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Sun Microdevil Pte Ltd@koakuma@uwu.social (2026-10-02 02:21:53)
What does a pen with gold tips do differently to the ones with steel tips that people seem to be gushing for those :cirnothinking:

---Replies---

@Dwarf :borg_logo:@dwarf@borg.social (2026-10-02 02:23:44)
@koakuma@uwu.social gold is relatively soft, no? Maybe it glides better or something

chjara ☭ :lesbian_mode_el: :true_progress_flag: :blobcat_3d_stretcher:@chjara@akko.tuxcrafting.xyz (2026-10-02 02:25:46)
@koakuma I guess corrosion resistance?

🍀🩹 [ちょろい]² :estelle_smug2:@hannah@hai.z0ne.social (2026-10-02 03:28:40)
@koakuma@uwu.social Beyond flexibility and corrosion resistance there is also smoothness. I am not sure of the specifics, but people report gold nibs to be smoother than steel-iridium alloys. There are also titanium nibs, but those are rarer in my experience.

EDIT: oops.
A common myth is that "gold nibs write smoother than steel." In reality, the tipping material (usually an iridium alloy ball or wedge) and how it’s ground and polished determine smoothness. Both gold and steel nibs use similar hard tipping metals, so the actual contact point on the paper is virtually the same. 
Do note that it's not necessary to make all the nib out of gold if you don't want flex; Lamy for example offers gold nibs, but they only cover the "relevant part" (which is the ball and the space near the tines)