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Zebra Comic G Model Chrome Pen Nib, 10 Nibs (1 Pack) (PG-6B-C-K)?
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28 reviews of this product found across Reddit:
I used a Zebra G nib. I found these on Amazon, and they were such a good price I had to give them a try, and I'm really enjoying them.
Not sure if this set would do you: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006CQW428/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
But I bought that just recently and the one tip I tried is very similar to my Hunt ex-fine 512 from Speedball. It's 10x of the same nib, so should probably last you for-ev-err. I'm guessing that these 10 will last the rest of my life.
It uses a Zebra G dip nib which is flexible. Unlike fountain pen nibs, dip nibs are semi-disposable and will eventually corrode or wear out. On the other hand, dip nibs are much cheaper to replace. I believe you can get a pack of 10 Zebra G nibs for $10ish.
The x450 uses a #6 nib, so if you get this, it should work.
You'll have to probably heat set the feed to get it to fit properly. I ended up boiling some water in the microwave, then threw the feed in there for a minute. Then I bent it upwards slightly by pressing it on a table.
After that, I still had to jam it into the section with a little force, but it worked really well and the flow was pretty good.
Used that nib, and yes I used a cheap speadball oblique holder. Looking into getting a nicer one though I can't find any reliable ones off of Amazon
The first three are brushes and wouldn't actually hurt you. lol. The other nibs are fairly standard, actually. I wouldn't actively poke myself with any of them, but only because they're rusty and likely to cause an infection. I prick myself with one of these Zebra nibs every other day, though. No lasting damage unless your dream in life is to be a hand model...
My handwriting is better with a dip pen, but it's not really a matter of which pen produces better letters. Fountain pens are usually tipped with iridium at the end; it helps the tips "glide" across the page. Dip pens are not tipped, and so there's only so fast you can go before your nip catches on the paper. Plus, there's the whole stopping every five words to dip the pen in ink routine. And then there's india ink, which is, while brilliantly dark, fairly difficult to get out if it stains your fingers/clothing/desk. I think the combination of the three keeps me from being my usual careless self, and in turns makes my handwriting more legible.
Not at all! I got them off of Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/Zebra-Comic-Model-Chrome-PG-6B-C-K/dp/B006CQW428
I mainly use Amazon or John Neal Books.
The nib is Zebra G Nib is held with a Speedball Oblique Holder Ink is W&N Gouache Paper is Strathmore
> This colors are beautiful. The blue...
I know! I should point out that the sheen (red reflections in both inks) and shimmer (gold dust in the Emerald of Chivor) is definitely dependent on not only the paper, but also the right angle of light. Here is an example of Majestic Blue (sorry for the potato quality), and here is the same thing from a different angle. The first shows off the sheening, but the second does not. Goulet Pens is basically showing you the best possible scenario using very bright light. You can definitely see those colors in-person, but you do have to hold it at the right angle, in the right light, and use the right paper.
If you're interested in ink effects, you might also look into sheening inks. I have some Apache Sunset and it's basically the best example of shading ink there is, according to Goulet Pens. Shading inks are inks that lay down different amounts of ink, depending on how you write. I can confirm that it looks just like GOulet's photos do, regardless of lighting, and even on a wider variety of papers. Apache Sunset is mostly shades of orange and yellow ochre, but there are many other colors out there, by many different brands. Goulet did a goofy video about shading inks, and also has one for sheening inks, as well as one that talks about how to use shimmering inks, with a some mention of some good ones.
Want to get into it?
I've written a wall of text in case you're interested in learning more about ink effects, some inks to consider, and how to get started in fountain pens (relatively) inexpensively. This means about $40 total... at first, anyway. Here's what you'd need:
- $10 for a pen
- $1-$20 for ink
- $7-$15 for specialty paper that will resist bleeding and show off shimmer and shine
I'm going to warn you that getting into not only fountain pens, but specifically fountain pen inks (ink is, after all, the reason the pens are interesting!), is a deep, dark rabbit hole of financial doom. It can start cheap (ish), but can get expensive very quickly if you aren't careful. But if you're interested, here's where to start. You don't have to buy a bunch of $10-$30 bottles of ink; you can get a ~$10 sample pack of around 8 inks to try a bunch out, sorted by brand, property (sheening, shimmering, etc.), or just order a single ink sample for $1-$2. But you'll eventually want to invest in at least one actual bottle of ink because a 3 oz / 80 ml bottle of ink lasts a long time and is much more economical. A word of warning: make sure you only buy fountain pen inks and avoid things like "india ink", "caligraphy ink", "lawyer's ink", etc. because it can ruin a fountain pen: it's thicker, intended for dip pens. So it doesn't have to be financial doom, but be aware of this risk if you lack self-control like I do. ;-)
If you're interested in some decent but inexpensive starter pens that let you use almost any ink you want, I'd recommend the Jinhao X750. Goulet sells them, but you can also get them on Amazon for ridiculously cheap: $20 for 5 or one as cheap as $3.50, depending on the style. Goulet has a bunch of videos about starter pens, and here's one for newbies. Note that he doesn't usually recommend Noodler's pens for newbies, as they can take some tinkering and finagling to get working properly, but I think it's worth considering picking one up as they are very cheap vs. their competition and offer some stunning quality. Cheap is relative, but you can get a Creaper Flex, which offers some decent flex for only $16, or a $75 Niponset which offers very nice flex (leading to greater line width variation) via its "music nib" and an ebonite feed - features usually not found in fountain pens until the $300-$300 price point. That said, you can get some excellent flex out of a dip pen using Zebra G nibs. Fun fact: the Zebra G nibs fit the Jinhao X750! Note that it's a pain to use in this way, requires some tinkering to get to work, and maintenance is higher when using a dip pen nib in a fountain pen, but you can try it out inexpensively and always go back to the original Jinhao nib if you don't like it.
For paper, Rhodia, Clairefontaine, and Tomoe River are the best options. Rhodia is the cheapest, Clairefontaine is the easiest to work with, and Tomoe (pronounced "toe-moe-eh") River is probably the best for showing off ink features and effects. That said, note that Tomoe River takes much longer to dry due to being dense and heavy), but they can be a little tough to find locally outside of specialty stationery or professional art supply stores. I've found that some (some) bristol boards (very thick, smooth paper used for cartooning) work, such as Strathmore Bristol, and you can sometimes find this very easily. However, Borden & Riley Paris Paper For Pens inexplicably isn't as good for some of this. Clairefontaine's pocket notebooks are great: they're relatively inexpensive, have excellent build quality, and have a decent amount of sheets.
I hope that helps! (Assuming it wasn't way more than you ever wanted to know about it...) ;-)
Yeah I use India ink (Speedball super black) and Dr Ph Martins Pen White with these 2 nibs:
Zebra G nibs (or Tachikawa Comic G)
chrome - https://www.amazon.com/Zebra-Comic-Model-Chrome-PG-6B-C-K/dp/B006CQW428/
titanium - https://www.amazon.com/Zebra-Comic-Professional-Titanium-PG-7B-C-K/dp/B00LUD4DAY/
Get the titanium ones if you can afford it.
Brause Blue Pumpkin (better flow than the zebra Gs but bolder lines )
https://www.amazon.com/Brause-Steno-Pen-NIB-Silver/dp/B003JMVQYA
Flex in the artistic, calligraphic sense almost means going with a dip pen, although vintage pens can be had with very flexy nibs, and many nibmeisters can modify nibs to get them close-ish to vintage flex. Also some pens can be modified to use dip pen nibs successfully.
The cheapest solution to try your hand with a Spencerian-style calligraphy is to get a handful of Blue Pumpkinnibs or Zebra G's or similar and a pen holder. If you're into it then you can look at some of the other options. Getting a flexy nib for a Sport, especially one that operates like you'd like, is probably a bigger PITA than it's worth, although certainly not impossible.
Most #6 size nibs will fit a Jinhao x750, 159, or x450. Both Noodler's and FPR flex nibs can be bought separately. You might also consider a Zebra G nib, as it is more flexible, but this is a dip pen nib which requires some modification to fit the Jinhao and will corrode over time, eventually needing to be replaced.
The Zebra G nibs are *extremely* flexible, probably some of the most flexible nibs on the market. Here's a video using the same nib. I believe these nibs were meant for dip pens (although I could be wrong), so they come in a small box of 10 or so, and are relatively cheap on amazon as well.
I hate to reply 10 years later but it’s dead in here anyway...it’s the logo of zebra comic g nibs for pens. (See amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Zebra-Comic-Model-Chrome-PG-6B-C-K/dp/B006CQW428)
It's a pen nib. It's super cheap. https://www.amazon.com/Zebra-Comic-Model-Chrome-PG-6B-C-K/dp/B006CQW428
If you’re interested in a flexible nib, a good option that isn’t extraordinarily expensive is using a Zebra G Nib with a Jinhao x750 for the body and feed. They’re great for calligraphy as well!
I got these and an oblique pen holder.
Heya!
The other two already pointed out Noodler's and Desiderata, but I just wanted to fill in some more information, since I have some of these.
I have the Noodler's $23 Ahab and $16 Creaper. The Ahab takes a Noodler's #6 size nib, which comes in the following styles:
- tipped flex
- non-tipped flex
- tipped rigid
- non-tipped rigid
Tipped nibs write smoother, because the end has a sort of spherical shape where it meets the paper. The larger tip also means that even when the nib is not flexed, they put down very broad lines. Non-tipped flex nibs are more akin to dip flex pens, so slow strokes and very light pressure on push-strokes are required, but they provide much better line thickness variation.
The Noodler's Flex Creaper only takes the Noodler's #2 flex nib, which is also a tipped nib but it much finer. I've also found that because the nib is much narrower than the #6, it can put down broader lines with less pressure. Some people grind out part of the back of their #6 nibs to get more flex.
TLDR: I think the Noodler's Flex Creaper is the much better bang-for-buck out of the box. It gets more line thickness variation with the stock nib and is cheaper.
The other budget option is to make a "frankenpen." The most popular nib for this is the Zebra Comic G, which is offered in chrome or titanium. The only other flex nibs I've tried are the ones that come with the Speedball oblique kit, which has the 101 and 103 nibs. Compared to the 101 and 103, I would say the Zebra Comic G is a stiffer nib. Unlike the Noodler's #2 and tipped #6 nibs, the Zebra Comic G is pretty pointy. People have had luck sticking the Comic G into the Jinhao x750 (check Amazon or eBay to purchase) and Noodler's Ahab.
Use the link below to donate .5% of your purchase to charity.
Amazon Smile URL: https://smile.amazon.com/Zebra-Comic-Model-Chrome-PG-6B-C-K/dp/B006CQW428
This bot is still in test phase. Please PM me for suggestions, complaints or questions.
We usually recommend that a pointed pen beginner start with a box of Zebra G nibs, or Nikko G nibs (different name for the same thing). These are durable (they'll last you a good half a year, and won't break if you handle them wrong), and easier to handle for a beginner (they won't catch or tear the paper if you handle them wrong).
Before starting, you need to prep your nibs. Dip nibs are shipped with a coating that prevents corrosion, but also makes the ink blob in a way that makes writing difficult. To remove this coating, wipe the nib gently with a dish detergent or windex, or pass the nib (briefly!) through an open flame.
When the coating is gone, the ink should coat the tip of the nib evenly. If it bunches up into tiny droplets, the nib needs to be prepped.
Ok, I understand about nibs. Now I need something to put my nibs in. Take me to nib holders
Wait, I'm curious about the other nibs.
Take me to the Link Index
Being volunteers, everyone here is on the same pay grade :-P
- Frankenpen - a pen made of parts from other pens (like Frankenstein's monster, only with pens instead of rotting corpses), ie: not this. Most of my pens are frankenpens.
- Konrad - another pen by Noodler's, similar to the Ahab with a more traditional piston mechanism, a little shorter/slimmer, also takes #6 nibs. (I kinda prefer it)
- mod - modify
- G Nib - a Zebra G Nib, a "disposable" dip-nib that can be used on some fountain pens with a bit of fiddling. Noodler's pens are a good candidate because Noodler's uses ebonite (a hard rubber) instead of plastic for their feeds -- which means you can heat-set them (heat & press the feed to mold the ebonite to the shape of the nib).
Most of my Ahabs currently have a 1.9mm stub on them, which isn't practical for writing normal-sized, but is fun to write letters all cute and shit ;-)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006CQW428?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00 These have a pretty decent price.
It's nothing particularly fancy. Some nib (hard to tell because it's covered in ink but one possibility is a Zebra G Nib) and an oblique pen holder (his looks something like this but there are cheaper ones*).
^(*dat url)
If you're okay with having to change out the nib once a month or so, look at a Desiderata Pen.
And a pack of ten-nibs from Amazon
$50 for the pen and $11 for flex nibs.
Here's a video of how they perform.
You can also buy a Nemosine .8mm italic nib from Desiderata than you can swap in instead of the Zebra G flex nibs.
I don't see any link to the pen you're unhappy with.
Yes, the Jinhao X750 will take Noodler's nibs. But the Noodler's nibs aren't really flex nibs, and I personally don't like them.
I would put Zebra G nibs on the Jinhao instead:
http://www.amazon.com/Zebra-Comic-Model-Chrome-PG-6B-C-K/dp/B006CQW428/
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