Kaigelu 316 Modification (250 #6 Bock Nib / Beaufort Ink Converter)

[Frank66]

934e.jpg

 

Phil, your Messenger pen looks superb and writes greatly . Very nice pen indeed.

 

101e.jpg

 

I like your mistral pen, especially this one with the amber appearance. I may have to look into kit pens myself, definitely one of the things to try in the future. Life is short, art is long, meaning time consuming, to try to do everything, as Hippocrates used to say.

 

Phil, I have been meaning to try a Bock Titanium semi-flex #6 nib for my white veined Kaigelu 316. I am tempted to go with the EF as I still use the EF Bock #6 nib with my amber Kaigelu 316 without any issues for almost 9 months now.

 

Does the EF #6 Bock Titanium semi-flexy nib write as smoothly as the Bock EF #6 Stainless steel nib? Or should I go with the F titanium nib instead. As much as I have tried, I could not find in the web a comparison of writing samples of the different sizes of Bock Titanium nibs. So any insight that you might have would greatly help me decide. Thanks and Best Regards,

Photios.

Edited August 21, 2016 by Frank66

[amberleadavis]

http://www.sheismylawyer.com/2016_2_Ink/08-August/slides/IMG_20160822_194921.jpg

[amberleadavis]

http://www.sheismylawyer.com/2016_2_Ink/08-August/slides/IMG_20160822_194412.jpg

[Phil_Dart]

 

Phil, your Messenger pen looks superb and writes greatly . Very nice pen indeed.

 

 

I like your mistral pen, especially this one with the amber appearance. I may have to look into kit pens myself, definitely one of the things to try in the future. Life is short, art is long, meaning time consuming, to try to do everything, as Hippocrates used to say.

 

Phil, I have been meaning to try a Bock Titanium semi-flex #6 nib for my white veined Kaigelu 316. I am tempted to go with the EF as I still use the EF Bock #6 nib with my amber Kaigelu 316 without any issues for almost 9 months now.

 

Does the EF #6 Bock Titanium semi-flexy nib write as smoothly as the Bock EF #6 Stainless steel nib? Or should I go with the F titanium nib instead. As much as I have tried, I could not find in the web a comparison of writing samples of the different sizes of Bock Titanium nibs. So any insight that you might have would greatly help me decide. Thanks and Best Regards,

Photios.

Thanks Photios

 

The reason my Messenger came about is because my wife has written with one for years, but the barrel got damaged with acetone. I sourced a secondhand one and used the barrel to replace hers, then I restored the remainder of the secondhand one to use myself. I'm very pleased with it and i use it a lot.

 

The Mistral is as you say a kit pen, and happens to be a kit that Beaufort Ink manufactures. I have a couple of them in use for myself - the colour of the centre band can be changed to compliment the material you are making the barrels from. The one in my photo above is made from burred elm and I used a brushed gold ring on the centreband, which I think is the amber appearance you are referring to. I write a lot with another one which is made from a reclaimed whisky cask, and I used a titanium gold ring on that one because it compliments the lighter wood better.

 

The Bock titanium nibs have the same tip grind as the steel nibs, so if you are writing without flexing you can expect the line they put down to be the same as the steel ones (see the image below) and to exhibit the same smoothness on the page. They are only semi-flex, not full flex, so flexing the nib will give you maybe up to an extra millimeter.

 

I hope that helps

 

Edited August 25, 2016 by Phil_Dart

[Frank66]

Phil, thanks for your reply.

 

Your picture with the Bock nib line width comparison is really helpful . The titanium Bock nib is also used in the aluminum colored Namisu pen, where it looks greatly integrated color-wise with the whole pen. For the interested viewer there is a similar writing samples pic which depicts how the different sizes of titanium nibs compare, at the following link, towards the middle of the page. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/54235873/nova-minimal-fountain-pen/description?lang=es

 

Thanks again Phil.

Edited August 26, 2016 by Frank66

[Frank66]

My Kaigelu Trilogy is now complete! My new blue-black Kaigelu 316 with the gray swirls was received a couple of weeks ago and has been put in good use ever since. A few modifications and adjustments were needed of course, but this is going to be the topic of future posts in the days to come. Until then, here are some pictures:

 

http://i1376.photobucket.com/albums/ah12/phzervas/B2820AE3-4545-4A11-A74A-832751C5E3F5_zpsomors55d.jpg

http://i1376.photobucket.com/albums/ah12/phzervas/951A57FE-5DD0-4F82-91CC-50D8C396B6B7_zpsi4ci0vzb.jpg

Edited November 15, 2016 by Frank66

[Phil_Dart]

A little unorthodox I know, and I hope members here will forgive me....

 

A message for Strattos.
I have received your enquiry directly relating to this thread but the email address you gave on the enquiry form does not appear to work. Please get in touch again so that I can reply to you.

[098799]

I have simply taken out nib and feed (friction fit) from two Kaigelu 316's I've came across and put in Jowo number 6 nibs. Works perfectly well with default feed.

[Frank66]

I have simply taken out nib and feed (friction fit) from two Kaigelu 316's I've came across and put in Jowo number 6 nibs. Works perfectly well with default feed.

Using the default Kaigelu feed and nib housing, I seriously doubt you can do this. There is considerable discrepancy in the dimensions between the two nibs. And here is the proof below:

 

http://i1376.photobucket.com/albums/ah12/phzervas/69655496-86A7-4CEC-8A52-23ECAB0ADB53_zpsgwfoi3oi.jpg

Side by side comparison of a the Kaigelu 316 nib (on the left, with the Kangaroo figure) and the 1.1 mm Jowo nib (on the right, with my capital initial Z etched by FP nibs). The default Kaigelu feed and housing is also shown.

 

For a given housing and feed, how can you fit so distinctly different size nibs?

Edited November 25, 2016 by Frank66

[098799]

Image worth more than a thousand words.

 

Nibs are of different length but i guess of similar width. Jowo will fit the Kaigelu feeds.

 

http://i.imgur.com/me1vTHz.jpg

[Flounder]

From my experience of only 2 316's, the internal diameter of the feed sleeve is quite variable, so you might luck out on a swap without having to bore anything out.

 

Not that I'll be bothering - I love the stock nib. The 316 is probably my most comfortable pen for long note taking. I can get through a whole cartridge at a single sitting without wanting to reach for anything else. Bravo, Kaigelu!

[098799]

Original nib I had was super wet and broadish. I don't think they have too strict quality control there, so that's probably why some people have problems fitting in different nibs. Anyway, pen is a nice looker but a bit heavy for long writing for me.

[Frank66]

@ Flounder and 098799 posts immediately above:

I guess there is merit to the notion that there is some variability in the size of certain components in the Kaigelu 316 pens, as mentioned by Flounder and 098799 above (thanks both for sharing).

I cannot explain otherwise why I could not simply replace the nib of my 316s with a replacement #6 nib, without reducing the size of the feed or the size of the nib. It is not that I initially did not try it. I ruined one nib trying unsuccessfully to make it fit and I even tried heat-setting the "plastic" feed. Simply put, there are some 316 pens where simple nib replacement is not feasible, and hence the whole nib unit needs to be replaced.

In my 3 Kaigelu's and one of my nephew's that I had access to, a simple #6 nib swap was not feasible without sanding down the feed's diameter or grinding down the size of the replacement nib. I had bought all 4 of them from Jewelrymathematics during the last 12-14 months.

I guess people who may want to change their 316's nib, may first have to try if they can do so by simply swapping the nib only (as 098799 describes above) and then, if this does not work, try to change the whole nib housing.

Still, changing the whole nib unit opens up the pen to more possibilities for the individual who is willing to take the extra step. For instance, here is one of my 316s retrofitted with the new super-springy, semi-flexible Bock Titanium EF nib. It just takes the pen holder to a whole new writing experience, which for me proved very pleasurable indeed!

http://i1376.photobucket.com/albums/ah12/phzervas/3F7E1950-8A7A-4FC1-A1A6-273287702F2D_zpsthsnythv.jpg

This Titanium nib is quite expressive. It is nothing similar to the "nail" experience the original Kaigelu or the replacement stainless steel nibs offer. Both Bock and Jowo steel nibs that I have tried appear to feel considerably stiff to me now. On the contrary, this titanium nib is very springy. Although not a flexible nib, Bock describes it as semi-flexible, I would describe it as a very springy and bouncy nib. I definitely do not regret buying it, I honestly quite like it !

http://i1376.photobucket.com/albums/ah12/phzervas/7946DFD3-5367-4B2E-9CC1-EC597B28D035_zpszxulm04w.jpg

-Frank66

PS: Paper is Rhodia dotpad. The lighting of the photographs taken with my iphone do not show off the true ink shading of both inks, however more so of the green-yellow which appears much darker than in reality.

Edited November 28, 2016 by Frank66

[098799]

Titanium nib looks great although a bit too expensive for my taste, I'm afraid.

 

Looking at the color of the other two Kaigelus I'm tempted to complete a set as well...

[Frank66]

Titanium nib looks great although a bit too expensive for my taste, I'm afraid.

 

Looking at the color of the other two Kaigelus I'm tempted to complete a set as well...

 

Thanks, my favorite is the orange brown one, which was my first Kaigelu, although I do like all of them. The ivory colored one is kind of a show off for me, but people that see it comment that "this is such a great looking pen." The deep blue one always resides on my desk now.

 

May I ask where do you get yours from?

 

Although I am a great fun of the Kaigelu 316 pens, it is not that I have not encountered problems with all 3 of them. My recent one which I remember more evidently came with a scratchy nib that needed polishing. In two out of 3 pens, their nibs had small sweet spots and skipped. And if you count my nephew's Kaigelu too, 2 out of 4 had screw converters that did not engage the threads of the section, resulting in ink leakage. So is it just me that gets all the lemon 316's?

Edited November 28, 2016 by Frank66

[Phil_Dart]

098799, it would be immensely useful to see a photograph of the reverse of your new nib in the Kaigelu. Given the other evidence above regarding the difference in sizes of the nib, it would be useful to see how your new nib lines up with the feed. If Jowo and Bock are both appreciably longer, have you not got a considerable overhang when utilising either with your existing Kaigelu housing and feed?

[richardandtracy]

I did put a Jowo #6 nib in my Charcoal K316. It was a hard push, but it worked.

Getting it out after the feed sludged up with Diamine Imperial Purple was another thing, though. Ended up resorting to a pair of pliers and pulled off the iridium tip before getting the nib out. Obviously, it was then a candidate for a BI grind, and is now gorgeous in a different way from the broad it used to be.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

[098799]

May I ask where do you get yours from?

 

I had to check my history, but it seems that the ebay vendor is the same as your: jewelrymathematics. I have touched one other Kaigelu 316 ordered from there and I have replaced the nib in the other one also, but I have to say that the original mediums differed greatly: mine was very wet and broadish while the other one before getting exchanged to goulet ef, was quite dry, but worked well.

 

On my model the feed collar pops out before the nib does -- it seems that the amount of glue there was insignificant. I probably should glue it in at some point, but it's not a big deal, the screw-in converter holds it in place.

098799, it would be immensely useful to see a photograph of the reverse of your new nib in the Kaigelu. Given the other evidence above regarding the difference in sizes of the nib, it would be useful to see how your new nib lines up with the feed. If Jowo and Bock are both appreciably longer, have you not got a considerable overhang when utilising either with your existing Kaigelu housing and feed?

 

Here are two more pictures, this time with the Delta number 6 nib (Bock, I believe?). This one is the classic Bock EF nib -- writes like a fat medium

 

http://i.imgur.com/Cz4kLFJ.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/usrLIWX.jpg

[Frank66]

More pictures of my Kaigelu 316 pen retrofitted with the Bock Titanium EF nib and the Beaufort Ink converter are posted on this separate thread: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/315921-titanium-bock-nib-kaigelu-316-beaufort-ink/

http://i1376.photobucket.com/albums/ah12/phzervas/8847A5D8-5ED7-4484-B13F-C79E2B9DE7A8_zps2lauabp0.jpg

 

-Frank66

Edited December 6, 2016 by Frank66

[Bo Bo Olson]

I think shellac is better than nail polish...should you ever want to dismount your nib unit....Shellac is easier to do that with.

I would hesitate with nail polish use........of course my wife has some....but I do have shellac....and already mixed to sweat on silver overlay's. If need be I can remove my overlays...where I doubt if I could with nail polish.

Many have disagreed with Frank Duble's use of nail polish. ...that was primitive times.

 

A bit of shellac will last a life time, just like a bit of pool hall talc, or a little bit of silicon grease.