Noodler's Piston Filler's secret identity

[PenFan95]

Wait, so now you're saying that the inks aren't created in the US??? Seriously, I've always thought that the inks were made locally.

 

The inks are made in the US! The only caveat, and the generally accepted fact, is that they are made by oompa loompas down in his basement. Some even claim the existence of a BSB waterfall!

 

Nah...the oompa loompas just do the job of bringing the material...it is Willy Wonka who does the work in a furnace in the doom dimension! The waterfall is, in fact, not a waterfall...it's a whole ocean inlet! Where do you think the open ocean and water gets those extraordinary colours?

[Peninkcillin]

Oh, I knew about the oompa loompas. As for the materials, it's fairly obvious to me that at least some of them would be important.

 

But you know what? I don't really care where the inks or pens are made as long as they satisfy me. Being made in the US is just icing on the cake.

[amyx231]

you know, thered be more ink if it was made elsewhere - cheap labor, easier laws so nathan can get some helpers.

but i guess his factory is in the basement of the house, so... robot house? lol. (think cartoon moving house robots)

[Peninkcillin]

oompa loompas

[PenFan95]

Nah...ghosts of the guys who invented the 'Superchrome'!

[Feanor]

Interesting, I always thought they were made by Dollar in Pakistan. They do indeed have a funny smell, but they're a pleasure to write with.

 

I think their rollerball (that is refillable with ink) uses a "Dollar pen" body. It has a distinctly different body than their fountain pens and looks more cheaply made.

 

At their introduction (New England Pen Show 2010) the demos were Dollars (with some Noodler's branding). I was just a tad disappointed because I was planning on getting one, but I already had a Dollar, so I got a solid instead.

[GouletPens]

I talked to Nathan on the phone about this issue, so I'll help to clear things up. There is just so much misinformation in this thread it's almost scary. I think part of the confusion is that there's a certain 'mystique' about the way that Nathan does things. Nathan's priority is value, so he's shopping for parts wherever he can get the best value to pass on to his customers. Noodler's pens aren't made by Chelpark. Chelpark is a company, like Nathan, that has sourced out readily available pen components and built their own pen. They don't make pens.

 

Nathan used a pen body that was already designed, because custom injection-molding molds cost around $250,000, which would GREATLY increase the cost of the pens and kind of defeat their purpose. The point of his designing these pens was affordability, not using a pen body that no one else had ever used before. The body design is similar, that's undeniable. But Nathan's assured me that the resin is different, the feed comes from his own source, and the nibs are his own design. The nibs are a fairly plain and generic design, and I'm sure you can find lots of nibs out there that look similar, but Noodler's nibs are made just for Nathan.

 

As far as the rumors about where his inks are made, I don't even know how that all got brought up in this thread. Nathan makes all of the ink himself, by hand in Massachusetts. I don't know where he gets the components for the ink, no one does. For years people have been trying to figure out how he makes his inks and I imagine there are few (if any) other people in the world that know what he does about it. To talk about how he makes his inks and where his components come from is pointless, you might as well be talking about unicorns and pots of gold at the end of rainbows. What matters is the end result, and that he's one of the most passionate, mysterious, and formidable people in the fountain pen world.

 

Hopefully this clears some things up. I'll be addressing this thread in my broadcast tonight since there's more to talk about than I can sit and time at the moment.

[jde]

I talked to Nathan on the phone about this issue, so I'll help to clear things up. There is just so much misinformation in this thread it's almost scary.

 

 

 

Brian, thank you for this detailed post! I LOVE it when people can dispel the myths, the guesses and the misinformation. So many take their own suppositions as fact. If it looks like "X" then it must be so. Appreciate the time you took to call Nathan and post the info.

 

--Julie

[kcunvong]

I talked to Nathan on the phone about this issue, so I'll help to clear things up. There is just so much misinformation in this thread it's almost scary. I think part of the confusion is that there's a certain 'mystique' about the way that Nathan does things. Nathan's priority is value, so he's shopping for parts wherever he can get the best value to pass on to his customers. Noodler's pens aren't made by Chelpark. Chelpark is a company, like Nathan, that has sourced out readily available pen components and built their own pen. They don't make pens.

 

Nathan used a pen body that was already designed, because custom injection-molding molds cost around $250,000, which would GREATLY increase the cost of the pens and kind of defeat their purpose. The point of his designing these pens was affordability, not using a pen body that no one else had ever used before. The body design is similar, that's undeniable. But Nathan's assured me that the resin is different, the feed comes from his own source, and the nibs are his own design. The nibs are a fairly plain and generic design, and I'm sure you can find lots of nibs out there that look similar, but Noodler's nibs are made just for Nathan.

 

As far as the rumors about where his inks are made, I don't even know how that all got brought up in this thread. Nathan makes all of the ink himself, by hand in Massachusetts. I don't know where he gets the components for the ink, no one does. For years people have been trying to figure out how he makes his inks and I imagine there are few (if any) other people in the world that know what he does about it. To talk about how he makes his inks and where his components come from is pointless, you might as well be talking about unicorns and pots of gold at the end of rainbows. What matters is the end result, and that he's one of the most passionate, mysterious, and formidable people in the fountain pen world.

 

Hopefully this clears some things up. I'll be addressing this thread in my broadcast tonight since there's more to talk about than I can sit and time at the moment.

 

Perfect, sensible. Thank you for clarifying everything. I will continue purchasing Noodlers Pens / inks. I thought it was funny how quickly the word 'betrayed' blew everything out of proportion.

[Jimmy James]

I'm grateful to Brian for getting more of this story, and it makes quite a lot of sense. I take it then that Chelpark is also more of an ink company and probably markets this pen for a lot of the same reasons Nathan does.

 

I think there is always room for things like guessing, speculating, and making inferences. It's how we reason things out, and if it weren't for some of us doing that, we wouldn't know as much about the Noodler's pens as we now do. I do hope in the future words like betrayed won't be thrown around. I don't think it was malicious in this case, but this thread really did take on a life of its own at that juncture.

[Possum Hill]

 

Perfect, sensible. Thank you for clarifying everything. I will continue purchasing Noodlers Pens / inks. I thought it was funny how quickly the word 'betrayed' blew everything out of proportion.

It couldn't happen anywhere but here. This place is too much fun!

[ru32day]

Isn't it nice to deal with manufacturers and sellers as people rather than faceless companies. I think Nathan has some celebrity status (I'd say the Paris Hilton of the FP world but this might incorrectly imply that I'm drawing comparisons other than the celebrity part) and we just soak up any rumours about him and the way he does things.

 

It's also great to have someone like Brian G who has access to the stars (dare I say he's a bit of a celeb himself) and who can and will set the record straight when things get out of hand:)

[kethiemann]

Noodler's pens aren't made by Chelpark. Chelpark is a company, like Nathan, that has sourced out readily available pen components and built their own pen. They don't make pens.

 

Nathan used a pen body that was already designed, because custom injection-molding molds cost around $250,000, which would GREATLY increase the cost of the pens and kind of defeat their purpose. The point of his designing these pens was affordability, not using a pen body that no one else had ever used before. The body design is similar, that's undeniable. But Nathan's assured me that the resin is different, the feed comes from his own source, and the nibs are his own design. The nibs are a fairly plain and generic design, and I'm sure you can find lots of nibs out there that look similar, but Noodler's nibs are made just for Nathan.

 

 

Brian,

 

That's cool that you were able to talk to the source. I agree that betrayal was never the issue. However, I think I can confirm that Chelpark is not just an ink company that also happens to sell some outsourced pens like Noodler's. Chelpark is a pretty old and famous Indian pen and ink company. Fountain pens used to be required in school past the 4th grade. This tradition dates back to Mahatma Gandhi's concern for proper handwriting. So, Indian compnanies, of which Chelpark is one of the most famous, have been manufacturing very inexpensive fountain pens for a very long time. So, I don't think it is the case that Nathan and Chelpark just happen to be using the same pen mold that they got from another source. And, I think I can confirm that Chelpark does make pens. I think that Nathan would have had to buy the mould from Chelpark, who created it. Did Nathan disavow any connection with Chelpark whatsoever? (I'm not trying to accuse anyone of dishonesty... just trying to see if there is a misunderstanding afoot on one end or the other.)

 

I'm not surprised to hear that the feeds and nibs are Nathan's own. It would certainty be pretty easy to find or make nibs and feeds that would fit this pen. In fact I just found a nib here in India that I intend to put in my Chelpark Maverick. I must say I am still curious about the smell that is reported though. Nathan must also be using smelly resin or the mould itself is causing the smell. Any thoughts?

[kcunvong]

Nathan must also be using smelly resin or the mould itself is causing the smell. Any thoughts?

 

The smell comes from the material, vegetal resin.

[GouletPens]

 

 

Brian,

 

That's cool that you were able to talk to the source. I agree that betrayal was never the issue. However, I think I can confirm that Chelpark is not just an ink company that also happens to sell some outsourced pens like Noodler's. Chelpark is a pretty old and famous Indian pen and ink company. Fountain pens used to be required in school past the 4th grade. This tradition dates back to Mahatma Gandhi's concern for proper handwriting. So, Indian compnanies, of which Chelpark is one of the most famous, have been manufacturing very inexpensive fountain pens for a very long time. So, I don't think it is the case that Nathan and Chelpark just happen to be using the same pen mold that they got from another source. And, I think I can confirm that Chelpark does make pens. I think that Nathan would have had to buy the mould from Chelpark, who created it. Did Nathan disavow any connection with Chelpark whatsoever? (I'm not trying to accuse anyone of dishonesty... just trying to see if there is a misunderstanding afoot on one end or the other.)

 

I'm not surprised to hear that the feeds and nibs are Nathan's own. It would certainty be pretty easy to find or make nibs and feeds that would fit this pen. In fact I just found a nib here in India that I intend to put in my Chelpark Maverick. I must say I am still curious about the smell that is reported though. Nathan must also be using smelly resin or the mould itself is causing the smell. Any thoughts?

 

I appreciate your input here. I'm actually not entirely certain about Chelpark or their history, as this thread is the first I've ever heard of the company. If they are in a fact a pen manufacturer, is kind of irrelevant (though good to know, I suppose?) to the point I was trying to make. Nathan assured me they are not the same pens. His exact verbiage escapes me right now as to whether they're made by the same manufacturer of the Chelpark pens (whether that's Chelpark themselves or not), I just know he clarified the Chelpark Maverick pens are different from the Noodler's pens. I think that may be all the clarification I get out of him, as when we get into specific details about where and how the pens are made it crosses the line into proprietary information, and I don't want to undermine all of the hard work and research that Nathan's done to bring these pens to market. For that reason, I don't think I'm going to probe any deeper into the details of where he gets the pen bodies made.

 

We know what's important, and that is that Nathan has built these pens from components using the best of his pen knowledge to make the most affordable pen for the price that he could.

 

As for the smell, all resins smell. I think the reason the Noodler's pens smell more may be because of two factors: 1) the resin used may just have a stronger smell to start, but more importantly, 2) these pens are selling so fast that there isn't a lot of 'shelf time' where the resin would normally off-gas. So the lag time between when the pens are made and when you receive them is shorter than most pens, I imagine.

[amyx231]

i plan to get a noodler's pen eventually (over the summer, likely). please someone tell me if they hear rumors of any sort of shortage! i already know the flexes are gone, oh well.

(btw, how fine are the fine, anyway? Asian fine or American fine? )

[watch_art]

mmmm... I'd say closer to Western Fine.

[Peninkcillin]

I believe Goulet Pens will have both the flexes and the regulars in stock in 2-4 weeks.

[GouletPens]

I believe Goulet Pens will have both the flexes and the regulars in stock in 2-4 weeks.

 

The regular nibs are back in stock right now, and should be in stock everywhere for a while. The flex nibs are still a few weeks away. Nathan's still heat-setting each one of those nibs himself, so patience is mandatory for everyone.

 

Regarding the 'fine' nib size, it's kind of irrelevant because there's only one nib size offered in the Noodler's pens. It's advertised as a 'fine-medium', which is what it sounds like.

[TMA]

I talked to Nathan on the phone about this issue, so I'll help to clear things up. There is just so much misinformation in this thread it's almost scary. I think part of the confusion is that there's a certain 'mystique' about the way that Nathan does things. Nathan's priority is value, so he's shopping for parts wherever he can get the best value to pass on to his customers. Noodler's pens aren't made by Chelpark. Chelpark is a company, like Nathan, that has sourced out readily available pen components and built their own pen. They don't make pens.

 

Nathan used a pen body that was already designed, because custom injection-molding molds cost around $250,000, which would GREATLY increase the cost of the pens and kind of defeat their purpose. The point of his designing these pens was affordability, not using a pen body that no one else had ever used before. The body design is similar, that's undeniable. But Nathan's assured me that the resin is different, the feed comes from his own source, and the nibs are his own design. The nibs are a fairly plain and generic design, and I'm sure you can find lots of nibs out there that look similar, but Noodler's nibs are made just for Nathan.

 

As far as the rumors about where his inks are made, I don't even know how that all got brought up in this thread. Nathan makes all of the ink himself, by hand in Massachusetts. I don't know where he gets the components for the ink, no one does. For years people have been trying to figure out how he makes his inks and I imagine there are few (if any) other people in the world that know what he does about it. To talk about how he makes his inks and where his components come from is pointless, you might as well be talking about unicorns and pots of gold at the end of rainbows. What matters is the end result, and that he's one of the most passionate, mysterious, and formidable people in the fountain pen world.

 

Hopefully this clears some things up. I'll be addressing this thread in my broadcast tonight since there's more to talk about than I can sit and time at the moment.

 

So he makes his inks by grinding up unicorns in gold pots now? Oh the iniquity! Oh the betrayal!

 

 

 

(Well, if we are going to generate rumours and baseless innuendoes generated by not reading threads properly, I think that's a pretty good one...)