-pen-with-a-difference/

Both these posts are on another Fountain pen forum.

Happy writing
Prasad

[JanisTX]

@Clive-Andrew:  My go-to nib is the Brause EF 66.  I buy them from Paper Ink Arts, as they have the best price for "large" orders. - I think that what I buy has 50 in a box.  They are very reliable, with no quality control issues.  They are very responsive, with nice thicks & thins. 

Janis

[Clive-Andrew]

Hi Clive-Andrew,
The Gillot 404 you have seen there is blue in colour and current production nibs.  The vintage ones were bronze in colour.  The general thumbhole is that the quality of the vintage nibs are better than the modern ones.

The Gillot 303 is a very sharp nib and requires a very light hand.  They also have been facing quality issues in that you will get some nibs in a lot that are misaligned or just won't write. 
The Gillot 404 is also quite fine but does not give as large a swell as the 303. 

These are both cheaper nibs and work well once you develop a hand for it. 

The Ranga pens are good and if you have a #5 feed and nib on any of them, you can fit out the G nib and make a nice flex pen.
If you haven't got any of them with the #5 and it is still not shipped,  email Ranga and ask him to put a couple of feeds in with the pens.  Specifically ask for a #5 feed.

http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/282426-rangas-mr-kandan-does-it-again/

If the pens are not yet made, and you are interested in this, I can send him a G nib from here and he can fit it out in one of your pens you ordered.

I got a dip pen made from him too
http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/265884-a-dip-pen-with-a-difference/

Both these posts are on another Fountain pen forum.

Happy writing
Prasad

Hi Prasad, thank you for your reply, the Ranga pens on order are with #6 Jowo nibs so i can change the nibs at will for stub etc, so #5 will not be suitable will they? To use the G nib i may buy a couple of cheapo Jinhaos, or adapt my Kaigelu 316 which i really love.

Clive-Andrew

[Clive-Andrew]

@Clive-Andrew:  My go-to nib is the Brause EF 66.  I buy them from Paper Ink Arts, as they have the best price for "large" orders. - I think that what I buy has 50 in a box.  They are very reliable, with no quality control issues.  They are very responsive, with nice thicks & thins. 

Janis

Hello JanisTX thank you for your reply, will have a look on internet to see what i can find, France is pretty dire for buying fountain pens and calligraphy pens, will look towards the UK.

Clive-Andrew.

[ericp]

I have three G nibs:  the Zebra, Tashikawa and Nikko.  They are great for beginners so I recommend either one (if you can find a good supplier, in America I think I got them from Paper Ink Arts).  Although they share the G label, they are not identical, but they behave roughly the same. I work with watercolor ink and sumi ink and they are great in both cases.

Curiously (unlike Janis), my experience with the EF66 was not a good one.  I suspect I got a dud.   The Gillotts are good but as mentioned they are a bit harder to control.

Good luck!

[prasad]

Hi Prasad, thank you for your reply, the Ranga pens on order are with #6 Jowo nibs so i can change the nibs at will for stub etc, so #5 will not be suitable will they? To use the G nib i may buy a couple of cheapo Jinhaos, or adapt my Kaigelu 316 which i really love.

Clive-Andrew

Thats a great option, getting the jowo nibs. Yes, the g nib modification will not work then as the section will be threaded to take the jowo nib unit.
But, you should definetly  try it out with the jinhao.
 
Happy modding.
Prasad

[garyn]

As a beginner nib, I LIKE the G nibs. It is more forgiving than the SHARP pointed nibs, and yet usable for a LOT of stuff.  I use it as a general purpose nib for letter writing.
In fact the G nib is on Erica's list of supplies for a beginner. 
http://theflourishforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=434.0