Inlaid nib

Unlike an open nib or a conical nib, an inlaid nib is set directly into the plastic of a pen’s section. Vintage Waterman C/F pens and Sheaffer Compacts, PFMs, Targas, Intrigues and Imperial pens have some of the most famous inlaid nibs. Unlike conical nibs, inlaid nibs are not too rigid and they help to reduce ink evaporation. However, when an inlaid nib gets bent or sprung, that generally signals the entire pen is now dead. It is very rare to ever replace an inlaid nib. We have never heard of anyone doing it successfully. When Sheaffer was bought out by India’s William Penn company, it took the company several years to relearn the process of making a fountain pen with an inlaid nib.