Modded Noodler's Konrad

[Bode505]

Hello everyone,

 

I was told to move my mod over here to discuss it.

It is a Noodler's Konrad with a Hunt 56 nib in it. I had to heat set the feed for it and I may have accidentally heat up the grip section during the feed setting but I did squeeze that as well just in case. I say that the grip section may have been set as well because after the mod it appears not to be able to close in the cap as smoothly. That being said, I am very pleased with my work and I tried a few nibs but this one worked the best for this configuration.It flows well and you can see one railroad but I was going pretty fast and trying to go to bed. So these aren't the best pictures but if you guys are interested I can post more detailed photos later or a video to Youtube if anyone really cares. I just don't want to put a lot of effort in if you guys don't care about modding your Konrads. I haven't had any starting issues with the pen and it does not railroad under normal writing conditions. The ink is Noodler's X-Feather and the paper is G. LALO.

[disillusion]

 

 

let me see the approximate, I only have a ruler at the moment so I am sorry for the lack of expert measurement but the ruler does have every .5 mm marked as well and It is just a hair over 2 mm this is as much flex as I have gotten out of it comfortably without feeling like I might spring the nib. I believe I could get a little more but the risk vs the reward is too high I think. Honestly, this is becoming one of my favorite pens to write this (aside from the scratchy fine nib) just because the variation is exactly like when I use the Hunt for my dip pen. I may go buy a few Hunt 99s to make it even more flexy. The feed keeps up with the pen at the speed that you can write with it and I have had no starting issues. It is definitely not a wet noodle, but it is close enough in the sense that I do need a softer hand to use this pen so I am wondering if I should upgrade to the Hunt 99. I will repost this in the penmanship subforum and see what people have to say about it. Interesting about your serwex 101, what feed were you using? Also what ink? I have noticed where I position my feed was critical on the Hunt as I had to make sure the feed was just past the breather hole on the nib. As I stated I heat set the feed but also I do have a strong feeling during that process my grip section became a little pliable and to be safe I did squeeze that around the nib and feed. Maybe I will make a video to showcase the pen at some point.

I don't have any experience with the Hunt 56 but have used a 101 a lot and also got a few 99's coming in the mail. From what I read, the 99 (definitely a wet noodle) should be more flexible and scratchier than the 56, so you might get some railroading with it. But they should be the same size so you might be able to use your existing configuration. Do post an update if you get it to work well - I might try the mod myself.

 

For my Serwex 101 + Gillott 303, I just use the stock feed unmodified. The pen came with a #5 nib and the feed fits the 303 (which is a bit smaller than the Hunt nibs and has a smaller radius of curvature) rather well. For it to work at least decently, the feed should just cover the whole breather hole and a good flowing wet ink should be used. But as I mentioned, if I write too fast for more than half a page or so, it would stop writing altogether and I have to dip it to start it again. I suspect if I deepen the channel in the feed, I would get better performance but I haven't done it yet. The 303 is definitely a wet noodle and is more flexible and scratchier than the 56. If you are interested, you can take a look at this thread where another user got the 303 to work in another Indian pen that takes a #5 nib. That pen is much better looking than my cheap and rather ugly Serwex.

 

BTW, I can't cap the Serwex with the 303 inside, but as I don't want my nib to rust I only put it in when I need to write. Do you keep the 56 inside the Konrad when not in use? How long does one nib last if you do so?

 

Below is a writing sample of my Serwex 101 eyedropper, Gillott 303 and Hero 234 carbon black ink on a cheap Kokuyo Gambol notebook. It is a B5 page and I had probably dipped the pen once or twice for the whole page (can't remember as it's quite long ago) to keep it going. X-height is about 2.5mm, max line width here is slightly more than 1mm. The Gillott 303 can go to at least 3mm, but I would definitely get railroading at >=1.5mm.

(Sorry about the poor photo quality, don't have a proper camera or light source)

[Bode505]

I don't have any experience with the Hunt 56 but have used a 101 a lot and also got a few 99's coming in the mail. From what I read, the 99 (definitely a wet noodle) should be more flexible and scratchier than the 56, so you might get some railroading with it. But they should be the same size so you might be able to use your existing configuration. Do post an update if you get it to work well - I might try the mod myself.

 

For my Serwex 101 + Gillott 303, I just use the stock feed unmodified. The pen came with a #5 nib and the feed fits the 303 (which is a bit smaller than the Hunt nibs and has a smaller radius of curvature) rather well. For it to work at least decently, the feed should just cover the whole breather hole and a good flowing wet ink should be used. But as I mentioned, if I write too fast for more than half a page or so, it would stop writing altogether and I have to dip it to start it again. I suspect if I deepen the channel in the feed, I would get better performance but I haven't done it yet. The 303 is definitely a wet noodle and is more flexible and scratchier than the 56. If you are interested, you can take a look at this thread where another user got the 303 to work in another Indian pen that takes a #5 nib. That pen is much better looking than my cheap and rather ugly Serwex.

 

BTW, I can't cap the Serwex with the 303 inside, but as I don't want my nib to rust I only put it in when I need to write. Do you keep the 56 inside the Konrad when not in use? How long does one nib last if you do so?

So far its been a few

 

Below is a writing sample of my Serwex 101 eyedropper, Gillott 303 and Hero 234 carbon black ink on a cheap Kokuyo Gambol notebook. It is a B5 page and I had probably dipped the pen once or twice for the whole page (can't remember as it's quite long ago) to keep it going. X-height is about 2.5mm, max line width here is slightly more than 1mm. The Gillott 303 can go to at least 3mm, but I would definitely get railroading at >=1.5mm.

 

 

I can cap the pen with the nib inserted. I will probably order a few 99s. I have used the Gillot 303 and actually that is what I was trying originally but it didn't work out for me. Right now the 56 is in the Konrad and I will let you know how long it lasts but I know if I go grab it it will be able to write and not have any starting issues. I do get a little ink on the outside of the grip section after capping as because of its wet setup it does come out easily with shaking so I do need to be careful with the pen and hold it nib section up or I make a mess. It can write all of the ink in the pen without needing redipping or anything so I would assume (though I can't be certain without tests) that the 99 would work perfectly. It is fantastic so far and has not given me any problems since the initial setup. I can write fairly quickly with full flexes and not run into railroading so I am actually quite confident that the 99 will be fine but sourcing one here in South Korea could be difficult. I may do a recording so I can link you what it looks like.

[Algester]

while not entirely related I used Stephen Brown's Uberflex method with Ahab plus Brause Rose sadly I was wanting a Konrad Ebonite but seeing its like a "limited" stock at a time I'm looking for alternatives hopefully in ebonite I know india makes the Konrads but eh.... the Hunt imperial sadly doesnt fit so I'm also lookin or alternatives I'm not sure about Leonhardt manuscript nibs will work

[Bode505]

while not entirely related I used Stephen Brown's Uberflex method with Ahab plus Brause Rose sadly I was wanting a Konrad Ebonite but seeing its like a "limited" stock at a time I'm looking for alternatives hopefully in ebonite I know india makes the Konrads but eh.... the Hunt imperial sadly doesnt fit so I'm also lookin or alternatives I'm not sure about Leonhardt manuscript nibs will work

Noted Algester I have an Ahab want me to see what I can do?

[disillusion]

 

I can cap the pen with the nib inserted. I will probably order a few 99s. I have used the Gillot 303 and actually that is what I was trying originally but it didn't work out for me. Right now the 56 is in the Konrad and I will let you know how long it lasts but I know if I go grab it it will be able to write and not have any starting issues. I do get a little ink on the outside of the grip section after capping as because of its wet setup it does come out easily with shaking so I do need to be careful with the pen and hold it nib section up or I make a mess. It can write all of the ink in the pen without needing redipping or anything so I would assume (though I can't be certain without tests) that the 99 would work perfectly. It is fantastic so far and has not given me any problems since the initial setup. I can write fairly quickly with full flexes and not run into railroading so I am actually quite confident that the 99 will be fine but sourcing one here in South Korea could be difficult. I may do a recording so I can link you what it looks like.

I dug out my Ahab and took some measurements. If you tried to fit the Gillott 303 on the Konrad I can see why you couldn't get good results. The 303 has a 5mm radius of curvature where as the Ahab feed (which I understand is the same as the Konrad one) is 6mm. In fact I am amazed that you manage to fit the Hunt nib onto it as my Hunt 101 has 5mm curvature as well (just a bit bigger so won't fit into the Serwex section). I assume you have quite deformed the section and the feed (maybe permanently?) to get it to work? I would be quite hesitant in performing such a mod, as my Ahab works quite well and I can swap in other #6 nibs giving me much more versatility. Since Noodler's don't offer spare parts at the moment I don't want to destroy a perfectly decent pen.

 

Also, if you got the flow so nice with X-Feather, what happens when you switch to other inks? Won't you get railroading with dryer inks and dripping with wetter inks? (which IMO is much worse, I'd rather have the flow slightly inadequate so that I have to dip it every now and then)

 

In any case I prefer writing with an oblique holder so I have moved onto playing on the ink side of things, like gum arabic, gouache paint etc. If I were to want a straight holder with an ink reservoir I'd probably get an Indian penmaker to turn one for me, or just buy some wood and ebonite rods and try to make one myself.

 

But congrats on your efforts in making something work for yourself! I can definitely relate to the satisfaction and pleasure of using a good flex pen, especially one that you created!

 

while not entirely related I used Stephen Brown's Uberflex method with Ahab plus Brause Rose sadly I was wanting a Konrad Ebonite but seeing its like a "limited" stock at a time I'm looking for alternatives hopefully in ebonite I know india makes the Konrads but eh.... the Hunt imperial sadly doesnt fit so I'm also lookin or alternatives I'm not sure about Leonhardt manuscript nibs will work

I have some Leonardt Principal EF nibs coming in the mail as well, I will let you know whether they fit the Ahab feed when they arrive. How does the Brause Rose work for you? I haven't tried one yet since they are twice as expensive as other nibs.

Edited June 22, 2014 by disillusion

[Bode505]

I dug out my Ahab and took some measurements. If you tried to fit the Gillott 303 on the Konrad I can see why you couldn't get good results. The 303 has a 5mm radius of curvature where as the Ahab feed (which I understand is the same as the Konrad one) is 6mm. In fact I am amazed that you manage to fit the Hunt nib onto it as my Hunt 101 has 5mm curvature as well (just a bit bigger so won't fit into the Serwex section). I assume you have quite deformed the section and the feed (maybe permanently?) to get it to work? I would be quite hesitant in performing such a mod, as my Ahab works quite well and I can swap in other #6 nibs giving me much more versatility. Since Noodler's don't offer spare parts at the moment I don't want to destroy a perfectly decent pen.

 

Also, if you got the flow so nice with X-Feather, what happens when you switch to other inks? Won't you get railroading with dryer inks and dripping with wetter inks? (which IMO is much worse, I'd rather have the flow slightly inadequate so that I have to dip it every now and then)

 

In any case I prefer writing with an oblique holder so I have moved onto playing on the ink side of things, like gum arabic, gouache paint etc. If I were to want a straight holder with an ink reservoir I'd probably get an Indian penmaker to turn one for me, or just buy some wood and ebonite rods and try to make one myself.

 

But congrats on your efforts in making something work for yourself! I can definitely relate to the satisfaction and pleasure of using a good flex pen, especially one that you created!

 

I have some Leonardt Principal EF nibs coming in the mail as well, I will let you know whether they fit the Ahab feed when they arrive. How does the Brause Rose work for you? I haven't tried one yet since they are twice as expensive as other nibs.

Well seeing as he has an Ahab I went ahead and worked again and I will show you what I came up with. My nib section is a little changed on my Konrad but I did it slowly with boiled water as I saw from Brian Goulet though he recommends just under boiling temperatures. I tightened it well and heat set the feed on the Konrad and the result was fantastic with a good ink for flex pens X-feather since sharper tines can bear into the page and open it up to additional feathering in my experience. I will post pictures of my Ahab now

[Bode505]

Ok, here is the Ahab, I tried modding a few nibs a tad to fit this guy over the last few hours so instead I went with what I had tried and worked true and decided hey why the heck not throw another Hunt 56 on it or at least try it since the other nibs weren't fitting or doing well with the mods (I killed a nib of which I will not name) but anyway it is a tight fit and I don't recommend it if your scared of destroying your beloved Ahab but as for me I am not scared so I went ahead and put it in heat set the feed a few times and adjusted. . .and adjusted. . . and adjusted .... then adjusted again to get it right. Here are my results with the widest Flex being 3 mm though it was easier to write with the Ahab than my Konrad if I am being honest. The flow is good enough to make 3 flexed lines from top of the page to the bottom (tested on another page) but then the pen didn't write for a minute for the feed catching up I presume. Being honest is key and this one did give me a starting issue and to remedy it I tapped it gently and once the ink began flowing it forgot that it had an issue. Also I am ordering some 99's tonight because of excitement for this project. Let me figure out how to post pictures and they will be added. . .

[Bode505]

Ok, I think I got this so here is what I came up with on the Ahab.

[Algester]

I dug out my Ahab and took some measurements. If you tried to fit the Gillott 303 on the Konrad I can see why you couldn't get good results. The 303 has a 5mm radius of curvature where as the Ahab feed (which I understand is the same as the Konrad one) is 6mm. In fact I am amazed that you manage to fit the Hunt nib onto it as my Hunt 101 has 5mm curvature as well (just a bit bigger so won't fit into the Serwex section). I assume you have quite deformed the section and the feed (maybe permanently?) to get it to work? I would be quite hesitant in performing such a mod, as my Ahab works quite well and I can swap in other #6 nibs giving me much more versatility. Since Noodler's don't offer spare parts at the moment I don't want to destroy a perfectly decent pen.

 

Also, if you got the flow so nice with X-Feather, what happens when you switch to other inks? Won't you get railroading with dryer inks and dripping with wetter inks? (which IMO is much worse, I'd rather have the flow slightly inadequate so that I have to dip it every now and then)

 

In any case I prefer writing with an oblique holder so I have moved onto playing on the ink side of things, like gum arabic, gouache paint etc. If I were to want a straight holder with an ink reservoir I'd probably get an Indian penmaker to turn one for me, or just buy some wood and ebonite rods and try to make one myself.

 

But congrats on your efforts in making something work for yourself! I can definitely relate to the satisfaction and pleasure of using a good flex pen, especially one that you created!

 

I have some Leonardt Principal EF nibs coming in the mail as well, I will let you know whether they fit the Ahab feed when they arrive. How does the Brause Rose work for you? I haven't tried one yet since they are twice as expensive as other nibs.

http://i.imgur.com/8iKOnFKl.jpg

 

If the picture has a say on anything and YES IM ENJOYING THE PEN... I know Brause Rose is expensive but I also want to see there this thread leads me towards my future dip pen flex mods

 

Inks that I have that worked so far

Sailor Souten, Shigure, Tokiwa-Matsu (railroads occasionally but that's already pushing the flex and ink flow)

J. Herbin Rouge Hematite (COME ON WHAT'S not to love)

J. Herbin Bleu Nuit (it will railroad ever so often but it will work)

we dont have X-feather in ready availability but having tried it on a vintage flex I can say it will work (only to find out someone hoard bought the inks that are ever so rarely refreshed/restock)

Lamy blue like bleu nuit it will work but will railroad ever so often Ironicly most of the best performing inks i there arent viscous inks but inks with relatively high surface tension stuff that bubbles like mad when shaken

Edited June 22, 2014 by Algester

[luminesce]

I find the Esterbrook 357 and 358 nibs fit the Konrad/Ahabs really well and require minimal or no heat setting. Best to use the Ahab if you want to leave the nib in, because there's enough room to cap it. The Konrad doesn't have so much room (as SBRE mentions in his uberflex video). Fountainpenrevolution has a good range of ebonite feed pens to experiment with other sized nibs.

 

Elizabeth

[Algester]

I find the Esterbrook 357 and 358 nibs fit the Konrad/Ahabs really well and require minimal or no heat setting. Best to use the Ahab if you want to leave the nib in, because there's enough room to cap it. The Konrad doesn't have so much room (as SBRE mentions in his uberflex video). Fountainpenrevolution has a good range of ebonite feed pens to experiment with other sized nibs.

 

Elizabeth

I'll take note of this info if my Rose nib goes beyond its life esterbrook 358 will be the next nib its cheaper than the rose nib by a decent margin

for the people who wish to imitate Nathan's mods

Speedbal calligraphy nibs sized 6-4 will fit beyond that you need a smaller feed

Edited June 23, 2014 by Algester

[disillusion]

The nibs arrived today and I was wrong to assume the Hunt nibs are of the same size. The (modern) Hunt 99 is smaller than the (modern) Gillott 303, but it is not cylindrical. The tip part has a curvature similar to the Gillott 303 but is wider at the base. I did a bit of searching and it seems that size-wise it goes 101>56>22B>99. Based on my experience with the Gillott 303 and pens that take a #5 nib, I think one might be able to fit the 99 into one of these with some heat setting and sanding down the inside of the section. There are many inexpensive Indian pens with ebonite feeds that will take a #5, like the Nib Creeper, most Serwex pens sold by Fountain Pen Revolution, and many other pens sold by ASApens.in. If you are so keen on the 99 (it is very flexible and smoother than the 303), you might want to try some of these options.

 

The Leonardt Principal EF is about the same size as the Hunt Imperial 101, but has a smaller curvature (so annoying because I had to readjust my oblique holder!). It definitely won't fit the Ahab feed without some major surgery.

[Algester]

The nibs arrived today and I was wrong to assume the Hunt nibs are of the same size. The (modern) Hunt 99 is smaller than the (modern) Gillott 303, but it is not cylindrical. The tip part has a curvature similar to the Gillott 303 but is wider at the base. I did a bit of searching and it seems that size-wise it goes 101>56>22B>99. Based on my experience with the Gillott 303 and pens that take a #5 nib, I think one might be able to fit the 99 into one of these with some heat setting and sanding down the inside of the section. There are many inexpensive Indian pens with ebonite feeds that will take a #5, like the Nib Creeper, most Serwex pens sold by Fountain Pen Revolution, and many other pens sold by ASApens.in. If you are so keen on the 99 (it is very flexible and smoother than the 303), you might want to try some of these options.

 

The Leonardt Principal EF is about the same size as the Hunt Imperial 101, but has a smaller curvature (so annoying because I had to readjust my oblique holder!). It definitely won't fit the Ahab feed without some major surgery.

I tried to insert my Hunt 99 in my indian pen (a Wality 79JT) sadly it wouldnt necessarily say fit as it is you still need some amount of surgery to get it to fit

Edited June 24, 2014 by Algester

[Algester]

I hope I'm not forcing this thing on you guys but apparently someone said that Zebra nibs (Tachikawa and Nikko nibs) will fit on the Ahab... anyone tried this because I just ordered a uhh... Esterbrook 358 to check... I need to know this because aparently Zebra nibs dont rust because of the chrome plating

[Bode505]

I hope I'm not forcing this thing on you guys but apparently someone said that Zebra nibs (Tachikawa and Nikko nibs) will fit on the Ahab... anyone tried this because I just ordered a uhh... Esterbrook 358 to check... I need to know this because aparently Zebra nibs dont rust because of the chrome plating

Working on it I ordered a whole bunch of different nibs and different Noodler's flex pens (old styles and konrads/ahabs) so as soon as that makes it to South Korea I will let you know provided I have the nibs. I do have a few Nikko G nibs that I purchased here (since I am near Japan) and they do NOT fit my Ahab or Konrad and would definitely require some smoothing or sanding to make them fit into the Ahab. If I can get my hand on some proper tools I will let you know about this as a possibility.

[Algester]

not unless we could possibly get an ebonite bodied pen huh... I think the ebonite would be better damn I wish I want to commission one...

I also just got my Esterbrook nib today... and what do you now compared to the Brause Rose nib I find writing with the esterbrook more comfortable that the Brause Rose where I'm splattering ink every now and then

Edited June 27, 2014 by Algester

[Bode505]

I can certainly understand with the ink splatter they can take some getting used to and even so occasionally you slip up.

 

Here are some updates as I had some more pens come in so I could begin my work again. I only got one pen up and running tonight though. First let me say the Ahab with the Hunt 56 is still amazing no rust or issues. The green Konrad you saw with the Hunt 56 died a horribly tragic death with the tines being overflexed. . .Not my hand or anything interesting a student of mine snagged it out of my pen case and tried to write with it. . .he caught it on some paper while another boy pushed him to see the pen and well . . yeah I ordered some more Hunt 56's and a bunch of other nibs a while back but they are going to take an eternity due to back order of something in the order. . Otherwise I expect it would still be alive and fantastic. . .

 

New ink came in with these pens and I will post as I have time to mod appropriately. This one is a Konrad with a Gillott 303 that keeps up nicely with the feed. it does have some issues about halfway through the ink fill but it is easy to start up with a quarter twist of the piston. Probably one of my favorite things about the Konrad with these mods is the easy fix to hard starts, and you get about another half page before issues. Btw all of these mods can be capped without worrying.

[Bode505]

Well after some time I have to say the nibs die due to the ink they corrode and make a mess but they are wonderful to make for fun and a few days of writing with them.

[Bode505]

Also be advised this is not for the people who are scared to ruin a pen, I have had to re-heat set some of the pens to accommodate even basic Noodlers nibs after some of these mods, do this at your own risk!