Editing The Pen Addict 660/transcript (section)

== Introduction of questions about custom nib grinds ==

* I was recently introduced. Oh, this is actually, we have two questions. I'm going to read two that are similar here. So from Daniel says, I was recently introduced into this beautiful, engaging world of fountain pens, inks, and everything in between. My question is about custom nib grinds. Are there certain nib grinds that work better for certain nibs? Does it matter? For instance, a medium nib ground to an architect versus an extra fine nib, or a broad ground nib into a cursive italic versus a fine nib ground into a cursive italic. Does the material of the nib matter? Say gold versus steel. What should I look for and consider in a custom nib grind? So hold that thought, because we also have a question from Mac.
* Very, very similar. I still feel like a new guy in the fountain pen community and was wondering if you could explain what a nib grind is, or if you already talked about it where I could find out about nib grinds. My favorite print right now is a Pilot Metropolitan with a nib. Wanting to know if that is an italic nib and or a calligraphy nib. Thanks for reading, Mac. So similar questions.
* Mac, a little bit more like, hey, let's really start at 101. And Daniel, maybe like right there above that. So when you, when someone asks you about a nib grind, is there a place that you even start with this? I do. So I use my hands to describe what a nib looks like. And without being able to show you on a podcast, basically, I describe to them as it's like the tipping is like a ball most of the time. And by the way, apologies to all the nib grinders out there that I'm sure I'm going to be butchering all of the nib terms. This is my every week. Every week. Yeah.
* It's like you have a ball that you're working with and that's your standard nib. Now, the bigger the ball, the broader the nib. So the little teeny tiny ball will be an extra fine, you know, to a double broad. Maybe you have a very big round tipping. Obviously, there are exceptions. Like some double broads are more, have a different shape. But let's just assume for now that they're all round. When you start to grind it, you change the shape from round to something that could be an extremely sharp rectangle. So those would be typically your cursive italic where your down strokes are broader than your left and right horizontal strokes. Or it might be more of a rounded, what I would call a capsule shape. So it's no longer a circle, but instead of sharp corners on the edges, you have more of a rounded shape. Those would be things like a cursive italic or a stub. You'll still get a similar line variation where the down stroke is broader than the cross stroke. Turn that around 90 degrees and you have, wait, 90? Sorry. Yeah. Yeah. No. Yes. Yes. Yes. Turn that 90 degrees. And now you have something that's more akin to what an architect can do where the down stroke is skinnier and your cross strokes are broader. And these are very generic terms. And obviously, a nib grinder can make it work to your specific angles. And, you know, if you rotate your nibs, et cetera. But, you know, that's kind of in a nutshell what they're doing to a nib. They're changing it from that round shape to something shaped a little bit differently to give you more line variation. So that's sort of how I typically start. Yep. Yep. And that's great. So let's tackle some of the specifics now. We'll break these down a little bit more. So I'll take one part of Daniel's here. Are there certain nib grinds that work better for certain nibs? Does it matter? It does. And the reason is, like Kimberly was explaining, the difference in the tipping on the very small extra fine nib versus the larger tipping on a broad nib. If you want something like an architect nib, you're not going to get the effect of that nib grind as much on a small nib as you are on a large nib. Right. So almost no one's getting an architect grind on an extra fine nib if a nib grinder would even do that because it's kind of pointless. You're losing any line variation that you're trying to acquire by paying for this grind. And in having like a small nib, that platform is so much smaller for the architect grind. It doesn't, you know, when we look at these nibs, like we can tell a difference just with our own eyes. And yeah, they're like one's bigger than the other, but it doesn't seem like they're that big. But when a nib grinder gets a hold of like broad tipping, that's a huge platform for them to do their work. Right. Totally agree. Yeah. The bigger, I won't say the bigger, the better, depending on the nib, but it allows the nib grinder to do what they do best. And that's shape the nib into something that's going to work for you. So they can even take that down like pretty far into like something finer for you. But yet generally, especially for like your cursive italics, your architects, anything that has a wider line variation, you want to start with a broader nib. Like medium and up and probably broad enough, to be quite honest. So, and I'll ask you, Kimberly, does the material of the nib matter, say 14K versus 18K versus steel? So, what do you think? In my experience as a not nib grinder, but knowing a lot of people who are and having my own nibs ground by them, it does not seem to matter what the material is. It's more about how much material there is to grind with. And back to your point about the nib size. One of the things that I can speak about personal experience working for Franks and Kristoff at the shows is that we do an extra fine SIG, which is our stub italic gradient. Audrey Madison grounds those beautifully. We do an extra fine on our number six nibs, but we don't do an extra fine SIG on the number five nibs because of exactly what you said. The tipping, it's just so small and so little, it's almost not worth getting. So, we don't even bother with an extra fine SIG on the number fives. Yep. Yep. So, that makes sense. And lastly, Mac, we kind of answered a little bit of your questions in there, but Mac is saying their favorite pen right now is a Pilot Metropolitan. I'm wanting to know if it's an italic nib or a calligraphy nib. It's probably neither. I don't think the Metro comes with the CM, which is Pilot's cursive, does it? They used to actually have several with them, with the CM nibs. And also, you can get the CM nibs on like their Plymix and on a variety of other, you know, pen models that use that same steel nib. And it is more of an italic than it is a stub. So, I do cringe a little when people say, oh, it's a stub. And it's like, no, it's actually way too scratchy to be a stub.
* And I'm not entirely sure what Mac was asking with respect to calligraphy nib because there are so many different types of calligraphy that it's hard for me to figure out what they mean. But assuming they mean an italic style of calligraphy, then yes, it is more that. Yeah, it's in that ballpark. It's not as. And it's not a flexible nib at all, obviously. Yeah. And it's not as extreme as like a classic calligraphy nib would be. But their Pilot's steel CM nibs are fantastic. That's italic nib. So, Mac, you can look on the nib. There'll be a little marking.
* And it should say CM on there in between the little brackets. If not, it'll say, I think they do fine and medium in Metropolitans.
* Yes. Maybe some extra fines. But it'll say FM or CM. And CM would be the italic size. All right. We have a lot more questions to get to. But let's take us to our first ad break of this wonderful episode. And let's hear from our friends over at Kenro Industries. This episode of The Pen Addict is brought to you by Estabrook. If you're looking for a pen and accessory set that's playful, thoughtful, and beautifully crafted for everyday use, look no further than Estabrook.
* Estabrook relaunched in 2018, breathing a whole new life into an already iconic American writing brand. Since the relaunch, Estabrook have focused on beautifully crafted products that blend heritage with modern storytelling. They're known for creative materials, clever packaging, and meaningful collaborations that speak directly to writers, journalers, and pen lovers. And their newest launch is a collaboration with Helen of the Coffee Monsters Co. Helen is known for her whimsical illustrations and global journaling community. For this collaboration, Estabrook and Helen of the Coffee Monsters Co. have created a special edition Estee fountain pen. The Estee is presented in cafe latte-inspired resin, exclusive to this release. It features a custom blended grip and ring section for a tonal and textural touch unique to this edition. And the pen includes a specially engraved emoti nib, also designed just for this collection. It's packaged in a beautifully designed box featuring exclusive artwork and a sticker sheet designed by Helen herself. So I've been lucky to have this pen in hand for a couple of weeks. I've been lucky to know about this pen for a month or more. And I could not be more excited for what Estabrook has done here in collaboration with Helen. I'm a super fan. I've got to, you know, meet and become friends with Helen over the past year, meeting at Stationery Fest last year in Brooklyn. Helen, I love her aesthetic. The colors they picked out for this pen are spectacular. The resin and the cream color barrel and the coffee colored resin is just spectacular. I love the emoti nib, Helen's little hand-drawn characters that feature in a lot of her artwork and stickers and everything. I'm a super fan of the blotter paper that came with this, comes with this collaboration. Y'all know I love blotter paper. And I just could not be more excited. This is one of my favorite pen releases in quite a long time. Yes, I'm biased because I already love Helen and the coffee monsters and everything that she does over there. So I love this. They did a fantastic job. And I've thoroughly been enjoying this pen since I've had it. And now you can get yours too. So you can also grab some items that complement this new Estee perfectly. Like the coordinating coffee monsters co ink, a warm brown blend perfect for this pen. Or how about a set of blotter papers to round out your writing experience. All designed with Helen's art and everyday journaling in mind. This special Estee edition pen will be available to buy beginning April 9th. Just visit esterbrookpens.com to get yours. That's esterbrookpens.com to grab your special edition coffee monsters co pen from April 9th. Our thanks to Estabrook for their support of this show and all of Relay. All right, Kimberly. Another double question from the listeners of the show. And this is a topic I just haven't been able to get to for the past few weeks. And I thought this was a perfect time to approach this. So Wayne and Leslie both sent in a similar question. Hello, Brad. Hope that you're well. I have some news for the show. So Nibs.com has lost their distributor rights for Nakaya in the USA. So let's just leave it right there. So that's kind of the emails and the first notifications that I started getting here in the past few weeks concerning news about Nibs.com. But it's actually much bigger and broader than just the Nakaya contract. Nibs.com actually filed for bankruptcy early in 2024. So the best thing I can do is point listeners to a couple of documents or a couple of links that were shared with me both on Reddit. So there's a conversation around the Nibs.com bankruptcy. And then there's a page listing their bankruptcy documentation that was officially filed. But the problem with this scenario that is, you know, for listeners of this show is that they didn't tell anybody.