About Nibs

Presentation by Joseph Vitolo

This article was inspired by an inquiry from Joan Gooderham of Fort Erie, Ontario. She acquired a cache of Blanzy-Poure No. 2552 Cementée nibs, one of my favorites. It is sharp and very flexible, great for ornamental penmanship, plus I also like it for copperplate and engrosser’s script. Unfortunately, it is also very long at one and one-half inches.

In some of the most exciting nib news in more than a century, D. Leonardt & Company, a steel pen maker located in Shropshire, England, has introduced the Principal, a nib that successfully reproduces the venerable Principality.

This is a huge category for nibs, easily the largest of any writing discipline. Not only were there thousands of different types of pens made for monoline writing, but many more could be adapted to the unshaded style by simply lightening the pressure one places on the pen. 

Establishing criteria for individual nibs is a highly subjective matter. It boils down to one’s personal writing style and the type of penpoint that works best. Simply put, what pressure is required with the nib in the holder to make a line of desired thickness? For writers with a light touch, a nib with good flexibility is needed.

On Thursday night of the IAMPETH Convention, there was a program open to anyone who wanted to participate called “Instant Originals.” Each participant created an original piece in full view of conference attendees who could then ask questions about technique, tools, anything to do with the lettering arts.

The tubular design of the crow quill has been around since steel pens were first introduced en masse in the 1820s. 

Nibs surveyed here are flexible, but not nearly as flexible as the fine and flexible penpoints we looked at in the last issue.

It has been said that the majority of pointed pen calligraphers do not know when to replace their nib. Direct manifestations of this problem include difficulty executing pen strokes and ultimately poor script. Anyone who has ever spent hard-earned dollars on pen points, especially the vintage nibs, knows the anxiety of throwing that precious nib into the garbage after wearing it out.

Sharpening your nib