A Nib is Born

Axel Nier, technical setter of Montblanc’s Nib Manufacturing facility, holds a 13-pound reel of gold. This is how nibs begin their life at Montblanc. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

HAMBURG, Germany — How many people does it take to make a nib? At Montblanc it takes about 50 who work through an approximate 35-step process. That’s a lot of work for such a small object.

Just to be clear, what I’m talking about is the part of the dip pen or fountain pen that comes into contact with the writing surface to deposit ink.

The process combines old hand-crafted techniques with the precision of modern machinery. It’s an assembly line system but the human touch throughout the process ensures that each nib gets personal attention. Each nib goes through the same process but, yet, each is unique, explains Axel Nier, technical setter of Montblanc’s Nib Manufacturing facility, who took me on a tour of the clean, well-organized and productive facility in Montblanc’s headquarters.

“We really have hand work that’s over 100 years old so that each nib that leaves Montblanc is hand-grinded so there’s really a soul in the fountain pen,” Nier said. “Everything you see here is really the heart of the fountain pen.”

A brief overview of the process follows:

Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

A nib begins life as a 13-pound spool that looks similar to a reel of motion picture film (top picture). The flat surface moves through a machine that stamps the initial outline, breather holes and stamp of the nib. One side is thicker, which is the writing side of the nib while the thin end goes into the ink feeder. Only 40 percent of the gold is used. The remaining 60 percent is recycled.

The individual pieces move to a press to get its convex shape—15 to 20 pounds of pressure is used. They are then checked by hand to ensure that the shape is exact.

And admittedly blurry image of tiny iridium balls that will be attached to the gold nibs. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

The electrical welder that welds the iridium ball onto the gold surface. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

A tiny iridium ball is then quick-welded onto each nib with a machine that creates a near oxygen-free environment. A spark of a flame does the job of fastening the hard iridium ball onto the soft gold. It takes a split second. The roundness and hardness of the iridium ensures that the nib will be able to glide across paper and last a long time.

The diamond blade slices the nib into two sections. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

A sliver of a cut is made through the iridium ball and gold to create two rectangular wings. Iridium is one of the hardest surfaces on the planet while gold is a soft metal. It takes a special blade to cut the hard iridium point and the gold quickly at the same time. A thin diamond blade is used. It’s so thin that it literally crumbles and tears if not handled delicately.

Photo credit: Montblanb

Grinding of the nib is next, which smooths the edges of the gold around the iridium point.

 

Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

Next comes the mask. Some of the writing instruments use two colors of gold. Rhodium is used to create white gold so those nibs get a rhodium bath. The mask is placed over the areas that will not receive the coating.

Photo credit: Montblonc

The last step is to assemble the nib to the feeder. Then the nibs are tested by hand. One person spends her day writing eights and other lines to ensure the ink flows properly and the pen handles well. Invisible ink is used so it doesn’t appear to the customer it has been tested.

And the final result.

Photo Credit: Montblonc

Below is video from Montblanc video that presents a stylized but accurate version of the nib manufacturing process as well as the work of artisan atelier that I wrote about Friday.

The Bespoke Nib: The Final Frontier In Making The Perfect Writing Instrument

A model of the Montblanc bespoke nib.

HAMBURG, Germany — Among those who collect and use fine writing instruments there is nothing more personal than the nib. Collectors, writing enthusiasts and artists constantly debate which nibs are best. It’s a conversation that will never have a conclusion.

What we are talking about is the part of the dip pen or fountain pen that comes into contact with the writing surface to deposit ink.

I was at Montblanc’s headquarters on the outskirts of Germany’s second-largest city to get a first-hand look at how they manufacturer nibs. What I was surprised to learn is that the company has set up a department for creating personalized nibs through its boutiques in nine cities. The bespoke service combines modern technology with old world craftsmanship and service. Axel Nier, technical setter of the Nib Department, and Frank Derlien, Nib Department manager, put me through the process that is available in its boutiques in New York, Hong Kong, Dubai, Singapore, Tokyo, Shanghai, Milan and Mexico City as well its Hamburg headquarters.

The service of testing and then creating a personalized nib costs 1,200 euros ($1,577), Niersays. Depending on its acceptance in these boutiques, it may become available at more boutiques.

“We have a lot of VIP customers who really love this tool,” he says.

Other than the fact that I’m doing a story, Nier also is also interested in turning me into a user of fountain pens for my daily work. I tell him I don’t think it’s a good idea since I tend to destroy pens while working. But he’s determined.

A pen with a transmitter on it that, along with an digital desk pad, provides details about handwriting styles.

The process begins with Nier handing me a pen with a digital transmitter attached to it. With it, I print a prepared statement along with my signature. I write on paper but below the paper there’s an electronic desk pad that provides details about my writing style. Even though it’s actual pen on paper, it feels a bit less comfortable.

Montblanc software measures a person’s writing style based on speed, pressure, pen rotation, swing range and inclination angle.

Montblanc designed its own software that measures a person’s writing style based on five key measurements: writing speed, writing pressure, pen rotation, swing range and inclination angle. As I write lines appear on a computer screen that measures the five areas. In the end of the process a certificate prints with my writing measurements and a recommendation. Based on those measurements, Montblanc can now have an accurate guide to specify a writing instrument. The recommendation is for me to use a “fine” nib, which is typical for someone who constantly takes notes.

From here, there are two options. The person can either buy a writing instrument at the store that best fits his writing style or he can have a writing instrument designed at Montblanc’s headquarters that exactly fits his criteria. The determination is based on the computer data analyzed by the writing experts at the nib factory.

“We can make your DNA fountain pen suited for your hand and we will hand make everything here in Hamburg,” Nier says. “The data will be sent via Internet and we can analyze each step. We have 2,500 measurement points that we can analyze and we can make a perfect nib for your hand.”

My writing characteristics report.

To top it off, the service includes a personalized statement engraved on the nib.

In my case I did some additional freestyle for Nier. Through this he concluded that I should use an extra-fine nib for my daily writing and a medium-sized nib for writing my signature.

I am certainly convinced to the superiority of a fountain pen over a standard pen. However, I’m not convinced that a fine writing instrument should go undergo the daily abuse my pens go through.