Thin Pieces Of Brass Sheet

[oneill]

Where can I get a few of the above which I think are used to open up the tines on Nibs,I would be happy to give an old pen for some.

 

[peterg]

The classic Brit bike fraternity use that type of sheet to pack out platform mag dynos. They could probably tell you how to obtain the sheets

[NobleDel]

Where can I get a few of the above which I think are used to open up the tines on Nibs,I would be happy to give an old pen for some.

 

Try these folks. They have .002" thick sheet, also called shim stock, or just shim. In metric size this is .05mm. That's the right size to use on nibs.

 

http://www.indy-pen-dance.com/Brass-Shim-Stock.html

[Ernst Bitterman]

Hobby stores catering to R/C models usually have what we need.

[gerigo]

goulet pens

[pen lady]

Like Ernst, I bought mine in a hobby shop too. It is a package of assorted thickness, handy to have for various jobs.

[FOUR X FOUR]

Spark plug gapping tool

[Greenie]

Hobby and craft stores have brass sheets. Inexpensive, and cut with scissors. This is softer than the nib material and good for cleaning out the slit in the nib.

 

For actually adjusting the slit, I use a set of "feeler gauges" like that pictured in the preceding post. You can buy a cheap one on ebay for about $5 with free shipping. I just looked and some even have a single brass blade as part of the set. That covers all your needs.

[fabri00]

Spark plug gapping toolimage.jpg

I use this tool since years, and is very usefull.

[ac12]

I got my brass sheets at the local hobby shop, then cut them down to a convenient size to put into my pen tool box. And when they get damaged beyond salvation, I will just cut another piece out of the original sheet.

 

I would be cautious about the spark plug gapping tool or similar feeler guage, simply because the metal is likely to be a steel. And steel is harder than a gold nib, so you could scratch your gold nib. It should be OK for the harder stainless steel nibs.

[tamiya]

Where can I get a few of the above which I think are used to open up the tines on Nibs

 

Bought a 3-pack of brass shims from K&S rack earlier in the year, got more than enough material in there to share... PM me your addy and I'll cut you off some.

[tamiya]

Spark plug gapping toolimage.jpg

All Ye youngsters who've never gapped a sparkplug before... feeler gauges are more more setting the gap in breaker contact points inside distributor or for pushrod rocker valve gaps when there's no automagically hydraulic adjustment.

 

Can be used for sparkplug but for the 0.6-1.3mm I need, usually need to stack up 5-6 of the leaves to make up that height... and I so hate doing math in the dark garage!!

[jspen765]

Those are all good sources in the US or Britain. The inquiry is from Australia. Not sure if their hobby shops there follow the same rules...

 

So one needs to think outside the box, and metrically. A machine shop supply house should have acres or hectares of shim, not sure it is thin enough. Perhaps even an automotive parts house which is where the feeler gauge set came from. And yes I remember gapping spark plugs, I wanted the wire version I dragged through...You say this is about pens? Oh yes.

 

I have 5 mil shim (.12mm) thick which is way too thick for most nibs, which came from that source. I find 3 mil (.003 inch or .07mm) is the best thickness, sometimes 2 mil (.05mm), for flossing and adjusting nib slots. I found my correct thicknesses in an assortment pack at a hobby shop in the US. The .001 inch (.025 mm) was a foil, not thick enough to use successfully for more than annoyance.

 

I also use the .003 inch (.075 mm) in a dental vise to clamp pen bodies and caps for gluing. After 3-5 uses the material rips and I use it for nib flossing. The area that tears is a little work hardened though. I need to use the other end.

 

Jon the Eclectic Penner.

[FarmBoy]

I like repeating myself...

 

Flossing a nib is like flossing your teeth. You are trying to remove debris, not create a spitting gap.

[tamiya]

Not to worry ppls, I'm currently on same island as OP.

 

Those are all good sources in the US or Britain. The inquiry is from Australia. Not sure if their hobby shops there follow the same rules...

 

So one needs to think outside the box, and metrically. A machine shop supply house should have acres or hectares of shim, not sure it is thin enough. Perhaps even an automotive parts house which is where the feeler gauge set came from. And yes I remember gapping spark plugs, I wanted the wire version I dragged through...You say this is about pens? Oh yes.

 

sadly these days in Oz Hobby Shops are as rare as Book shops, many blaming Online Stores for killing them off... high local retail wages & usuriously high rent don't help either.

 

Only shop rarer would be toolmakers and any worthwhile manufacturing, the only thing Oz seems to be good (=competitive, economically) at making these days seem to be a decent Latte (coffee).

 

Anybody that knows how to properly fix anything is even rarer to find... don't even get me started in trying to find somebody who still knows how to adjust pushrod tappets, without charging more than the car's original price!

 

Although we are metric per Commonwealth, we're no stranger to standard measurements... if only because many things are still imported from (China, via) USA. I even speak Whitworth! albeit by necessity more than desire

[tamiya]

As Jon says, 0.001" is more useful as tinfoil wrapping a nice chocolate.

 

0.002" & 0.003" are the main useful guages for messing on nibs

 

0.005" is thicker than needed on most nibs but still handy for widening slots on feed.

 

 

I like repeating myself...

 

Flossing a nib is like flossing your teeth. You are trying to remove debris, not create a spitting gap.

 

yeah Brass is good for flossing without marring the nib... safer than my swissarmy knife

 

i also use scraps of cellulose 35mm film or mylar sheet for flossing, but brass can provide a little leverage for massaging the nib better than just fingernail alone

[inkeverywhere]

Bought a packet with four different thickness in it, sheets about 100mm x 150mm for ten bucks at the local hobby outlet, just the other day. Looked everywhere for it until someone suggested a hobby shop.

 

Look for a place that sells model plane and model car parts. I found they stocked loose sheets but also a hobby pack in a plastic bag, the sheets will last an age.

 

A local pen shop suggested automotive feeler gauges but that idea did not appeal to me, too much risk of damage to the nib in my humble opinion.

 

 

Greg

Edited September 23, 2015 by inkeverywhere

[EBUCKTHORN]

I was able to economically obtain a full 8" x 12" sheet each of .001" and .002" but in stainless steel. Now i'm wondering whether that material might be too hard for cleaning between tines of 14K nibs and even for stainless nibs. Any thoughts? Thanks.

[Ernst Bitterman]

As Jon says, 0.001" is more useful as tinfoil wrapping a nice chocolate.

 

0.002" & 0.003" are the main useful guages for messing on nibs

 

0.005" is thicker than needed on most nibs but still handy for widening slots on feed.

 

 

I actually like the 0.001 for clearing out the bits of the other sizes that get left in the slit, or fragments of my skin that get left behind during tine alignment procedures. It's also a good size for running lumps of ink out of the channels in modern feeds.

[Kelly G]

Any auto parts supply store should have a variety brass shim stock. You can usually buy it off a roll by the inch or foot.