Greg Minuskin does great work.
He retipped the nib of a vintage Eversharp Skyline, then slit it twice to create a music nib.
I can only imagine what a blob of iridium that used to be. To make a music nib write well, it’s not enough to align the tines, ensure the slits are clean and edges are rounded so that the nib glides. The feed must be flush to the nib to allow the magic of capillary action to deliver strokes of ink to the paper.
I thought it would be of interest to show the backs of two Eversharp Skylines. To the left is an unmodified pen. As you can see, Greg’s pulled up both the nib and the feed to make his music hack work.
Usually, the “Made in USA” imprint meets the edge of the section. Note how far up that imprint is on Greg’s nib!
The proof of the hack is in the writing. Each of the curved strokes on the right was made in a single motion. There is no skipping. The line variation is crisp, almost italic. It is not a wet writer, but shades well.
In a world where the slapdash, the almost, and the sortakindaokay are painfully common, it is a delight to experience – and own – such a testament to craftsmanship.
