I’m a much bigger fan on the Brause Steno Blue Pumpkin– the nibs Blail Cabal Uses- but I also have had these for a while. To be clear, I see these as much more a caligraphy nib then a nib you should use for illustration. I worked on a number of pieces for this nib just for the review, but I quickly found that it is best used in combination of a much finer nib like a Nikko. The piece below for example I made for my story LOVE MUSE used the combination of the Nikko and the Rose.
First Impressions of the Brause Steno NIB #76
“Brause No. 76 Iserlohn” is engraved on the nibs alongside a rose shape.
The Brause 76 Rose offers a lot of flexibility (called flex by people who talk about nibs) and can create smooth lines with varying size, offering a style you can’t get from other nibs. That said, it has the glob issue that I experience with other Brause Steno Nibs- if you angle the nib wrong it will release a lot of ink at once. It is made for someone who is working at a desk patiently writing in calligraphy. It is a very narrow use case.
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. I feel some cold press paper would have actually worked better for the Rose, since it releases a lot more ink and having paper that dries the ink quickly is important.
Advantages of this Nib
It has a clear stylistic advantage. If you had the luxury of having one pen that you always write your signature with, this is a very good pen. Old fashion print logo design will also end up offering a flavor of lines that are hard to recreate. Its downstrokes are very different from its upstrokes and it allows you to really have a stylistic mastery.
It doesn’t scratch paper or get caught on paper.
This is very much a stylistic nib and meant for having very stylized lines that are hard to replicate.
Think “fancy hand written letters” and this nib should come to mind.
Disadvantages of this Nib
On my projects, the Brause Steno NIB #76 didn’t last very long. If I did any kind of filled in space of solid black, it was very hard on the Nib. This caused a space between the prongs of the nib to be wider and wouldn’t ever quite go back to being finer. This isn’t what these nibs should be used for, but it’s often what I use nibs for when I don’t have a brush around. Nibs are cheap at about a dollar a piece, but more Nibs give me about 30 days worth of use doing basically everything. The second time I tried using the nib it wouldn’t work at all. I’ve attached a video to show it not working. You can tell its loaded as if I scrap the nib on its back ink will still come out. I personally hate changing nibs so this is a large negative to me.
This nib doesn’t hold very much ink. This might be good for people who work with calligraphy so they can really control the flow and the aesthetic but I found it tiring to keep needed to dip my pen.
This nib is best used in combinations of other nibs. Meaning for the most part, it’s not for beginners, and is really a gift for someone already familiar with dip pens.
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 Brause Steno Nib?
If you are trying to get into calligraphy this is great. Buying a worksheet and practicing will get you amazing results with this Nib. It is really for people who have a stylized desire that this can provide for hand written and calligraphy projects.
If you have 5 other nibs you use frequently- this one will compliment your set well. It is not a replacement for an ink brush but it can give you some of that feel on certain lines.
