What's the difference? Aren't they both meant to give varying line thicknesses?
Stub vs. flex
- Thread starter eleuther0s
- Start date
With a flex nib it's easier to vary how much line variation you get at any given moment, or you can keep a light touch and not get any variation at all, if you don't want it just then. Italics and stubs tend to have more regular characteristics for the amount of variation you get.
A more skilled calligrapher might explain it differently.
A more skilled calligrapher might explain it differently.
Flex nibs provide variation by flexing the distance between the tines and laying down ink between. The amount of flex varies with pressure applied. A stub or italic nib is like painting with a wider paint brush: on the down strokes it's wide, but on the horizontals it's narrow.
A stub/italic nib has basically two line widths: Wide when writing a vertical stroke and narrow for a horizontal stroke. A flexible nib's line width varied depending how much pressure you apply (up to a point).
Richard Binder has a good description of the differences on his web site (complete with illustrations: Flex vs. Italic
Richard Binder has a good description of the differences on his web site (complete with illustrations: Flex vs. Italic
It's worth noting that flexible stub nibs exist, as well. This video even features a semi-flex music nib:
All her pen videos are worth watching, imo.
-Andy
All her pen videos are worth watching, imo.
-Andy
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I've got a vintage Majestic lever-filler from the 30s or 40s with a very flexible, oblique italic music nib! It's like writing with a wet paint brush.
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Leigh Reyes, active in the pen community for years and loves flexy nibs.
www.youtube.com/user/leighpod
