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Can a nib with iridium tipping be 'broken in' at all, or is that a myth?

General questions on writing instruments Fountain-pen nibs FAQ entry

Pure material wear hardly occurs through the hard iridium grain; a true 'breaking in' through normal writing would, by estimate, take about 15 years. In reality two effects overlap: the nib tines are minimally spread through individual pressure, and the writer gets used to the behaviour of the pen. Anyone wanting to speed up the effect can use special nib polishing paper with 12,000 grit (e.g. from David Nishimura or via micro-mesh.de) and draw figure-of-eights laid flat on the sheet — this also removes light burrs and adapts the nib to one's own hand. Alternatively, the classic method using a soapstone is mentioned. Targeted manual adjustment should be done carefully, as removing too much material permanently changes the nib character.

Note: The fountainpen.de FAQ knowledge base is based on collector discussions from over 20 years. Specific market prices may be outdated — the underlying methodology remains valid. Back to FAQ overview ›

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