Editing The Pen Addict 164/transcript (section)

== Architect Nib ==


'''Myke Hurley:''' Mm-hmm.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' So, it went so long. And here I was before last week's episode thinking it was going to go short. I don't know if you remember me saying that before the episode started. But it, we didn't get to it. So, I had to cut it out last episode. So, we're taking it right up front this time, Myke. And so, let me get into a few of these questions that I've been owing answers for for weeks. Everyone, please keep sending these in via Twitter. Hashtag is AskTPA. And just send those in. We get the questions. I pick out a few of them to answer. I can't get to all of them. Some of them I'll answer straight on Twitter. Some of them I'll pull off and ask to the show. But always keep them coming. And if I don't get to answer your question, hit me again. I'm glad to answer questions all the time, anytime. So, let's hit it. Would a stub nib be appropriate for an architect who only uses block lettering in the office? What about an architect nibgrind? This is from SacMagpie on Twitter. So, I think the stub nib would be really good. I think it might even be preferable.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' The architect nib, from the times that I've used it, has been hit or miss a little bit. And the angle that you hold the pen, it's a little bit more finicky than a stub. It's not as straightforward because it's exactly 90 degrees angle changed in how you write. The output might be better. It's getting used to writing with it. That would be the challenge. The output might be more directly, you know, drafting, engineering, architect related. And it's funny that we held this off till this week. Our friend Myke Dudek, who we already talked about, just got his vanishing point with an architect nib. And he made it look spectacular. So, now I'm going to have to get one of these. And I'm already talking to Dan Smith, who did Myke's nib grind on his vanishing point. The results look spectacular. So, I'm picking out a pen now. And I'm going to get this done. Just because I've seen it so many times. I have the same handwriting style as Myke Dudek. So, I think it would work well for me. I've just, you know, it's just one of those. It's just one more thing do I need. And I think I'm finally ready to make the jump and get me an architect nib grind.

'''Myke Hurley:''' People were going crazy over these in Atlanta.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. Jeff has one that he uses a lot.

'''Myke Hurley:''' I babysat it for him while Masayama was doing it. Because he had to go deal with some baby related things.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah, exactly. And then two or three other people got them done while we were sitting there at the show from Myke Masayama. Because we were like catty corner from Myke. So, we could see him going and people were telling us what they were getting done. And Masayama even said a thing. He said something to the result of, look what you guys did. He did kind of thing. And so, it was kind of funny. But would it be appropriate for an architect? I mean, by the sounds of it, you think it would be ideal. But I think it's a really... I want to say it's almost unnatural in the way you write with it. But you have to get used to it. So, I almost think a stub nib would be a little bit better, to be perfectly honest with you. You can get... Or a cursive italic nib. You can get the same style of writing. The lines, width, and thicknesses will just be opposite from each other. So, all right. Justin R. Bannon says, I'd love some show content about buying things online without testing or sampling products compared with a shop front.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' That's actually a really good question.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah. I don't know why we've never spoken about this before.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. And so, you know, I don't necessarily have, you know, a black and white answer. But it's kind of the reason why I started my blog, right? And, you know, coming up in November, I'll be doing this blog for eight years. And the reason I started putting this stuff online was I couldn't find those answers.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yep.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' You know, I was going through what Justin is, assuming, going through now. He's like, well, I see all this stuff. I don't know what's going to work well for me. I mean, I hate to say it, but you kind of got to go through. You got to kind of read a lot online. You know, look at all the pen blogs that have proliferated over the years. You know, look at a site like Pentaquad, who is Ian Hedley's kind of search aggregator for the pen community. If you're thinking about a type of pen, throw a search in there. See all the pen blogs that have reviewed it. Kind of get a feel, and then, like, you'll hear from me, who talks about, okay, I write in a print block style lettering. These pens work well for me. You know, Anna at Well Appointed Desk is a lefty with a little bit of a hook. These pens work good for her. And you can kind of see who fits your style the best. And then you can have a little bit more trust in what they're saying might be a better fit for you. And then you can try a couple things and find out for yourself. There's so much content out there these days. And using a site like Pentaquad.net to narrow it down, you know, pick one or two pens, throw in a search, read some of the results, and go from there. There's no easy answer. But the content's there, and, you know, you just got to go out there and read that. Our friend Tony Scullambrini from Everyday Commentary, he asks, Can you compare the durability and fit and finish of an Edison to a Twisby? This is a super interesting question. Because you cannot compare them one iota. Nope. They are not even remotely similar pens. And I say it's interesting because I actually think this is probably a common question that no one has asked. Why, you know, why is an Edison pen, you know, $140? And why is a Twisby pen, you know, $60? And, you know, it's not necessarily by price. But what makes Twisby this and what makes Edison what it is?