Flex - Plans To Add Flex To Platinum Sf?

[Meltemi]

Yes, I am addicted. I can't get enough of it. Therefore here is what I thought: The Platinum soft fine as demonstrated by Leigh Reyes is a very springy nib. I am thinking of buying one and modify it myself. Prior to doing so, I would like to know if anyone else has modified a Platinum Soft Fine for extra flexibility.

 

I am thinking of performing the following:

1) Trim the shoulders. That will push "back" the part of the nib where the shoulders meet the tines, resulting in longer tines

2) Make a cut-out at the point of the now pushed back shoulders. Classic to be honest, Pilot has done it.

 

This should result in greater flexibility... I am not quite sure though. I am too afraid and really don't know how or if I should thin out the material at the tines. I know, by performing this the nib might not look quite as good but it's the flex that matters. Any other suggestions perhaps?

 

I made some... terrible, ms-paint plans. Yes, they are terrible, but I estimate that the nib will look like:

 

[jar]

It should result in greater ease of bending but not increased flexibility. But as long as it is your pen, go for it.

[FarmBoy]

It should result in greater ease of bending but not increased flexibility. But as long as it is your pen, go for it.

I was thinking the same thing.

[Meltemi]

Hm... Maybe the cut outs are too in the front. I could skip the cutouts on surface and plainly extend the tines. Does anyone know how I can thin out the material? Inspired by John Foley, I thought at first that hammering could be the answer and then trimming the sides. I think that by doing that I'll be just extending the material even in the slit of the nib, closing it.Any ideas on getting past that?

[jar]

Hm... Maybe the cut outs are too in the front. I could skip the cutouts on surface and plainly extend the tines. Does anyone know how I can thin out the material? Inspired by John Foley, I thought at first that hammering could be the answer and then trimming the sides. I think that by doing that I'll be just extending the material even in the slit of the nib, closing it.Any ideas on getting past that?

You are not going to turn that nib into a flexible nib. It really is that simple.

[Meltemi]

Well, that is a possibility... But since Ease My Flex mod works on the ahab, why not the Platinum? Wahl Eversharp has followed the same process, the hammering I mean. But I think that the nibs were hammered more between the tines than on the tines and would first undergo slitting.

Edited November 2, 2016 by Meltemi

[jar]

I'm sorry but if you think an Ahab is a flex pen or that the Ease my Flex mod makes it a flex pen then I fear I cannot help.

 

As I said above though, it is your pen, Go for it.

[Meltemi]

I don't. But on flexibility, the shape and thickness do matter a whole lot. Modified Falcons by Mottishaw have their underside thinned. I also heard he tempers the nib afterwards but I am not sure on that. On all vintage nib manufacturing manuals and patterns, the hammering adds the flex. The Ahab is not a flex pen, no. Neither does any modification make it one. I hope to achieve easier tine spreading and more flexibility. Not a wet noodle, not superflex, just a soft semiflex nib.

Edited November 2, 2016 by Meltemi

[Kataphract]

Hammering: No! That would work-harden the nib, making it more brittle and stiffer, not to mention probably misalign the tines. You can alleviate that by annealing, but good luck judging that right on the first time. I took a jewelry making course in college where I cut, shaped, hammered, soldered, and annealed silver, and still wouldn't attempt this.

 

Thinning: I think I'd go with a pro on that - penny wise, pound foolish if you haven't practiced this on cheaper pens first would be my caution.

 

Ease my flex style cutouts: I'm going to let someone else attempt this first. I did it on my Ahab, and it drastically improved the ease of flex (snap back is as poor as ever), but the shape of the nib on the 3776 would give me pause. The shoulders on the Ahab slope away in a more round way than the 3776, which has a fairly flat top and come down more sharply and end up 90 degrees to the top of the nib. Cut away too much of those sides, and you'll have a virtually flat nib at one point, extremely prone to springing (in my admittedly unprofessional estimation).

[Meltemi]

Worry not, I know someone who will anneal it for me . I am quite sure that thinning the tines and the underside will do the trick but: I do notice that the nib will need to be more curved and that's impossible. Same thing with the Pilot 74 :/. I came down to this: Doing side cutouts will not alter the shape of the nib, helping it be more flexible. I need to get my hands on a large and cheap 14k gold nib though. Size 8 are quite rare yet they are quite curved.

 

I am too afraid to use a dremel. I will of course protect the tipping. Just cutouts and pushing back the shoulders might do. With sandpaper.

[Noihvo]

 

[Meltemi]

The wings on the Nakaya are very very interesting! I might add those. But here is a proccess I have in mind:

 

0)Protect the tip of the nib. Because it is an Ultra Extra Fine.

1)Grind the nib, pushing back the shoulders

2)Measure the nib's thickness

3)Grind the back to half, testing every little bit

4)Add wings to the nib

5)Alter the shape of the breather hole, either creating a Zebra G like eyehole or plainly slitting,

6)Opt: Add some curvature towards the end of the nib. I might not do this at all.

[EdeIstein88]

If you succeed post the update here. I'm also interest.. I have #3776 burgogne with soft fine..

[Lince]

The thing with his mods is that the nib ends up very delicate. Will not snap back as it should, the tines get mis alinged easyly. So you end up with a not so fine line even with just writing no pressure. Flex for me is about the hairlines. Try the soft fine first, i think you can get some var from it.

[Lince]

The thing with his mods is that the nib ends up very delicate. Will not snap back as it should, the tines get mis alinged easyly. So you end up with a not so fine line even with just writing no pressure. Flex for me is about the hairlines. Try the soft fine first, i think you can get some var from it.

[lula]

I don't think the cutout would improve the line variation much, at least for Platinum's nib.

Here is Leigh Reyes' video showing both elastic and soft nibs in action:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4c85HVgMpc

As I understand from the video, when pressure is applied to soft and elastic nibs, they behave differently.
- Soft nib behaves in the same way as a vintage flex nib would, both tines would spread apart, creating line variation
- Elastic nib bends vertically, the tip of the nib mainly bounces up and down, the spreading of the tines is minimal

 

The reason a similar cutout on Pilot FA nib makes it flexible in a similar manner to soft nib, in my opinion, as Kataphract mentioned, has something to do with the nib's shape. While the FA nib has a concave curve, Platinum nibs are flat and angular, the cutout takes away the nib's sides, so it's left with a flat piece of metal which bends up and down.

 

The way to increase flexibility to a nib like that, apart from trimming the shoulders (which I don't know would be effective or not, but it's unlikely to be effective because of the nib's shape) is to do whatever Platinum does to make the soft nibs soft, but I don't know what the method is. The tines might be thinned on the underside, or perhaps soft nibs are made from an entirely different alloy from normal nibs?

[Meltemi]

Nope, same alloy. I got a response from Platinum. Since I learned that, if I decide to do it, I will on the UEF. Variation will be far more noticeable.

[mhphoto]

The 3776 pens are some of my favorites. I have seven across the different product lines. But my least favorite is the SF. The nib is springy, yet offers meager amounts of actual line variation, and the feed is utter trash when it comes to both paper clearance and ability to convey enough ink to meet flex demands. I dislike that nib so much that I've been trying to unload it for $100, but to no avail. I say seek out a restored vintage Waterman. There's only so much modern nibs and feeds can do, even with extremely extensive alterations.

Edited November 8, 2016 by mhphoto

[Meltemi]

To be honest, if adding flexibility works on it I will be able to do it to many other pens. Plus, who wouldn't love the feeling of a pen that's new and has flex? Vintages are an option but they may not be around forever so... This is an attempt to adjust.

[mhphoto]

To be honest, if adding flexibility works on it I will be able to do it to many other pens. Plus, who wouldn't love the feeling of a pen that's new and has flex? Vintages are an option but they may not be around forever so... This is an attempt to adjust.

 

 

I don't mean to be a spoil sport but this adjustment is inevitably a downgrade. The Pilot 912 I had had good flex feel, but it was fickle as all get out.

 

I just don't understand the whole fad of converting new 14k nibs to flex nibs. Falcons, 912s, PTL-5000s… they're all great pens, but if you're wanting actual flexibility, and if you're wanting actual usability (not having the feed run dry every few words), then vintage is the way to go. Vintage flex doesn't have to be expensive. I was a vendor at the Dallas Pen Show and was selling user-grade HR Watermans with flexible nibs starting at $65 for the roughest bodies (but all the nibs were pristine and properly set to their feeds). And the really good bodies (also with great flex nibs) for $120-175. That's still cheaper than a $140 Falcon with a "Spencerian mod" that runs, what, $110?

 

And I disagree about them not being "around forever". Nowadays most vintage pen owners are making sure they're taken care of at least as diligently as modern pens.

 

I'm not meaning to sound harsh, it's just that over the past ten years I've had a lot of modified modern "flex" pens and a whole lot more actual vintage flex pens, and there's no comparison. That's not to say the newer pens aren't great pens—in many cases they are—but if it's a writing experience you're after, I feel you'd be better served by a relatively common, easy to get a hold of, and quite affordable vintage Waterman.

 

And if you happen to have some spare vintage flex nibs, there is a great way to get vintage style bodies with actual vintage nibs. Range pens are well made and have ebonite feeds. I've got a bunch, all with vintage nibs in them. I can EDC them without worrying about harming a fragile vintage pen body.