Noodler´s Ahab - Ease My Flex Mod

[Plusfoursmax]

A long time since I got my Ahab (from Flax in SF - great store BTW) and was mildly disappointed by the flex or lack of it, I tried the mod and the initial results are below; I was so excited I managed to spell However incorrectly! Still, a lovely pen now and one I will keep tinkering with. Thank you Pterodactylus for your bravery in striking out and then returning to tell us of your success!

Max

[Pterodactylus]

Hi Fabienne,

 

the feed of this pen is it´s weakest part, even I modified it heavily I did not succeeded to get rid of the railroading completely.

 

Not every ink perform equally well in this pens.

Maybe it´s too wet or it does not perform well in this pen at all.

 

For me till now iron gall ink performs best in my Ahab. (I use Rohrer & Klingner Salix)

 

Bo Bo Olson had also the problem in the beginning that it was too wet, he removed the breather tube and this fixed the issue for him.

I also use it without the tube.

 

I made some pictures of my modified feed for you.

As you can see I deepened the ink channel massively and removed also the first fins.

 

 

Ahab_Ease_My_Flex_Mod_response_39 by Ptero Pterodactylus, auf Flickr

 

Ahab_Ease_My_Flex_Mod_response_40 by Ptero Pterodactylus, auf Flickr

 

Ahab_Ease_My_Flex_Mod_response_41 by Ptero Pterodactylus, auf Flickr

 

Heat set the feed first, remove the breather tube and try some other inks might be the first things you should try before modifying the feeed further.

[watch_art]

has anybody ever tried removing fins from the back of the feed, rather than the front, to increase flow? with my jowo feeds, if I cut too much away when modifying for certain filling systems, I get the wettest nib imaginable, a few times too wet and have had to trash the feed.

[Pterodactylus]

Good idea, I did not tried it, as everything I found about the feed mod that time was mentioning to cut it from the front.

 

The bad thing about Noodler's is that they do not sell spare feeds and spare nibs, despite they claim the pens are pens to tinker around with it.

 

So if something went wrong when you try something new the pen is trash.

 

Of course you can buy a complete repair kit from Noodler's .......... A new pen....

[Pterodactylus]

Ahab_Ease_My_Flex_Mod_response_42 by Ptero Pterodactylus, auf Flickr

 

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

 

Btw. nice color, what is it?

[Plusfoursmax]

Hi Ptero,

It is just Parker Quink Blue Washable; it may be the scanner + colour correction that makes it look brighter than it is. Looking at it again, the scan looks more cyan than the original.

Max

[watch_art]

I think I have an Ahab around here. I'll play with it one day and report back.

[pensivedoc]

Thanks Ptero. I've been playing around with this. I'll see if I can get a picture up.

Edited January 11, 2014 by pensivedoc

[pensivedoc]

Edited January 11, 2014 by pensivedoc

[Fabienne]

No railroading or drying out, pensivedoc?

[pensivedoc]

No railroading or drying out, pensivedoc?

Well, it's been hit and miss. I was using Waterman blue-black and getting a few lines with no problem, then a little railroading. Just switched over to some Visconti Turquoise and I'm only very rarely getting railroading. I thought I'd have to adjust the feed more, but I haven't. It seems like an occasional pause takes care of it, which I don't mind so much when I'm flex writing.

Edited January 11, 2014 by pensivedoc

[pensivedoc]

[Fabienne]

When you adjust the nib, do you press the nib and feed closer together (the tips of them) and/or shove the whole assembly further into the collar (grip) or both or ...

[pensivedoc]

When you adjust the nib, do you press the nib and feed closer together (the tips of them) and/or shove the whole assembly further into the collar (grip) or both or ...

I figured it would be easier just to show you a pic of how mine is right now:

 

[Fabienne]

Thanx. Mine has the end of the feed and the end of the nib much further apart. I will experiment.

[Brooks MT]

Here is the Dremel bit I use for grinding the nibs per Pterodactylus. A single grind stone lasts easily for 4 stainless steel nibs, maybe 5 if you are patient on the last one (the stone wears down, so grinding is slower).

 

regarding Ahab nib insertion: The pen is designed to accept the nib only in a particular spot. Since I have trouble seeing the spot, I filed a small groove in the pen grip to show the center of the spot. I put the nib&feed in, then lined up a triangular file with the slit to make the initial file mark. Then, I broadened the mark with an oval file (both are small Swiss files, purchased in a set for my ship modeling hobby). By smoothing out the bottom of the initial file mark with the oval file, I should avoid getting a "stress riser" that might crack the pen's celluloid. This smoothing of a sharp-edged nick is also used on aircraft propellers to repair nicks due to hitting rocks. My mark is small, and unnoticable in regular penwork.

 

regarding RailRoading: The first fix should be to thoroughly clean your nib, feed, and the pen itself. A bit of oil anywhere in there will inhibit the flow of water-based ink. Goulet pen's recommended cleaning solution is tap water, a little dishwashing soap, and a few drops of ammonia. A test-tube cleaning brush works well for getting in the channels and fins. A cotton swab works well for the nib and the inner barrel of the nib&feed holder. I flush everything with tap water then distilled water. I wear disposable gloves, to avoid re-contaminating the parts with oils from my fingers.

 

Cleaning does not fix all RRing, but it has helped me reduce it in my pens.

 

Hope this helps.

Edited January 12, 2014 by Brooks MT

[Pterodactylus]

Ahab_Ease_My_Flex_Mod_response_43 by Ptero Pterodactylus, auf Flickr

 

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

Edited November 21, 2015 by Pterodactylus

[Pterodactylus]

Ahab_Ease_My_Flex_Mod_response_44 by Ptero Pterodactylus, auf Flickr

 

In general:

Putting the nib tip and the feed closer together will reduce the railroading and make you pen wetter, but the nib will feel a little bit stiffer and the feed might touch the paper (in it´s original shape when you excessively flex it .... so I flattened my feed to have a bigger chassis clearance )

Edited November 21, 2015 by Pterodactylus

[pensivedoc]

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/703/hb88.jpg

 

In general:

Putting the nib tip and the feed closer together will reduce the railroading and make you pen wetter, but the nib will feel a little bit stiffer and the feed might touch the paper (in it´s original shape when you excessively flex it .... so I flattened my feed to have a bigger chassis clearance )

 

That's pretty cool!

 

Here is the Dremel bit I use for grinding the nibs per Pterodactylus. A single grind stone lasts easily for 4 stainless steel nibs, maybe 5 if you are patient on the last one (the stone wears down, so grinding is slower).

 

regarding Ahab nib insertion: The pen is designed to accept the nib only in a particular spot. Since I have trouble seeing the spot, I filed a small groove in the pen grip to show the center of the spot. I put the nib&feed in, then lined up a triangular file with the slit to make the initial file mark. Then, I broadened the mark with an oval file (both are small Swiss files, purchased in a set for my ship modeling hobby). By smoothing out the bottom of the initial file mark with the oval file, I should avoid getting a "stress riser" that might crack the pen's celluloid. This smoothing of a sharp-edged nick is also used on aircraft propellers to repair nicks due to hitting rocks. My mark is small, and unnoticable in regular penwork.

 

regarding RailRoading: The first fix should be to thoroughly clean your nib, feed, and the pen itself. A bit of oil anywhere in there will inhibit the flow of water-based ink. Goulet pen's recommended cleaning solution is tap water, a little dishwashing soap, and a few drops of ammonia. A test-tube cleaning brush works well for getting in the channels and fins. A cotton swab works well for the nib and the inner barrel of the nib&feed holder. I flush everything with tap water then distilled water. I wear disposable gloves, to avoid re-contaminating the parts with oils from my fingers.

 

Cleaning does not fix all RRing, but it has helped me reduce it in my pens.

 

Hope this helps.

Very good pointers : )

[pensivedoc]

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/22/b4lw.jpg

 

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

Thanks, I started reviving my cursive writing last year after having abandoned it in high school. It still lacks that wonderful consistency--especially in angle--that yours has.

 

You'll notice I only ground in the semicircles and didn't reduce the width further back on the nib. I may go at that next time I get a chance. I just picked up on of my Waterman 52s and wrote a few lines with it, which convinced me that my Ahab needs MORE FLEX. Thanks for starting this thread : )