A while back I dubbed the Wing Sung 3008 ‘An Economical Masterpiece’for the reasons I outlined and now I have further reason to believe I was right.
About a week or so ago I visited the Fabriano Boutique on Marylebone High Street (more about my visit soon) and I got to try out the Lamy Joy Calligraphy set which contains three different nibs; a 1.1mm, 1.5mm and a 1.9mm.
I wasn’t very taken with the 1.1mm nib but I did quite like the 1.5mm but my favourite was the 1.9mm; it seemed perfect for composing large, bold impressive looking lettering and my hopeless scribbles left me feeling inspired.
Now the only fly in the ointment is my dislike of shaped nib section you find on Lamy pens and this got me thinking that there must be an alternative.
I then looked for alternative sets and for a good set in similar sizes the cost was very similar; which is fine and ultimately very good value if you are planning to learn calligraphy but for someone like me who only wants to dabble when they have the odd half hour to spare it’s quite costly.
With this in mind I started looking at nib swapping and a little research later showed that the Wing Sung 3008 is compatible with Lamy nibs so I ordered three different nibs from Amazon sellers; a standard Medium, a 1.5mm and a 1.9mm. The three nibs costing less than a single Lamy Joy pen.
The nibs arrived, two in a box and one bagged, they all now live in the box, and I dug out one of my spare 3008’s and loaded it with Diamine Bilberry and prepared to make the nib swap.
The nib box
For comparative purposes this is a picture of the 3008 standard nib and the Lamy 1.9mm nib.
As with Lamy pens the nib slides easily off the 3008 and the Lamy slides on very easily and required no adjustment to its position only a little priming to get the ink flowing through the fresh nib. It’s worth noting that the Lamy nibs were not as tight a fit as the original 3008 nib but at no point was I concerned when using them; if anything I think this allowed improved ink flow and the results.
This is a writing sample completed with all three of the Lamy nibs.
I would definitely recommend this route if you are thinking of dipping your toe into the waters of calligraphy and don’t yet want to commit to buying a set of pens/nibs, you get to find out what you do and do not like for a very small outlay; both the pen and a nib will probably cost around $10 and if calligraphy is not for you then you will have a good reliable pen at the end of it and spare nib to pass on.
If you can I would suggest that, like me, you try them out in a store as this will provide you firstly with an idea of whether or not you even like this art form and secondly if you think you do what sized nib you want to start with.
However, if you don’t have an opportunity to try out the different sizes then I would suggest the 1.5mm; I think it’s a good size for anyone with regular sized handwriting.
Other than getting myself covered in ink whilst hot swapping nibs this has been a fun way to dabble in calligraphy and when the time permits I will dabble some more.
Disclaimer:These nibs were purchased with my own funds at retail price. The opinions expressed in this review are my own; and I am not connected with either the retailers or manufacturers in any way.
The Indian Marmalade Company 