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#1
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Nib polishing with a copper penny
Here's a safe, easy, simply way to polish your nibs. As always, try
this on a junker first. Get an old copper penny (pre-1982) and turn it obverse side up on some paper. The obverse has the Lincoln memorial. The columns of the memorial make an excellent polishing surface. Zinc pennies aren't as hard and don't work so well. There are two ways to polish a nib with this surface. The first way will polish horizontally to the nib, and the second vertically. The first way is best, but the second way is also useful and necessary to ensure an even polish. For the first way, position the penny with the columns vertical so they form a ladder. Hold the pen perpendicular to the ladder at a steep 45 degree angle (or whatever angle you use in writing) and rund the nib lightly over the ladder a few hundred times. Apply no pressure whatever, unless the pen is unusually light; most pens are heavy enough to supply enough pressure from their own weight. It is best to polish with the pen inked, so you can check your progress. Have some paper towelling handy to clear excess ink from the penny. Also lightly touch the nib to the towelling after each polishing sequence to clear excess ink from the nib. For the second way, rotate the penny until the ladder of the columns is horizontal, and run the nib from left to right over the ladder (NOT from right to left or you will damage the tines). If you are left-handed, hold the nib with your left hand instead, and run the nib from right to left. Repeat the action several hundred times, applying no pressure. Of course, this technique will not make a scratchy nib smooth if the tines are out of alignment, but if they are in alignment (see my other posts on this topic) this polishing with a penny can create a mirror-smooth finish within 10 minutes or so, and is much safer for beginners than the sandpaper-with-water method. A note on tine alignment: In a previous post I was scolded for using nail-clippers to align tines. I admit that tweezers are safer, even if less precise. I believe that such things as rubber-padded tweezers exist, and these might be best of all for working on expensive pens. But fingers are too clumsy for this, especially if the nib is slightly splayed, and one of the tines must be bent inwards or outwards to achieve correct ink flow. For beginners an even better method to raise tines is to simply put the nib to a stack of paper, and rotate the nib slightly, to the left if the lower tine is on the left, and to the right if the lower tine is on the right. Then VERY GENTLY push down SLIGHTLY.This method is at least as accurate as visually inspecting the tines or even my //// \\\\ method, because some nibs seem to actually work better with one tine slightly lower (typically the left tine for right-handed people, the right tine for left-handed people). You will notice at once when you have the tines aligned for your own writing style - there will be a marvelous increase in smoothness. At first you may have to tinker with the pen for several hours to achieve exactly the right tine alignment, but with a little practice (and perhaps several ruined pens) you can do this in five minutes.. If the tines are bent too far up, there will more ink flow (until they splay, when no ink flow will be present at all), whereas if they are bent too low, ink flow will be too little. For the former case, simply turn the pen over so the top of the nib is against the paper, and press gently. for the latter case, put the nib to the paper in normal writing position, and press down gently. |
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#2
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Nib polishing with a copper penny
virgiliopoeta wrote:
For beginners an even better method to raise tines is to simply put the nib to a stack of paper, and rotate the nib slightly, to the left if the lower tine is on the left, and to the right if the lower tine is on the right. Then VERY GENTLY push down SLIGHTLY.This method is at least as accurate as visually inspecting the tines.... Who else recommends aligning tines this way? I would never attempt work on a nib without first visually inspecting it. I've never heard anyone or read anything recommending aligning tines without first visually inspecting them. ... some nibs seem to actually work better with one tine slightly lower (typically the left tine for right-handed people, the right tine for left- handed people). You will notice at once when you have the tines aligned for your own writing style - there will be a marvelous increase in smoothness. ... If either tine is even slightly lower than the other, the nib is going to feel scratchy regardless of handedness. That's because the nib travels in many different directions (not just one direction) during writing regardless of which hand you use to write (unless, of course, all you do is draw straight lines all of which go from left-to-right or right-to-left). If the left tine is lower than the right tine, the left tine will dig into the paper and create a very unpleasant, scratchy feel on left-to-right strokes regardless of which hand you use to effect that stroke. If the right tine is lower than the left tine, the right tine will dig into the paper (thus creating a very scratchy feel) on right to left strokes. Doesn't matter what hand you write with. How can an out-of-alignment nib ever write smoother than a properly aligned nib given that a nib travels in many different directions during normal writing? I'm very interested in hearing your thoughts on this. -- B |
#3
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Nib polishing with a copper penny
Oh, thank you, that is fantastic and works so well. I always wanted to
know a simple and safe way to smooth a nib and now thanks you to you I have found a method. Thanks so much for sharing this information. "virgiliopoeta" wrote in message oups.com... Here's a safe, easy, simply way to polish your nibs. As always, try this on a junker first. Get an old copper penny (pre-1982) and turn it obverse side up on some paper. The obverse has the Lincoln memorial. The columns of the memorial make an excellent polishing surface. Zinc pennies aren't as hard and don't work so well. There are two ways to polish a nib with this surface. The first way will polish horizontally to the nib, and the second vertically. The first way is best, but the second way is also useful and necessary to ensure an even polish. For the first way, position the penny with the columns vertical so they form a ladder. Hold the pen perpendicular to the ladder at a steep 45 degree angle (or whatever angle you use in writing) and rund the nib lightly over the ladder a few hundred times. Apply no pressure whatever, unless the pen is unusually light; most pens are heavy enough to supply enough pressure from their own weight. It is best to polish with the pen inked, so you can check your progress. Have some paper towelling handy to clear excess ink from the penny. Also lightly touch the nib to the towelling after each polishing sequence to clear excess ink from the nib. For the second way, rotate the penny until the ladder of the columns is horizontal, and run the nib from left to right over the ladder (NOT from right to left or you will damage the tines). If you are left-handed, hold the nib with your left hand instead, and run the nib from right to left. Repeat the action several hundred times, applying no pressure. Of course, this technique will not make a scratchy nib smooth if the tines are out of alignment, but if they are in alignment (see my other posts on this topic) this polishing with a penny can create a mirror-smooth finish within 10 minutes or so, and is much safer for beginners than the sandpaper-with-water method. A note on tine alignment: In a previous post I was scolded for using nail-clippers to align tines. I admit that tweezers are safer, even if less precise. I believe that such things as rubber-padded tweezers exist, and these might be best of all for working on expensive pens. But fingers are too clumsy for this, especially if the nib is slightly splayed, and one of the tines must be bent inwards or outwards to achieve correct ink flow. For beginners an even better method to raise tines is to simply put the nib to a stack of paper, and rotate the nib slightly, to the left if the lower tine is on the left, and to the right if the lower tine is on the right. Then VERY GENTLY push down SLIGHTLY.This method is at least as accurate as visually inspecting the tines or even my //// \\\\ method, because some nibs seem to actually work better with one tine slightly lower (typically the left tine for right-handed people, the right tine for left-handed people). You will notice at once when you have the tines aligned for your own writing style - there will be a marvelous increase in smoothness. At first you may have to tinker with the pen for several hours to achieve exactly the right tine alignment, but with a little practice (and perhaps several ruined pens) you can do this in five minutes.. If the tines are bent too far up, there will more ink flow (until they splay, when no ink flow will be present at all), whereas if they are bent too low, ink flow will be too little. For the former case, simply turn the pen over so the top of the nib is against the paper, and press gently. for the latter case, put the nib to the paper in normal writing position, and press down gently. |
#4
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Nib polishing with a copper penny
virgiliopoeta wrote:
: Here's a safe, easy, simply way to polish your nibs. As always, try : this on a junker first. : Get an old copper penny (pre-1982) and turn it obverse side up on some : paper. The obverse has the Lincoln memorial. The columns of the Slight correction: the obverse is the side with Lincoln's head; the reverse is the side with the memorial. Of the efficacy of the procedure, I make no judgment. -- Al B. Wesolowsky o NC: "This is MY kinda road!" Boston University o KE: "Wow, you really are Neal Cassady!" --Kid Eternity |
#5
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Nib polishing with a copper penny
BL a écrit :
virgiliopoeta wrote: For beginners an even better method to raise tines is to simply put the nib to a stack of paper, and rotate the nib slightly, to the left if the lower tine is on the left, and to the right if the lower tine is on the right. Then VERY GENTLY push down SLIGHTLY.This method is at least as accurate as visually inspecting the tines.... Who else recommends aligning tines this way? I would never attempt work on a nib without first visually inspecting it. I've never heard anyone or read anything recommending aligning tines without first visually inspecting them. ... some nibs seem to actually work better with one tine slightly lower (typically the left tine for right-handed people, the right tine for left- handed people). You will notice at once when you have the tines aligned for your own writing style - there will be a marvelous increase in smoothness. ... If either tine is even slightly lower than the other, the nib is going to feel scratchy regardless of handedness. That's because the nib travels in many different directions (not just one direction) during writing regardless of which hand you use to write (unless, of course, all you do is draw straight lines all of which go from left-to-right or right-to-left). If the left tine is lower than the right tine, the left tine will dig into the paper and create a very unpleasant, scratchy feel on left-to-right strokes regardless of which hand you use to effect that stroke. If the right tine is lower than the left tine, the right tine will dig into the paper (thus creating a very scratchy feel) on right to left strokes. Doesn't matter what hand you write with. How can an out-of-alignment nib ever write smoother than a properly aligned nib given that a nib travels in many different directions during normal writing? I'm very interested in hearing your thoughts on this. -- B First, I must apologize for not replying directly to you in the previous thread, but I get an error message most of the time when I try to reply. Your theory sounds very logical and indeed perfect to me, and I always assumed that the tines should be on an exact level, but experience has taught me different. Perhaps some writers prefer to hold the pen at a slight angle vis-a-vis the tines, or perhaps some styles of writing encourage this. I would say that a 'properly aligned nib' is whatever feels smoothest to the individual writer. I would be interested to know how the mechanics adjusted tines in the old days. Did they use a loupe? Or did they just adjust the tines until the nib felt smoothest on paper? I suspect the latter. After all, time was at a premium, and results, not theory, were what would impress a demanding customer in a store, who was accustomed to high writing quality even in cheap pens. Today of course, unbelievably bad-writing but very expensive pens are commonplace in the market.. |
#6
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Nib polishing with a copper penny
Aw shucks...
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#7
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Nib polishing with a copper penny
(second post to BL, hope the first got through)
Your point about left vs right handers is interesting. You can almost always tell if a pen has been used by a leftie, as the wear will be on the side opposite to that of a rightie. I had a hyper-smooth old Marlowe like this, that I (a rightie) couldn't use because it wrote only if turned half-way over on its side. I'm not sure, but maybe this will have an effect on how the nib should be adjusted. I know that there are such things as left-handed pens, but perhaps only for italics? |
#8
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Nib polishing with a copper penny
Thanks. I know the difference, but not always when I first get up in
the morning... |
#9
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Nib polishing with a copper penny
Thanks. I know the difference, but not always when I first get up in
the morning... |
#10
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Nib polishing with a copper penny
How can an out-of-alignment nib ever write smoother than a properly
aligned nib given that a nib travels in many different directions during normal writing? I'm very interested in hearing your thoughts on this. -- B First, I must apologize for not replying directly to you in the previous thread, but I get an error message most of the time when I try to reply. Even this reply appears to have gone missing somewhere. Luckily I saved it. Your theory sounds very logical and indeed perfect to me, and I always assumed that the tines should be on an exact level, but experience has taught me different. Perhaps some writers prefer to hold the pen at a slight angle vis-a-vis the tines, or perhaps some styles of writing encourage this. I would say that a 'properly aligned nib' is whatever feels smoothest to the individual writer. I would be interested to know how the mechanics adjusted tines in the old days. Did they use a loupe? Or did they just adjust the tines until the nib felt smoothest on paper? I suspect the latter. After all, time was at a premium, and results, not theory, were what would impress a demanding customer in a store, who was accustomed to high writing quality even in cheap pens. Today of course, unbelievably bad-writing but very expensive pens are commonplace in the market.. |
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