Pen Show Nib Grinds: Oblique Italic By All In The Nib

(This is a guest Post from Sam Alpert. Sam is a geologist, gamer, and general lover of all things with good, clean design that will last a lifetime.)

I was fortunate enough to be able to attend my first pen show ever this year at the Baltimore Washington International Pen Show, or BWIPS for short! One of my biggest objectives was to take advantage of the presence of nib grinders to get at least one of my pens ground. This wouldn’t be my first time having this done, previously I was able to get an architect grind from JJ Lax when he was doing an in-store event for Fountain Pen Day 2023. I loved the experience, and was keen to continue finding ways to customize my writing.

I was only going to be able to attend the show on Friday, so I looked online and was able to book in advance with JC at The Nib Tailor. But Sam, you say quickly, this article refers to All in the Nib, surely that was a typo. Unfortunately, Thursday night, disaster struck, when JC fell ill and canceled all his Friday appointments. This was pretty rough, since I’d only booked to be at the event the one day. I immediately reached out for advice, and Brad was quick to recommend Damien. With no availability to book appointments online I made sure I was there early Friday to go straight to his table when the doors opened and take the first slot that I could find. With my name on for 3:30 I was happy to spend the rest of my morning accomplishing other goals (Schon DSGN presents clear and present danger to your wallet, just saying.)

Damien looking like a wizard while grinding my nib. When I asked if I could take a photo he said, “please do, I don’t have that many of myself working” which I thought was sarcastic at first, but turns out he really is just too focused to get photos!

When I sat down with Damien the first thing he did was to ask what kind of grinds I had, and what I did or didn’t like about them. I told him my preferences, M SIG for life, and he walked me through a couple of choices that he thought I might like. It was very helpful that he had a tester pen on his table for each grind he offers, allowing me to effectively preview how they would actually feel in practice. This seems somewhat common for nib grinders and I would say it was essential as basically a first-timer. For example, I would normally never have asked for an oblique grind, but while talking about what I didn’t like about the tester he had, Damien explained that there were things he could change (namely the angle of the oblique) that would better suit my writing angle. With that in mind, we settled on the oblique italic. Honestly, a lot of his grinds appealed to me, but I wanted to try something out of my comfort zone, and so put myself in Damien’s extremely competent hands.

I’d brought a B 21k Sailor nib that just hadn’t been doing it for me. Damien encouraged me to talk him through what I did and didn’t like about the nib as-was, and used that as a starting point for the grind. The first thing he did was to open up the nib slightly, allowing for a wetter writing experience, he then set to work grinding the oblique italic, keeping just a hint of the feedback that Sailor is known for.

The finished grind is super smooth, and fits my writing style perfectly. I get good variation in my strokes, and don't feel any need to adjust how I hold the pen. Damien was patient with me testing the grind a few times, and making tweaks according to my feedback. All in all it was a fantastic experience and I'm very glad to have met him. He is professional, but also clever, making smalltalk all while focusing on making the grind. I would absolutely recommend Damien to anyone looking for a fantastic grind at a very fair rate. And for those of you worried about grinding your expensive nibs, I encourage you to stop by a table at a pen show and try the tester pens, you may be surprised what cool things you’ll find!

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Skogsy Pens Cholla Micarta Fountain Pen Review, Featuring Nib Tailor Architect Grind

How’s that for a post title? I could have gone longer, adding in the pen size and material name, plus the ink, but I figured I would stop while I was ahead.

The story of this pen begins on Twitch, where I stream 2-3 times per week. A viewer with the handle “zskogsy” is a frequent viewer and chat commenter. As I got to know this digital presence, I learned more about them, eventually prying out information, such as “oh, I make pens.”

Boy, does Zach Skogsberg ever make pens.

As I got to learn more about the man behind the lathe, I learned he would be making his first ever pen show appearance at the 2022 San Francisco Pen Show. Seeing Skogsy Pens in person was at the top of my priority list that weekend, and I came away with this beautiful Cholla in Black Micarta. And by “came away with,” I mean “I had to pick one out quickly,” as these pens were flying off the table at a rate even Zach, and his wife Amy, were surprised by.

Seeing the quality craftsmanship, fun colors, and unique materials, I am not surprised in the least. Zach admitted that they were undertaking a big home move immediately upon returning from the show, so inventory wasn’t quite up to the levels he wanted, but still, having what, three total pens left by Sunday morning? That’s a pretty great show.

The Black Micarta Cholla is a pretty great pen, too. If you aren’t familiar with Micarta, it is a composite material with different types of fabric, or fiberglass, compressed in different laminates, such as various resins or epoxy. It’s a unique barrel material for fountain pens, and, according to makers who use it, not the easiest material to turn into pens.

From a user perspective, Micarta provides a hard barrel exterior, but with a warmth in the material once you start using it. The exterior is smooth, except for where the threads are cut, leaving some of the material exposed. And yes, if you get ink in that area it will stain. Easily. To buy a Micarta pen is to embrace the wabi-sabi, as not only will ink stain the pen if it gets on the barrel, your hand oils will continue to be absorbed over time, darkening the overall color. Micarta fans call these “features.”

My new-ish Skogsy Pen with my well-loved TWSBI Micarta.

A cracked internal nib housing left this stunning green stain on my TWSBI barrel. Own it!

My pen features a 16 mm grip section, which would be considered slightly wide. Skogsy also offers a more standard 14 mm grip section in most pens as well. The barrel width is sized to compliment either size grip section.

I’ve had this pen in regular use since returning from San Francisco, and it puts a smile on my face every time I use it. It’s that nice, and I made it even nicer, for me, with the addition of an Architect grind on the Medium steel Jowo nib I chose when purchasing this pen.

When I sat down with JC Ament, aka the Nib Tailor, I knew I wasn’t going with one of my standards (Stub, Cursive Italic, Needlepoint,) and wanted something cool, befitting this cool pen. I settled on a traditional Architect grid, and JC absolutely nailed it. My most-used Architect grind is more of a mini-style, befitting my small handwriting, so having this more traditionally-sized nib has been great.

I like pen and nib pairings, and I think I put together a perfect combination. But my results are only as good as the people behind the products, and Zach, Amy, and JC should all be proud of their work.

Zach and Amy are still settling in after their big move, so follow Skogsy Pens on Instagram for the latest info, and for when commissions open back up. JC can be found at Nib Tailor, and at a pen show, or stationery retailer, near you.

(I was provided the Skogsy Pen at no charge at the San Francisco Pen Show. I paid regular price for the Architect nib grind from the Nib Tailor.)

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TWSBI Diamond 580 ALR Prussian Blue with Mark Bacas Predator Grind: A Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

Last week I reviewed the TWSBI Diamond 580 in Smoke and Rose Gold with an EF nib. So, why, you might ask, am I reviewing another 580 this week? Well . . . first, because the Prussian Blue has some distinct stylistic differences from the 580 in Smoke and Rose Gold, and second, because this 580 boasts a specialty grind by Mark Bacas.

I’ll start by discussing the Prussian Blue version of the Diamond 580 and how it is distinct from the Smoke and Rose Gold. The Prussian Blue arrives in the same plastic TWSBI box.

The aluminum trims on the pen have a dark teal matte finish which is still shiny but in a subtle way.

One thing I don’t like about this version of the 580 is that the clip is plain silver rather than the gorgeous Prussian blue color. I wish they had matched the clip like they did on the Rose Gold.

Unlike the Rose Gold 580, the cap finial and grip are machine-grooved. This gives the finial a special look and provides texture on the grip for your fingers.

Although the Prussian Blue is the same size as the Rose Gold 580, it weighs slightly less: 27 grams capped, with no ink, 17.9 grams inked and unposted. The grip diameter is just a smidge larger at 11 mm. Like the Rose Gold 580, Prussian Blue holds 1.8 ml of ink and is a piston filler.

I purchased my TWSBI Diamond 580 in Prussian Blue from Mark Bacas (nibgrinder.com) and requested a Predator grind. The Predator is created from a broad nib. It is ground so that when the pen is held normally, you get an extra fine line. When you hold the pen upside down, you get a medium to broad line. It is similar to a Sailor Cross Concord but without the doubled nib.

Here are several photos showing the Predator grind from various angles:

This nib grind is so much fun! The EF point is smooth and creates lovely delicate lines. Writing examples follow:

The B point offers substantive line width (it’s not so broad that its unusable for writing) and you can use it for both cursive and print writing.

I created a mandala using this nib and Sailor Yama-dori ink. It’s really great for artwork because you can create super fine lines and use the other nib side for broad lines or for filling in.

The fact that you can get this grind on a TWSBI 580 with its huge ink capacity makes this nib more practical than the Sailor Cross Point (which only comes on Sailor pens with tiny converters). Plus, it’s almost impossible to find Sailor Cross Point nibs anymore, and if you can, they are very expensive.

You can purchase this pen from Mark Bacas for $60 (if he still has some in stock; if not, he carries other TWSBI models). The Predator grind is an additional $50.

(I purchased this TWSBI Diamond 580 in Prussian Blue with the Predator grind with my own funds.)

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Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!