I first heard about the Brause Steno nib in when researching Blial Cabal’s work flow. The nicknaming of pen nibs is something I find confusing when trying to find nibs- it makes these items harder to find then they should be, especially if you use tools like Amazon to find your nibs (this isn’t ideal, but I get a lot of Amazon Gift cards). Let’s Explore my experiences trying out the Blue Punkpkin (Brause Steno Pen Calligraphy NIB #361)- I promise you I don’t get too technical.
First Impressions of the Brause Steno NIB #361
“Brause No. 361 Iserlohn” is engraved on the nibs.
Putting pressure on the Brause Blue Pumpkin nib I notice a low-medium flex. You can’t get a very wide spread, which makes me think this would be less useful for calligraphy than it would be for illustration. I did notice that sometimes it will drop a huge ink blot if pressure is applied at an angle- so it’s not very forgiving. That said it generally feels very nice to use but offered a limited range of flexibility makes it great for people who aren’t used to exerting pressure on a nib.
This is by far my favorite nib to use. That doesn’t make it the best nib there is, its just what I enjoy using. I don’t ink professionally, just for my silly little projects.
When trying out nibs on your own- remember- paper & ink can cause large differences in your experience. I always use India Ink which is generally regarded as a thicker ink. I tend to use mixed media paper, but I recognize their are better papers to use to guarantee smoothness and less feathering.
Advantages of the Blue Pumpkin
It holds a lot of ink. I’ve been testing a lot of different Nibs lately, and Manuscript Leonardt Dip Pen holds a lot less ink. This makes the nib feel really nice to practice with. This also lends itself for larger blobs appearing- this goes away with practice and if you are inking on a proper surface and a proper angle but it can feel bad if you want to hit the inking ground running.
Good for beginners who are looking to explore other nibs in the future- good tool to learn with. If you plan to stay at an entry level for fun tool- it is also worth the mastery.
It doesn’t scratch paper or get caught on paper.
These nibs still work very well if you’ve not cleaned them. White you should really clean your nib after every use, I sometimes get lazy, and when that happens the old ink doesn’t cause any real issues besides leaving larger lines.
If you are going to cartridge ink pen to dip pen, you will feel very comfortable here. The Brause Steno #361 holds a lot of ink.
Disadvantages of Blue Pumpkin
I did some research and discovered that this nib doesn’t do well with thin inks- this might cause the blobs I had experienced before. I used Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bombay Black India Ink which isn’t something I would regard as a thin ink. Be aware of this however when shopping for inks. Some light pooling issues- I suspect proper mastery of the nib would solve this issue. To be safe I’d recommend Sumi or India Ink when using this nib.
Try to use the Brause Steno nib with fairly thick inks like sumi or India ink.
I was surprised when using other nibs that the Blue Pumpkin wasn’t the thinnest nib around. This nib is good enough for more people, most of the time, however. When I was younger and learning I was obsessed with the finest nib I could possibly get so I could have the most control. I could see a younger me immediately dismissing this nib for a nib that is worse with a finer point.
All nibs have a disadvantage of never knowing if they will fit a nib holder properly. This can be frustrating when you are new and buying nibs and nib holders- you get them delivered and they don’t work! This leaves me feeling trapped in using the companies nib holder. The default Brause Steno nib holder is not very flashy or special. I actually love it- but if you are looking for a flashy nib holder, you might have to take a gamble. I wouldn’t try using these nibs with Manuscript Leonardt brand nib holders or Nikko N-20 for example. They won’t work interchangeably.
Video Review of the Brause Steno Nib
I need to make videos so badly haha I just don’t feel like I have the right space. This is a place holder.
Why Try the Blue Pumpkin?
This is the best gift nib. People who have it will love having more (nibs have a 6 month shelf life). People who have different nibs might try it and really like it. The one person who wouldn’t like this is a comic book artists who wants a finer point. A lot of artists have tons of nibs though so they might still like it. This is basically an industry staple so anyone who uses pen nibs are going to be familiar with it.
If you are trying to get into calligraphy this is great. Get a worksheet and go through it with this nib. You will feel like you are mastering it quickly, and if you are like me, this will become your favorite nib.
