The nib is an elegant answer
to a question of aesthetics and function. It has a characteristic
shape that, with a few notable exceptions, has remained very
much unchanged for one hundred years.
In an effort to recognize a common
language about pen nibs, I have given this article over to
examining the nib's anatomy. The following are terms in use,
as well as an outline of the structure of pen nibs. (Nibs
are sometimes confusingly called pens, probably dating
from the time when dip pen nibs were sold as replacement pens
and were held in holders that could also be purchased separately.
This confusion continues today, encouraging people to think
that replacement nibs for vintage fountain pens are readily
available.)
Body
The body of the nib provides
the shape and rigidity to hold the tines in position to write.
It also provides a cover for the flow of ink and the return
of air along the feed. The rolled top surface of the nib makes
an ideal billboard for the maker's name, logo or any other
design IMPRINT that they want to display. The use of a second
colored metal, such as a platinum wash, on top of the gold
base, offers an even greater range of design possibility here.
The shape of the body can be described as a sectioned and
truncated cone. It is manufactured by stamping and rolling
the shape from a tapered sheet of gold. A nib tapers from
the tines and shoulders down to the tail where it can be as
thin as 3 thousandths of an inch thick. In its thickest area,
near the point, it can be 30 thousandths of an inch, comparable
to half the thickness of this publication. None of the nibs
made today use anywhere near as much gold in the body as some
of the big ones from the 20's and 30's such as some Sheaffer's
Lifetime nibs.
Base, Tail
or Heel
Cross Section
At Tail
The base, the thinnest part of
the nib, and a simple vault shape, fits into the tubular section
and is held in place by the feed. (The section is the part
of the pen that joins the feed and nib to the barrel). The
feed fits under the nib and is responsible for both providing
ink to the nib and wedging it firmly into the section.) Because
the shape of the nib is opening wider as it moves away from
the base, it will only fit into the section so far. Some nibs
have a deep base stamp, such as the star shape on the
bases of many Parker Vacumatics. This star was Parker's lifetime
guarantee, and entitled the owner to a replacement of the
nib for thirty five cents. This stamp is also there to make
the nib fit more firmly into the hard rubber section. (Occasionally
I find nibs that have had this sort of treatment, probably
performed by some repairperson on a loose nib.) The other
kind of mark sometimes found on the base of nibs such as the
maker's code for size, found on Waterman's Hundred Year nibs
marked "18", the oversized, or "17", the
standard size. These imprints were helpful in assembling
the pen, but were not intended for the consumer's eyes.
Vent Hole
or Breather Hole
The vent hole, which exists on
most fountain pen nibs, provides the space for air to travel
back into the pen to replace the ink that is consumed in writing.
(It is notably absent on dip pen nibs). It serves a second
function by stopping the slit, that separates the tines,
from continuing as a crack up into the body of the nib. When
the pen is used, a great deal of tension is placed on the
gold metal where the slit ends, Were it not for the vent hole,
many more nibs would be split. (As it is, most splits and
cracks originate at the vent hole. This is the first place
to look for defects when evaluating the condition of a nib.)
Vent holes have come in a number
of different shapes. The most common is the heart, found on
many Waterman's, Parkers, Sheaffer's, and Eversharps. In fact
the word heart is sometimes used to mean vent hole.
A round vent hole is seen on most vintage Parkers, but other
shapes such as the "key hole" and a "pointed
oval" can be seen on some early Parkers. Waterman's used
quite a number of shapes, besides the "heart" including
the "key hole" in the early 30's. Before Waterman's
standardized their nibs, they manufactured or had manufactured
a number of nibs with unusual vent holes, the "hole and
horseshoe" and a "six pointed star". Conklin
extended the use of the "crescent" shape, from their
very successful filling system, to the shape of their vent
hole in their nib.
Shoulders
or Web
Cross Section
At Shoulders
The shoulders of a nib are the
widest part and give the tines their rigidity. Extending the
analogy of a foot, the heel is the base and the web
is the widest part. Generally speaking, a nib with the appearance
of wide shoulders is a rigid nib, and conversely, one with
narrow shoulders can be more flexible. (Occasionally if something
happens to either widen the shoulders or narrow the inner
cap on the lid of a pen, the nib will no longer fit easily
into the cap. This situation makes it impossible to keep the
nib in proper adjustment.)
Tines
The tines are the two sides of
a nib divided by the slit. (There are three tines in
the case of music nibs). They are relatively longer in the
case of flexible nibs and shorter and thicker in the case
of stiff or hard nibs, such as "accountants", or
"firm" nibs. A nib can be made more flexible by
reducing both the width and the thickness of the tines. However,
a nib which is not somewhat flexible to begin with is not
a good candidate for this operation.
Slit
The slit is the space which ink
travels down to the paper by means of capillary attraction.
It is cut into the nearly completed nib up to the vent hole
and is rarely is more than 4 thousandths of an inch wide.
While it is not rocket science, the proper way to adjust a
nib is to create just the right amount of space in the slit.
Then everything else will fall into place. ( A fine or flexible
nib must be adjusted tighter than a broad nib, which needs
greater ink flow.)
Tip
Sometimes known as iridium,
or tipping material, this is the hard surface metal
that contacts the paper. Welded, soldered and/or fused to
the gold, this material is made of very hard stuff. Originally
tipping material was composed of crude unalloyed, unsmelted,
and impure bits. These fragmentary bits had been ground to
a workable size before they were attacked to the gold. (I
had a piece of this material off of a ca. 1920 Waterman's
#2 nib assayed. The results were as follows: osmium - 44.%,
iridium - 54.%, Copper - 0.50%, Gold - 0.24%, Silver - 0.70%
and possible trace of Ruthenium. Pacific Spectrochemical Laboratory,
Inc.) Many of these tips show flaws under a microscope, some
of which impair the writing quality.
All the modern tips, starting
in the 30's are made using alloys of iridium, osmium, ruthenium
and/or small amounts of other metals. Parker coined several
terms in their advertising such as Octanium, meaning an alloy
of eight metals, used in the early 50's in points of Parker
51 Specials and Parker 21s. The 1949 Parker Aerometric 51
used what they called a "plathenium tipped point".
These smelted pellets, with the exception of the few that
have air pockets in them, are all superior to what was available
during the "golden age" of fountain pens. However,
the other, and no less important, aspect of tip quality is
the shaping and finishing. This is where a great deal of hand
work is still employed and where many of the early nibs excel,
especially the fine and extra fine points. The way that the
tip is ground, polished and adjusted, have a great deal to
do with the way it writes.
For me, the nib is the most interesting
part of the pen. It is a combination of critical function
and remarkable aesthetics. Without external power it delivers
a measured amount of ink to paper. It transfers gestures of
the hand, revealing something of the sensation of writing,
and recording it for future use. The shape of the nib, as
it projects from the pen, is a functional artifact from the
19th century that seems likely to be appreciated into the
21st.
©
1998 John Mottishaw No reproduction or distribution without
permission. |