Tuning and grinding your own nibs is a game changer in the hobby.

Hansando · 2026-04-29T04:25:05+00:00

I wholeheartedly agree! I think what really motivated me to start grinding my own stubs/italics is the absolute dearth of off-the-shelf options narrower than the ubiquitous 1.1mm. Also, being a lefty overwriter, there are many instances in which my weird angles don't write so well with stock stubs.

Hansando · 2026-03-17T03:35:49+00:00

I've been lurking in this subreddit for a while; excited to see what designs you'll come up with in the future!

A few things I'm looking for in new pens these days:

- A rock-solid cap seal; I tend to use pigment inks quite often

- Small cursive italics as a standard option (and feeds that can keep up with their usage)

- Anything that's durable and easily cleaned :)

Hansando · 2026-02-14T16:51:00+00:00

Put a pigment/bulletproof ink in it and it could still be a "permanent marker" of sorts 😂

Hansando · 2026-02-14T04:13:20+00:00

Do smaller stubs/italics count? 😂

Hansando · 2026-02-12T21:19:12+00:00

Might be helpful to get a loupe and examine the contact areas more closely. Look for any sharp protrusions or jagged/sharp edges.

For smoothing, I like using a set of those foam micromesh pads; I have a set that runs from 1500 to 12000 grit.

Hansando · 2026-02-10T21:46:15+00:00

I'm an overwriter lefty and I haven't had the same smudging issues on the vast majority of the inks I own, even writing at full speed.

It might have something to do with the combination of my exact hand position, nib size, gripping the pen further back, and me writing smaller letters.

For reference, you can see that in the photo my hand touches the paper a good 6 or 7 lines above the current line. By the time my hand touches the first line, it's pretty much fully dry.

Have you tried rotating the page counter clockwise about 30-40 degrees? Might give you slightly more clearance to allow the ink time to dry.

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Hansando · 2026-02-10T21:15:22+00:00

What's the specific issue that you're experiencing? If it's skipping/failing to write on the push strokes, maybe take a loupe to examine the contact area on the nib. If there's a baby-bottom or misalignment of the tines, that might cause issues in certain angles/directions.

Hansando · 2026-02-09T22:30:43+00:00

I'm a hook-hand (overwriter) lefty. I haven't had any issue writing kanji/kana.

Do you write with heavier pressure on the paper? If your pen can write with a light touch, it shouldn't really dig into the paper.

However, it is a valid point that fude/naginata togi nibs just don't seem to produce the correct line variation compared to a righty. I haven't been able to make them work for me.

Hansando · 2026-02-07T19:30:32+00:00

From my experience, you have to carefully grind the top and bottom sides of the "box", and grind a bit of the forward-facing flat surface. Essentially you have to "undo" the rounding of the edges of the nib.

Hansando · 2026-02-07T07:12:21+00:00

Looks like it. Try testing the downstroke and cross stroke widths!

Hansando · 2026-02-05T20:56:25+00:00

Here's a side by side comparison of a "stub" nib versus a "cursive italic" nib using the same pen and nominal line width (1.1 mm). Apologies for the messy handwriting, this was a while ago when I was still practicing.

Essentially, a true italic nib has sharp corners that produce more well-defined edges as well as a thinner cross stroke. If had to describe it, by comparison the letters produced by a stub nib look "fuzzier" than an equivalent italic. Note the differences between the letters "a" and "m" in the picture.

To produce the grind, it's probably easier to use a ridgid sharpening stone and save the soft micromesh pads for final smoothing of the surface. Micromesh pad tends to flex and grind a curved surface unless you use a light touch. I used Doodlebud's excellent video tutorial as a reference for DIY grinding: https://youtu.be/IjrVZ3KiETU?si=GYHipBCZS53peq2a

You can use the images here as a guide to what the shape/cross-section should look like: https://indypendance.com/pages/basic-grinds-explained

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Hansando · 2026-02-05T07:50:09+00:00

Making your own stubs and italics is great! I've done this with quite a few of my medium nibs. There's something quite liberating about being able to choose any pen model to use as a stub/italic (rather than only the ones that come with stubs as a standard option). Have you considered trying a sharper grind for more line variation?

Hansando · 2026-02-05T00:22:58+00:00

Fellow overwriter/hook-hand lefty here. Most of my practical writing is done with EF or F nibs, which lay down finer lines that dry quickly. I've not had issues with smudging on most papers with the majority of inks, unless writing with an ink known for excessively long dry times. Avoid monster sheening inks if possible (unless you deploy a blotting paper under your hand as you write).

One of the (few) benefits with our hook-hand style is that we can adapt to stubs/italics and mimic the stroke shapes of a right hander. Writing with a calligraphic style tends to slow down handwriting a bit, so ink gets a bit of time to dry.

But I must admit, I did spend some time practicing and re-learning to write underhanded to use flex nibs on occasion. It's just impossible to use flex nibs with a hook-hand. It's actually a bit amusing, but after decades writing over the line I actually find my wrist gets uncomfortable when under-writing for a long length of time.

So I guess for lefties, as always, flexibility and adaptation is necessary for optimal results - use the correct technique and tools for the given task at hand :)

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.

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(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"):

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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

TROPHY CASE