How Does One Become A Nibmeister? - Q&A Slices
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- Опубликовано: 2 авг 2024
- I am fifteen and am extremely interested in fountain pens. I have decided that I would like to take a step further into fountainpendom and become a nib smith or nibmeister (someone who grinds nibs or does nib work on pens, I don't know the proper name for them). I was wondering how can I take this step and how would I learn. Thanks
nibmeister is a fairly appropriate term, the most commonly I've heard used any way
there's no official training/protocal for it these days
it's a true "trade" craft, so learning it from someone that already does it would be most ideal
there are really only a handful of individuals who do it, and they're tough to get a hold of because they're so busy
the best way to do it is to teach yourself, quite honestly
there are some videos out there where people do tuning and grinding, watch as much as you can
scour the internet
get your hands on as many junk nibs as possible, play with them!
you'll want a good loupe, micromesh, and a grinding wheel setup of some kind (dremel with diamond wheel is probably easiest to come by)
if there are any pen shows near you ever, go and see if you can plant yourself by a nibmeister and watch what they do
sometimes there are training classes at pen shows, like Richard Binder's class at DC
if this is something you REALLY want to do, you're going to have to make it happen, it will not be handed to you on a silver platter
you're 15, you're very young, and most people who would be your potential clients will find your age to be a barrier, so just mentally prepare yourself for that
in order to make up for that fact, you will need to become exceedingly excellent at your craft
learn everything you can, find every book that even mentions a nib and memorize it, practice and learn everything you can in all the free time you have
if you even have moderate talent, you can at least pay a good portion of your way through school doing it
if you're good and practice a ton, you can probably make a career of it...go get it
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Such career thoughts sound so fresh, especially for someone living in India, where everyone races to be a doctor or an engineer.
John Singer is a good amateur nibmeister, and I've learned quite a bit from him. The tool he uses as a grinder is, of all things, an original Pentium CPU chip. The high silica ceramic in them is an excellent abrasive that does not clog or get worn away. For polishing he uses a ceramic cased EPROM chip, and for finishing he turns to micromesh. It's fascinating to watch him work.
For training materials, you can get Jinhao nibs on eBay by the dozen for about US$0.50 each. You might also be able to find them on Aliexpress for even less than that. They aren't the best nibs in the world, but they're good enough for training.
I've also thought about adapting the kind of abrasive wheel and angle guide used by gemstone cutters, but that takes the tools to a-whole-nother level.
Got my first fountain pen in the mail today from Goulet. Absolutely love it I can’t stop writing. Loved the lollipop in the box too!
Awesome to hear! Which pen did you go with? - Colin
I got the Jinhao X450, I didn’t really want to spend too much on my first pen in case I didn’t like it but I think it’s a good choice
Definitely a good choice! One of my favorite recommendations for a starter pen. - Colin
Good on the poster. So cool to hear somebody that young setting sights on something like this!
Perhaps metalwork/jewelry making would be the foundation skill, while nib work is the specialty.
makes a ton of sense this way, never thought about it like that.
I found this to be a very helpful video. I have been using fountain pens, almost exclusively, for about 30 years-and I've purchased quite a few from Brian. A well-tuned fountain pen is a joy to use, and one that is not working properly is very frustrating. Some pen companies routinely provide pens that write well out of the box; others often require a little tune up. Also with use, pens can get out of adjustment. I have watched some videos and tried to do some minor tuning myself-with mixed results. I have also watched nibmeisters work on my pens at pen shows. A little tweak here, a little bend there and they hand me back a near-perfect pen. I then write with it a bit, they watch, and then a few more adjustments and it is perfect! I have dropped a few pens on hard floors and they almost always land nib first, They are shaped like a missile, after all. Nibmeisters have resurrected those nibs to the point that I can't tell they were ever damaged. Truly amazing. I appreciate what Brian said about being able to run a small business. Not only do you have to have the skills to work on pens, you have to be able to deal with customers, shipping, money, etc. As long as people continue to write with fountain pens, there will be a demand for nibmeisters. I would also add that all the major pen companies have service departments; they employ pen repair people. I have sent them pens that come back like new. I was hoping that Brian and Rachel would visit the one at Pilot on their trip there. It was probably in one of the buildings labeled Top Secret.
This is good career advice no matter what you are endeavoring to get into.
I want to learn too. I just found the first pen to work on. I just dropped a cheap $7 pen on the floor and the nib bent. I have several pens in the less than $30 range where the nibs need some tuning. I’m not sure about grinding nibs though until I get a supply of cheap nibs.
Would cheap dip pen nibs be good to practice on?
Do you have any nibmeisters that you recommend? I have a pen (Pilot Fountain Pen Custom Heritage 912, FA nib) that is not fine enough for me, so I'm not using it. :( I had considered getting the service done.
Mark Bacas (www.nibgrinder.com/ ) is usually who we point people to. Great option for any custom grind. - Colin
Thank you, Colin!
Great advice It takes a lot of hard work and skill
Man I have such a huge crush on this guy he’s got a lucky wife but I’m sure she knows that 😅 my husband definitely agrees with me lol
Lol I'm 15 too!