The Hunt for Fountain Pens with Flexible Nibs (ft. Greg Minuskin the Nibmeister)
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- Опубликовано: 30 апр 2024
- For several years, I was on a hunt for fountain pens with flexible nibs I could use for drawing. This video covers what I found. For quick sketching, I prefer a broader nib (fine to broad with flex. More flexible the better). Spencerian needlepoint modification (0.1mm) is very sharp and that would be more suited for slow careful drawings and certain kinds of calligraphy. I find that needlepoints feel scratchier since it is so sharp and also feel more fragile. And one more thing to note. I prefer eyedropper fountain pens. But one downside to them is that when the ink in the pen goes very low, the pen may burp ink. It's a small thing for me and I don't mind it. I just keep my eyedropper more than half full most of the time. But just so you know.
Special thanks to Greg Minuskin for taking time to share his knowledge on fountain pens and nibs in this video. (We actually did this interview twice! The first time, the audio wasn't recorded. He kindly did the interview a 2nd time!) There are other sites that also sell vintage fountain pens. But I've mostly bought from Greg and the pens from him are good, so I can safely recommend getting them from him:)
Greg Minuskin's website: gregminuskinpens.com
e-sketchbooks and comics by me: www.drewscape.net/shop%20front...
My blog :drewscape.blogspot.com 
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FAB video and I love your lively line comic book sketches and storyboards. Thanks for sharing. Lorna from England. X❤
Thank you and welcome:)
Thank you very helpful video, I contacted Greg and purchased my first vintage pen! So pleased with my Mabie Todd.
That was fast. A Mabie Todd too. Nice! Hope you enjoy your pen!
With the right modification you can get EF to 8mm of flex with modern stainless steel nibs. That being said, vintage nibs are a lot more flexible when unmodified, plus I think the vintage pens look a lot nicer!
Oh wow, I do see your videos with the arrowflex nib experiments. That is amazing. Will study them more. Really like your tinkering:)
Thank you very very much! This was excellent. I use a Pilot custom 742 for drawing and always on the look for a vintage wet noodle. I knew about Greg, but never heard him talk about pens. Thanks again. From Italy, ciao!
Welcome. Thanks for watching! Ah I have the 742 too. It's a good one. I should dig it out to use it again. Yes, I seldom hear him talk about pens online so I thought this would be nice way for us to hear his thoughts on pens:)
@@Drewscape-art Thanks! keep up the great work
My first fountain pen had the lever filler system …. I can still remember the colour and smell of it. Pens are a vital part of life in my opinion
Which model was it? Do you still have it?
@@Drewscape-art it was an italic nib for writing . I got it about 1968 as we prepared to go to secondary school. No I don’t have it now …… only vividly in my memories.
@@Drewscape-art Osmiroid 65
Wow That was many years ago, Marie. I know which pen that is. Someone gave me an osmiroid 75 some years ago. It’s similar. Decent pen. So yours was the italic one. I managed to find a flex nib for it on eBay. So it’s a flex pen now.
My drawings with the osmiroid 75 drewscape.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-people-and-places-in-my-head-in.html?Feed:+blogspot/NwtlI+(wibble+wibble)&m=1
This is a fantastic video, thank you! I wish I had seen something like this years ago. I also have turned a few vintage sacs to mush with Carbon Ink!
Were you able to remove the section to change the sacs?
Yes, but boy are those sections hard to get out of those old pens!
@@martham9980 yeah… hair drying and not trying to crack the section. Gosh. But once it’s loose, it’s easier to change the sacs the next time.
This was fascinating. I've been thinking about flexible nib fountain pens. What a treat to hear a master I his field. Thanks so much for putting this video together.
Thanks for the comment. Yeah, they are fun. But a lot of variations to decide on. Depending on how you like to draw, you might prefer a nib that isn't too fine if you draw fast. Because a really fine one is sharper. But if you like to draw careful beautiful lines, a finer one with flex works for me.
Good points...
Very interesting! Thanks Drew.
Thanks Deb. A bit niche I know, but fountain pens are so fun :D
Great information! Thanks!!! 😊
You are so welcome!
I bought a Noodlers Ahab Jade with flex nib and tried it on some hard-surfaced 120gsm paper. It laid down ink well, but the nib tore the paper (!!!) when I attempted to get line variation with some very modest pressure. Very disappointing! I am used to getting some very nice line variations when I swirl flourishes on calligraphy with dip pens, but the Ahab flex pen I have is like writing with a nail when trying to get line variation.
Yes it does flex. But a rather stiff when new. It does get softer over time. But it needs quite a lot of tinkering to get it softer. Without tinkering, i don’t find it very useful. Dip pens will still have their own feel. They are usually more flexible than most flex pens and they give sharper lines because they don’t have tipping at the ends. Only some modified pens with Spencerian or extra fine nibs that are flexible might come close. Fountain pens with flex are delightful, but sometimes, I still enjoy flexible dip nibs.
@@Drewscape-art Thank you for the advice. I'll keep working on the pen. Additionally, I haven't disassembled the nib section of the pen to see if I could slide the nib out a bit to perhaps provide some flex.
@@davidhunden120oh what I did was more major. I cut into the feed to reshape the channels and also shaved the nib. It requires some special tools like a dremel and such😄
@@Drewscape-art Oh, That explains much. I'm quite new to standard fountain pens (not those designed for calligraphic purposes which I've used for years) and when I bought the Noodlers Ahab with flex nib I expected a flex nib (how naive...though I am learning). Thank you for your reply.
@@davidhunden120it’s a nice start. The pen does will still work though the nib is stiff. A simple way to soften it is to shave down the sides of the nib. Simplest way is perhaps with sandpaper.