One of the most exciting things about fountain pens in recent years has been the rising popularity of flexible nibs. What makes them appealing is that you can write with a varying amount of pressure to change your line width from a finer line to a broader one, giving you a lot of expression and versatility in your writing. But did you know that flex nibs have been around for decades? How about the fact that there's a specific way you need to write with them to really get them to work properly?
As a retailer of flex nib fountain pens for the last several years, we've been asked a variety of really compelling questions about how they work and how to use them. Compiling knowledge from the members of our Media and Customer Care teams, online research, and speaking with manufacturers in the industry over the last several years, we've put together this video to try to explain everything you need to know to get the basics of flex pen use down. We hope you enjoy it!
What is flex?
A flex nib allows you to write with a variation in line width based on the amount of pressure you apply as you write
Consider heat setting feed (Check out our how-to video here)
Flush/clean pens first
Take your time, practice, and don’t over flex (or you risk springing your tines)
Wetter inks and less absorbent papers work best, avoid permanent or fast-drying inks
Scotch tape over the nib can help
Write slowly, especially when flexing
Using more of your arm, not just your hand
Flex only on the pulling motion
Be careful about your rotation
It’s an instrument, something that truly requires practice, so you will have to give it time
We fully realize you may have questions, so please ask away in the comments below. Feel free to share your own experience with various flex pens and ink, too, we can all learn from each other! You can also check out our shopping guide for soft/flex nib pens here. Write On, Brian Goulet, Drew, and the Goulet Team
