Epic Pen Search and Discovery, Part 9: Franklin-Christoph Music Nib

2/24/15 Platinum Carbon ink, Pilot Petit1 pen, Van Gogh watercolors, Stillman &
Birn Alpha sketchbook

(This is part of a multi-post series about my ongoing search for the ultimate variable-line-width fountain pen. To read other posts in the series, choose “Epic Pen Search” in the label cloud at right, below.) 

The only experience I’d had with an inexpensive Chinese fountain pen was the Hero 501-1 calligraphy pen, which has a bent nib similar to the Sailor fude. I used it briefly more than a year ago and then rejected it, mainly because it did the same things the Sailor did, but not as well, was much heavier, and dried out quickly when left idle. As a result, during my Epic Search, whenever I’d heard mention of the Jinhao – another inexpensive Chinese brand – I generally dismissed it from consideration. Reviews varied widely – everything from “best-pen-I’ve-ever-used-even-better-than-my-$100-Pilot” to “piece-of-junk-threw-it-immediately-in-the-trash.” Who needs a pen with that kind of inconsistent quality?

2/13/15 Private Reserve Velvet Black ink, Pilot Petit1,
Fabriano Studio 140 lb. hot-press paper

Apparently, I do.

During a casual reading of the Fountain Pen Network’s Facebook group, I happened upon a thread that mentioned using the Jinhao X450 fountain pen body, which costs a whopping five bucks on Amazon.com, as the base for other nibs. I knew that people were doing this with Goulet’s nibs, but what turned my head was the Franklin-Christoph music nib (also known as the “Christoph”). That music nib, which has been getting rave reviews, could be purchased independently (for $35 from Franklin-Christoph) and put onto a cheap Jinhao body? Suddenly that five-dollar pen was sounding more interesting. I bit. It was my first step into the “Frankenpen” world.

Writing samples made with Franklin-Christoph music nib.

The mechanics of this particular Frankenpen combo were easy: Pull the nib and feed out of the Jinhao, align the Jinhao’s feed with the F-C music nib, and place both back into the Jinhao’s section collar. (GourmetPens.com has an informative post about this.) To my surprise, they fit perfectly without any tweaking. And to my greater surprise, the combo writes beautifully (considering its Frankenpen origins) – smooth, wet and luscious.

The No. 6 size Christoph nib, which is essentially a 1.9mm stub nib, has two slits, making it a traditional music nib. According to Franklin-Christoph’s marketing copy, “The advantage of this nib is that the slits draw ink not only from the feed channel but from the comb as well, and spreads the ink evenly and consistently very well for a broad italicized tip.”

All I know is that compared to the Lamy 1.9 stub nib, which I tried briefly last fall, the F-C music nib is much smoother – the Lamy has sharper corners – and keeps up with the ink flow better. It was delightfully responsive when I sketched a pair of evergreens in Shoreline last month (see below), giving me interesting line variation without much effort. In my very first sketches with the Christoph, I was pleased that by using its thin edge, I could get enough control to sketch facial details in people (see the man below).

Line-width comparison of three music nibs.

You may recall from my review of Platinum’s music nib that I was surprised by how broad it is compared to the Sailor’s (my only previous experience with a music nib). The Christoph is even broader (see the sample at right comparing line strokes from all three) and acts more like a calligraphy stub nib compared to the Platinum, which has a rounder tip. I can write “normally” (whatever that is) with the Platinum, but the F-C nib requires making very large letters (and the writing would certainly be more attractive if I knew how to write in an italic script).

2/24/15 Iroshizuku Take-sumi ink, F-C music
nib, Clairefontaine notebook

In terms of line variation, the F-C nib really has only two: thick on the down stroke and thin on the horizontal stroke. I wasn’t able to get the finest of fine lines for the Arctic fox’s whiskers and fur (at left) as I was with other pens. I don’t think it would serve me as an all-purpose sketching pen, as it has no gradual change from thin to thick as the Sailor fude or zoom nibs do. It also has no extra-thin point when reversed as some other nibs do. Still, I have grown very fond of the Christoph’s broad yet easy-to-control line. I think it’s a keeper, if only because I have so much fun sketching fir trees with it.

Since this review is focused mainly on the fantastic music nib, I won’t dwell too long on the Jinhao X450 itself, which I chose in the marbly gray-brown “Magic Fog” pattern. I inked up its original nib (size M) briefly, and it is surprisingly flexy and wet. It would probably be a good writer and even a decent sketcher (though it isn’t flexy enough to consider it a variable-line-width nib in the same way that the Pilot Falcon nib is).

2/24/15 Trees sketched with F-C music nib.

But I don’t have much good to say about the rest of the pen. Although I like the size and girth, it’s too heavy for that size, especially the cap, which makes the pen feel unbalanced when posted. Even worse, however, is that the cap doesn’t post securely (a huge pet peeve of mine!). For some, the solution would be to simply use the pen unposted, which would probably improve its overall balance. But the only time I’d be using that pen is sketching on location, and if I can’t post the cap, I’ll probably lose it. (In fact, the first time I used it in the field, the cap fell off, hit the pavement and chipped.) An unpostable pen is a deal breaker for me.

The solution? I got a Nemosine Limited, another reasonably priced pen compatible with the Christoph nib. Indeed, not only does it accommodate the nib as easily as the Jinhao did – it is also lightweight, its cap posts perfectly, and it comes in purple!

Alas, it was too good to be true. The Nemosine’s feed apparently doesn’t fit exactly right with the nib, because the pen leaks profusely sometimes and goes dry at other times. It’s infuriating.

2/19/15 Iroshizuku Take-sumi ink, Canson XL 140 lb. paper

At this point, I don’t recommend either of these pen bodies (at least to pair with a Franklin-Christoph nib), and I’m beginning to regret that I didn’t simply spring for a Franklin-Christoph body initially, which would certainly support the F-C nib. But the lowest-priced F-C Model 27 Collegia is $69.50 – just a tad more than the five bucks I spent on the Jinhao or the $18 I paid for the Nemosine. There must be other pens that are compatible with No. 6 nibs. I’m going to keep looking.

Hmmm. I wonder if Dr. Frankenstein had these problems. (Next week: my Epic concludes!)

Updated 3/24/15: I tried the Christoph nib on another Jinhao X450 – exact same model, just a different color – and the cap on this one posts securely. It’s just as heavy as the first, but as long as the cap posts, I can tolerate it. I guess the trick with these inexpensive pens is to try several, and they are made with such low quality control, that your chances are just as good of finding a good one as they are of finding a bad one.

(Just in case it’s not obvious, unlike many blogs that review fountain pens, my blog has no sponsors or affiliates. Every pen I mention here was purchased by me at retail price.)

Franklin-Christoph music nib on Jinhao X450 body.

Franklin-Christoph "Christoph" music nib.

Franklin-Christoph "Christoph" music nib on Nemosine Limited body.

Epic Pen Search and Discovery, Part 8: Sailor 1911 Profit with Zoom Nib

1/21/15 Platinum Carbon ink, Van Gogh watercolors,Stillman & Birn
Alpha sketchbook

(This is part of a multi-post series about my ongoing search for the ultimate variable-line-width fountain pen. To read other posts in the series, choose “Epic Pen Search” in the label cloud at right, below.) 

The Sailor zoom nib is a strange animal. It’s not temperamental like the Sailor music nib I reviewed last week, nor is it as bold and elegant as the Platinum music nib from the week before. As close to the Sailor fude nib as anything I’ve used, in both line variation and operation, the nib can make a hair-fine line when held nearly perpendicular to the paper that widens gradually as the angle to the paper is narrowed. At my normal writing angle, the line stroke isn’t quite as broad as the Platinum music nib; it’s probably closer to the Sailor’s music (see the skull of Kennewick man, sketched from a photo in the Smithsonian magazine, below). By contrast, the fude held at a normal writing angle renders a slightly finer stroke. At its broadest, it’s close to the fude’s widest line.

1/21/15 Private Reserve Velvet Black ink, S&B Alpha

Although the motion that the nib requires to change its angle and therefore its line width is somewhat intuitive to me (since I’ve grown accustomed to the fude), it looks more like a “normal” nib (unlike the fude’s dramatically bent tip), so sometimes I forget that I can change its angle while using it. I’m not in love with it, but it’s definitely growing on me. I especially like using it to sketch bare trees, below (see a larger version of this sketch).

One thing I noticed right away is that – unlike the fude or most of the other nibs I’ve tried recently – the zoom’s upside-down stroke is scratchy and unreliable. It seems to be saying, “Don’t hold me upside-down, you idiot – don’t you know how to use a fountain pen properly?” If a nib talks to me, I listen; I don’t use this one upside-down.

Writing samples made with Sailor zoom nib.

On the other hand, I don’t have to. When held in the nearly perpendicular position, the nib produces a very fine line that’s even finer than the fude’s finest upside-down stroke. You can see the finest strokes in the whiskers and hairs on the arctic fox cub sketched from a calendar photo and the man’s hair, below (see a larger version of him at Zoka Coffee).

Here’s the tricky part, though: While the fude’s finest stroke (right-side up or upside-down) is smoothest when going side to side, the zoom’s finest stroke is most pleasantly made on the downstroke. I’m finding that switching from the fude to the zoom is something like getting a new purse: They both work for all the same functions, but I keep forgetting which pocket holds the keys. I’m sure I’d have better results if I stuck with one or the other. (Nearly impossible for a fickle sketcher like me.)

2/11/15 Platinum Carbon ink, Sailor zoom nib,
Fabriano 140 lb. hot press paper

I was pleased to discover that, unlike the Pilot Falcon nib, the zoom seems to put out a normal flow (rather than a fire hose stream), so when I use it with Platinum Carbon ink, I don’t have to worry that it won’t dry by the time I’m ready to use watercolor.

Worth mentioning about the pen’s body: Some call the Sailor 1911 Profit Standard’s cigar-shaped style “classic.” I call it “plain black fountain pen.” It’s clean and sleek, but there’s nothing distinctive about it, and it looks like the plain black fountain pen with a cigar shape that nearly every pen manufacturer has a model of. I didn’t know it before I started this Epic Search, but it turns out that I prefer a slightly larger and heavier pen body, such as the Platinum 3776 (see that review for more comments on this subject). 

2/12/15 Platinum Carbon ink, Sailor zoom nib

My Epic Search so far has included the Pilot Falcon, Platinum music, Sailor music and now Sailor zoom nibs. These are all nibs I researched carefully and at length before purchasing. Although I began the series with the statement, “Impulse buying is not something I’m known for,” at some point in my quest, I took a more spontaneous as well as adventurous turn. A few chance threads in the Fountain Pen Network Facebook group opened up a whole new world of “Frankenpen” modifications that began with an incredibly low-priced Jinhao . . . (stay tuned next week).

(Just in case it’s not obvious, unlike many blogs that review fountain pens, my blog has no sponsors or affiliates. Every pen I mention here was purchased by me at retail price.)

2/9/15 Sailor Tokiwa-matsu ink, Sailor zoom nib pen, Baron Fig
notebook (from a Smithsonian magazine photo)

2/9/15 Sailor Tokiwa-matsu ink, S&B Alpha
(from calendar photo)

1/24/15 Sailor Tokiwa-matsu ink, Sailor zoom nib pen, Baron Fig notebook
(from calendar photo)

1/24/15 Sailor Tokiwa-matsu ink, Sailor zoom nib pen,
Clairefontaine notebook (from calendar photo)

Epic Pen Search and Discovery, Part 4: Pilot Custom Heritage 912 with Falcon Nib

1/16/15 Platinum Carbon ink, Van Gogh watercolors, Stillman & Birn Alpha
sketchbook

(This is part of a multi-post series about my ongoing search for the ultimate variable-line-width fountain pen. To read other posts in the series, choose “Epic Pen Search” in the label cloud at right, below.) 

Long before my research of music and flexible nibs began, I had briefly tried a couple of different so-called semi-flexible nibs: the Noodler’s Ahab and the Platinum Cool. I found that I had to apply so much pressure to get either of those nibs to flex that my sketching line immediately lacked fluidity. Perhaps the degree of flex these nibs offer is enough for writing with a variable line, but I couldn’t get them to work for sketching.

1/14/15 Private Reserve Velvet Black ink, Pilot Petit1 pen,
Stillman & Birn Alpha sketchbook

The Pilot Custom Heritage 912’s Falcon (FA) nib is a whole different story. (If you missed last week’s post, it’s important to note here that the Pilot Falcon (FA) nib is different from the Namiki/Pilot Falcon pen, which has a much stiffer, less flexy nib. Yes, I know it’s confusing.) While still not as soft as a vintage “wet noodle,” the 14kt gold nib is certainly soft and flexible enough to produce variable widths without having to exert an unnatural degree of pressure for sketching. As soon as I got it, I filled it up with waterproof Platinum Carbon Black ink and took it out for its maiden flight.

Immediately I noticed that the nib puts out a ton of ink – the proverbial “fire hose,” I learned that it’s called – even without applying any pressure, and when I did apply pressure to make the line heavier, I could see that the ink flow was fast and heavy, which means it takes a significantly longer length of time to dry. (I didn’t know this at the time, but I learned shortly thereafter that flexible nibs require a generally heavy ink output to keep up with the sudden additional flow needed when flexed; otherwise, when the flexed tines split, they leave an uninked space in the middle, called “railroading”).

Writing samples done with Pilot Custom 912's Falcon nib.

I’ve been using Platinum Carbon consistently for the past couple years with various pens, so I’m very familiar with how long it needs to dry before I can apply watercolor. Generally, it’s only a minute or two, but it took several times longer with the Pilot Falcon nib – that’s how much ink is going down. My first few sketches with it, the Platinum Carbon kept smearing when I applied watercolor because I kept assuming it was dry when it wasn’t. (A sketcher with more patience or who typically waits until later to paint after drawing would have no problem using the Falcon nib with a waterproof ink.)

The next day I emptied the remaining Platinum Carbon from the Pilot’s converter (I was astounded to find that I had used up half the converter’s contents the day before on only a couple of sketches! I think it uses twice as much ink as an average pen) and filled it with water-soluble Pilot Iroshizuku Take-sumi, which I know to be a fast-drying ink. It was a good choice; even though I could see that the pen was still putting out a lot of ink, it dried relatively quickly. Since I usually wash the lines for shading anyway when using a water-soluble ink, it doesn’t matter if the line was still a little damp when I applied water. In fact, the additional ink put out by the pen made the wash richer than usual, which I like. (The Falcon nib might also be good to use with some of my wimpier inks, which I’ve avoided using for sketching because the washes are too pale.)

In addition, the Pilot Custom Heritage 912 flows beautifully, immediately and consistently. Even with that plentiful stream of ink, it never leaves a puddle. I love simply writing in my journal with it (but since it lives in my sketching bag, I rarely do).

1/5/15 Iroshizuku Take-sumi ink, Pilot Custom 912 with Falcon
nib, Clairefontaine notebook

As for the flexiness of the nib, how does it respond while sketching? When I want a medium-to-broad line, the flexy nib responds immediately, and that fire hose output of ink keeps up with me just fine. On the other hand, its finest line – which I get by turning the nib upside-down, because even the lightest of pressure produces a line that is a little too broad for my definition of a fine line – still isn’t as fine as the finest line I can get with my old trusty Sailor fude (note the fur around the baby cheetah’s head, below). And when I want broad areas of ink, such as on the cheetah’s spots, the old Sailor makes nice wide marks easily with single strokes, while the Pilot Falcon nib (at right) requires making circles and filling them in.

1/5/15 Private Reserve Velvet Black ink, Sailor fude pen,
Clairefontaine notebook

One issue that I discovered almost immediately is that the soft, flexible Falcon nib can snag on the toothy surface of cold press paper – splattering ink on the page. This happened a few times on early sketches, though not so badly that the sketches were ruined. The obvious solution would be to use a hot press paper or other paper with a smoother texture. Or I could decide that ink splatters give a sketch some organic character, which I’m not opposed to. I’ve decided that the nib’s potential for splattering is something to be aware of but not a deal breaker.

Aside from differences in line variation, I’d say the main difference between the Sailor fude and the Pilot Falcon is the hand movement requirement to get that variation. It took me quite a while to get used to the forward-and-back angle change of the fude nib, but now that I am used to it, the motion comes naturally to me. Though it seems like it should be intuitive (if I push harder on a crayon, I get a darker, broader stroke), the Falcon’s reliance on pressure to change the line width is still taking me a bit of time to learn, and it’s not quite second nature yet. I might have a different review after I’ve used the Falcon for a year or more.

But will I? The line variation I get from the Sailor is wider, and my trusty favorite uses considerably less ink. The jury is still out on the Falcon.

2/1/15 Iroshizuku Take-sumi ink, Pilot Custom
912 with Falcon nib, Clairefontaine notebook

But have you heard of the “calling the dog” concept? I’m hazy on its origin, but apparently it’s a story about two people who both claimed a dog as their own, so they both called to it, and let the dog choose. The concept (as applied to real-life situations, not a hypothetical dog) is that if you are trying to decide among a few things, and evaluating their various attributes objectively has caused confusion, one way to choose is to stop analyzing and just see which one you tend to go to intuitively. In other words, you are the dog, and you “choose” the one that calls to you in some way.

I have been carrying around the Pilot – along with the other pens I’ll be reviewing in this series – in my bag for the past couple of months, and I’m finding that, more often than not, the Pilot is the pen I grab first. Well, I have to condition that: I grab it first as long as my Sailor fude is not in my bag. (I’ve lately left it at home to give the other pens a fair trial.) But among the pens I’m testing, especially when I have limited time and need a pen I can count on quickly and with no nonsense, this dog often chooses the Pilot.

12/27/14 Iroshizuku Take-sumi and Fuyu-syogun inks, Pilot
Falcon pen, Caran d'Ache Museum water-soluble colored pencil,
Canson XL 140 lb. paper 

I’ll end this review with one comment about the Pilot Custom Heritage 912’s body, which is the more contemporary flat-top style (as opposed to the classic tapered cigar shape). I find the weight and shape very comfortable to hold and sketch with as well as more esthetically pleasing than the more commonly found cigar shape, which I characterize as “plain black fountain pen.” (Next week’s review of the Platinum 3776 will include more comments about my discovered preference in pen body size and weight.)

Now what about that music nib. . . ?  (stay tuned next week).

(Just in case it’s not obvious, unlike many blogs that review fountain pens, my blog has no sponsors or affiliates. Every pen I mention here was purchased by me at retail price.)

Can You Tell it’s Raining Here?

1/5/15 Iroshizuku Take-sumi ink, Clairefontaine notebook

More baby animals from my old calendar – this time a gorilla and a cheetah. Instead of a sketchbook, I used a Clairefontaine notebook, which contains paper famed for its fountain-pen friendliness: It’s smooth as glass. I knew it wouldn’t take a wash, but I wanted the challenge of using pen and ink line work only. I missed the ability to shade easily with the swipe of a waterbrush, but sometimes I find myself using color or shading to compensate for sloppy line work. It’s an enjoyable challenge to see how much I can convey with as little line work as possible. 

P.S. Don’t forget to check out my friend and fabulous watercolor painter Michele Cooper’s blog today – she’s next up for the Around the World Blog Hop! 

1/4/15 Diamine Sapphire ink