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I enjoy the contact with other pen enthusiasts.

Through correspondence with Ludwig Tan I am
pleased to share with you his article on Grinding Your
Own Nibs. It confirms for me that grinding nibs is not
something I will take up, but it is an interesting article
and brings to mind the skill associated with fountain
pens. May we all hope this skills are not totally lost.

The article was published in the journal of the Society

for Italic Handwriting, Writing Matters, autumn 2000
& Spring 2001.

Grinding Your Own Nibs

Ludwig Tan

Few Italic writers will have abandoned their quest for the perfect pen - their
'Holy Grail', as Graham Last aptly calls it (Writing Matters, No.1). Despite being
a fountain pen enthusiast myself, I have yet to encounter this elusive
instrument of perfection: a pen that is a delight to behold, writes flawlessly, has
a pleasant writing feel, and transforms one's handwriting for the better - a pen
that is an extension of the hand, rather than an impediment to it.

Appearance, however, is to enthusiasts of the Italic hand arguably the least

important attribute of a pen; what matters most is how it writes. In recent
months, by grinding nibs to suit my own hand, I have come a little closer to
finding my ideal writing pen. I was first introduced to the art of nib-grinding
about three years ago when Leong Khoon Kin - a fellow pen-collector in
Singapore, and an accomplished Italic writer - gave me a Sheaffer Triumph
Imperial fountain pen with a nib he had ground precisely to suit my writing.
After having struggled for years with pens that capitulated on laid surfaces,
dried up after a few days' non-use, or whose ink flow failed to cope with my
usual rapid pace of writing, this pen came as a revelation. With some
experimentation, and under Mr Leong's guidance, I have recently begun to
understand more intimately the process of nib-grinding.

In this article - which will be necessarily lengthy and detailed - I shall describe
how monoline (round-pointed) nibs can be ground for Italic use, thereby
overcoming some of the limitations of manufacturers' products. I hope to show
what an amateur such as myself, without professional experience with pens, is
able to achieve following a simple procedure and using some easily obtainable

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tools.

Why grind your own nib?

Grinding a nib allows you to customize it to your own

specifications and liking, making the most of what is available to
you. Fountain pens with Italic options are a decided minority,
and the situation is likely to worsen: the recent demise of the
calligrapher's old friend, Osmiroid, is a grim reminder that the
possibilities available to the Italic enthusiast will only continue to
diminish. The mainstream fountain pen market is hardly a
growing one, with some large manufacturers experiencing
plummeting sales worldwide and facing an uncertain future.
Rumours are rife that future products will have fewer options;
one can expect Italic nibs - costly and labour-intensive to
produce, for what is after all a niche market - to be amongst the
first options to go. If it is any comfort, fountain pens will almost
certainly not vanish from the face of the earth, but a great many
will be available only with monoline nibs.

The main purpose of this article is, therefore, to demonstrate an

increasingly useful survival skill for the Italic enthusiast: creating
an Italic nib from a monoline one, following a six-step
procedure. By following three of the steps individually, one can
also grind a broad nib down to a finer size, creates an oblique
nib from a straight Italic or change its angle of obliqueness, or
sharpen a blunt nib. Each of the six tasks is given a descriptive
title.

Choosing a fountain pen - what is available?

There are two main types of fountain pen nibs: those which are
not tipped. and those which are tipped with a hard-wearing
metal (usually iridium). Most inexpensive fountain pens fall into
the first category. Without an iridium tip they do not last long
and may have to be sharpened frequently, particularly if one has
a heavy writing pressure. Pens with untipped Italic nibs include
Manuscript, and the calligraphy ranges by Pilot, Parker,
Sheaffer, Rotring (literally 'red ring'), and Lamy.

Pens with tipped Italic nibs are more costly. These nibs are
made of steel, gold plated steel, or solid gold (14 or 18K), and
generally tipped with iridium. Whether a nib is made of steel or
gold makes little, if any, difference to writing performance.
Where the difference lies is writing feel: steel nibs are generally
rigid, while gold nibs can either be flexible (e.g., Parker Sonnet,

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'75') or rigid (Parker Duofold, '51'). Some writers prefer flexible

nibs; I favour rigid nibs as they tend to produce a cleaner, more
defined writing line, and their ink flow is likely to be more
consistent. Two manufacturers which cater to the Italic writer's
needs are Sheaffer and Parker. Sheaffer has a stub nib for most
model ranges from the Triumph Imperial upwards, but these in
my experience are often imprecisely ground. Parker used to
have Italic nibs for most model ranges but this is true now only
of its flagship, the Duofold, whereas the Sonnet has a stub nib
option. (Technically, a stub nib is like an Italic, but with a less
sharp thick-thin contrast for smoother and more rapid writing.)

When buying a pen, it is always advisable first to ask about nib

options and to have your pen fitted with a factory-ground Italic
nib where possible. Larger authorized dealers usually have
several nibs in their exchange tray and you should ask to try as
many of these as you can. Because nibs are often finished by
hand, no two are exactly alike: one 'medium' may be broader
than another. Most manufacturers have a nib exchange service,
so if the dealer does not stock your desired nib, the pen can be
returned to be fitted with the right nib.

A nib should be ground only as a last resort, especially if you

have found a pen that writes superbly but does not have an
Italic nib. It should also be borne in mind that grinding a nib
privately may result in the manufacturer's warranty being
annulled. I recommend two high-quality and lasting but
affordable pens, the Parker Frontier and the Sheaffer Triumph
Imperial. The Parker is available in a range of finishes, with U.K.
prices from £9.99 to £19.99. The gold-plating on the nibs and
cap-clips of the more expensive models is of an exceptionally
high quality. The less easily obtainable Sheaffer is available in
the U.K. in only one finish - stainless steel cap and barrel,
without gold-plating - and costs £21. Both pens are superb
writers, but the Parker tends to dry- up after a fortnight or so of
non-use (even with the recommended Quink!), especially if
stored upright, while the Sheaffer unfailingly writes the first time
even after several months' neglect.

Both the Parker and the Sheaffer are sold with standard medium
monoline nibs, though the Parker has a broader point. The
Parker has an 'Italic' option, but this is too broad for everyday
writing, and better suited to calligraphy; it also has no iridium
tip. The Sheaffer is available with stub nibs and these should be
tried first as some may be quite excellent. The nibs are not
graded for size but range from medium to broad.

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If you decide to buy either pen to grind yourself, imagine a line

running across the widest point of the tip and assess for yourself
whether an Italic nib of that width is sufficient. If it is not, ask to
get the nib changed to a broader grade. If you normally use a
fine or extra-fine Italic nib, the standard medium monoline
should suffice; but if you prefer a medium or broad Italic, try to
get a broad or very broad nib. Remember that when you grind
an Italic nib from a monoline, you generally end up with a nib
one size smaller. However, left-handers will find that grinding
oblique nibs from standard ones gives them at least the same
width as the monoline - a rare instance where pens work to the
left-hander's favour! The Parker's iridium tip is longer and wider
than the Sheaffer's, and will actually yield a medium (or broad-
ish fine) Italic - it is therefore the obvious choice for writers
favouring a broader writing point, especially if a broad nib
cannot be obtained for either pen.

You may wish to try grinding these pens only after you have
gained experience and confidence. For a start you might like to
practice with an inexpensive pen. For L.K. members I
recommend Woolworth's Standard Cartridge Pen, or W.H.
Smith's Graduate Pen, both have iridium points and cost £2.99.
If you are buying other pens, make sure that these have
genuine tips, not ones that have been pinched into shape from
the same sheet of steel forming the nib.

GRINDING YOUR NIB

We can now undertake the task of grinding a nib. These are

some things you will need:

o Suitable fountain pen

o Grindstone (such as Rotring Arkansas stone)
o Crocus paper (or emery paper, grade 8/0)
o Powerful magnifying glass (but preferably a jeweler's 10 or
20x loupe)
o Razor blade (optional)
o Bottle of ink
o Jar or glass of clean water (cold or at room temperature)
o Cutting mat, or some other non-slip work surface
o Any writing paper you normally use
o Serviette, or some other smooth, lint-free tissue paper
o A steady hand!

The Arkansas stone is used for the initial, rougher grinding, and
the crocus paper (or emery paper) for smoothing and polishing.

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These are available from artists' or hardware shops, or from

Penmandirect at 1 Towneley Road West, Longridge, Lancashire
PR3 3AB; tel./fax: 01772-784 444. A cutting mat will help to
hold the Arkansas stone in place when grinding, and raise it to
an ideal height when you are flattening the underside of the nib.
A razor blade will help to clear away any shavings lodged in the
slit in the nib during grinding, and can also be used to widen the
slit to improve ink flow. It would be useful to have some writing
paper to use as a 'progress sheet' to track the changes in the
writing line at each stage of grinding. This should be paper that
you are familiar with, so you can more meaningfully compare
the performance of your ~ new nib against others you have
used. It is best to work under a strong rather than subdued light
as you will have to inspect your efforts from time to time.

Preparing the pen

If you are working on a pen that has been filled with ink, expel
the ink, soak the nib to remove any excess ink and ink
sediments (which fill the inner recesses of the feed and
collector), and allow the pen to dry. It is preferable to work on
the pen with the nib fitted onto the barrel, but with the cap left
off, as this will give you better control when grinding.

Now immerse the dry nib in a bottle of ink for about two
seconds, then remove the nib and bleed off any excess ink along
the inner mouth of the bottle. You will now be able to write with
the pen as if it has been filled with ink. On your progress sheet
write a few words, such as The quick brown fox jumps over the
lazy dog, as well as some crosses and zig-zags. This is how the
pen writes in its monoline form. (Leave some space around your
lines, because when the grinding is completed you may wish to
write in that space to contrast the way your new Italic nib 'rites
with the way it did before.) Now rinse off the ink in the jar of
water, and wipe the nib dry with a serviette.

Before proceeding to grind your nib, do bear this important point

in mind: always grind your nib little by little, because what you
have taken away, you cannot put back. The key - especially
during the 'decisive' stages of grinding which will determine how
your new nib will write - is to stop and check your progress after
every two or three strokes on the Arkansas stone or crocus
paper.

Understanding the shape of an Italic nib

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The object of grinding your nib is to end up with a chisel.

Looking from the side, your Italic nib should look as in Fig. la
(not strictly a chisel) or 1b:

Fig. Ib is more difficult to grind but will produce finer hairlines

and continue to write sharply for longer. Calligraphers often
sharpen dip-nibs before use to achieve a maximum thick-thin
contrast; this can also be done with fountain pens when their
nibs become blunt. This process will be described later (as Step
5). A nib ground as in Fig. Ib writes more sharply because the
angled edge means that a smaller area of the nib is in contact
with the paper. Conversely, it would be wrong to grind the nib
as below because too much of the edge is in contact with the
paper, resulting in unsatisfactory hairlines:

Looking down upon your nib, your pen should have a flat (not
rounded) writing edge, which can be straight, or left- or right-
oblique:

A left-oblique nib is used by left-handers who write with the

hand below the writing line. A straight nib is used by right-
handers, as well as left-handers writing with the hand above the
writing line. A right-oblique may be preferred by writers who find
that a straight nib does not suit their hand; many vintage pens
and some older dip-nibs for calligraphy are cut slightly right-
oblique.

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STEP 1: FLATTENING THE BASE OF THE NIB

The first step is to flatten the base of the tip. We wish to take
away the shaded area below:

The base should be ground as horizontally as possible, not at an

angle, because a horizontal base minimizes contact with the
paper, giving a sharper hairline:

Place the Arkansas stone flat on the cutting mat, and align it to
one edge. Hold the pen with your palm facing downwards, and
with the base of the nib's tip resting on the Arkansas stone.
Press upon the top of the nib section with your forefinger to
apply pressure while grinding. Begin grinding the base with short
left-to-right motions, with only your elbow resting on the table
and acting as a pivot of movement. The following illustrates this
from your point of view:

Grinding with short strokes makes it easier to keep the pen at a

constant angle. In the beginning you may use a moderate to
heavy pressure to flatten the base. but as you get to the

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'decisive stage' of the grinding, when the nib is assuming its

final shape, you should release your pressure to a light to
moderate pressure to avoid over-grinding it. At this stage it
\would help to apply a drop of water on the Arkansas stone to
act as a lubricant (or, simply dip the nib in water).

When you have reached (as your unaided eye suggests) the end
of this grinding process, rinse the nib in water to get rid of any
metal shavings, and wipe it dry with the serviette. Placing the
nib against a light background, and with the tip of the nib
illuminated by the table-lamp, use your magnifying glass (avoid
staring into the lamp) to check that the base is completely flat,
and not wavy. If the nib is unsatisfactory, repeat the grinding
process as above.

There are two good reasons for avoiding excessively heavy

grinding pressure. One is the danger of breaking the iridium tip
off from the nib, a very real risk if you are working on an older
pen. The other is that the tines of the nib will flex under heavy
pressure, resulting in a wavy, uneven base. This most seriously
affects highly flexible gold nibs, but the rigid steel nibs of the
Parker and Sheaffer are rather less susceptible. Nevertheless, a
lighter pressure is always well advised since the changes to your
nib will come about more gradually, and costly mistakes brought
about by enthusiastic over-grinding can be avoided.

STEP 2: FLATENING THE TOP

This is performed in exactly the same way as in Step 1 above,

except of course that the pen is now facing downwards upon the
grinding surface. As the top gets flatter, continue grinding it at a
slight angle towards the writing edge. Your nib should look thus:

STEP 3: FLATTENING THE WRITING EDGE (OR,

ACHIEVING, OR CHANGING, AN OBLIQUE ANGLE)

The object of this step is to wear down the rounded protrusion,

shown as the shaded area in Fig. 8a below, to achieve a square
tip or writing edge as in 8b:

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This is the trickiest step of the grinding because of the difficulty

in keeping the pen upright and at a constant angle to the
Arkansas stone. Hold the pen upright with your thumb,
forefinger and middle finger, with your wrist resting (on the
table, but again with your elbow - as the pivot of movement.
Grind only in one direction - that of a broad down stroke - using
light to moderate pressure, applying a drop of water on the
Arkansas stone to smooth the action. If the top of the nib faces
you, then you will be grinding with the pen moving away from
you. The pen should be held completely vertically if you are
grinding a straight Italic, but at an appropriate angle to achieve
an oblique edge:

As in Steps 1 and 2, release the pressure when you find that you
are getting your desired edge. The time to stop is when you
have both tines perfectly straight and aligned, and the writing
edge has met both the flattened top and base to create a square
chisel. Check the result with the magnifying glass, after having
rinsed and wiped the nib. Ensure that the corners are square,
not rounded:

You have now finally created your chisel edge and your nib has a
generally Italic I, form. After inking your nib, try \writing on the
progress sheet, beginning with crosses and zig-zags, then whole
words. Your nib will be very scratchy, especially on upstrokes,

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and you should use only a very light writing pressure to avoid
pulling fibres out from the paper and jamming the nib. Check
that the writing line is clean and consistent (not jagged at the
sides), and that the nib is writing at an angle suitable to your
hand (i.e., straight or oblique). You will now have a fairly good
idea of how the finished nib will write. However, if you find the
nib too broad, you can grind it to a finer width following Step 4
below.

STEP 4 (OPTIONAL): GRINDING A NIB DOWN TO A FINER

WIDTH

A nib can be made finer by grinding down both sides of the nib.
The pen should be held as in Steps 1 and 2, but with the nib
now resting on its side on the Arkansas stone:

As in Step 3, grind the nib in the direction of a downstroke. Use

roughly the same pressure and number of strokes for either side
of the nib. After every few strokes, ink your nib and writing a
few words to check that the width is correct.

Having now ground your nib to an ideal width, you will probably
wish to sharpen your nib further to ensure that it writes sharply
for longer, following Step 5 below. However, this process is not
strictly necessary and you can choose to do so only when your
nib gets blunt, or when you have gained confidence and
experience in grinding your own nibs.

STEP 5 (OPTIONAL): SHARPENING THE CHISEL POINT (OR,

SHARPENING A BLUNT NIB)

This is done by holding the pen at a constant angle of

approximately 30 degrees. from the horizontal and with the nib
facing downwards, and dragging the pen along the Arkansas
stone in long strokes. You should begin grinding with moderate
pressure. As the grinding nears completion, however, use a light
pressure.

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This is admittedly a very delicate process as it is extremely

difficult to grind both tines equally, thus making a light grinding
pressure necessary when the nib is taking shape. Check your
results with the magnifying glass after every two or three
strokes. You should end up with a sharpened chisel, as follows:

Your nib is now almost ready for writing. But first its rough
edges will have to be polished off before it becomes smooth
enough for everyday use.

STEP 6: POLISHING/SMOOTHING YOUR NIB

Having flattened each side of your nib and sharpened the chisel,
your nib will have many sharp edges that cut into the paper and
pull fibres out from it. Smoothing the nib is an extremely
delicate and sensitive process, requiring a gentle touch and the
use of crocus or emery paper. Indeed, the pressure you should
use is as light as could be: the weight of the pen itself, with your
hand guiding it along and applying very light pressure. The
purpose of smoothing is not to make vast changes to the writing
line: heavy-handed and excessive smoothing will dull the nib's
currently superb thick-thin definition. Some of this definition will
inevitably be lost through smoothing, but using very light
pressure can minimize this. It is up to the writer to choose a
satisfactory compromise between thick-thin contrast and
smoothness of writing - some writers prefer a sharper contrast,
while others (especially those who write hea\ily or rapidly)
favour a pen that glides effortlessly across the paper.

The first task is to smooth both corners of the nib. This is done
by dragging the I nib on its side and on each tine, beginning
with the pen almost horizontal to the crocus paper and gradually

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pulling it upright, applying light pressure as it I rounds the

corner. The left and right tines should be ground equally. Guard
against excessive grinding, which will result in your nib
becoming finer than you desire.

The next task is to smooth the chisel edge. Holding the pen as
horizontally to the crocus paper as possible, and with the nib
facing upwards and resting flat on the crocus paper, pull the pen
gradually upright. Some very light pressure may be useful when
the pen is upright:

Next, repeat the above, but now with the nib facing downwards:

Now, you should round off each corner of the bottom writing
edge by placing the pen on each corner, and making a few very
light sweeping motions on the crocus paper, each time moving
in a different direction. This is difficult to illustrate accurately but
the following figures will show the difference between an
undesirable sharp corner (Fig. 17a) and the desired smoothed
one (Fig. 17b):

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Your pen is now very nearly ready for writing, having undergone
the preliminary stage of smoothing to remove the most
offending rough edges. Using the razor blade, clear away any
metal shavings that may have become lodged in the slit between
the tines. (You are strongly advised to skip this step if you find it
too risky.) Carefully introduce the razor blade at an angle into
the slit, from the top of the nib (not the bottom writing edge as
even more roughness will result), guide it slowly downwards,
then upwards, and slide it out gently:

Rinse the nib in water and dry it on the serviette, then ink the
nib, taking care to remove any excess ink. Now write a few
words on your progress sheet with the pen. You will notice that
the nib is very much smoother than before.

However, you will wish to remove any minor roughness that

remains. This is the second stage of smoothing, in effect a
'trouble-shooting' stage where you will be writing with your pen
in different directions and held at different angles, alternating
between the writing paper and crocus paper. As the crocus
paper is best kept dry, rinse your nib and dry it with the
serviette. Now write several 'phantom' words on the paper - this
will identify the strokes that are still scratchy. Moving on to the
crocus paper, write the same words very lightly, tracing in
particular the same scratchy strokes to polish away any rough
edges. You should write much larger than normal as this would
help to magnify) - the trouble spots. You will find the pushed
broad strokes producing some roughness, especially the tails of
such letters as f and g. In fact you should choose test words
containing these elements. My favourite is Pfingsten, meaning
'Whitsun' in German, which I write in minuscule's and with
exaggerated descenders and an overhead ligature between sand

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t. Other test words are suggested below:

Other useful test patterns include an upright figure-of-eight (and

a flourish of I similar shape), a swash capital G, and a thin line
going back and forth:

The above test words and patterns should be written on the

paper several times and with normal writing pressure to help
you identical the problematic, scratchy strokes. Switching to the
crocus paper, trace the same strokes and patterns, but with
much lighter pressure, to polish off any roughness. You should
perform these tests \while holding your pen at your usual angle
to the paper, but intermittently also with your pen more or less
upright than normal: this will ensure that your pen writes
consistently smoothly within the minor variations in pen hold
that occur in daily writing. Any roughness that remains at this
stage will come mainly from the slit in the nib, the writing edge,
or the comers of the nib. The test patterns shown in Fig. 20
above will smooth out any roughness in the slit or the writing
edge, while the procedure relating to Figs. 17a and b will help
polish the comers. Repeat any of the above from Fig. 14 on
towards as necessary to identify and remove any remaining
roughness - while remembering to use very light pressure.

The smoothing process is finished when you feel that your pen is
sufficiently smooth to write with, while giving you a satisfactory
thick-thin contrast. The final stage of polishing is really when
you begin using the pen regularly and the nib gradually gets
worn or run in - much like the engine of a new car - in time
shaping itself to your hand. Once you are satisfied with your nib,
rinse it in water, wipe it dry, and proceed to fill the pen with ink.

FINALLY, you can now begin writing with your newly-ground

Italic nib! Write your first words with your pen, on its own ink
supply, at the start of your progress sheet: the contrast between

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how it writes now and before should be clearly evident. It is

hoped that you will have much success in your efforts, and that
your pens will give you many years of writing pleasure.

NOTES
After any of Steps 3-5, you must smooth your nib via Step 6.
I am grateful to Mr Leong Khoon Kinfor introducing to me this
invaluable skill, and for his guidance. I also thank fellow Italic
enthusiasts for whom I have ground nibs for their helpful and
encouraging feedback.
Any feedback, suggestions and advice will be most gratefully
received.
Please write either to Writing Matters, or to me at: Ludwig A.-K.
Tan, Emmanuel College, Cambridge CB23AP, U.K.; E-mail:
[email protected]

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