Noodler´s Ahab - Ease My Flex Mod

[Fabienne]

In an "Oh Duh" moment: just get a pair of rubber gloves for pulling nibs out of inked pens! No need for special tools. Perfect! And here is how I modded the feed to make a very wet delightful pen:

 

http://i1005.photobucket.com/albums/af174/fabienne301/953AB8F2-5FD2-46C6-8508-A901A5790696_zpse0wavxg1.jpg

 

And also, I have found out that not all inks are suitable for flex pen writing. I tried Noodler's Habanero and it didn't take the ultra wide flex well, the sheet of ink running down the nib broke and I was left with railroading and then nothing. I filled the pen up with Hero 232 and it ran like a top! The Hero stayed with the flexing and speed and no matter how fast and wide I was going, Hero was laying down the line! So the fault might not be with your pen or nib set up, but with the ink you use and it's surface tension. If you have really carved down your feed and you are getting good flow but the sheet of ink on the nib breaks, try another ink. You might be surprised, and happily! I was.

Edited February 17, 2014 by Fabienne

[Squeteague]

And also, I have found out that not all inks are suitable for flex pen writing. I tried Noodler's Habanero and it didn't take the ultra wide flex well, the sheet of ink running down the nib broke and I was left with railroading and then nothing. I filled the pen up with Hero 232 and it ran like a top! The Hero stayed with the flexing and speed and no matter how fast and wide I was going, Hero was laying down the line! So the fault might not be with your pen or nib set up, but with the ink you use and it's surface tension. If you have really carved down your feed and you are getting good flow but the sheet of ink on the nib breaks, try another ink. You might be surprised, and happily! I was.

 

I find that if you mix a dab of detergent using a toothpick to the ink, it keeps up with the flexing much better.

 

One downside is that the ink also feathers more, so you'll have to find the golden ratio (which varies according to the ink you start with) to balance the Good & Evil.

PS: Remember, it's like salt in cooking: it's easier to add than remove so start with a little and test your way to perfection.

 

[Sinistral1]

Fabienne: I was looking at Hero ink and didn't see a 232 - is there another name for that one?

 

Squeteague: When you say put a dab into the ink, are you talking about into the bottle or into the converter/cartridge or what? If you're using a toothpick, it must be more of a smidge than a dab, or even an eensie-weensie smidge.

[Fabienne]

There is a 232, it is also known as Blue Black. What that lacks in creative naming, it makes up for in quality and value, my friend! I really love Hero ink. TMart sells it. Follow the link.

[Squeteague]

Squeteague: When you say put a dab into the ink, are you talking about into the bottle or into the converter/cartridge or what? If you're using a toothpick, it must be more of a smidge than a dab, or even an eensie-weensie smidge.

 

Ideally it would be an ink sample vial - if things go wrong you don't want to ruin a whole bottle of ink.

 

A little goes a long way if you don't want crazy feathering, so it'd be best to start with a smidge and test between increments of eensie-weensie smidges.

[Guest Ray Cornett]

Using calipers to achieve consistant in arch in your EMF nib collection.

 

If you have calipers, you can measure across the nib, perpendicular to the long axis (see diagram).

 

 

 

You're way overthinking this I think. Find a long barrel sander attachment for the dremel, long enough to accomadate the width of the nib. Simple press the area to be ground onto the nib, both sides at once. Both sides will be symmetrically ground down if even pressure is used.

[Brooks MT]

Ray, there are 2 criteria, here. A) consistency between different nibs, consistency within a single nib (getting both tines identical) which you discuss. The calipers will help you with A, but not B; Machine tools, with appropriate jigs to hold the nib, would be required to guarantee B. Far as I can tell, few, if any, of the fountain pen users on this thread have access and experience with machine tools, and making jigs. Fortunately, perfect symmetry within a nib is not required. It's desired, of course, but I dare say none of my nibs are perfect, yet they write fine :-).

 

The main reason for the calipers is to help the multiple flex pen owner to get some consistency within his/her collection. A few thousands of an inch difference in total grind depth among my nibs shows a big difference in flex. One can certainly grind, test the flex, then grind some more....for each nib. But if you have a measuring tool and method, e.g. the calipers, you can save yourself some time if you have a bunch of nibs to grind.

 

Speaking as a machinist, I can tell you that hand-grinding anything with consistency requires a lot of experience. Hand-grinding 2 surfaces at once, as you suggest, is trouble squared *smiles*. A jig would help;it takes one of the variables out of the picture. With a jig firmly holding the nib, your chances of getting a symmetrical grind improve...if you have experience that way.

 

Since replacement Noodler flex nibs are not yet available (recent video over on Goulet Pen suggests supply problems), what are you going to practice on to get that experience? Well, you could pick up a handful of $2.00 Noodler Non-flex nibs over at Goulet pen :-). You can even turn them into spare flex nibs, via my thread here:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/260041-converting-a-regular-nib-into-a-flex-nib-for-noodlers-ahabkonrad/

http://www.gouletpens.com/Shop_All_Replacement_Nibs_s/989.htm?searching=Y&sort=7&cat=989&show=30&page=1&brand=Noodler%27s

Edited March 29, 2014 by Brooks MT

[akafridi3]

I have tried this mod last week on two pens: FPR Dili with indian flex nib and a semi-flex Geha pen.

 

They both flexes with much more ease, making the writing more enjoyable. Flexing is fun, but it takes time, yet at the same time, it is a different and enjoyable writing experience.

 

The Geha fountain pen is a semi-flex, so it took a lot of pressure to get it to flex. Once i did this mod, it flexes far more easier.

 

Also, because I took both nibs out of feed, I had to heat-set the nibs and feed again. This helped railroading issues and give constant ink flow.

 

Having played around with these flex nibs, I have learned a lot about how fountain pens actually work and because of that I appreciate fountain pens more now

[OneBadBadger]

Thanks for writing this. I picked up an AHAB for my first pen ever and that was one of the things I noticed. I write heavy handed so maybe I won't do this. But possibly down the road. As I'm wondering now how fast I'm going to go through ink. It's a completely new experience for me. Something that literally is so sensitive and takes no effort to jot something down. Do you have any info on how fast the pen goes through ink without flexing? Just normal every day writing? I just wrote out a lot of info on my inital thoughts. I couldn't stop writing.

[Sinistral1]

It's such a tactile, exciting, creative, instant gratification sort of thing, isn't it? Welcome, and enjoy!

[Cactusweasel]

Would just like to say thanks for this tip, I attacked my acrylic Konrad earlier and the results are amazing - not only did flexing get easier but I can also get slight more flex from it as well. I used a Victorinox pocket knife sharpener (which has a long thin grinding section) and the short edge of that was the perfect size. Might have to do the same thing to my Ahab now!

 

http://www.friedhardware.net/images/konrad.jpg

[Pterodactylus]

 

(Noodler´s Ahab EMF ..... Rohrer & Klingner Salix)

[ctt1wbw]

Who'd be willing to do this to my Ahab if I paid them? You can send me a PM if you're willing.

Edited May 5, 2014 by ctt1wbw

[Pterodactylus]

Who'd be willing to do this to my Ahab if I paid them? You can send me a PM if you're willing.

Hi Ctt1wbw,

the mod is really easy, I'm sure you can make it, it can be done also with simple key files manually if you have no Dremel like tool.

You don't have to be an experienced metal worker to do it, and last but not least it's fun to modify a pen and make it better with your own hands.

[ctt1wbw]

Hi Ctt1wbw,

the mod is really easy, I'm sure you can make it, it can be done also with simple key files manually if you have no Dremel like tool.

You don't have to be an experienced metal worker to do it, and last but not least it's fun to modify a pen and make it better with your own hands.

 

Let's just say that me and tools are mortal enemies. I can clean out the most infested spyware laden computer, but operating tools is like putting a computer in the hands of a chimpanzee.

[wetnoodlepens]

Ctt1wbw, I find if you file away the shoulders and make it smoother and more spearlike, it REALLY opens up the flex massively.

[discopig]

I'm about to attempt EMF on one of my FPR flex nib. I have a few of them and only 1 pen body, so I have some room for error, but I shouldn't mess it up.

[Squeteague]

Ctt1wbw, I find if you file away the shoulders and make it smoother and more spearlike, it REALLY opens up the flex massively.

I second this - the shoulders really play a large role in the flexibility of the nib.

Removing it makes it feel nicer (more responsive) when flexing, IMO.

[dmincastro]

I just ordered another Ahab and will soon be trying this mod along with taking the shoulders off for more flex! I would love a portable flex pen for on the go calligraphy practice. I'll post pictures of my (probably doomed to fail) attempt!

[Brooks MT]

I can't recommend simply filing away the shoulders to add flex. The shoulders (angel wings) are why the pen point spreads when you add pressure downwards while writing. The wings make an arch of the nib (in cross-section). When you load an arch, you get spread Out from pressure Down. If you take away the arch (by removing the wings), pressure down no longer makes the tines spread apart to give you the wider line you are seeking. You can remove *some* of the wing to increase flexibility, but you won't get spread like EMF provides w/o following Pterodactylus' procedure.

 

I saw this with pack of inexpensive, disposable Pilot Varsity pens I purchased. They'd been touted as "flexible". And the nib does respond to pressure....but only by bending up, not by spreading the tines enough to get a wider line. The Varsity nib is flat, no wings. Any line-width increase is simply due to pushing more ink out the nib when you write with pressure. The line width change is not due to actually spreading the tines. The Varsity is a nice pen for a monoline (and refillable via web advice), but it's not a copperplate/varying line-width pen like Pterodactylus' EMF mod makes a Noodler.

 

One final note: as you remove wings, you reduce the ability of the nib to return to "normal". The pen nib will become less able to recover from downwards pressure; the line between recoverable-flex and permanent damage narrows.

 

The same is true if you grind too deeply during the EMF mod process (while adding the arc in the sides of the nib, the key feature of EMF). When I made my Flexible Italic nib, I got a little too enthusiastic with the EMF arc grind. The nib is a wet noodle, but I've had to straighten the bent tines after I pressed down too hard while writing. The Goulet stub I was modifying is made of good German steel, so I was able to repair the bend :-) I don't wish to discourage folks from applying EMF. Just take it slow: remove some metal, try the pen, remove some more, etc. After you get a feel for what the Noodler steel can handle, then you can experiment like I have. And remember, if you screw up your Noodler flex nib, you can always replace it with a flex-modified Noodler stiff nib (stiff nib still only $2.00 from Goulet):

Stiff to Flex:

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/260041-converting-a-regular-nib-into-a-flex-nib-for-noodlers-ahabkonrad/

Goulet:

http://www.gouletpens.com/Noodlers_Non_Flex_Replacement_Steel_Nib_p/n18091.htm

Flex italic:

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/262474-making-a-flex-italic-nib-for-the-noodler-ahab-or-konrad/

Edited May 13, 2014 by Brooks MT