Nib Grinding - Creating an Architect Nib

Рет қаралды 20,896

5 жыл бұрын

In this video I try to record my second architect nib grind, turning a regular medium nib from a JInhao X450 into an Architect nib. If you decide to try this yourself, do so at your own risk. I cannot stress this enough! This was a cheap Jinhao that I didn't mind ruining if things went wrong, but thankfully both my first grind and second grind have turned out okay except for me being showered in ink.
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Пікірлер: 72

@techne9 3 жыл бұрын

I've been struggling with this grind for a year. You just made it fast, simple, and beautiful. It took me about 15 minutes to complete the regrind of my Duragraph medium. It feels like a knife (a smooth knife).

@PenultimateDave 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Sally, I'm glad it helped you regrind your Duragraph. I've heard from several nibmeisters that the hardest grind to do is the architect grind, so I can see why so many have problems doing it. Strangely I still haven't done any other grinds but I find the architect grind very easy to do, but it does take a little time to get it to perfection.

@rotzfrosch0970 2 жыл бұрын

Every nib must be customized by the owner/writer. I mostly use a nailfile and at last a polishing file for nails and it worked perfect in every case. Sometimes it lasts an hour to become the perfect one, that works smooth on the most papers. Thanks for the video. I've learned so much unexpected. For testing the nib I use always cotton watercolorpaper, hot pressed. If it works in this surface, it works in every paper surface.

@thomashardy9994 5 жыл бұрын

I have a bunch of mediums lying around that don’t do much for me. I might try this. Good informative video.

@PenultimateDave 5 жыл бұрын

I have since changed my technique to not have the pen inked up but to have an two ink bottles, one filled with ink and one filled with water, I will dip the nib in water and do the grinding then dip it in water again once finished and wipe off the nib, then dip it in ink and test the nib, then dip it back in the water and start the grinding again. It's a bit of a slower technique but a lot less messy!

@augustarcher6407 3 жыл бұрын

Pro trick: watch movies on flixzone. I've been using them for watching all kinds of movies these days.

@juanasa636 3 жыл бұрын

@August Archer definitely, been watching on flixzone for months myself :)

@brodyjeremiah9848 3 жыл бұрын

@August Archer Definitely, I have been using flixzone for since december myself :)

@mikestevens6800 2 жыл бұрын

I suggest a flex shaft/Dremmel tool with a collection of rubber polishing wheels. You can have an extremely light touch, which won't flex the tines while you're grinding. And the angles will be more accurate because you just gently apply the pen to the wheel without moving it. This allows me to regrind my nibs very quickly.

@MrCabimero Жыл бұрын

Rubber polishing wheels or grinding /sanding wheels?

@mikestevens6800 Жыл бұрын

@@MrCabimero, I've been using rubber polishing wheels for a while.

@timdraude3464 5 жыл бұрын

Well done. I haven't moved beyond just smoothing and realigning the tines, but this looks like it's worth a try. For the cost of a Jinhao, why not? I mean, it is less than the cost of a good beer and it looks like more fun!

@WouterZtube 5 жыл бұрын

Tim Draude you can get a bag full of Jinhao nibs for less than a sip of beer and free shipping from Aliexpres

@muskndusk 3 жыл бұрын

I don't understand how you're doing so much grinding with so little effect. I regrind my nibs (usually to stubs) using micro-mesh which is much finer than you're using; it takes very little work to see the effect on the nib. I once, accidentally, created an architect nib by doing figure eights while rocking the nib from side to side.

@aag24 5 жыл бұрын

Bravo Dave. Amazing job!

@PenultimateDave 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

@MrCabimero 2 жыл бұрын

Bravo! Patience and persistence are the key.

@kapirk2244 5 жыл бұрын

I can see how starting with a broader nib would be the best nib to start with. Thanks for this video, I have to try this on one of my pens.

@paulx7620 5 жыл бұрын

Good morning Dave ☕, unique video. Thanks for being my part of my morning wake up 👍. Reminds me of sharpening a knife on a flat stone. The sound wasn't bad at all, a lot like hearing a sharpie marker. Well done!

@PenultimateDave 5 жыл бұрын

Glad I can be apart of it Paul! Any chance of a coffee? 😅 You at right about the sharpening a knife part and you have to be very careful not to over do it.

@paulx7620 5 жыл бұрын

@@PenultimateDave hop across the pond to mid America and coffee is on me 😁

@paulx7620 5 жыл бұрын

17:05 really cool how the ink spider webs on your skin.

@kxaifer 4 жыл бұрын

I just did it to my Parker IM Metallic Pursuit and I have to say that the pen writes great, even better than before. It use to be dry and a little scratchy and now it's a beautiful writer and pen. Thanks

@PenultimateDave 4 жыл бұрын

Glad to hear the video helped and you've managed to improve your nib!

@alextaplin7354 3 жыл бұрын

I reground the broad nib on my new Opus 88 Koloro to and architect nib today, very pleased with the results.

@PenultimateDave 3 жыл бұрын

Glad you’re happy with the grind!

@LivTheWiz Жыл бұрын

Just got into the fountain pen craze, and as a artist I didn’t quite like the lack of variation in bold to thin lines like I was use to (I have a history of modifying other types of pens in the past haha). After figuring out there were custom styles of nib grinds, this was just what I needed! Worked out perfectly in my first try so thank you so much this was very informative!

@Detman101 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for this. Since there are no nibmeisters that work on steel nibs, these youtube tutorials are the only resource for getting steel nibs modded to what is needed

@PenultimateDave 3 жыл бұрын

I'm pretty sure Mark Bacas does steel grind nibs, but you have to weigh up the cost of the nib and then the grind on top and whether it's really worth it.

@Detman101 3 жыл бұрын

@@PenultimateDave Precisely. The cost of commissioning a nibmeister isn't efficient for steel nibs. Unless desperate, of course... Costs less to buy multiple steel flex nibs and do the experimentation myself. AND I can help others for far less than what professionals cost.

@johnnvogt 3 жыл бұрын

Toronto Pen Company does custom grinds using jowo nibs. I believe you can also sign up for an online class with them if you want to learn how to modify your nibs.

@bkzwolf 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you for the video! you might want to support the tines a bit more. And toward the end they were misaligned which might have been good to mention. Overall I learned so I appreciate it!!

@aliakber2k10 3 жыл бұрын

More, we want more. Please make more such videos. Like smoothing etc.

@Rgc571 2 жыл бұрын

Writing a few words to show use of Architect Grind, but a great video on process, thanks

@pguste 4 жыл бұрын

With second hand pens that do not write well I have found that an ammonia flushing with no grinding often remedies the problem: they are just clogged from lack of use.

@Johan-vk5yd 3 жыл бұрын

I go about these things differently, and enjoy watching other styles, including yours, and learn a lot. Have your methods evolved over time, as this is an older video?

@PenultimateDave 3 жыл бұрын

I have only really ground about a dozen nibs into architect so I haven't really changed it much. I could do it a lot quicker and a lot less messy I suspect if I bought a Dremel but then I'd have to buy a desk mounting kit for it and it just seems a waste if I'm doing less than a dozen nibs. If I were doing it more professionally or I had other uses for a Dremel then I probably buy one. I do find the method I used was pretty good and although it's a slow method it actually helps to get the angle right and not go too overboard and ruin the nib.

@Johan-vk5yd 3 жыл бұрын

@@PenultimateDave Yeah, nice’n’easy does it, every tine!

@ZadakLeader 3 жыл бұрын

Do you think sharpening using stone vs grit paper is the same? I am thinking if i get two, 2-sided stones 600+1500 and 5000+10000 they would last longer than some paper in the long run?

@PenultimateDave 3 жыл бұрын

I haven't ever tried stones although it should last longer I would suspect. I know some nib meisters and nib tuners will use a sharpening stone instead, although they may be a little more tricky to use.

@Johan-vk5yd 3 жыл бұрын

@@PenultimateDave A stone doesn’t yield to pressure as a paper, or mylar sheet does. When giving the nib its general shape I find this helpful, giving me better control over angles and edges created.

@vivekjoseph765 Жыл бұрын

To narrow down the nib, please try using a metal file. Sandpaper is not a good solution.

@barbarajloriordan2697 Жыл бұрын

I am so impressed by your adventurous spirit! This was such a pleasure to watch, meeting my need for learning. Dave, I am experienced with stub nibs and know how to hold an italic pen at 34-45 degrees. But I don’t know how to hold an architect pen. How do you hold your architect pen?

@PenultimateDave Жыл бұрын

Thanks Barbara! I would hold it around the same degrees, but it really depends on who ground the nib and at what angle. If you go to a nibmeister and ask for an architect grind, a good nibmeister will want to see how you hold the pen to see what your normal writing angle is, so you can maximise the line width, and not have to try and adjust to the nib.

@barbarajloriordan2697 Жыл бұрын

Thanks, Dave! I purchased an inexpensive architect nib from Fountain Pen Revolution. When I use the nib for cursive writing, I like to use a style of lettering that displays the nib’s unique features. So, I use a lot of flattened letter tops and flattened loops. I wish that I could attach a sample to show you! I would want to hold the pen at perhaps a 20 or even 15 degree angle, as opposed to a 45 degree angle for italic lettering, but that would cause too much strain on the right hand. (Lefties could probably hold an architect nib at the angle that I would like). So, I just hold the pen with a slight lean in the direction that I want.

@Luuka11 Жыл бұрын

Wonder why the ink spreads when you make downstrokes 🤔🙄 Could that be because of the nib? ???

@SArthur221 5 жыл бұрын

The tines are really misaligned at the end there.

@PenultimateDave 5 жыл бұрын

One tine was slightly higher, but after I removed the nib and feed there were some filings and crud lodged between the nib and feed that lifted one tine slightly more than the other. After cleaning it out it's fine.

@PenultimateDave 5 жыл бұрын

I agree probably the cheapest options are either the Jinhao X450 nibs or Lamy as both are quite inexpensive. It should allow for a lot of experimentation.

@ScottMcCormick12358 2 жыл бұрын

Have you considered filling the pen with water instead of ink?

@PenultimateDave 2 жыл бұрын

I have tried it but I find the viscosity is different than ink, so I prefer to use ink. It certainly would be better than no ink.

@kxaifer 4 жыл бұрын

I’m going to try it with my Parker Pen using micro mesh, any tips

@PenultimateDave 4 жыл бұрын

Go slow, test often and keep testing as you go along. If you don't then you can take too much material off the nib tipping.

@billybobbobson5346 4 жыл бұрын

Yea: don’t.

@kxaifer 4 жыл бұрын

@@billybobbobson5346 good news was it was a incredible success

@martingutierrez2430 5 жыл бұрын

Could this be done with a lamy safari nib? If so which size is best?

@PenultimateDave 5 жыл бұрын

Yes you can do it with any nib but you need to do it with a nib that has tipping and ideally the more line variation you can get would be a wider nib, so a broad nib or 1.1 would probably be better.

@muskndusk 3 жыл бұрын

@@PenultimateDave I realise this is a late response, but 1.1 is usually a stub or italic with very little tipping.

@johnnyragadoo2414 2 жыл бұрын

I ruined a nib this afternoon, trying to make it wetter. My responsibility. A replacement is on the way at my cost. I learned a little about using a brass shim to spread the tines.

@PenultimateDave 2 жыл бұрын

Not sure what you did but I havent ever ruined a nib with a brass shim to spread the tines. I've seen people ruin nibs by crossing the tines or pressing the tines down on a desk, but hopefully it was a steel nib, so relatively cheap to replace. Always good to have a few spares!

@johnnyragadoo2414 2 жыл бұрын

@@PenultimateDave I set the pen down to answer the door, forgot about it, and it sat there with the shim between the tines for about an hour. At some point the tines crossed. It was on an Opus 88 Fantasia, so the replacement was $16. I call little expenses like that "tuition." I may have been hasty with the reorder, though. After working the tines back into alignment it wouldn't write. I flexed down on the nib a little, to spread the tines, and then it would write except up to the right. Later that day, it wrote OK except for hard starts in the up-right direction. This morning, it's just writing with about the right ink flow. I think I'll try the replacement to see if I got lucky with it. Otherwise, I may try to get this nib to write a little smoother. The tines are probably still a little out of alignment.

@MrAndrew1953 3 жыл бұрын

What about using one of those small dremel hand grinders? Not that expensive if you were going to grind a few nibs.

@PenultimateDave 3 жыл бұрын

Yes you could use a hand dremel, the problem then is you need to secure it to a bench, so you need a sturdy bench or table, and then a mounting bracket otherwise you're likely going to do more damage than good. So the cost will increase, but if you're going to do a lot of nib grinds, it's definitely worth the investment, but not if you're just going to do the odd grind here or there. You also have to be more careful because you can take a lot more of the tipping off or alter the shape a lot quicker than doing it manually.

@MrAndrew1953 3 жыл бұрын

@@PenultimateDave Jinhao could just sell an Architect nib.?

@icarus923 5 жыл бұрын

I want to try but I can’t stand the sound!

@mavleashutosh 2 жыл бұрын

Is that 600 grit or 6000 grit that you used at the beginning?

@PenultimateDave 2 жыл бұрын

600 grit, it's the harshest of grits which allows you to remove more tipping quickly to shape the nib into an architect grind.

@hisham56hamilton50 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Dave for your work and labour .But how would you know that this grind is Architect without writting in Arabic or Hebrow ? You have taken it from the latin side only . You should check the grind from bothe sides..Thanx

@PenultimateDave 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks. I have a number of Architect grinds from various nibmeisters and companies like Sailor, so can check and verify the nib grind.

@amitpradhan8855 2 жыл бұрын

Tines are not aligned

@zafarnaqvi5537 Жыл бұрын

I am left handed. Does anyone have any advice?

@PenultimateDave Жыл бұрын

In terms of grinding? I think it really depends on whether you are an overwriter or not. You might need to experiment on some cheaper nibs to work out what works for you.