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A friend gave me a vintage music nib to see if I could make it fit the Ahab/Konrad. The conversion attempt was successful; I really only had to cut a bit off the nib base (to allow the cap to fit over the nib) since the rest of the nib fit the feed just fine. I wrote with it, had fun, but decided I probably would not use it. I sent it back, with thanks. After it was in the mail, I felt sender's remorse *smiles*. So, I set out to see if I could duplicate the music nib experience by converting a standard, stiff italic nib into a flexible italic nib. I converted a stiff, Goulet 1.1mm stub italic nib to a flexible italic nib using the same procedure outlined in my thread "Converting A Regular Nib Into A Flex Nib For Noodler's Ahab/Konrad". Briefly, I extended the slit of the nib using a Dremel cutoff wheel, and then ground the sides of the nib following Pterodactylus' Ease My Flex mod. https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/260041-converting-a-regular-nib-into-a-flex-nib-for-noodlers-ahabkonrad/ https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/240492-noodlers-ahab-ease-my-flex-mod/ http://www.gouletpens.com/Goulet_1_1mm_Stub_Italic_6_Steel_Nib_p/gpc-nib6-ps-11.htm The nib became very flexible, and will lay down a nice wide line when flexed. The width difference between the thins and thicks for the unmodified, stiff italic nib is about 2.4x, while the width difference for the flexible italic nib is about 7x. The pen gobbles ink. As you can see from my writing sample (comparing pointed flex, regular italic, and flex italic), flex italic writing lays down Lots more ink than the other styles. In addition, the modified nib writes very wet - the inked line displays a convex cross-section before drying, even when un-flexed. The wet line shows little shading; 50% dilution of the ink improved the shading, as seen on the second writing sample page. Noodler's Cactus Gruen Eel lays a wet line in my other pens and nibs, so I am not sure if the wetness of this nib is due to the conversion process, or the ink. I suspect the nib has something to do with it, as this nib's lines are Very wet. More testing will be done :-) Since this pen gobbles ink, unless I wrote Real Slow, I would draw down the ink in the ink channel so fast that the tip would go dry, usually railroading first. This high rate of ink consumption meant that I had to modify the ebonite feed to boost the ink supply. First, I connected all the fin's "canyons" to the ink channel. I cut away the factory “dam” between the fins on the right side of the feed, using a razor saw. Noodler's pens come with half the canyons not connected, to allow the user to modify the feed for their ink, paper, and style of writing. I found that even connecting all the right-side canyons to the ink channel was insufficient - the pen would write, but would exhaust the ink supply very quickly. I could see ink in the fins, but it was not refilling the ink channel on the top of the feed. One nice thing about the slot conversion: you can see what the ink in the ink channel is doing :-) Further investigation with a loupe found the cause: the canyons, as milled by the pen factory, don't actually reach the bottom of the ink channel. The canyons are cut shallow, leaving "hanging valleys" for those of you who studied geology. As a result, once the ink level in the ink channel drops below the base of the canyon, capillary action can no longer pull ink from the canyon across into the ink channel. Thus, the nib runs dry, and won't be resupplied by the canyons. (See diagram - black=ebonite, green=ink, red=#11 blade cut) To fix this problem, I made a cut in eight canyons on the right side with an Exacto #11 blade (red section on drawing). This allowed the canyon ink to reach the bottom of the ink channel; it was no longer disconnected from the ink in the channel, even if the ink level fell to the bottom of the channel. The cut is just a knife blade slit, I did not remove (with a razor saw) all the ebonite that made the hanging valley problem in the first place. This is because I don't know if the hanging valleys provide some other positive factor in the feed design. With this modification of 8 of the hanging valleys, I can now write 70-90 italic letters (or 40-50 letters of cursive) before exhausting the ink channel and its fin&canyon ink supply. Then, I can either wait for the channel to refill naturally, or make a small push of the piston plunger to recharge the feed and channel immediately. I did not cut all the canyons with the #11 blade. I was concerned that if I cut them all, the feed would become too wet for the other nibs I have. If I really get into flex italic writing, I might dedicate this pen to that style, and cut the "hanging valleys" of the rest of the canyons. Hopefully this would allow even longer writing stints before exhausting the feed. Conclusion- Positives: The nib works, it flexes easily, and is fun to use. Storing pen vertically with nib-down, and cap off, did not lead to ink dropping from nib after 11 minutes. So, pen is safe to hold vertically while pondering your next sentence. But I'd still store the pen nib-up when you are done. Negatives: The feed can't keep up with long stints of writing, and must be manually recharged with the plunger if you don't want to wait for natural recharge. Further modification of the feed is possible, but might result in a feed that only works with this nib. The nib writes very wet, which will prove a problem if you have cheap paper. Dilution of the ink will increase shading. But, dilution of the ink’s surfactant may reduce the max line width the ink can handle (ie. reduce max flex), and may reduce the speed of natural recharge of the feed. Refinements for the next conversion: I will reduce the flex a little by not taking as much off the sides (less EMF mod). This nib is almost a wet noodle, and a little more stiffness would be welcome. ============== Photos/diagram 1.Comparison of pointed flex nib, regular italic nib, and flexible italic nib. Note; the flex italic was written with un-diluted ink. 2. Flex italic with 50% dilution ink to increase shading. 3. Cross section of the black ebonite feed, showing the failure of green ink in the fin/canyons to flow into the ink channel when the channel ink level drops below the bottom of the canyon. Red section is placement of the #11 blade cut. 4. The converted nib. It fit loose in my Ahab, so I added a piece of masking tape to the top of the nib as a shim.

I work in a regulatory chemistry lab so having basically everything resistant ink is a must for archival & forgery purposes. Where I'm at we're under EPA regulations (vs. ISO or TNI) so it only says indelible ink. The majority of the inks I use are Noodler's bulletproof inks & have been approved by our QA/QC officer. Since Noodler's inks are not ISO or anything else certified I decided to do my own tests with some of our common solvents in the lab in case an auditor ever asks about it. My test wasn't anything super scientific but should be enough to show anyone the permanency of the ink. While I was at it I figured it's nice to share my results with you. The test: I filled a beakers with 6 common solvents we use in our lab. The solvents are Hexane, Acetone, Ethyl Acetate, Methylene Chloride, methyl tert butyl ether(MTBE), and Methanol. I wrote the name of each ink on plain copy paper and let it dry overnight. I then let it soaked each piece of paper in the corresponding solvent for at least 1 minuet. During the soak I agitated the piece of paper several times in an attempt to force the ink to wash off. And for reference I wrote the name of the solvent the paper was placed in with a black Bic pen. After soaking I removed the paper and placed it on the counter to dry. Edit: One other note, the ink labeled Noodler's Teal is a 1:4 mix of Bad Green Gator and Bad Blue Heron respectively. This first picture is of everything before it was soaked in solvent. And please forgive my bad handwriting as I was scribbling the names and wasn't worried about penmanship.

Noodlers applies the descriptors of archival and permanent to a variety of their inks. How do they determine this? Montblanc and other European vendors test to certain ISO standards, but Noodlers makes no mention of doing this. Noodlers does define freeze resistant, eternal, bulletproof and water resistant on this page, but no reference to archival or permanent. I'm writing up some family stories and genealogy and would like to think that the work would be around for many years.

Polar Brown is one of my favorite inks. Ironically, I’m not a fan of the color. It’s somehow bland. It can be a frustrating and finnicky ink, depending the pen used. But in this day age, where the veil on life’s non-permanence and uncertainty has been torn to bits, an ink, as permanent as the paper it bonds with is a source of comfort. When I first got into inks, being too lazy, I ordered a bunch of mystery samples. There were two Polar Browns. When I inked my pen, I told myself, what have I done to deserve such an ink in double amounts. But it grew on me, to the point that I bought a bottle, and I always have a couple of pens inked up, just in case, I have to jot down some important information, words of wisdom, sign a check or write a shopping list. Not a pleasant feeling when your painstakingly craft list melts after an impromptu drizzle or stray snowflake…… It dries in less than 10 seconds with a wet medium nib, and 3 with a fine on Rhodia dotpad. On copy paper it’s instantaneous. However, it takes forever to dry on Tomoe River with a wet nib, but it shades. With a fine nib, 45 seconds, until smudge free… It is also one of the easiest inks to clean out of a fountain pen. I’ve tried it even in a vintage Waterman and cleaning was a breeze. Personally, this is one of those rare inks that I would not use with a stub/ oblique nib/ fude. With a wet/ wide combo it would ghost and bleed through unabashedly. Though sometimes I prefer that dark rich brown, haunting the paper, than the mild muted brown it usually is. I’m not sure if it would be happy in a dry pen. I have had it in a Jinhao 992 for a year with no problem. In a Jinhao 450 with a fude nib, it had flow issues but when I changed the nib to a medium it was much better. When it flows, it’s a joy to write with. And unsurprisingly Polar Brown, loves Noodler’s nib creeper. On Rhodia dot pad Rhodia Back On Tomoe River Swab comparaison On Amazon Copy paper - Front Back On Hilroy - King of the fountain pen unfriendly notebooks Back Yesterday it was raining. So, I decided to do a permanence test.... Note the Black Swan in English Roses was actually Sailor Yodaki... Before After 2 hours under rain/sleet/snow After 18 hours under constant rain Finally I subjected the visible texts to swabs of alcohol on the left side and bleach to ride side....

I received my bottle of Whaleman's Sepia a few days ago, and I'm like a rabbit now - very hoppy! This ink looks like reddish brown muddy sludge in the bottle. Not surprisingly it's a bit thick and dry, but its reputation as a nearly unusable ink is exaaaaaagerated. It behaves relatively well for me in a Pilot Petit1 and a preppy, both with fine nibs. If I pause for more than 10sec when writing the first stroke would be a bit hard, but that's it. I'm going to "tame" this bad boy with some decyl glucoside, a non-ionic surfactant similar to the surfactant in Photo-Flo. Will follow up with results. For now, hope you enjoy the review of the yet "wild" Whaleman's Sepia!

I found a couple 4.5 ounce bottles of Noodler's ink with droppers in which the rubber bulb has dried up and cracked. The ink is still good. Does anyone know a good place to find appropriately sized bulbs alone or dropper caps of the right size and length?

I want to put Noddler 'Year of the Pig' (it's just Bulletproof Noodler's Firefly really) in a Noodler's Bush Pen or into a Refillable Preppy to use as a highlighter.... what's my best move? OR is there a better idea? I already love the ink in a Kaweco Sport Stub, but I'm ready to have something to use in my bible. Helpneeded, because I've watched Goulet's video on trimming the brush or replacement brushes to alter the line and wetness, but I've seen all sorts of people complaining about drying problems in the preppy when filling the body instead of using converter or eyedeopper converter... Thoughts?

I am looking for some current information (& opinions) on the subject of Noodler's Ink having a corrosive effect on fountain pen feeds and other plastic parts: 1. https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/162268-noodlers-ink-chemical-corrosion/ 2. https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/147963-noodlers-ink-being-corrosive-is-it-just-a-rumor/ & 3. http://gregminuskin.com/?p=2426. However, these are all nearly decade old rants. Has anyone recently been plagued by the destruction of a pen by ink? Was this ever more than a random incident??

My friend and I are planning to buy from Goulet Pens but we fear that we will not receive our items or that we must pay extra charges when it arrives. Is there anyone here an experience customer(Malaysian)? thanks.

I think I have just performed a miracle! Had cleaned out my Noodler's Ahab completely (so taking the feed/nib off cleaning everything. This pen, like my Creeper and a lot of other noodler's pens out there, was railroading BAD after a mere minute of fun. Had checked everything, every video, forums, tips and tricks and it was just a pain. Well.. Not anymore! And in a grand spectacular way! This is the third page of clairefontaine triomphe Loaded with ink with ZERO railroad. That's right. ZERO. Sometimes going around the page making a fat line and it just never skipped. I did make a tiny adjustment to the nib before assembling maybe this was it. But wow is it a fun pen now. http://i.imgur.com/GNEEEQB.jpg?2

I LOVE Noodler's Baystate Blue. In my humble opinion, it is the best color of blue for fountain pens. My only complaints about it are: It is not fully bulletproof.It might not be eternal meaning it might not archival nor fade resistant.It bleeds through most of my papers I use including my checks.Rectifying the above are very important to me. I would not be ashamed to try a different brand of ink, but I do really like Noodler's products so I guess I am a Noodler's fanboy I am thinking about ordering a bottle of Noodler's Bad Blue Heron which appears to have what Baystate Blue is missing above other than it is not quite the same color. Noodler's Upper Ganges also might be an alternative, but it does not appear to be as bright as Bad Blue Heron. Noodler's Luxury Blue looks just like Upper Ganges to me, but will glow under UV light which I find kind of cool, but it is not important to me. Noodler's Periwinkle does what Luxury Blue does and kind of looks brighter, but the stock image on the Noodler's Ink website makes it hard to tell. Noodler's Polar Blue looks like Bad Blue Heron with the added possible benefits of being freeze-resistant and lubing piston-fill pens. So my question is what comes close to Baystate Blue that is bulletproof. eternal, and doesn't bleed through most papers? I did a search and found this thread about this subject, but it lists alternatives which are not really pertinent to my question above and things have changed in 6 years: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/185947-baystate-blue-alternative/ THANKS!

Hello, I recently got back in to fountain pens and have been conflicted as to my next fountain pen. My first pen was a crappy jinhao, which was quickly followed by some other unknown Chinese knockoff of a lamy, and then shortly by a borrowed blue-gold waterman expert (it's my mom's. I love writing with it but want my own pen because she'll get mad at me if I damage it because it was really expensive at the time and is no longer available). and before anyone says anything, I personally don't like the more inexpensive Lamys, I don't find them to be comfortable. More recently I have also tried out a rOtring 600 (currently discontinued) which I like, however the lack of a knurled grip on the model I have, the cap, and terrible balance when posted are huge put-offs. I have come down to a somewhat wide list and can't decide on what to get: The Noodler's Konrad (probably one of the ebonite or acrylic ones) The Kaweco Sport (basically any of them, but most likely one of the non-metal ones as they cost less) Any of TWSBI's pens (basically all of TWSBI's pens fit my criteria, however I can't pick one over the other) As you can clearly tell these are relatively inexpensive pens. I am a student right now, which is why these pens are all pretty inexpensive. I want to bring the pen around with me to my classes. I walk between all my classes up and down a 3-story building and it's pretty long. I store my pens more diagonally or horizontally when not in use (when they are in my bag, as my backpack rests at a diagonal angle across my back). I like to be able to post my pens, as it means I don't need to keep track of the cap as I don't like holding the cap in my other hand, however most times I post my fountain pens or someone else's I find it to be either unbalanced or just uncomfortable as the edge of the cap irritates the side of my hand (this is especially the case on the Waterman, where when I post it the edge of the cap digs into my hand slightly). in case it matters, I use purple/violet ink, currently I am using the J. Herbin scented Violet ink (I love this stuff), however I am considering switching to something like Waterman's Tender Purple or some other purple/violet ink (suggestions?) I really like the look and design of the Kaweco, but the use of a converter is a bit of a put-off as I would prefer I be able to fill it once and have it last me a while. I like the look and design of the Noodler's a lot too however I worry it may require fidgeting with which is something I really would rather not do (and if I don't like the flex nib I could always replace it with some other nib, but then I need to do that... Again with the fidgeting). And on the topic of the TWSBI pens, they basically all fit my criteria, they appear to be a safe bet but I can't pick one in particular (580 vs classic vs mini vs maybe the vac700 or vac mini) I just can't decide. Help would be very greatly appreciated.

Hello all, I felt like comparing my blue inks after acquiring Noodler's Baystate Blue yesterday, so here they are : - Waterman Inspired Blue - Diamine Florida Blue - Noodler's Baystate Blue - Private Reserve American Blue Fast Dry - Pilot Blue - Noodler's Polar Blue - Sailor Jentle Blue - Saior Jentle Blue-Black - Pilot Blue-Black - Diamine Majestic Blue - Diamine Registrar's - Private Reserve Ebony Blue All names are written with a J. Herbin glass pen. The swabs are done with Q-tips. For each swab, the upper line is 3-pass and the bottom is only one with what is left of ink on the q-tip. The paper is Rhodia 80 g/m2. This is my first post, but I read FPN posts since 2012. Thank you everyone for creating and feeding such an amazing source of information! Edit : ... And I initially forgot a newly acquired Noodler's Blue Upon The Plains of Abraham :

Pen: Noodler's Konrad Appalachian Pearl Flex Pen Ink: J. Herbin Rouge Opera I bought this pen from Goulet Pens via 65daigou (mail forwarder) and it came in a crushed box. While using it, I encountered endless problems; the pen perpetually railroaded, no matter how slowly I wrote and in which orientation. It railroaded at the slightest amount of encouragement! I have flushed this pen before and it only barely improved the situation. ' Upon taking a closer look, I noticed the tines and nib shape were weird-looking... for those of you who also own Konrad Flexes, is this a normal thing or do I have to get this pen replaced/fixed? some photos....

After tweeking and messing around with my numerous Noodler pens for far to long, I have finally found the issue with them that causes ink to be found in the cap, and fixed it!!!! So the issue is that some of the feeds used in these pens have feeds that are too narrow which allows ink to pool on the barrel wall and eventually drip out. After trying heat setting and other not very useful methods, I found the simplest and easiest way to elevate this issue. TEFLON TAPE. You take some of the Teflon tape, and wrap it around the feed (without the nib on it) once or twice, align the nib with the feed (now widened with the Teflon Tape) and refit in the barrel. This solution literally costs pennies and works great. After trying this with a variety of pens with this issue, for a bit of time, I have experienced no flow issue and NO DRIPS. I have been using my Ahab with the refitted feed for months now and no issues at all and I was able to remove the Teflon Tape after months of used with ease and reapply some tape after some thorough cleaning of them pen. Do be careful that you don't add to much tape, making the feed to wide and possible cracking the barrel (don't force it to much). Hope this helps. Cheers, Shawn

Hi everyone, I am looking for a gold toned ink that won't be too light on paper. I have seen someone using a nice golden metallic-looking ink but I wasn't courageous enough to ask I have seen the swatches for golden brown by Noodler's and Diamine and love these colors! But I was wondering if you could recommend some gold inks that are not so brown, and maybe easily available? Any thoughts? Thanks!

I've had a Noodler's ahab for the last couple months, and I've loved every part of it. Converted to an eyedropper the Ahab can hold 6mL of ink!!! and I've tried to do this a couple times, with little success. Every time I think I've successfully done it, to either one of my ahabs, it suffers from severe burping and and leaking from the feed, and often ending up with a cap filled with ink. Is there anyway to alleviate this problem? Thanks

So I've recently heard that normal noodler pens (made from vegetal resin) have the tendency to disintegrate with expose to ink or water. I personally love all noodler products, and own a bunch and would be pretty concerned if this was tue. That being said is there any validity to these claims?

Hello fellow pen people Just wondered how many suitable basic dyes are out there to make ink with. It seems that there are so many inks out there, though i would think there are a set number of suitable "ink" dyes out there. That would mean that one could calculate how many possible combinations are possible, including combinations that might not be aesthetically pleasing. Are new dyes being created at all?

Hi all, Quick question from a beginner looking at purchasing a first fountain pen. What are some good nibs I could get for the Noodler Ahab pen. I am not intimidated by the flex nib (I am toying with some Hunt 101 nibs for dip pens right now), but I do want to try some other nibs out too for some variety and to experiment. So what are some good, moderately priced (college student on a budget here) nibs I could try? Also, how can I tell which nibs are compatible with the Ahab? Just looking at the descriptions I can't seem to tell. Thanks!

Hey everyone The ink has landed. Army Green Baystate Blue 54th Massachusetts Baystate Concord grape Liberty's Elysium Nightshade Black swan in English roses Kung Te-cheng El Lawrence Air Corp Blue Black Prices are £15 each El Lawrence is £22 and Kung Te-Cheng is £30 I'll be putting up the inks on an online marketplace on Monday, so let me know ASAP if interested..! I can bundle any if these inks with 100 sheet Tomoe River paper and combine shipping if needed!