Broad edge nib supplies

[RD5]

I noticed most of the threads are about pointed pen supplies,  so I thought I would start a thread for board edge calligraphy supplies. What are your recommendations?

[jeanwilson]

John Neal has a nice sample set of broad edge nibs.

N207. Broad Edge Nib Sampler
This sampler contains broad edge nibs from of all the major brands. This allows you to find which nib works best for you.
Sampler contains one each:
Hiro Tape 1.5mm & 3mm
Brause Bandzug 1.5mm & 3mm
Mitchell Roundhand sizes 1 (3mm) & 3 (1.4mm), plus one reservoir
Speedball C Series sizes C2 (3mm) & C4 (1.5mm)
Tachikawa 3.0mm

Many people agree that the smaller sizes of Speedballs are not advisable because you do not get very crisp strokes - so I would not recommend a set of Speedballs which is what you will probably find at a craft store. The nibs you have to order online will be so much better - assuming you do not have a broad edge supply store locally.
Mitchell's are nice because you can sharpen them, but you have to learn how to adjust the reservoir. Not sure if there are videos - if time permits, I'll look.

It is highly advisable to choose a holder that does not have the hourglass shape because the hourglass shape forces your fingers into one position and you might want to adjust your grip - which is easier with a straight holder.
There are several options of straight holders from John Neal.

Ink - once again - you can't go wrong with walnut ink. I hesitate to recommend a black ink - but I have noticed that when people who start with Higgins Eternal try something else - they are usually pleased - so I do not recommend HE as the first bottle of ink. While I love McCaffrey's for pointed nibs, it does not perform well for me in broad edge nibs. Moon Palace Sumi is popular and a good choice. My favorite is stick ink, but I would not recommend that for beginners. If you have already figured out how to use gouache for writing with pointed nibs and like it - you will probably love it with broad edge.

Paper - for me, broad edge is a little more forgiving than pointed nibs - 5-Star (or Mead) notebook paper is fine and really inexpensive. If you can afford the practice pads from John Neal, that paper is very nice. He has a grid paper. The copperplate slant lines don't work with broad edge styles - too much slant. Rhodia is nice.

Of course, a parallel pen (or a whole set) is pretty dreamy for learning broad edge. The ink that comes with the pens is bleedy - so you need good paper for practice. Parallel pens like walnut ink.

Hopefully there will be additions to this thread. I'm a minimalist - and honed in on supplies that work for me - and don't do much experimenting.

If you can afford Sheila Waters book - Foundations of Calligraphy - it's not exactly a *supply* - but it is a wealth of information on all the basic broad edge styles.

[RD5]

Thanks. Do you use different nibs for different scripts? My book recommends a straight cut nib for some scripts, but I have just used my Brause.

[jeanwilson]

I started with Mitchell's and never bothered trying anything else.
Some people like to try everything and compare.
Some of us just stick with whatever seems to be working and are not curious about alternatives.
If someone is only using Speedballs, I highly recommend they try something else.
But between the other choices - someone else will have to weigh in.
I guess what I like about the Mitchells is the ease of removing the reservoir for cleaning.
Also the ease of sharpening.
But - maybe it is easy to clean and sharpen the others - and I just never learned that.

[RD5]

What sizes do you use the most?

[Ergative]

I use different nibs for different scripts. Like Jean I started with Mitchell nibs, but the oblique-cut Brauses make it so much easier to maintain a shallow nib angle, for scripts like Insular Majuscule and even Foundational. Mitchell nibs are better for Gothic and Italics and Fraktur. (Also, the Brause reservoirs come off like the Mitchell ones.)

Mitchell nibs are also more flexible than the Brause nibs. This can mean that your hand gets fatigued using the Brause ones, if you've got a lighter touch, or it can mean that your line widths aren't consistent with the Mitchell nibs, if your pressure isn't constant. Try them both and see what you like!

[on preview] For sizes, you should start with larger sizes for new scripts. I like Mitchell 2 1/2 or 3 for learning something new, and only when I feel much more confident do I start shrinking the nib and script size.

[RD5]

Isn't it strange the German nib companies make oblique cut nibs, when they are not ideal for fraktur?

[Ergative]

Isn't it strange the German nib companies make oblique cut nibs, when they are not ideal for fraktur?

No more so than Speedball making nibs which are not ideal for Spencerian.

[RD5]

But it isn't just one company, it seems like the German norm for broad edge nibs is that they are cut oblique.

Also, does anyone know why some of them are called round hand/ rundschrift?

[Erica McPhee]

@Estefa Any idea? 

[Estefa]

@Estefa Any idea? 

As far as I know, the Rundschrift nibs are meant for Rundschrift . That's sort of the German version of the French Rhonde:

https://pictures.abebooks.com/WINDAU/15682652711.jpg

I just checked my Harris calligraphy book and he says to use an oblique cut nib fo Fraktur … honestly I am terribly confused by that whole subject …

[Erica McPhee]

Well that makes sense!  If you're confused ... no one else (like me) will have a clue!