First, a bit of theory on what is to be done:
Now, to convert a Sheaffer Viewpoint from a factory-ground stub into a custom cursive italic pen. Chose to use a Sheaffer Viewpoint. The pens are inexpensive and can be tweaked into shape easily and without much effort. Here's our sacrificial lamb:
And the tip fresh from the factory, two views. Note the light on the end indicates that the relief is not sloped at all. In fact, is pretty much straight up-and-down. It is not necessary to create a relief for the pen to perform fairly well. But the sloped relief, IMHO, creates a lower, smoother flow that allows thick-to-thin contrasts to show up in the writing to a much greater degree. Recommend reading Edward Johnston's Writing and Illuminating and Lettering on the subject of cutting a quill. Basically, that is the process duplicated here.
Tried to get some decent pictures of the tip in the process of being reground. Was not successful -- macro photography is not a strong suit of the Nikon CoolPix L11, it seems. So, over time, will research subject and see what needs to be done to improve. Looking at this page, see that the difference between crisp and stub isn't as apparent as it actually is. Will work on that as well.
