Grinding My Own Nibs With Silicone Dental Polishing Wheels?

[uilleann]

So I have used master nib grinders on quite a few of my pen nibs. I have also done about 4-5 of my own. I use my diamond coated knife sharpening bars for that, working 800 to 1500 grit and then diamond coated tapes on glass from 3micron to .5micron. And I get ok results. Not as good as a pro but they work.

 

I am tempted to try a rotary wheel grinder/polisher. I see that the pros tend to use something like this.

 

I have a dremel but I think that is way too fast.

 

I also have a variable speed buffer/ grinder that can go at really slow speeds ( 3rps) and ramp up to near dremel speeds. It also came with a hand attachment that I am thinking I could mount on a vise. The stones that I have all seem too course. But I saw that you can get Silicon dental polishing wheels and rods with the same shank size (3/32") as the hand attacment. They come in a series of colors from black to green. with no explaination on grit size.

 

Would wheels like that work?

 

And for those of you who might ask.... why.... it is because I like tinkering with the things I own and learning new things. Ultimately I have proven to myself that I can, eventually, modifiy many of the things I own better than a "master" can. Because I know exactly what I am looking for and they work to what they think is best.

 

 

[Bo Bo Olson]

I don't know, but if they did, perhaps the professionals would use them. They use either cotton wheels or some sort of wheel grinder..........

Why they have not commented on this I don't know.

Is it too dental so not known?

Too expensive?

 

Contact Ron Zorn and ask him.

[Frank66]

1. First of all, let me just divulge that I am a dentist. For finishing and polishing fountain pen nibs, I have excellent experience with the SHOFU gold polishing kit used in dentistry and dental lab. Although the kit polishing points are made for the contra-angle or straight handpiece, I do not use them on a dremel or a dental lab handpiece which I have available, but I work the nib mounted on the pen on the point's surface. That means HOLDING and rotating the pen and writing on the polishing point or disk, with light hand pressure. I find that if I use the dremel / lab handpiece, even in slow RPMs, I do not have control over the polishing procedure and can easily take nib material away by accident. Using this procedure, I personally get much better results compared to sandapaper polishing kits and mylar polishing sheets.

2. My impression is also that I get better results when I add a drop of water, ink, glycerin or mild liquid solution as a lubricant between the nib and the polishing points. I use brownies points for pre-polishing, greenies points for polishing and supergreenies points for super-polishing as suggested by the manufacturer. My experience is limited to polishing steel nibs only, however the shofu kit says that that it can be used with amalgams, non-precious and precious alloys. The brownies and greenies are quite soft, the supergreenies are more stiff tips though, however if debris from the polishing point gets stuck in between the nib tines, I use a thin steel metal shim that I use as a matrix for amalgam or composite tooth fillings, which is ~0.038 mm in thickness and is made by HAWE. I use these, instead of the brass sheets recommended in fountain pen forums quite satisfactorily. If I want to make the nib wetter, I prefer to use the shim sideways multiple times or less preferably, use two shims together in the nib slit.

3. Here is a link: shofu gold polishing kit:

https://www.usdentaldepot.com/Dental-supplies/Composite-Polishing/GOLD-KITS-SHOFU(-)F6847

Obviously not affiliated. You can ask your own dentist or a nearby dental technician or a jewelry technician if he/she can spare a few polishing points or metal shim like these stated above. They are not particularly cheap to obtain on one's own, but they won't break the bank to buy either, they are available on ebay aslo.

4. Finally:

- This SHOFU kit I like for finishing and polishing ONLY. For changing the shape and dimensions of the nib other instruments may have to be used.

- Although I have tried other type / coarseness dental or dental lab or jewelry-type polishing wheels, I have had best experience with this kit, that does not mean that there are not others out there.

- I have seen video of nib meisters using unidentifiable-to-me soft polishing tubes on a lathe. It would be interesting to know what exactly they are using, however I am sure this may vary according to their personal experience and taste and, as happens with all artists and artisans, can vary during their professional life.

- I am no nib meister, I am a dentist, actually I specialize in prothodontics and dental implantology and I also like fountain pens, probably because I like working with small items. I hope all this may help some forum members, now back to my pens, sorry I meant ... patients...

Edited December 12, 2018 by Frank66

[uilleann]

Thanks for that info. The polishing disks that I got look just like your. I have found they work pretty well. I do a litte and then check with my loupe, a bit more, check, and so on. I did it on a practice nib and then on a good nib.

 

The operation leaves sharp or scratchy edges and I can just polish those out with the 1 and .3 micron paper that I have.

 

I thought I migh use the buffer attachment for that so I loaded up a a dense cotton roll and put some green polish on it. That was a mistake. It tends to remove gold faster than the iridium so I stopped that before I ruined the nib. I wanted the nib a bit finer so I think I will go back to hand grinding and polishing.

 

I would love to know what that material is that I see the nib grinders use on the videos.

[Frank66]

I would love to know what that material is that I see the nib grinders use on the videos.

 

Me too, anyone can share? ...

[Honeybadgers]

I use standard silicone polishing wheels in my dremel and they work great.

[sajiskumar]

Thanks Frank66, for sharing your technics of nib polishing.

[Frank66]

Thanks Frank66, for sharing your technics of nib polishing.

You are welcome sajiskumar. Allow me to add one more thing:

With rotary polishing wheels, when used on a dremel, one needs to be careful not to take away the silver or gold plating-coating of steel nibs. Obviously, this is not a problem when polishing gold or palladium nibs where there is no coating or plating. I guess that is one of the reasons professional nibmeisters do their most intricate modifications on higher value nibs and not on steel nibs.

Edited December 13, 2018 by Frank66

[Honeybadgers]

also, I prefer the slowest speed on my dremel. higher speeds can get away from you in a hurry.

[Bill Wood]

I have done a lot of work on stainless steel nibs. Medium and broad stubs. My initial cuts are done with a dremel. Below, and above the nib - then the straight vertical cut on the nib tip. After that I hand grind. But a dremel is great for the primary cuts. For myself the dremel is just a bit too fast for any kind of minuscule polishing. The grinders I've seen at least in pictures look to be standard all purpose wheels -- but with extremely fine wheels. I'm thinking the wheels are expensive.

[sidthecat]

I actually have my husband's dremel somewhere in the house. I'd be terrified to put it anywhere near my pens.

[jekostas]

I've seen (and had to fix) some nibs that were mauled with a Dremel or similar rotary tool.

 

I've also seen and written with nibs ground with a Dremel that were very good.

 

The results really depend on the skill of the person, not the tool. If it's something you want to try, I'd suggest buying a small boatload of cheap fountain pens and do a LOT of practice.

Edited January 3, 2019 by jekostas

[Honeybadgers]

most professional nibmeisters use rotary tools. Definitely mount the dremel to a bench vise first, use a high grit wheel, a low speed (inexpensive off-brand dremels with variable speeds are all over the place) and be careful.

 

I second buying a pack of 10 jinhao nibs and practicing on that.

Edited January 4, 2019 by Honeybadgers