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I was wondering if anyone knew if their #6 nib units (integrated fee) fit any other pens? Was thinking their ultraflex nib might be nice in other pens.

I recently acquired two Sheaffer Sagaris fountain pens, one with a fine nib, the other with a medium. I decided that I preferred the fine nib so I went looking for a fine nib unit to purchase to replace the medium. Since it's the entire unit, it should just screw into the barrel, right? I found a replacement fine nib unit from a seller in England, purchased it, and it has arrived. It won't screw all the way into the barrel that came with the medium nib unit. Hmm... So let's try the fine nib unit from the other pen from the original purchase. It won't screw all the way in either! Oh, futz... It's not due to the length of the converter (or shortness of the barrel.) I tried screwing in just the nib unit; no joy. The gap left between the barrel and the unit flange that nestles up against it is about 1mm. If I can find a flat washer with the proper i.d., o.d., and thickness I can fill the space, but that's a big if (and a big, ugly kludge.) I might have a better result with an o-ring (see ugly kludge.) Time to get out the vernier calipers and take some precise measurements. I suspect that the medium barrel was not threaded to the same depth as the fine barrel, hence the fine nib unit coming up short. It strikes me as very odd that Cross/Sheaffer would manufacture different barrels for different nib units because a more complicated manufacturing process is a more expensive and error-prone process. Can anyone shed some light on why the nib units are not interchangeable or suggest any alternatives for dealing with my situation? thanks, richard -- - You can’t get enough minimalism.

A while back, I lucked into a couple of Sheaffer fountain pens in a batch of pens someone gave away. People here helped me identify one of the pens as a Triumph (the other is a Snorkel). I think the Triumph came with the three nib units from a Sheaffer calligraphy set--it has three italic nibs, in different widths. I don't always want an italic nib. My favorites are all regular F nibs. I've been googling around to see if I can find someplace to get a nib unit with a standard F nib for that pen, but have had no luck. Is such a thing available? Where would I find it?

Hi guys. I would like to ask some questions about Montegrappa pen nib unit for sale and repairing. The nib unit of my Montegrappa 80th anniversary pen was damaged as shown in the picture. I was wondering if anyone a brand new nib unit available for selling at the moment (nib and feed only prefered). Besides, where can I get the pen repaired? One more thing, are there any other nibs and feeds of Montegrappa that could be used as a substitution of this pen? Thank you very much.

I have two medium Pilot VP nib units that refuse to write. I've soaked them in water, and had them in the ultrasound bath, but to no avail. One unit, with a converter, won't take up ink; the other, with a cartridge won't write more than a few words before drying up. Any suggestion as to who might take a look at these. Thanks.

I have received my TWSBI Vac Mini, and thought there maybe people waiting to see/hear about the Vac Mini before they make their decision on their order, so I have done a few photo comparisons of a few TWSBI pens. The biggest thing I was anxious to know about the Vac Mini was if it has swappable nib unit with TWSBI Mini and TWSBI 580 pens. And the answer is, Yes! The nib units are swappable, after you take off the little metal ring. TWSBI Mini has a kind of a one-piece skirt that goes around the nib unit which pops off. TWSBI 580 has a metal ring plus a plastic skirt that also pop off. So just get the nib units to their bare components of nib, feed, and the black plastic nib casing (I call this the nib unit), and the three pens' nib units can be swapped around easily. The actual plastic nib casing material is slightly different in the new Vac Mini in that the material feels matt and not as smooth and shiny as the materials used for the TWSBI Mini and 580 nib casing. The lip of the Vac Mini nib casing is more angular and thicker too. Also compared to how tightly the nib and feed were squeezed into the nib casing in TWSBI Mini, it is much easier to just pull out the nib and feed from the Vac Mini nib casing, but the fit is not as loose as it was with TWSBI Eco. (Note: the first time you take off the nib unit from Vac Mini, you may need to get a grippy material to grab the area of the metal ring close to the nib, and use the unscrewing motion to get it off. It was fairly tightly screwed in.) The nib size (as in the diameter at the base of the feed) is still the same modern #5. Vac Mini has the exact same nib shape and size as TWSBI Mini and TWSBI Eco, but nibs for TWSBI 580 will also fit Vac Mini fine, because they all share the same #5 feed diameter. This is all great news to me as I have quite a few Franken TWSBI nib units that I put together with vintage nibs and TWSBI nib unit, so I am able to swap the nib units around very easily. Size of the pen itself is much more manageable that the Vac 700, it's only slightly longer than TWSBI Mini. I am also very happy to see that the clip is polished and shiny just like the TWSBI Mini and 580 pens. None of the ugly matt whitish metal on the Vac 700. Overall I am loving this little pen. Especially if you have already invested in a few different size nibs in TWSBI, it is great for swapping and playing. Have fun and enjoy!!! TWSBI Vac Mini (Left) and TWSBI Mini (Right) L to R. TWSBI Vac 700, Vac Mini, TWSBI Mini, and TWSBI 580 (Red) Caps of TWSBI Vac Mini (Left) and TWSBI Mini (Right) Section and nib units on TWSBI Vac Mini (Left) and TWSBI Mini (Right) Nib units taken off on TWSBI Vac Mini (Left) and TWSBI Mini (Right) Section and Nib Units disassembled on TWSBI Vac Mini (Left) and TWSBI Mini (Right) Swapped! TWSBI Vac Mini with TWSBI Mini's nib unit installed (Left), and TWSBI Mini with Vac Mini's nib unit installed (Right) TWSBI Vac Mini with Franken nib unit using a vintage Swan 3H gold nib. Ink is Blackstone Barrier Reef Blue in the Vac 20A Ink Bottle (Blue)

I'm inspecting a vanishing point I own prior to selling and I noticed that the nib unit angles down slightly as shown in the photo below. Is that normal for this design? It would appear so and there is no issue with the trapdoor opening but I was hoping a fellow VP owner could confirm. https://www.reddit.com/r/imagehosting/comments/5tin0v/vp_nib_unit/

Hello all, Just a quick word of caution ! Just found that I properly cracked the section on my M200 classic by screwing in the nib unit too much. I was only using finger power, so surprised I could do this much damage. Only noticed when my fingers started getting really inky! There doesn't seem to be a stop mechanism to prevent this, and I was trying to screw it in further to remove some creaking sounds (from too much play of the unit) when I wrote. Perhaps there was another issue at work? So just to highlight that one needs to be careful! [edited for clarity]

I just found these ebonite feed JOWO nibs for sale, does anyone know if they will fit pens that use the plastic units? Does anyone have experience with fpnibs.com?

I just recently got an old Montblanc 24 from Ebay and I removed the nib unit from the section and there is ink trapped in-between the nib and nib unit. Does anyone know how to remove the nib from the nib unit? Or will I have to get a new nib unit(which I rather not do)? I can post pictures if needed.

Hi, i have a stuck Sheaffer Imperial Touchdown nib unit. The reason why I want to take apart the section is because I have found ink to be leaking through the threads that hold the nib unit to the whole pen. I have tried to remove it with some heat but it wouldn't budge (maybe due to my hairdryer not being able to reach the release temperature of the sealant). I have managed to remove my friend's one but mine wouldn't move at all. I also can't find any rubber sheets nearby which maybe why I can't unscrew it. Any suggestions? I have posted 2 photos below.

Hello. I plan on buying an 18k VP (probably a Decimo) in the near future, and I am considering alternating between nib assemblies rather than whole pens because of high cost, since apparently it is easy to keep an inked nib assembly from drying out, ready to switch quickly, unlike with most nib switching in other pens. Anybody knows about good prices on VP nib assemblies? A not so recent review suggested they can be had for about $35, but I have not found anything for less than about $61, which is not far from a whole capless steel nib pen, and waiting patiently for some big discounts on a whole 18k pen seems persuasive considering current prices of the nib assembly. Any and all tips on better prices (lower than $61) much appreciated.

I recently received an all black vintage 140. The pen is in excellent condition and the nib writes pretty well. However, I'd like to grease the piston but can't because the nib unit will not unscrew out. I've cleaned the pen manually and with an ultrasonic cleaner. I also applied some heat when trying to remove it. No luck. If the culprit is not dried ink but plastic shrinkage, is there any way to get the nib unit out? My understanding is that since the piston units aren't threaded, they ideally should be pushed out from the front (which, of course, would require removing the nib unit). Is there a repair person in the USA anyone could recommend? Or is trying to save the nib unit intact likely a lost cause? Thanks.

Hello, This Brazilian pen maker, Crown, uses this nib unit in all but their most expensive pens. I've seen pics of pens on Google that use that very same nib unit, and I wonder if anybody know where it's made. I'm guessing China. I started investigating this nib unit after I got frustrated with how little information Crown has on their website regarding their manufature or even brand history. I had to Indiana Jones on Google to find out who owned Crown but I still can't even find where they make their inks for example. It seems they don't actually make anything but order bits and pieces from everywhere and maybe assemble them in Brazil. Maybe. Well, have you seen this nib unit before? It's not clear in the picture, but "Iridium Point Germany" is engraved on the nib, which Brian Grey from Edison Pen was really helpful when he blogged about it in 2009. That made me come just a little closer, though: Crown nib units are made (possibly) in some rough form by JoWo or Bock and finished up... anywhere in the planet (possibly China). So... has anybody seen this very same nib unit somewhere, used by some other manufacturer that's maybe a little more forthcoming when it comes to where/how they make their pens? It might help me track it down. Thanks!

A friend gave me a vintage 120 years ago, and I'm starting to use it more often. I do not know the era, possibly 1960s...but can the nib unit in these older 120 pens screw out (as with a TWSBI) in order to make cleaning easier? It doesn't seem to 'want' to unscrew, and I don't want to force it. Thanks!

I have a small pen in a custom-fitted box that says Padrino. I bought it off the bay, but have tracked it down to being a now-discontinued Paradise Pens product. It has what I assume is a medium nib, and while the nice ladies at the Paradise Pen store did not know this, a little experimentation following a review for an entirely different pen on Mr. Brown's channel has revealed that the nib is in a little unit that screws out. My very cheap electronic calipers tell me that the body of this nib unit is 24.1 millimeters long, exclusive of what I think is the rear end of the feed, tiny, which sticks out a smidge more. Measuring tip of nib to bottom of smidge I am getting 42.8 mm The plastic part of the unit is about 6.8 mm in diameter. There is a five on the back of the feed, and if I try to measure the feed I am getting about 5mm. Can anyone tell me what kind of nib unit this is or seems compatible with? It looks to me like the ones on the Meisternib site, which I think are JoWo, but I do not actually know. If I had to guess I'd guess it was one of these in a size five, but since the nib, wherever I get it, seems like it is going to cost me six or seven times as much as the pen did, I'd rather not be sitting on a nice but useless-to-me-one. Anyone have a guess? I hope to be at the LI Pen show and can look there, but if I know where to start that would help tons. A picture is problematic due to issues I've been having with my camera, my computer, etc, or I'd post one. Thanks for any help. T