Noodler's Ahab Dries Up After Writing Just One Sentence

[I like mango cheesecake]

I just purchased an Ahab and inked it up and find that the pen is an extremely hard starter. In fact there is no ink coming out unless I force ink into the feed via the plunger. Only then it will write and only for a couple of sentences at most when trying to use a good amount of flex. It starts to railroad and never recovers.

 

I disassembled the pen and washed it all out with mild soap water and rinsed it clean and still the same thing happens.

 

What gives with this pen? I originally wanted a Konrad, but the retailer didn't have the style Konrad I wanted, so I ended up with an Ahab.

[Wolverine1]

Sorry, but it is a cheaply-made, Indian pen, and quality control seems to be a concept totally foreign to my fellow countrymen. Dont be to upset by its performance, and put it away and go get a Pelikan or a vintage Parker or a Sheaffer pen.

[I like mango cheesecake]

If it's an Indian made pen then I am aware of the poor quality of their pens via the Serwex pens I bought but determined to get this pen to work and then perform the EMF mod to it

[WaskiSquirrel]

One thing to try is heat-setting the nib and feed. Another thing to look at is the placement of nib and feed. It's a great pen, but there are a few that need work. You may have gotten one of these. (I had this problem with a Konrad, and heat-setting solved it for me.)

[I like mango cheesecake]

What exactly am I doing or trying to accomplish in heat setting the feed?

[mhguda]

It fits the nib to the feed such that the gap between the two is the right size for capillary action of the ink in the pen.

You might also try pushing the nib and feed further into the section - this sometimes closes that gap and helps increase ink flow.

[pompa]

Brian Goulet on heat setting

Nathan Tardif on heat setting

[Brooks MT]

It is almost impossible to over-clean a Noodler's pen :-). I always "double clean" my feed and nib whenever I clean: I clean with soapy water, rinse with tap water, rinse with deionized water, then soapy clean, tap rinse, deion rinse again. The final rinse must be deionized water to remove all the soap - And hard water will leave it's own (bleep) behind, also unless you remove it with deionized water. A chemist would tell you to rinse 3x with deionized water, but I find 1 generous final rinse works for me.

 

The second cleaning is very important. If there is oil within the pores of the feed (from machining oils at the pen factory, or from finger oils), the first cleaning will likely just suck the oil out of the pores and leave it there (and the 2nd cleaning takes it away). Cleaning once, inking up, not working, cleaning once again will not do the job as well as a double cleaning from the get go - this I can testify to via personal experience :-). I also wear rubber gloves when inserting nib and feed back into the pen. Thin nitrile gloves are available at hardware stores or cleaning supply specialty stores. I experiment a lot with nibs & feeds & inks. Starting with a very clean feed and nib is critical to my work.

 

The cleaning solution should be tapwater + Dawn dish soap + a squirt of household ammonia (protect your eyes during mixing and cleaning). My preferred cleaning brush is a test tube brush, but an old tooth brush will work, though not as well (bristles are too coarse, test tube brush bristles are finer and will get between the fins better). As you brush, you should see a build-up of foamy soapy water in the fins and ink channels; if you don't see that, something is wrong with your cleaning solution (or there is so much oil to remove, it uses up the soap right away). Wear rubber gloves: not only to protect against the ammonia, but also to avoid transferring grease/oil from *your bare fingers* back onto the newly cleaned nib and feed. Work the brush around the circumference and also along the length of the feed. Do the circumference first - this will push debris into the ink channels at top and bottom, then the debris is removed by the lengthwise brushing.

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If your feed and nib have been contaminated by silicon grease, you will need a different cleaning solution. Try this thread:

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/240288-what-dissolves-silicon-grease/

 

Hope this helps

[I like mango cheesecake]

too late, pen is now somewhere in a landfill.