Salamander Nibs Stacked Nib: A Specialty Fountain Pen Nib With Real Character

Introduction

Most fountain pen nibs look the same once you have seen a few hundred of them. That is exactly why a hand-made stacked nib is such a refreshing change. This one comes from Sally, who works under the name Salamander Nibs, and it is a genuinely unusual piece of nib work: not a simple grind, but a nib built from multiple nibs layered on top of each other.

I spent some time writing with one, and this piece covers what a stacked nib actually is, how it performs on paper, and whether the asking price makes sense.

What Exactly Is a Stacked Nib?

A stacked nib is exactly what the name suggests: a nib consisting of multiple nibs stacked on top of one another, with a third layer underneath in this example. The result is a greatly expanded area of nib tipping, which can then be ground into interesting shapes.

The most famous example of this style is the Cross Point nib that Sailor used to produce. The nibmeister behind those original grinds passed away, the work halted for a while, and copies have been attempted by nib workers all over the world ever since. Sally is one of the few making them with real precision, and she says she can build almost anything you want, as long as it still fits in the cap. That is the practical limit here: at some point you simply run out of cap space, and a very tall stack will also demand a lot from the ink feed.

How It Writes

This is where the nib earns its keep. On the page it puts down a very broad line, best described as something like an extreme architect grind. With a stub you get broad downstrokes and narrow sidestrokes; with an architect nib it is the reverse, narrow downstrokes and broad sidestrokes.

Compared side by side with a medium nib, this is dramatically wider. If you want a genuinely broad, expressive line, this is a lot of fun to use.

Playing With the Writing Angle

Because there is so much tipping material, the writing angle changes the line noticeably. Held at a fairly steep angle, it writes like a good medium or slightly skinny broad nib. Lower the angle and the line opens up dramatically.

That adjustability makes everyday writing more manageable than the widest setting suggests. You would not want to fill a sticky note with a grocery list at full width, but adjusting the angle keeps things practical. There is also a bonus trick: flipped upside down, the nib writes with a bit of feedback and a much more manageable line width.

Craftsmanship and Ink Flow

The build quality is genuinely good. The nibs are stacked properly, the sides show a level of smoothness, and everything looks clean and tight rather than coarse around the edges, which is a common weakness in lesser attempts at this style of grind. The tipping has to be polished in a specific way and the layers joined precisely; get it wrong and the nib is scratchy or simply falls apart.

Ink flow held up well too. Even writing quickly, there was no feed starvation, despite being mounted on a pen whose original feed was clearly past its best. That is impressive given how much tipping this nib carries.

Things to Consider Before Buying

Sally charges 175 Canadian dollars for a double stacked nib, with each additional layer costing 25 dollars more. That may sound steep for a nib, but this is not a case of taking a stock nib, grinding it lightly, and reselling it. There is considerable hand work involved, and you are buying a very specialty product. The price feels fair for the craftsmanship on offer.

One practical note: Sally conducts her business through Instagram as Salamander Nibs, so you will need an Instagram account to order. If you are in Canada in particular, she is an easy recommendation.

Where this nib really shines is expressive use. Think signatures and autographs: a double stacked nib adds far more character to a signature than a regular round nib ever could.

If you are simply done with regular round nibs and want something genuinely special, this is an easy nib to recommend.

Buying Advice

Buy this nib if you want a broad, expressive, characterful writing experience and you are comfortable with a specialty product at a specialty price. Skip it if you mostly write compact, fine-handwriting pages all day; the widest setting will fill your page very quickly. Consider extra stacked layers only if you have the cap clearance to accommodate them.

Conclusion

The Salamander Nibs stacked nib delivers on its promise: excellent craftsmanship, smooth ink flow, and a writing experience you simply cannot get from a standard nib. For the amount of hand work involved, the price is fair, and for anyone after a nib with real personality, it is a lot of fun.