Brause Nibs for Calligraphy: Bandzug, Rose 76, Steno 361, Extra Fine 66EF
Brause nibs are an extremely popular choice for calligraphers. They come in a wide variety of sizes and styles, for both pointed and broad-edge work. These German made pen points are high quality and have uses for a ton of different scripts. Let’s take a closer look at some of the options that we carry in inventory, what they’re used for, and some images of these nibs.
Brause Nibs for Calligraphy: An Overview
Brause makes two main kinds of calligraphy nibs: Broad-edged nibs (Brause Bandzug Nibs) are used for Italic, Roman, Uncial, Blackletter (Gothic, Old English) and similar calligraphy styles. Pointed-pen nibs (Brause Rose 76, Brause Steno 361, Brause Extra Fine 66EF) are used for script: Copperplate, Spencerian, and the more informal pointed pen script called Modern Calligraphy.
The Brause Rose nib is a strong, flexible nib with a fine point. Its name comes from the rose design embossed on the nib. The Brause Steno 361 is also referred to as a Brause Blue Pumpkin nib because of its blue color and it rounded shape. It has a very fine point (though not as sharp as Gillott 303, Hunt 101, Leonard Principal EF), and has good flex. Some say its large, bowl-like shape increases its ink capacity.
The Brause pointed nibs are consistently well-made, and it is rare for a point to be defective, unlike some other brands. (Every few years, there is a problem with a bad batch of Brause 66EF that escapes the factory and the all the 66EF nibs are defective. John Neal works with the company to get replacements for the defective ones.) Brause makes other pointed nibs, but they lack the flexibility needed to make the thick and thin strokes (shades and hairlines) needed to write Copperplate Calligraphy, Spencerian Script, Modern Calligraphy, and other pointed-pen scripts.
The Brause Bandzug nibs come in nine widths: 5mm, .75mm, 1mm, 1.5mm, 2mm, 2.5mm, 3mm, 4mm, 5mm. They have a reservoir on the top of the nib and are cut at a right oblique angle. They are well-made, sturdy, and durable. This, along with their stiffness, makes them a good nib for beginners. This kind of calligraphy nib is also called a broad nib, broad-edged nib, chisel nib, chisel-edged nib.
