Because the design of the nib of each brand is different, the pen will have a different feel in writing. The easiest touch to describe is the "soft nib" and "hard nib". Among them, soft nibs are much discussed, because ball pens and ball pens can never achieve this kind of feel; while brush pens are too soft and difficult to control. The soft nib of a fountain pen is between the two, with a unique writing feel that is particularly flexible.

▲Antique fountain pens from the 1920s to 1930s, with many super elastic tips

Material determines soft and hard?

The material of pen nib can be divided into two categories, stainless steel nib and K gold nib. The intuitive reaction of most people is: stainless steel tip = hard, gold tip = soft. In fact, if the stainless steel tip is matched with a suitable thickness and shape, its elasticity can be better than the K gold tip.

Soft nib or hard nib? Which one is easy to write?

Hard-tuned nib-daytime fighting, hard-working comrades

The writing feel is hard and inflexible, which is very suitable for fast and large-volume writing tasks. The hand does not need to spend extra effort to control the elastic changes of the pen tip, and it is easy and effortless to write for a long time. Therefore, student pens tend to use thicker stainless steel tips, which can keep the price down on the one hand, and on the other hand, this kind of nib is more suitable for sketching.

▲More hard-tuned lines for affordable student pens are more beneficial to sketching

Soft tone nib-late night drink, relieve stress lover

The soft nib makes the strokes fleshy and easy to express rich emotions. The writing is combined with the brush movement technique, which is transferred to the paper through the body of the pen, and the intensity of ink stains is used to convey the thoughts in the heart. It is a fascinating place for the soft tip. But also because of the elasticity, when writing for a long time, the elasticity becomes a burden, making the hands easy to fatigue.

Antiquity nib is soft and hard

Xihua Old Pen: The branches are hard-tuned, especially the Victory-style nib

▲The victory-shaped nib is short, fat and rolled into a tube-shaped super hard tip

▲Sihua even has a shorthand mark, which is marked on the holding position, and is only used for shorthand

▲It is a scratch similar to the Japanese word "リ"

▲The writing feature of this pen is thin and hard

Parker headscarf 51 is also a hard nib

▲The nib piece is directly rolled into a 5mm diameter cylinder, covered with a turban to hold the position, it is difficult to not be hard

Waterman, Mabi Todd (Mabi Todd) Super Q elastic nib

Waterman had a large number of eagle tips around 1920~30. This kind of nib has excellent elasticity. For pen pals with special functions, you can see the displayed by the master painter Florence Waterman New York 2 nib bamboo newspaper Ping'an works . The elastic tip is beyond imagination. The antique pen nib of Meby Todd has a soft-toned feel from beginning to end, which is the best endorsement of elastic tip.

▲The tip of the pen tip is cut into a slender shape with good elasticity

Modern nibs have high consistency

In modern pens, the tonality of the nib is mostly in the middle, and it is harder to feel as profound as a pen that understands the bones. After all, antique pens cover the range of six to seventy years, while modern pens only refer to pens of the past one to twenty years. The size of the range varies greatly. Modern pens are generally nibs. The most representative one I can think of is that the Lamy Hunting series have harder nibs; while the Platinum 3776 series have a softer nib.

Of course, among the Japanese pens, several platinum pens have a special soft tip, but they lack the flexibility of fun. In addition, Sailor also strengthens the special point of elasticity, the hand feel is very obvious.

Whimsical-Adjustable flexible nib

The formula and structure of the nib determine the elasticity of the nib. Even if an adjuster is added to the nib, it will not help. This means that logically such a structure should be able to adjust the flexibility of the nib; but the actual finished product... I personally think the difference is not big.

Evershop Doric JUSTUS antique pens and modern PILOT have produced adjustable soft and hard nibs.

Concluding remarks

Nowadays with advanced technology, there are probably few who can really experience the so-called writing feel; tapping the keyboard all day long, the fingertips have long lost their inherent sensitive touch, and they have become rational robots. In fact, the fingertips are like the antennae of insects. They are also used to collect all kinds of information around them, and make different chemical changes in the brain, so that life will be diverse.

Don't think that your pen nib is too hard or too soft, use the right place, each has its own advantages.

Author: Strongink Pen Kits