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Piston Fill

Glossary

Flex nib

A nib whose tines spread under pressure for line variation.

A flex nib spreads its tines under deliberate pressure, swelling the line from hairline to broad and snapping back on the release. It is how Copperplate and Spencerian get their weight — pressure on the down-stroke, none on the up.

Modern "soft" nibs (Pilot FA, some 14k golds) give a taste; true vintage wet-noodle flex is another instrument entirely. Push any flex too far and you get railroading.

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