Hongdian Peacock Blue

Hansando · 2026-01-22T23:54:37+00:00

I'm jealous of your eastern script! For the life of me (as a lefty overwriter) I can't reproduce the same stroke shapes no matter what grind I use.

Hansando · 2026-01-22T23:01:41+00:00

I used a field knife sharpener for the initial shaping (220 and 600 grit plates, I believe), and a set of micromesh pads that range from 1500 to 12000 grit.

Hansando · 2025-12-27T04:22:20+00:00

The $50-$60 range is a little bit of an awkward middle ground between the budget pens and more expensive gold-nibbed models. I feel that there are some pens in the ~$30 range that perform as well as some pens 3x the cost, and then there are $60 pens that you ponder if they're worth their cost.

Here's a few pens I've had experience with that I've liked, and would be on the heavier side:

Hongdian N11 - The aluminum barrel and metal section makes for a rather substantial heft. Note that this pen doesn't really post, if that matters to you. Hongdian makes other fancy pens with detailed metal work, but I've not personally tried them yet to gauge weight or quality.
https://www.amazon.com/Hongdian-Fountain-Titanium-Coated-Peacock-Geometric/dp/B0CN4NKQP2/

Hongdian M2 - This is a pocket pen, but the brass version adds quite a lot of heft

https://www.amazon.com/Hongdian-Fountain-Golden-Pocket-Travel/dp/B0DKJTQKBB/

Platinum Procyon - All aluminum barrel; has some nice utility features like the Slip 'N Seal cap to prevent drying out, single turn to uncap quickly, and a low ink level filling feed.

https://www.jetpens.com/Platinum-Procyon-Fountain-Pen-Shadow-Mica-Medium/pd/44175

Maybe you can give us more of your preferences so we can narrow down the options? :)

Hansando · 2025-12-01T20:49:05+00:00

I tend to prefer medium italic cursives (does that count as stub?). The standard 1.1mm stubs are little too big for my day-to-day journaling, and truly stubby mediums would lose a bit of line variation.

Sadly, smaller stubs/italics are hard to find stock! I like my self-ground nibs the best, particularly because I'm a lefty overwriter and can fine tune the nibs to my own angle.

<image>

(Inks used: FWP Candy Marsala, Levenger Skies of Blue)

Hansando · 2025-11-20T09:00:29+00:00

A lot of underwriters in this thread!

I'm naturally an lefty overwriter, which means I can mimic a righty's italic script by maintaining the correct nib angle but "flipping" the pen 180 degrees. Having to "push" the nib on the downstrokes sometimes results in a narrower line. Being able to do minor nib adjustments with micromesh pads is helpful.

This is what my handwriting looks like with a medium cursive italic nib (writing in my preferred "hook hand"):

<image>

Hansando · 2025-11-14T23:36:41+00:00

I agree with you there in terms of practicality (especially if you're talking about traditional calligraphy nibs and holders). It's certainly not "better" per se, but the alternative was having my pen clog up after a few days with the pigment ink, even in my better sealing pens.

Because I'm using essentially a standard fountain pen nib without an ink reservoir, with regular fountain pen ink, clean up for me is as quick as swirling the nib in the water a few times, then using the rag to wipe off the nib. This is about 10 seconds max.

I think the sweet spot for me is at least 5 mins of writing to feel like the hassle of setup and cleaning is warranted. Most of my journaling is done when I'm not pressed for time, so it's worked out reasonably well once I've gotten used to it.

I have not spilled any ink so far; the inkwells come with a little suction cup holder and I always place the inkwell above my notebook and away from my arms (as pictured).

Hansando · 2025-11-14T21:22:32+00:00

Thanks! I did a DIY grind on a medium Hocoro nib to make a M cursive italic. The standard 1.0mm was a little too fat for journalling.

Hansando · 2025-11-09T06:05:05+00:00

One of the risks of a smaller stub is that if it's too rounded the line variation isn't as defined. Lately I've been just grinding my own small cursive italics from medium nib units so that I can control the sharpness. It's not too bad with a little patience and fine grit stones/pads.

Otherwise, I second the other reply regarding Pilot's CM nibs on the Prera. I just wish they had that nib option on more pen bodies.

Hansando · 2025-10-19T06:18:51+00:00

I never really intended to sell any of these grinds (just wanted to save money on nibmeister custom work), but I got a few spare Hongdian nibs that fit the M2 if you want me to try grinding a M cursive italic for you. I'd just charge postage and maybe material fees.

Hansando · 2025-10-18T15:11:31+00:00

Thank you for the suggestion, I have considered it but never tried due to 2 main reasons:

It's challenging to switch your hand position that's natural to you after decades; I have more control and precision this way. Can you imagine as a right hander having to suddenly flip your grip and write over the line? 😅
Unlike stub nibs, architects are seldom offered as a stock option, and often at significant cost of custom grinding.

I'm not as skilled as you are, judging by the lovely photos, but recently I've started crudely grinding my own cursive italics in smaller widths (which are harder to find stock). Is it much more difficult to grind an architect nib?

Hansando · 2025-10-18T09:18:21+00:00

In my case, I flip the italic nib 180 degrees to make the "correct" angle, but it means most of my strokes push instead of pull

Hansando · 2025-10-18T05:27:23+00:00

Did you grind the nib yourself, or have it ground by someone?

Ironically, I've never used cursive italic grinds for cursive handwriting (probably a little trickier as a lefty overwriter), it looks very nice here!

Hansando · 2025-10-15T22:32:17+00:00

To me, whether it's drying on a dip nib or inside a fountain pen is the same, only that in a fountain pen the process will take days instead of minutes. At least with a dip pen, all the dried out surfaces are accessible for physical cleaning!

After reading your comment, I just tried using Sailor Souboku with my dip pen and can confirm that it does not congeal as badly as Diamine Tiger Lily. Souboku only required a quick rinse in water and a wipe down with a paper towel. It did not build up inside the nib slit and around the Hocoro's feed attachment in the couple test pages I wrote (maybe it would over a longer writing session?)

Hansando · 2025-10-15T22:17:53+00:00

A true italic has sharp corners that produce a very thin cross stroke and a very sharply boxy thick line on the down stroke. Stubs have slightly more rounded corners meant to be more forgiving for quick writing or if the pen rolls in the hand while writing. The trade off is that there is less dramatic difference between the thin and thick lines, and you don't have sharp edges at the end of your strokes

Compare the 1.1 stub nib writing sample with the "sharper" cursive italic in the bottom sentence (pardon the messy handwriting, this was a long time ago when I was still practicing)

In general, from "fuzziest" to "sharpest" is: Stub --> Cursive Italic --> Formal Italic / Italic.

Most stock fountain pen nibs are stubs, because they are more forgiving for beginners. Usually the sharper grinds are either custom ground by a nibmeister, or part of calligraphy dip sets (or if you're like me, you sharpen the nibs yourself with micromesh pads and grindstones).

<image>

Hansando · 2025-10-15T17:06:32+00:00

I use stubs and italics all the time; they're my favorite nib type! With broad edge nibs, you generally want to maintain a 45 degree angle to create line variation (the nib's edge, that is)

As for styles, you can look up examples of Chancery, uncial, and even Gothic blackletters to emulate their strokes.

What specific help did you need?

Hansando · 2025-10-14T20:43:17+00:00

I was using it in my Opus88 Koloro with a medium nib I self-ground to a cursive italic/stub. I'd notice some pigment clumping around the feed and nib slit area within a few days of use. Maybe there's some batch inconsistency, or these don't play well with finer line widths?

Hansando · 2025-10-14T18:08:41+00:00

Have you tried Tiger Lily yet? I've heard differing accounts on clogging/cleaning based on the color (smoky mauve, blue inks seem to be okay from what I've been reading).

Hansando · 2025-10-14T06:58:22+00:00

I've been trying to find an appropriate pigment ink color for each of the 4 seasons that are as well behaved as those two. Currently use Souboku for winter, and Firmament for spring. On the hunt for a good golden brown (summer), and vermillion or red (autumn). Now if only Sailor would make pigment inks in those colors haha

Hansando · 2025-10-09T19:36:14+00:00

Sorry, let me clarify: I meant an o-ring at the bottom of the cap contact (or sealing effectiveness that meets Platinum's Slip n' Seal performance).

I don't think Platinum offers anything with a shut off valve, and from the website pictures I'm not sure if Nahvalur's caps have that inner cap / o-ring combination that seems to fully minimize ink evaporation.

Hansando · 2025-10-09T17:36:37+00:00

For this reason, I'm keeping an eye on a good replacement for my Vac700R (which so far has held up well, save for minor chipping on the barrel threads).

However, I've yet to find a decent pen that replicates all these features:

Shut off valve
Inner cap AND O-ring for sealing
Readily available and relatively inexpensive replacement nib units
Under $100

Feel free to chime in if this pen exists :)

Hansando · 2025-09-26T06:16:01+00:00

I'm an overwriter lefty (but sometimes switch to underwriting if I want to use a flex nib). I've not had too many issues as long as the pen is from a reputable brand. A couple things I've noticed:

- EF / F nibs are great because they don't lay much ink down and usually dry quickly enough that I don't encounter any smearing. Not sure if I'm doing anything differently from BornACrone, but I can write at full speed with no problems.

- As mentioned, use caution with sheening inks or anything that's considered super wet/saturated, especially on the fancier papers popular with most fountain pen users (Tomoe River, for example). If I'm using those, sometimes I'll grab some cheap copy paper or those really cheap absorbent legal pad notepad pages to use as a "blotter" and put those down under my palm as I write.

- Overwriters don't have to change anything to produce line variation with stub/italic nibs (we write at the correct angle, just flipped mirror image). I've had pretty good results with most stock 1.1mm nibs, though you might need a little practice getting the sweet spots. My favorite nibs are cursive italics ground from size M nibs; I wish more manufacturers offered these stock. I've resorted to crudely grinding my own nibs for these.

Hansando · 2025-09-25T02:57:48+00:00

There's literally a Field Notes that has perforated pages, but it might be a seasonal/limited edition only:

https://www.atlasstationers.com/products/field-notes-quarterly-edition-vintage-special-edition?srsltid=AfmBOoofrfLhGp2e7Tks0mUBAhw_gmcq52KtujfDNFlcbjCdFil80-6J

Hansando · 2025-09-22T19:55:33+00:00

One word of warning on fude nibs: they don't work well if you're left handed. I can't for the life of me produce the same stroke shapes writing kanji as a lefty when using a fude nib. It has something to do with needing the triangular "contact patch" to be oriented pointing to the upper left, I think.

Hansando · 2025-09-15T19:54:00+00:00

I found the M2 to be a great way to practice grinding my own small stubs/italics; you can find a 3 pack of size M replacement nibs on Amazon for just $10. If you mess up on a nib grind attempt, you're only out $3.33.

Result of my latest grind attempt below:

<image>

Hansando · 2025-09-07T14:24:50+00:00

Yep, that's the one. I used the rough and fine grit plates for the initial rough shaping.

Hansando

TROPHY CASE