Left handed fountain pen

[Maurice]

I was asked today if you can get or make a fountain pen for someone who is left handed.
I had no idea that when they used a fountain pen it scratched the paper rather than the smooth
action when a right handed person writes with one.
I’m sure the pen would be the same but can you get the nibs to deal with this problem?

 

[Jim]

Well i have never given this a thought Maurice, maybe if i had been left handed i would have come across the problem ...

 

[Woody]

I know you can get left handed calligraphy pens but I'm not sure about an ordinary fountain pen I would think Ed would be the man for this one

 

[rowdyyates115]

If I remember correctly, while I was at school one lad was left handed and he had a special knib fitted in his pen.
It sort of had a curve to it. But I think as Woody says ED will know.

 

[Jimjam66]

Maurice, I'm pretty sure that a standard 'non-tuned' FP nib is not 'handed'. Italic nibs are often trimmed across at a slight angle to make the broad stroke easier to accomplish, and the angle of the trim could make the pen more awkward for a southpaw. All nibs feel a tad awkward at first because he nib has to wear itself in to your writing style, a southpaw should have no problem breaking in a standard nib.

 

[edlea]

David is correct and nibs can be 'worn 'in over a period of time. In the 30s and 40s a type of nib was developed called a 'ball pointed nib' that enabled left handed people to write with a brand new nib that didn't need any breaking in.

 

[Grump]

When I first met my Drain she worked at the Platignum factory in Stevenage, we used to sit and assemble pens at home for our bottom drawer money as she called it.
I used to assemble the left handed fountain pens cut at a specific angle for the user.
They had a left handed tester who would take a random pen and scribe with it for quality control.
It was fascinating to watch his hand working he would write upside down and lift his hand from the paper so as not to smudge the ink, very strange I actually felt sorry for this person and looked upon him as being disabled.
How times have changed init?
Ed I remember that nib also made by Mentmore at the platignum factory.

 

[edlea]

This may be of some use Maurice.Left Handed Writers and Fountain Pens

 

[Grump]

Brilliant Ed, I never knew he was called a hooker until now.
But think about the way we write, his hand always moved toward the wet ink, we write away from it so he would cover what he had just written.
George was a clumsysod left hander.

 

[Pete B]

Hi Maurice, if you need a custom grind on a nib i know a man etc.
Please pm me but its not cheap at £40 to £45 + nib but he is very good and i will put you in touch with him.

Regards

Pete

 

[edlea]

Brilliant Ed, I never knew he was called a hooker until now.
But think about the way we write, his hand always moved toward the wet ink, we write away from it so he would cover what he had just written.
George was a clumsysod left hander.

That's right Brian ..I remember at school when we as kids had to write with dip pens.Left handed kids used all sorts of tricks to overcome this problem including writing upside down.

 

[Terry]

You have certainly brought back some memories there Ed. I remember the dip pens and the problems left handed kids had and I do remember the nib with the rounded end having bought one myself although I am right handed!!!!!

 

[Jim]

You have certainly brought back some memories there Ed. I remember the dip pens and the problems left handed kids had and I do remember the nib with the rounded end having bought one myself although I am right handed!!!!!

I don't recall these at all, obviously well before my time ...

 

[yorkshireman]

I went to the church school Jim and we had to use them there - early sixties it was. Being an ink monitor was a much prized, sometimes messy, job.

keith

 

[Terry]

I don't recall these at all, obviously well before my time ...

I bet you never went to school !!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL

 

[Jim]

I bet you never went to school !!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL

Only Monday to Friday ...

 

[Buckeye]

My daughter is left handed and one of her FP nibs was always scratchy I read an article somewhere about how you can tweak the nib by writing, without ink on micromesh, I gave her a sheet and she wrote for about 30 seconds or so and the nib was good to go.

Peter

 

[Jimjam66]

I don't recall these at all, obviously well before my time ...

Yeah right ...