Nibs Blog

Kaweco Pens at Nibs.com

I remember seeing my first Kaweco fountain pen at a flea market in 1994 and wondering what that was.  Rare among pens in shoe and cigar boxes of the time which mostly contained Parker, Waterman's and other American made pens the Kaweco stood our for it's abbreviated size and extra long cap. I opened it discovering a very short body. But when I put the cap on the back of the barrel this faceted pen became a proper hand-full. I snapped it up and added it to a collection of pens that I knew little about.

Spencerian Script With The Pilot Custom 912 FA Nib

Returning from a recent vacation to a number of pens awaiting our nib customizations led me to think about the history of Spencerian script and its continuing popularity in the modern day. Spencerian script has a history now going back well over a hundred years, and it's delightful to see how fountain pens produced using the newest engineering can - with the help of our Spencerian modification - serve as an excellent tool for creating this graceful and elegant writing style.

Remembering Susan Wirth

I am deeply saddened by the unexpected death of Susan Wirth. She occupied a special place in the pen world and in my heart.

I will always hear that gravely voice saying, “Just go through those doors and get the chairs you need.” She knew where the extra chairs, tables, table cloths, extension cords and wall fasteners could be found, whether in her gear or from helpful hotel staff.

Sailor Specialty Nibs - Customization Alternatives

Sailor Pens of Japan is no longer accepting new orders for their well-known Specialty Nibs, so we are now limited to the very small stock we still have on hand. However, the writing experience afforded by these nibs can often be closely approximated by customizations we offer here in the workshop, and in pen models other than just Sailor.

Fountain Pen Skipping? Causes and Cures - Part 2

In Part 1, we took a look at the relationship between the nib and the feed. But what if the feed itself is behaving badly? A few answers follow...

Warm & Fuzzy

Can a liquid be warm and fuzzy?

Warm, sure. But fuzzy?

If the new Pelikan Edelstein 2017 Ink of the Year stays true to the photos, Smoky Quartz could be just that. It looks like a rich soft brown that you’d want to wrap yourself in on the couch with a cup of cocoa. We’ll get our own images up one the first bottles arrive in March.

It is a limited edition color so if you think Smoky Quartz will work into your rotation you might want more than one bottle!

Fountain Pen Skipping? Causes and Cures - Part 1

Probably the most common question that we get here in the shop is what to do about skippy nibs. This can be such an annoying problem that an otherwise perfectly good pen is put in the back of a drawer, left for dead. While purchasing from a retailer who tunes nibs prior to shipping is a good preventative measure, the question of what to do with pens you already own will often arise. In many cases, some minor adjustments can cure the problem, a few of which can be DIY.

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