Noodler´s Ahab - Ease My Flex Mod

[Oldtimer]

Just to put in my $0.02 i tried the mod today after talking with Brooks MT on several back and forths and this is what it looks like. The force needed is minimal now but the flow of ink ceases after the initially wet nib dried after writing 2-3 short sentences or 12-15 letters.

 

Based on the examples i am looking at now --thanks to all the posters- i think i need to extend the cut a bit into the grip so there is more flow. Probably?

 

Pen Mod by Walkiria_50, on Flickr

 

 

Pen Mod by Walkiria_50, on Flickr

[Fabienne]

My solution to that was to start up on the feed. Dig it out, dig the central trench deeper, the side trenches deeper. I think there are a few photos of what the feeds looked like after several mods of them. Often you do have to do that with the Ahabs. I did the mod on my TWSBI and the feed kept up wonderfully well.

[disillusion]

Just want to let modders out there know - Anderson Pens now sell spare Noodler's flex nibs and ebonite feeds for the Ahab, and Fountain Pen Revolution also stock #6 flex nibs which is supposed to fit the Konrad and Ahab. No affiliation to either except an empty wallet.

[Nils]

This is GREAT!!! Just hard to believe how different it writes now...

[Drone]

Just want to let modders out there know - Anderson Pens now sell spare Noodler's flex nibs and ebonite feeds for the Ahab, and Fountain Pen Revolution also stock #6 flex nibs which is supposed to fit the Konrad and Ahab. No affiliation to either except an empty wallet.

 

Darn, now the feeds are all sold out at Anderson Pens.

 

Goulet pens has also started selling the flex Noodler's nibs for $5 USD each (the non-flex Noodler's nibs are $2 each). But for some reason, Gouilet is not selling the feeds. I sent an Email to Goulet Pens asking where the spare feeds are.

 

Being able to buy spare nibs is nice - and a long time in coming. But we also need feeds.

 

As for the FPR flex nibs you mentioned. I take it you are referring to the two-tone #35 flex nibs (same as #6 size?) for $11 USD each? If-so, I see no specific mention on the FPR page that these nibs fit the Ahab or Konrad pens. Have you tried one of these nibs in your Noodler's pen yet?

 

Thanks, David

[Jamerelbe]

@Drone, I believe the Goulets are still waiting for the Noodler's feeds to arrive - and suspect the same may be true at Anderson pens (i.e. they're not "out of stock", so much as not yet "in stock"!).

 

FPR two-tone #35 nibs are not advertised as compatible with Noodler's pens - but if it's equivalent to a #6 nib, that's a pretty good bet.

 

[Drone]

 

@Drone, I believe the Goulets are still waiting for the Noodler's feeds to arrive - and suspect the same may be true at Anderson pens (i.e. they're not "out of stock", so much as not yet "in stock"!).

 

FPR two-tone #35 nibs are not advertised as compatible with Noodler's pens - but if it's equivalent to a #6 nib, that's a pretty good bet.

 

 

Yes, I suspected the feeds may have not arrived yet. I've asked both Goulet's and Andersons when tney expect to have the feeds.

 

I asked Kevin at FPR about his #35 two tone flex nibs. He says the #35 flex nibs are indeed #6 size nibs and they do fit both the Ahab and Konrad pens - he has tried the nibs in both pens and they work. Kevin says he does not intend to carry the #35 two tone in chrome tone only (no gold tone plating). I see that as a disadvantage for one or more of the following reasons:

 

1. My experience with two-tone nibs from India is not so good, the plating doesn't wear well. But to be fair, when I asked Kevin about this he said I would be surprised of the quality of his nibs and if there are any problems FPR will stand behind them 100% So that's good to know.

 

2. The Ahab and Konrad pens have chrome tone furniture. I'm not sure I like the aesthetics of having a two tone nib in my pen - but I would have to see it before making up my mind.

 

3. Like my other Ahab and Konrad pens, I intend to grind the nib for added flex. Grinding a gold tone plated nib is not a good idea in my opinion. It just wouldn't look right in the end. It may be possible to buff the gold-tone plating off the FPR nib though.

 

4. Is there a compelling reason to use the FPR flex nibs now that we can buy Noodler's spare flex nibs for the Ahabs and Konrads? Consider that the two tone FPR flex nibs cost $11 each and the spare Noodler's flex nibs cost $5 each.

 

Here's one more bit of news I just received from Kevin at FPR. He plans on having Ebonite feeds for his flex-nibs by the end of this year - and he will offer the feeds and nibs both loose and in his pens. No mention on whether the FPR feeds would be interchangeable with the feeds in the Noodler's pens.

[Fabienne]

It would be neat if they carried the mini files which are so handy for carving up your feeds as well. And Dremels, and...

 

By the way, my Ahabs are my EDC pens. I lurve them! They do suck up a power of ink, though, and so I am going to brave the idea of making at least one into an eyedropper. At the moment I am just enjoying the reason to switch ink colors frequently.

 

Oh, and though my Ahabs do keep up with ink demand very well (just the occasional railroad when I am going very fast) BUT once I did have my silver Ahab pee ink out when it was held a certain way. I am thinking that the ink is held in by surface tension and somehow I held the pen or jolted it so that the surface tension broke. Other than that once, I have not had problems. Anyone else? Anyone care to comment? I suspect that surface tension is very important with fountain pens anyway.

[Brian Anderson]

 

@Drone, I believe the Goulets are still waiting for the Noodler's feeds to arrive - and suspect the same may be true at Anderson pens (i.e. they're not "out of stock", so much as not yet "in stock"!).

 

This is correct. The product is simply there should people wish to sign up for a notification when they arrive, since there will only be a small number being distributed I'm sure. No word yet on when it will arrive.

[anubisnut]

I regret purchasing my flex pen, as you say it requires too much pressure to write with. I've got small hands and trying to add extra pressure just to writing snail mail is a strain. I'll have to try modifying it too. Hopefully when I have the tools to even do the job or a friend who can help me do the mod. Thanks for the info!

[cellardoor04]

http://i60.tinypic.com/10ngnte.jpg

 

"This mod is awesome! The pen is now much easier to flex. There are some issues with ink flow and hard starts, but nothing some further tinkering can't fix, I bet. Thanks for the amazing and helpful thread!"

Sorry for the atrocious handwriting, that was my first attempt at using a flex pen for my normal handwriting

 

I did the mod using needle files. Now it flexes super easily, and I'm considering getting sandpaper to smooth and narrow the nib so that it creates a thinner line. I'm also playing with nib/feed setup - I had set it up once that it wrote AWESOMELY, but I stupidly took them out again to clean the pen, and now it takes some time to start writing and loses ink halfway through. But I'll keep adjusing!

 

Thanks Pterodactylus and everyone else!

[Brooks MT]

Cellardoor- hard starting and drying flow, things to check:

1. Are the tips still aligned? It is common for them to get out of alignment after applying EMF mod. Finger pressure will fix, push a tine down to move the tips closer, push up to make tips separate. If the tines are "1 up 1 down", ie "crossed" then you have to adjust each separately, of course. A loupe is necessary to see what's going on, I think. see post#124 in this thread.

 

2. Clean and clean again. It is impossible to get the nib and feed too clean :-). Seriously, Goulet says 90% of all customer complaints about Noodler feed issues are solved simply by cleaning nib and feed thoroughly. I do a lot of experimenting with inks/dilutions/surfactants. Before each set of experiments, I will clean, then clean again. The 2nd cleaning is very important - it removes junk that was loosened in the 1st cleaning. I use tapwater+dawn dish soap+a little ammonia.I use a test tube brush, or a tooth brush to clean the fins and ink grooves. If I don't get sudsing action with the brush, I add more cleaning solution. I rinse with tap water, then rinse again with dionized water. Wear rubber gloves - the oils on your hands will defeat any cleaning - ink is water-based, and just won't flow if there is any oil or grease on the nib or feed.

 

Narrowing the tip for a finer line - a bit of wet or dry sandpaper wrapped around a dowel and then run in a cordless drill works good for this. See post #161 this thread.

 

Hope this helps.

[cellardoor04]

Cellardoor- hard starting and drying flow, things to check:

1. Are the tips still aligned? It is common for them to get out of alignment after applying EMF mod. Finger pressure will fix, push a tine down to move the tips closer, push up to make tips separate. If the tines are "1 up 1 down", ie "crossed" then you have to adjust each separately, of course. A loupe is necessary to see what's going on, I think. see post#124 in this thread.

 

2. Clean and clean again. It is impossible to get the nib and feed too clean :-). Seriously, Goulet says 90% of all customer complaints about Noodler feed issues are solved simply by cleaning nib and feed thoroughly. I do a lot of experimenting with inks/dilutions/surfactants. Before each set of experiments, I will clean, then clean again. The 2nd cleaning is very important - it removes junk that was loosened in the 1st cleaning. I use tapwater+dawn dish soap+a little ammonia.I use a test tube brush, or a tooth brush to clean the fins and ink grooves. If I don't get sudsing action with the brush, I add more cleaning solution. I rinse with tap water, then rinse again with dionized water. Wear rubber gloves - the oils on your hands will defeat any cleaning - ink is water-based, and just won't flow if there is any oil or grease on the nib or feed.

 

Narrowing the tip for a finer line - a bit of wet or dry sandpaper wrapped around a dowel and then run in a cordless drill works good for this. See post #161 this thread.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Hi Brooks - thanks for the suggestions! Tines were already aligned, so I cleaned the pen again according to your guidelines (with gloves!). The flow is still a bit touch and go, even when I've placed the feed closer to the tip. I'll use it a bit more and then possibly see into widening the feed channel

[Brooks MT]

Couple more tips.

 

First, recognize that flex nib pens require not only More ink flow than stiff nib, monoline pens, but they also require more Self-adjustment of the flow by the feed. The thick line may be 5x the width of a thin line; obviously the pen has to adjust the flow more radically than a standard non-flex nib pen. So, more experimentation will be required to get your favorite ink to perform satisfactorily with your favorite paper. Don't feel bad if you have to try and try again to get what you want :-).

 

The fins in the black ebonite feed are there to add ink to the ink channel (the groove on the top of the feed). Ink will flow from the fin "canyon" into the channel if the line width and writing speed cause the ink level to drop in the channel. The fins are sort of self-regulating - if the channel is full, they don't feed ink, if the channel is low, then they feed in ink.

 

Tip 1 ) Look at whether the base of the fin "canyons" drops low enough to actually feed into the ink channel on top of the feed. I definitely need a loupe to see this. On my Noodler's pens, the canyons are usually not cut deep enough. On one side, the canyons don't reach the channel at all, by design. This is so you can cut them yourself to increase fin feed if your ink requires it. On the other side of the feed, the canyons on my pens contact the ink channel, but were not cut very deep. Thus, if the channel ink level drops very much (due to needing to supply a wide line), the canyons will be left hanging, with no ability to add ink to the channel when required. Ink will only flow from canyon to channel if there is a capillary bridge (ink touching ink). Once the ink level in the channel drops below the bottom of the canyon, the bridge is broken, and the pen "dries up". Eventually, the channel will refill on it's own. At that time, the feed canyons will be able supply ink again.

 

To increase the ability of a canyon to supply ink - a) use an Exacto razor saw (or a #11 blade) to deepen the canyon bottom where it lies "suspended" over the ink channel. Cut one or 2 canyons, then test (cleaning twice before test, naturally). Or complete the cut on the side of the feed where the canyons are not cut at all. I don't know if some "suspension" of the canyon floor above the floor of the channel is desired; so don't cut all the way down to the base of the channel, just in case. Perhaps a penmeister can comment here?

 

To decrease ink flow - If you cut a few canyons deeper, but then have too much ink flow, it's possible to close off a canyon by rubbing wax into the canyon. Some pen workers have recommended using silicon grease to close off the canyon --- but that stuff is so hard to remove, I'd not use it myself. You definitely don't want to get silicon grease in the ink channel as it will repel ink. Wax repels ink, but is a little easier to remove, I think. I've waxed and un-waxed canyons just by scraping it out with the #11 blade.

 

Tip 2) Write slower. Pens are often able to keep up with the ink flow requirements if you just write slower. This gives the canyons time to replace ink in the channel. If you don't like slow writing, then cut some more canyons.

 

Tip 3) Don't dilute your ink so much. Dilution with deionized water is nice for getting more shading. But too much dilution will make the ink "drier", and less likely to flow. Dilution reduces the concentration of surfactants added to the ink by the manufacturer. If you really like shading, then dilute, but then add back some surfactant like Kodak PhotoFlo (or dish soap, if you can't find PhotoFlo). Threre are threads discussing dilution and surfactants, if that's your thing (like me :-) Surfactants work at very low concentrations; serial dilutions of the surfactant will be necessary before you add any to an ink. Otherwise, you get a totally runny mess. But if you like playing chemist, it's fun :-)

Edited September 7, 2014 by Brooks MT

[amk]

Just did the flex mod and was surprised how little time it took. The pen doesn't flex more, but it flexes much more easily.

 

I still have a problem though with it drying after after a few lines. It writes really wet, and then suddenly, nothing. So heat-setting the feed seems to be the next step.

 

I did find holding the nib a bit hairy - there's not a lot to get your fingers round while you're using the Dremel. If I were going to do this on a regular basis I'd probably invest in making a little jig to hold the non-business end of the nib within a pair of moulded or carved wooden jaws.

[Inga]

Is it possible to do this without a dremel? This seems like a really interesting mod but I don't have a dremel....

:'(

[amk]

A dremel is quicker, but you can do it easily with a round or half-round file if you have the patience. Choose a large enough size that you don't end up just making a little notch, though.

[vossad01]

And if you do not have a file, you can wrap sandpaper around a dowel (a round, wooden pencil would work). I have done two this way.

 

EDIT: You might want a large diameter than a pencil for a #6 nib (Ahab/Konrad), I was doing #5 nibs (Nib Creaper)

Edited October 17, 2014 by vossad01

[Febeleh]

Should I go deeper? Seems like you guys are getting better results, but the Ahab has a much larger nib than my little nib creeper. Handwriting critiques also welcome.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 18, 2014 by Febeleh

[TeaHive]

Wow! That looks pretty good, Febeleh! The mod makes it easier to flex, not so much for giving it more flex, but that depends on the user's willingness to push the nib. It looks like you're getting some great line variation as is!! And your handwriting is pretty spiffy.

 

Interestingly, my Nib Creaper's stock nib seemed to have a lot of flex, and was easy to flex it right out of the box. Some of my Ahab nibs have been easy to flex on their own, and a couple I've modded. I'm wondering if anyone else has noticed that some of their nibs are easier to flex than others from the get-go? Or did I just get a handful of odd nibs?

 

Anyway, this mod is fantastic, and super easy to do. Thanks for the experimentation and sharing results!

Edited October 18, 2014 by TeaHive