# Calligraphy nibs for Virage fountain pen



## kenlholley (Jul 23, 2014)

I got a Virage fountain pen and a heritance replacement nib last month and with the help of Ed's video managed to replace the nib successfully.  My customer loves the pen.  Now he wants to know if I can get calligraphy / drawing nibs that will fit the Virage.  I would prefer them to be nib/feed assemblies so all he will have to do is unscrew it to swap nibs.  Are there such things out there?


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## edstreet (Jul 26, 2014)

I am shocked that no one answered this one yet.

The sad truth is no there is not.  The relief is yes it can be done.  However, it requires heavy mods to the feed assemblies and location of whatever nib size you need, then marry up the 2 and possibly some mod's to the convertor to feed union.

In the end you will end up with a nib that can do this.






and write like this, my sloppy handwriting.





This is done by someone who has far greater penmanship than I do.


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## its_virgil (Jul 26, 2014)

Brian Gray has 1.1 and 1.4 italic nibs at http://www/meisternibs.com . I've not made the virage so I'm not sure if the nib is a #5 or #6. Also, not sure about the threads on the section. But sections are available if you can find the correct thread size. Then swap the nibs.  An option would be to get a virage fountain pen kit and swap the nib with one from Meister Nibs and charge your customer accordingly. Gold italic nibs are available from http://www.thegoldennib.com .  I am assuming, of course, that the italic nibs are close to or the same as calligraphy nibs. If not, I'm sure I will be corrected.
Do a good turn daily!
Don



kenlholley said:


> I got a Virage fountain pen and a heritance replacement nib last month and with the help of Ed's video managed to replace the nib successfully.  My customer loves the pen.  Now he wants to know if I can get calligraphy / drawing nibs that will fit the Virage.  I would prefer them to be nib/feed assemblies so all he will have to do is unscrew it to swap nibs.  Are there such things out there?


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## edstreet (Jul 26, 2014)

You can use italic nibs for some things yes.  However I fail to see anything like that at Meisternibs

http://thegoldennib.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_12&products_id=106 does not list if it is a #5 or #35 nib size.  You will have better luck finding #35 nibs than #5 for this project.


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## plano_harry (Jul 26, 2014)

Here is an interesting video that might give you an idea for a custom starting point.
Creating über-Flex - YouTube

The Brause Rose nib is only a couple of bucks and the Ahab is less than $20


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## edstreet (Jul 26, 2014)

plano_harry said:


> Here is an interesting video that might give you an idea for a custom starting point.
> Creating über-Flex - YouTube



That is exactly what I said in my first post.


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## pshib (Jul 26, 2014)

The virage is a #5 nib.


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## edstreet (Jul 26, 2014)

pshib said:


> The virage is a #5 nib.



That works.

I took these shots earlier.  This is a kit pen that I did some heavy mods to and dropped in a custom nib. I am still doing tweaks to the feeder as all the kit pen feeders are like a desert and you can clearly see some feed problems in the image.






That's 1/32" wide lines you see in the image.





This was compared to #35 nibs on 2 flex pens that I have.  It's not as good as the #35 nib size but that's is a whole new topic for another day.


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## duncsuss (Jul 27, 2014)

kenlholley said:


> I would prefer them to be nib/feed assemblies so all he will have to do is unscrew it to swap nibs.



I believe your best bet is to simply buy another Virage kit (about $10, I think). Substitute the nib with whatever calligraphy nib works, and send him the complete front end.

Much simpler for the user to switch them over, less opportunity for the nib/feed to get misaligned, etc.

And keep the other kit parts on the shelf. Spare tubes and clips often come in handy


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## bizmiard (Aug 1, 2014)

As someone who's getting into turning pens specifically to improve existing calligraphy materials, this is especially interesting 

The first question to ask him is what kind of calligraphy is he looking at. If it's your foundational and italic hands, those require a _flat_ nib, something that looks like an italic or stub. You can find those separately and just stick 'em onto the pen, most of the sections are made friction fit.

If he wants pointed pen calligraphy, he has two options. The first is expensive. Get a nice gold nib, 14k or 18k, and then get a custom grind done by someone with serious nib experience. Mortishaw, Binder, the like. The other option is to stick on a holder that will allow him to insert a variety of dip nibs, like attachment (though it's an oblique holder, that can be attached straight as well).

I definitely do not recommend getting a dip nib stuck on there permanently, as they are cheap and meant to be replaced as soon as they lose their fine point. Here are some examples (my work) of both broad pen calligraphy and pointed pen.


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