Topic of the Week: Nibs

Sept. 21, 2026

The first in an occasional series that spotlights one part of the Pentrace archive for readers who haven't explored the whole site yet.

Diagram of the body of a fountain pen nib, from the Anatomy of a Nib article

A fountain pen's nib is the part that actually touches the paper, and it shapes how a pen feels to write with more than almost anything else about it. Pentrace has been writing about nibs for over two decades: how they're made, how they fail, how to grind and repair them, and what makes one nib flex while another stays stiff. This page collects that content in one place.

Start here

If you only read a few of these, start with the following:

Anatomy of a Nib: John Mottishaw's primer on nib parts and terminology — the piece the rest of this list assumes you've read.
Fountain Pen Nibs: The Basics: Nib tip shapes, sizes, and common problems, explained from scratch.
Nibs in New Haven: A visit to Parker's nib works, from someone who got to see the factory floor.
The Eversharp Skyline Nib: A close look at one specific, well-regarded nib design — "the flex, the stiff, and the manifold."

All nib articles

The rest of the archive's nib content, grouped by topic:

Nib fundamentals

Grinding, customizing, and specialty nibs

History and behind the scenes

Pen Doctor: nib troubleshooting

Answers pulled from the Pen Doctor column, on specific nib problems:

Looking for something this list doesn't cover? Browse all pages.