Who Are The People In The Pen World: The Nibmeister

by Galen Leather December 11, 2021 3 Comments

Nibmeister

What is a Nibmeister?

A nibmeister, by definition, is someone who can improve or reform a nib. It is an honored tradition and the nibmeisters are like the alchemists of the pen world; they can take a nib that isn’t functioning properly or isn’t to your liking and turn it into gold (not literally, unless it is gold, but you get the picture).

How Hard is it to become a Nibmeister?

This niche position in the pen world requires lots of training and practice. Through mentorships and repetition, each nibmeister acquires their own style of grinding nibs and their work will exhibit a personality that is singular as well. Choosing one is a matter of preference and often requires researching what others say about their work and having them tune or grind a nib or two for you. Some fountain pen collectors like all of their pens to be cared for by one nibmeister, and others enjoy the variety of having many hands perfect their pens.

How Can I Get a Nibmeister to Fix My Pen?

Nibmeisters can be found tuning and grinding at pen shows or in their own studios. Nibmeisters often have websites that will let you know how long their waiting lists are (this can be months or even years, depending) and also the process for sending your pen to them. Often they will have forms to fill out and may ask you to send photos of how you hold your pen when writing to make the most optimal adjustments to your pens nibs.

Nib Grinding

Nibmeisters are often more skilled or specialize in certain kinds of nibs, like italic and architect nibs, for example. Some have their own proprietary grinds that are a combination of more traditional grinds or have created a new nib of their own. If you are lucky enough to attend a pen show, they will often have samples of their nibs to try, so that you can see if it suits you and your handwriting. If this isn’t a possibility, research can be done on pen boards and through the nibmeisters site. There should be a fair amount of writing samples available to you to at least get a sense of the capabilities and style of the nibmeister you are interested in working with.

Some nibmeister are also pen restorers, so if you require that kind of work for a pen, be sure to ask if they can assist. If they cannot, they may know a restorer that they trust and can recommend to you if they don't do this work themselves. 

It is very heartening to see the nibmeister tradition continue, with several young nibmeisters learning from masters so that this important work stays in good hands.

Nibmeister near me

Below is a list of the nibmeisters currently working around the world. If you know of someone who should be added to this list, please leave their information in the comments. We would love to hear about others in this very special profession.

Damien Alomar All in the Nib USA (PA) https://www.allinthenib.com/ http://instagram.com/allinthenib
Brian Gray Edison Pen Company USA (OH) https://edisonpen.com/ http://instagram.com/edisonpenco
Alexander Stroud Frontier Pen Co USA (NY) http://instagram.com/fpc_alex http://instagram.com/fpc_alex
Joshua J Lax J.J. Lax Pen Co USA (NY) https://www.jjlaxpenco.com/ http://instagram.com/jjlaxpenco
Audrey Matteson Franklin-Christoph USA (NC) https://www.franklin-christoph.com/ http://www.instagram.com/franklinchristoph
Gena Salorino Custom Nib Studios USA (LA) https://www.customnibstudio.com/ http://instagram.com/customnibstudio
John Mottishaw Nibs.com USA (LA) https://www.nibs.com/ https://www.instagram.com/therealnibsdotcom/
Dan Smith The NibSmith USA (IO) https://nibsmith.com/ http://instagram.com/thenibsmith
Linda Kennedy Indy-Pen-Dance USA (IN) https://www.indy-pen-dance.com/ https://www.indy-pen-dance.com/
Mark Bacas Nib Grinder USA (GA) http://nibgrinder.com/ http://instagram.com/nibgrinder
Pendleton Brown Pendleton's Pens USA (GA) https://www.pendletonspens.com/ https://www.pendletonspens.com/
Kirk Speer Pen Realm USA (CO) https://www.penrealm.com/ https://www.penrealm.com/
Mike Masuyama Mike it Work USA (CA) http://mikeitwork.com/ http://mikeitwork.com/
Greg Minuskin Greg Minuskin USA (CA) https://gregminuskinpens.com/ https://gregminuskinpens.com/
Letta Pendemonium USA (AZ) http://www.pendemonium.com/ http://www.pendemonium.com/
Ralph Reyes Regalia Writing Labs USA https://www.regaliawritinglabs.com/ http://instagram.com/reachingralph
JC Ament Nib Tailor USA https://www.www.nibtailor.com/ http://instagram.com/thenibtailor
John Sorowka Oxonian UK mailto:j.f.sorowka@googlemail.com mailto:j.f.sorowka@googlemail.com
Ahmet Çarpık Nibworks TR https://www.instagram.com/nibworks https://www.instagram.com/nibworks
Pablo Carrasco FP Nibs Spain https://fpnibs.com/ http://instagram.com/pablo_carrasco_gimena
Sunny Koh Straits Pens Singapore http://web.straitspen.com/ http://web.straitspen.com/
J.P. Pentangeli JP's Pen Spa & Nib Works Philippines http://instagram.com/jppenspanibworks http://instagram.com/jppenspanibworks
John Lim Nib Sage Philippines http://instagram.com/penproclivities http://instagram.com/penproclivities
Anabelle Hiller Opus Cineris Netherlands http://www.opuscineris.com/ http://instagram.com/stringsandpedals
Yukio Nagahara The Nib Shaper Japan http://thenibshaper.com/ https://www.instagram.com/thenibshaper
Jaspreet Singh Gill The Nib Studio India http://instagram.com/thenibstudio http://instagram.com/thenibstudio
Salman Khattak Toronto Pen Company Canada https://torontopencompany.com/ http://instagram.com/torontopencompany
Jack Landau The Pen Smith Australia http://www.pensmith.com.au/ http://www.pensmith.com.au/
Taveet Sinanian Taveet Sinanian Australia http://instagram.com/nunc_est_scribendi http://instagram.com/nunc_est_scribendi
Les Sheely Stylosuite http://instagram.com/stylosuite http://instagram.com/stylosuite
Lutz Fiebig Interpens Germany www.interpens.de www.interpens.de




Galen Leather
Galen Leather

Author


3 Responses

Aissatou E Sunjata
Aissatou E Sunjata

July 12, 2021

Wow! This resource for those needing it.
Deb Kinney in Raleigh, NC
https://www.penhero.com/DebKinneyMain/customnibs.html

Flo
Flo

July 12, 2021

Another nibmeister well worth mentioning is Mislav Lukacevic in Vienna, Austria (https://www.ml-nibworx.com/) He does a very good job.

sandeep awasthi
sandeep awasthi

July 12, 2021

We are doing this work in India with a super speciality job of re tipping on old vintage nibs in EF, F, M , B or BB point our website is www.kanpurwriters.com

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