Gillott Nibs

About 1830 Joseph Gillott began working on the machine manufacture of steel pens. He adapted stamping presses to cut out blanks, form the slits, bend the metal, and impress the maker’s name on the pens. He improved metal tempering, cleansing, and polishing to give his metal nibs the flexibility needed to mimic the quill pen. To improve flex, he started making slits at the side of the nib in addition to the central one. Cross grinding the nibs was later adopted. In 1961, the Joseph Gillott company was taken over by the parent company of William Mitchell Ltd, which offers a range of Gillott nibs, all pointed, for Copperplate, Spencerian, and Modern Calligraphy scripts, and for drawing.

Gillott 170 Nib.  A smooth-gliding, flexible nib requiring a soft touch. Appropriate for x-heights from 3/16" to 1/4". Not for beginners.

Gillott 303 Nib. A popular nib for Copperplate. Good flexibility - not too stiff, not too flexible. Very thin hairlines and good swells

Gillott 290 Nib and Gillott 291 Nib. Both are small, delicate nibs for very small script (x-heights under 1/16"). Each requires a very light touch to keep it from catching on the upstroke. Useful for retouching letters made with larger pens.

Gillott 404 Nib. A popular, sturdy nib that is long-lasting, fairly stiff, and suitable for writing scripts at x-heights from 3/16" to 1/4", on all surfaces from smooth to textured. It is a good choice for beginners. 

Gillott 659 Nib. This tiny crowquill nib is good for x-heights around 1/16". It is more sturdy than other small nibs and less flexible. Has tubular base; use with holder Gillott Pen Holder #51.

Gillott 1950 Nib. Unlike most very small nibs, the end that fits in the holder is sized as large nibs, so the nib fits in regular penholders. Satisfactory for Spencerian Script.

Gillott 1068A Nib. Very stiff nib. Ordinary pressure will create a monoline script; more pressure will create a script with just a slight contrast between thicks and thins. Can produce moderate swells with enough pressure.