Polishing a fountain pen nib?

I'm fairly sure that I can use my hones to smooth-up a fountain pen nib, but I've got a couple of questions and was looking to see if anyone has tried this.

First off: Will the ink seep into a Coti or a Charnley? My sense is that it won't, but there would still be ink on the hone that would require cleaning. My guess is that I would simply lap the hone and remove the ink much as I would a set of pencil lines.

Next: Charnely? Coti? I've got others to choose from too, a DT, BBW, Tam, a black Arky and a Wash*ita. If I could I'd polish the nibs on the slurry stone and do tight rolling circles.

Why wouldn't you just flush the nib and feed thouroughly before polishing? I would think that whichever stone you believe is the least abrasive would be the way to go, assuming you don't want to use micro-mesh or polishing film.

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Originally Posted by Bill S

Why wouldn't you just flush the nib and feed thouroughly before polishing? I would think that whichever stone you believe is the least abrasive would be the way to go, assuming you don't want to use micro-mesh or polishing film.

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I was hoping to "write-test" during polishing. I've polished a nib before, but I used 2000 mesh on a mousepad, and used the ink to lubricate the mesh.

Stones may be a bit too abrasive to polish the nib. What exactly are you trying to do to it? I use micromesh for all my nibs and some other lapping type film things which are all pretty high grit. Even if the ink did seep into the stone it won't affect your future honing. However, if you were going to go that route, best thing would be to do it dry or with water as your only lubricant. When you are ready to test your work dip test the pen. If no, keep rinse the nib and keep going. Simple as that.

I just want to smooth up a nib and figured I could polish it on one of my coti slurry stones. Then the floodgate of questions burst.

Fountain pen nibs are delicate, precision-made items. I would not volunteer to be the first guy to try polishing one on a stone. Maybe if I had a cheap one I didn't mind ruining, say the equivalent of a $5 ebay blade.... If that's the case, go ahead. Please report back.

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Originally Posted by MarkinLondon

I just want to smooth up a nib and figured I could polish it on one of my coti slurry stones. Then the floodgate of questions burst.

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Trying to figure out what results you're looking for so as to better help you obtain those results. I'm not familiar with calling it polishing a nib for starters. With that, I wonder if you're trying to make it shiny. Or, would you want to smooth it out? Does it seem to be catching paper somewhere here or there or just not writing as it should? Could be a bent tine, could be a number of things. Or, it could be that it just needs to be adjusted for your style of writing.

I did it on my Montblanc 149: I used Micromesh 12000 grit and made some 8's until I got the result I was looking for. Use very light pressure and constantly looking through a mignifier.
I changed a square nib into a rounded point.

I have just two thoughts here. First, if it's a quality pen it shouldn't need work to improve it. I used to have a Mont-blanc Meister-stuck and the thing wrote so smooth you couldn't even feel the paper. Personally I think a good fountain pen should have a tad of scratchiness to it to resemble writing with a quill pen but that's just my thing of course.

I've smoothed out a few nibs on a lapped Spyderco UF. It works great. UFs are very fine and very slow, so I'd recommend a stone that was similar. I don't have any of those hones you have, except a coticule, so all I can tell you is to pick out your finest, slowest stone. Arks and I think forest stones have a reputation for being really slow and glassy, so they might be best.

I alway s leave the ink in the pen when doing this to get a better idea of how it will feel, and provide lubrication. Use a really light touch, and be careful not to cause any flat spots with sharp edges.

Surprisingly no matter the quality of the pen or nib, some may need tuning. More so, others may prefer tuning. A tune will smooth it out, or give the nib a bit of tooth, all preference. Some people like it to feel like spreading grease on glass. Others like a little resistance in there, or tooth, or feedback.

The other side of the coin is often a cheap pen will come to you and no adjustments will be needed. Sometimes on cheap or expensive they're needed, other times just wanted.

I use an Arkansas stone when I want to do some major changes to the nib, like make an italic or cursive italic nib or really round off some edges. It's not that it's very abrasive, it's it is easier for me to control in some aspects. Well, to a nib it IS abrasive, but I have more abrasive micromesh and such that I use if needed.

My best would be try whatever method you choose; be it a stone or what have you. Do very light pressure and check your worth with a microscope or loupe often. Also, write test often.

It's important to know what your nib is doing or what you want to do with it. It may just need a good flush or a flossing. Or, it may need some figure 8's on a paper sack. These often do wonders for a nib that was once great, now acting up a little bit.

Never thought of polishing the nib i think it would be great to have glide over the paper i would use my black arkansas as i would think a softer stone could possibly get a groove in it,i don't think the ink would soak in either but i'm very very curious as to how it turns out

The black ark seems like a good idea. It's hard and slow and I wouldn't care about ink. I never use the ark anyway.

I'm a fountain pen guy from way, so I dig the difference between nib tuning and polishing. I like a nib thats smooth and glides, and the ark may do it.

Have a look at this Mark:

Nib Grinding

In the old days they used water of ayr stones (probably because the quality nibs were gold and were prepared by jewellers, who used WoA stones to buff surfaces prior to gilding, etc). More modern pens are made of a harder gold, and at some point they began adding an iridium pellet (very hard wearing metal) tot he end of the nib for longer life. If it is one of those (they stopped using iridium in favour of another substance when iridium got prohibitively expensive, but the same applies) you don't want to go through the iridium, which is incredibly thin, so a higher grit is much more preferable than a lower grit.

Regards,
Neil

Rather than using a stone on a fountain pen nib, I would suggest that you try a bit of Cerium Oxide on flat leather.

Cerium Oxide is a fairly slow-working polishing compound that is used to polish glass. As such it would (hopefully) be gentle enough to smooth out your pen nibs without taking huge bites out of them like stones or sandpaper.

Of course, if you haven't any Cerium Oxide, you might also try Chromium Oxide or even even Rouge (very slow-working that last one).

Neil, that's a great link.

I tried my Dragon's Tongue, working very light circles (about a dozen), and it shined up real nice. It looks like I've found a use for my wacky Dragon's Tongue!

As a trained calligrapher, I would polish my nibs with 2000+ crocus cloth and Jeweler's rouge at the very least.

But, if the nib is gold plated, it won't require polishing. Gold is good!!!

Be advised that there is a difference between polishing a nib and reshaping a nib for a different purpose. The average person has no idea what we are discussing here.

Reading this, I agree that even a high end fountain pen needs tuning to suit the writer. Believe it of not, I've had several watch makers tell me that a new Rolex needs a going over to smooth it out and allow it to keep better time.

Good luck with that.