[bayindirh]

The amount of polish is dependent on the tipping alloy of the particular nib.

For example Lamy’s tipping alloy is softer than others, so that polishing becomes excessive to the point of changing nib size. I have an old safari which writes broad after ten years of use (the nib is marked medium).

Pilot and Sailor uses harder tipping alloys. Schmidt is also harder than Lamy, but softer than Japanese counterparts.

(Yes, I have a lot of pens for quite some time :) )

[kragen]

Are you saying you've been using "stone paper" for ten years? Or are you getting this polishing from the sizing agents and random contamination on real paper?

[bayindirh]

No, I get the polishing from normal, yet high quality paper. Think Rhodia or similar class, not Tomoe River or similar.

I deliberately polished a nib once, on rough brown paper. Not Lamy, but a Pilot Metropolitan.

You can polish a Lamy by regularly using it. It becomes evident in a couple of months, and becomes buttery smooth in a year. No special treatment is necessary.

[kragen]

I see, thanks! I wonder what the polishing mechanism is.

[bayindirh]

You're welcome.

While paper feels very smooth to human skin, in fact it's not. If it was perfectly smooth, no pen or pencil could write on the surface (e.g.: pencil on a whiteboard).

Since the point of a pen nib is extremely small, even a small weight concentrates to that point and the nib tipping is under a lot of pressure even when you don't press while writing. As a result, when combined with the paper surface, the nib is polished slowly.

Again, this is very depending on the tipping alloy used by the manufacturer, and the result is different between manufacturers.