Noodler´s Ahab - Ease My Flex Mod

[Brooks MT]

In Post#16, Lince talks about sharpening (thinning) the tip of the nib to make thinner lines. Here is a simple tool I made to do that. The shaft is a wooden dowel, about 6mm diameter, with a slot cut in the end. A small strip of sandpaper, 400 or 600 grit Wet-or-Dry, is wrapped around the dowel. The end is stuck in the slot to start, then the rest of the sandpaper is wound around itself. I glued the sandpaper down using a swipe of a glue stick on the paper side before finishing the wrap. The wrap is several layers of sandpaper thick. The photo shows the tool, and some ink tests on very nice 32lb paper (the tests were made after Pterodactylus' mod, but only the Cactus Gruene Eel line is also after tip thinning. Also, the Waterman ink lines were made with the Creeper, which has a thinner tip to begin with).

I put the dowel in a variable speed cordless drill. My Dremel runs too fast for this work. Before you start be sure to:

A. observe the direction you wrapped the sandpaper (you want to rotate the tool such that the sandpaper end does not snag on the nib; this might peel off the paper, causing problems)

B. look at Post#96 where Squeteague shows you the proper direction of drill rotation in relation to the nib tip. Squeteague's diagram is very important; if you try to sand/grind the tip to thin it, and your drill is turning the other way, you will risk damaging the tip, and maybe even yourself :-( It helps to have a reversible drill; or you can figure out ahead of time which way to wrap the sandpaper to get the rotation you desire.

Once I'd figured out the rotation questions a & b, I went to work. I laid the drill on the workbench, and held the nib in my hand. Light pressure of the sides of the tip on the rotating tool (just as in Squeteague's diagram), and also back along the body of the nib a few mm, did the trick.

My tips were about 0.030 inches wide as received, and I sanded them down to about 0.025 inches. One tip ended up bending to the right; either it was soft to begin with, or I pressed too hard with the drill. It still works fine though since both tines bent the same way (making me think the nib was soft to begin with). At any rate, light pressure of the nib against the tool is the best.

After rotational sanding, I then smoothed the tip with 2000 grit sandpaper (from an auto body & auto paint store). I made figure 8 patterns on this very fine grit sandpaper, either lubricating the sandpaper with ink from the pen, or with tap water. I sanded just holding the nib (water lube), then put the nib in the pen and sanded at the same angle I normally hold the pen (ink lube). I also rocked the nib back and forth (sideways) to take off any burr left by the rotary tool. It did not take very much sanding on 2000 grit paper to get the tip back to writing with it's original smoothness.

I'd drawn figure 8's on paper with ink before the tip mod. Comparing After-mod figure 8's, I could see a difference to the good :-). I did not measure the ink lines, so can't tell you just how much thinner the after-mod hairlines are. The main difference I've noticed is that it's easier to get hairlines; before tip thinning, I had to make a concentrated effort to "float" the pen over the paper on the upstroke; but after thinning, I can get hairlines with less effort. I'm happy :-)

The 2000 grit sandpaper is expensive ($11.00 for 5 large, autobody size sheets). I have more than I need since it only takes a few square inches to sand a zillion nibs. Anyone who sends me a self-addressed, stamped envelope can have a strip of 2000 grit, at least until I run out... My way of thanking the posters to this very helpful and informative thread.

Brooks Martin
1003 Zoot Way
Bozeman MT 59718

USA

Edited January 13, 2014 by Brooks MT

[Drone]

Here's the type of grinding stone I used to do my EMF mod. My stone is approximately 1/4 inch in long by 3/16 inch in diameter at the base. I would suggest a larger stone, perhaps a 1/2 inch in length. These stones cost about a buck a piece (or less). These grinding stones come in other shapes, cones, cylinders, spheres, etc.

 

 

The stone shown above is pink. Pink is supposed to designate an Aluminum Oxide (AO) material. A gray stone is Silicon Carbide (SiC). If I'm not mistaken, the AO stone is probably best to work with as it is capable of dealing with the nib material and may grind cooler than a SiC stone. But both types should work.

My stone is quite smooth. If you have a coarse stone, you may want to replace it with something smoother. Smoother is better as your grinding will be more accurate.

[watch_art]

Somebody should try Pilot Blue Black with this mod. I've read that it is a very wet ink.

[mhphoto]

I worked on a Noodler's Creaper nib. I love smaller nibs, and I took more time and care working on this one than I did with the Ahab nib.

 

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/34/92jg.jpg

 

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/833/v2ul.jpg

 

Here's a stock nib and feed:

 

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/829/rl2s.jpg

 

And the altered:

 

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/42/7ag6.jpg

 

http://imageshack.com/a/img24/6687/hec0.gif

 

I had to nearly mutilate the feed to get decent flow, but now it runs like a champ.

[Drone]

Somebody should try Pilot Blue Black with this mod. I've read that it is a very wet ink.

 

I don't have blue black but I do have Pilot/Namiki Blue (bottle of each, one Pilot and one Namiki - they're the same ink). Pilot/Namiki blue works very well in my EMF Mod Ebonite Konrad. Other good candidates I've tried are Noodler's Eel Blue, Diamine Bilberry, and Private Reserve DC Electric Blue. Keep in-mind though, I've hacked and heat-set the feed in my Konrad and now have almost no issues with flow, skipping or railroading, even when flexing a lot.

 

I would say that if you're having flow issues and don't want to work on the feed, try Noodler's Eell Blue lubricated ink, it flows very well and cleans up nicely. Pilot blue can be a bit stubborn when it comes to clean up. I suspect the Pilot/Namiki blue black is even more stubborn.

[conib]

I worked on a Noodler's Creaper nib. I love smaller nibs, and I took more time and care working on this one than I did with the Ahab nib.

 

http://imageshack.com/a/img24/6687/hec0.gif

 

I had to nearly mutilate the feed to get decent flow, but now it runs like a champ.

 

Wow, thanks for posting!

 

Can you describe which "mutilations" you performed on your feed in order to get the decent flow?

 

-- Constance

[Fabienne]

The .gif is brilliant. Try making that into your avatar! The Flex mod is one of the most fun things I have done in fountain penning ever!

[Gardengal97]

It worked!! I had it perfect, did the angel wing mod like this, tested it, then went in for one last lick at the shoulder of the pen.... slipped with the flex shaft and ground the tip of the nib to hell. Oh well....at least it was a cheap nib. Anyone know if they sell the flex nibs by themselves? I was also looking at narrowing out into an arrow shape, Next time I will tape the end of nib with masking tape to not damage it.

[Plusfoursmax]

I hate that Ooooooooh moment!

I had the same with a lovely Sheaffer Crest nib and section that I had cleaned and polished and which then proceeded to roll off the desk and land point down on the floor. I wished for a TIVO 'rewind life' button to remove that (bleep)-up, but no, I can't afford the upgrade!

 

"If we learn from our mistakes then I am getting a fantastic education!" - Anonymous Graffito

[Drone]

...Anyone know if they sell the flex nibs by themselves?...

 

Nope, This is the biggest problem I have with these Noodler's pens; no spares, Nathan Tardiff (owner of Noodler's) refuses to sell spare parts. A ridiculous policy for a pen that is designed to be hacker friendly. You may be able to get a spare nib if you contact your distributor and "beg". If not, the only option is to buy another pen (perhaps that's the motivation behind the no-spares policy?)

 

Kevin at Fountain Pen Revolution (FPR) in India sells some flex pens. He also sells the flex nibs separately. But the nibs are No. 5 size. The Noodler's Ahab and Konrad pens take No. 6 nibs.

[Sinistral1]

Fountain Pen Revolution sells size 5 "flex" nibs that fit in the Noodlers Flex Creaper, which is my current project. The Creaper is too small for my hand, but I'm curious to see if I can make the FPR nib work with the EMF mod.

[Fabienne]

Yes, I think FPR is your best bet. No one else sells flex nibs individually for the Noodlers pens (Noodlers doesn't...they make more selling the whole thing rather than just the nib). I wonder if a mod on a FPR nib would do well. I have a couple of their pens and would use them to try out my grand schemes. Moar later. I got a new nib coming for the Creeper but it's not a flex. It's a nice one though, got it from classicnib.com.

[Pterodactylus]

Ahab_Ease_My_Flex_Mod_response_45 by Ptero Pterodactylus, auf Flickr

 

(Serwex MB - flex EMF ..... ESS Registrars Blue/Black)

[Pterodactylus]

I wonder if a mod on a FPR nib would do well. I have a couple of their pens and would use them to try out my grand schemes.

 

Oh it does really well, it can become a really nice easy full flex nib.

 

You can see my EMF FPR flex nib e.g. in post # 101

[Fabienne]

Hi Ptero---I can do that. right now I have the pen loaded up with R&K Salix and am testing it out for railroading, stuttering and the like BUT I can indeed post pictures of the feed and tell how I did it. Basically, it was old fashioned: do it, try it, redo it, try it, repeat until you get good flow. I used: Exacto knives, and the needle files I got from amazon.com. Just careful deepening of the channels was what it took in this pen.

 

I have another pen which has been juicy of feed but whose nib was a bit stiffer and broader to begin with. No feed adjustment was needed

 

I find that the nibs on Noodlers Ahabs are not uniform nor are their nibs...you have to play with them.

[Pterodactylus]

That's true, they seem to behave quite different, thanks to the poor quality control and/or poor manufacturing tolerances.

[Loeschpapier]

Ladies and gentlemen (und natuerlich heissen Dremeldank an den Strangeroeffner!),

 

My foremost gratitude for this most enlightening and entertaining thread. I currently have two insufferable Noodler pens rolling in the deep; the cree(a)per section is thinner than my elementary school fountain pen and thus cramps ensue; the Konrad is a lovely Adenauer shape with a nib and feed that are more inflexible than the current US congress.

 

Hmmm, I'm wondering if an old electric pedicure filing set would do the trick.... But that still doesn't solve the issue of a 220V machine running on 110V. Maybe I should ask in a nail salon if they would let me try out their machines? Afterall, they're cutting some UV light hardened stuff there?

 

Well, I shall ponder the possibilities, there will be a way.

 

Servus und bis die Tage,

Loeschpapier

[WirsPlm]

Ladies and gentlemen (und natuerlich heissen Dremeldank an den Strangeroeffner!),

 

My foremost gratitude for this most enlightening and entertaining thread. I currently have two insufferable Noodler pens rolling in the deep; the cree(a)per section is thinner than my elementary school fountain pen and thus cramps ensue; the Konrad is a lovely Adenauer shape with a nib and feed that are more inflexible than the current US congress.

 

Hmmm, I'm wondering if an old electric pedicure filing set would do the trick.... But that still doesn't solve the issue of a 220V machine running on 110V. Maybe I should ask in a nail salon if they would let me try out their machines? Afterall, they're cutting some UV light hardened stuff there?

 

Well, I shall ponder the possibilities, there will be a way.

 

Servus und bis die Tage,

Loeschpapier

Worst comes to worse, some people have used sandpaper, so there's always that option.

[Pterodactylus]

Grainweevil did it with a needle file manually, so as long as you have full functional hands electrical tool aid is not a prerequisite.

 

I'm looking forward to see the results

[Drone]

 

Oh it does really well, it can become a really nice easy full flex nib.

 

You can see my EMF FPR flex nib e.g. in post # 101

 

Hi Pterodactylus,

 

I have been talking with Kevin at FPR about a Treveni pen with some extra nibs to support performing an EMF mod. Kevin is willing to accommodate by supplying additional nib(s) at regular price(s). But he says the nibs need to be hand fit to the Treveni feed diameter, which he is willing to do if the nibs are purchased together with the pen.

 

However, the thing that is stopping me from pulling the trigger on this is the plastic feed. Then I saw your post #101. That pretty much confirmed what I feared, the feed needs to be hacked to provide more flow to keep up with the EMF mod - and with a plastic feed, you're pretty much out of luck.

 

Is that where you left it with your attempt after posting #101? Perhaps you were able to swap the plastic Serwex feed for something else? The Treveni pens look nice. I'd really like to get the EMF mod working with one of them.

 

Best Regards, David

 

P.S. I just noticed Goulet Pens is now carrying Noodler's "Non-Flex" nibs for $2 bucks each. Talk about adding insult to injury - he (Nathan T.) will sell no-flex nibs to us but won't sell us spare flex nibs. What's up with that? Makes my blood boil...