Nib Flossing?

[MTHALL720]

I just saw a clip on using a brass sheet for flossing the space between the tines. Is this supposed to clean the space between the tines to allow for unimpeded ink flow, or is it to slightly increase the gap when it is too tight?

[nishikori]

Increase the gap.

[Erik Dalton]

Im going to be very careful with my words here. I dont want to give the impression that these are everyday procedures for youre everyday writers. This is touchy stuff so, care and patience are the first tools to take out of your tool box.

 

The brass shims are mostly use for cleaning between the tines. They are most commonly sold in a package with two different thicknesses. The thinner gauge can be slipped(carefully) up between the underside of the nib and feed to free up old gunky ink thats been loosened and softened by soaking. You shouldnt have to do this but once in the pens lifetime. And generally reserved for pens found in the wild that are badly impacted with old dried ink.

 

The other use for brass shims is to gently separate the tines to induce better ink flow.(wetter ink line)

You can spring the nib easily doing this. Must be very gentle and dont expect to produce a huge gap between the tines. When working with any metal that you are trying to reshape its important to allow the metal to adjust to the shape you are trying to create. Go in small steps, let the metal rest absorbing the new shape between treatments. This method works exceptionally well on Jowo steel nibs. The metal in nibs varies from pen to pen. Do not use this method on any Conklin nibs or Waterman Expert nibs. The metal in these nibs will fail before it takes a new form. You will have a sprung nib that cannot be repaired.

I once spent days working on a Visconti Dream Touch nib. Many arrive not writing optimally and need some tuning. I tell you that is one high strung nib, but the metal is top quality. You can almost twist it into any shape you want and it will thank you. (Joking) Dont try this at home🤫.

There are several ways to increase ink flow and get a more ink saturated ink line. I prefer to use the techniques demonstrated by Stephen Brown in his YouTube videos. Heres his site, Ill let you pick through the videos and find the ones most helpful.

https://www.sbrebrown.com/

Brian Goulet also has a video showing the use of brass shims. He also sells them.

Brass shims generally come in sheets measuring 2x3 or there about. You can cut them up into useful pieces with common scissors. Here is a pic of how i set up my shims. I also save all my used Micromesh. I prefer to to my work by hand and use no machines. The old worn mesh has very little abrasive ability. Its good for final polishing nibs and even barrels. All these pieces give me a much broader variety of grit to work with.

I strongly recommend you start off with a couple of inexpensive Jinhao 450s or 159s. Ruining the nib on a $6 pen is a good price for the experience gained. replacement nibs are cheap and easily obtained.

Well now im exhausted after writing all this... Hope it helps. If something here doesnt make sense dont hesitate to drop me a note.

[MTHALL720]

I truly appreciate all the help. I just wrote a lengthy reply but got an error message so will try again later.

[MTHALL720]

I am looking forward to trying this. Right now every pen I have has been way too dry for me right out of the box. There has been only one exception, and that is my Lamy Safari. I didn't expect the Safari to be such a perfect choice for me, but sad to say my other Lamy pens have greatly disappointed me in terms of performance. The quest is for a wet nib, a pen that doesn't dry out fast, is an easy starter every time, and is consistent in how it behaves.

In an attempt to cut down on variables I have done the following:

1] The same exact method of careful, complete cleaning from the time I first take it out of the box new.

2] The nib is always steel

3] The nib is always Broad

4] The paper types I write on are always the same

5] The ink is always one of three that I use routinely

6] The method of storage and the location is always the same

 

Do you use the Goulet Pens for your brass shims?

 

If I were to carefully rub the nib over micromesh do you think 2,000 grit is okay or is that too rough.

 

My ultimate writing goal is to have a nib which glides over the paper with close to zero feedback, while laying down a nice, wet line, with no surprises.

 

Any additional thoughts anyone?

[Honeybadgers]

Brass shims are brass shims. I personally use a set of feeler gauges from the hardware store (make sure you clean the nib afterwards in soapy water since they tend to be slightly oil coated to prevent rust) because I can be a lot more precise. But goulet is fine.

 

micro mesh wise, the roughest I'll go for smoothing alone is about 8000 grit, 12000 for a good basic final polish (some people go to 1 and 0.3 micron but I don't like how that feels) so if you're going for that hot buttered glass, you want a sheet of 1 micron and 0.3 micron mylar paper. Goulet's stuff is good.

 

Lamy steel nibs can be quite inconsistent. I don't find that to be the case with their gold nibs.

 

Ideally, when you hold the nib up to a light, you should JUST BARELY see the tip of the tines touching. If they aren't, the nib will be very wet and prone to hard starts.

 

Shimming should also be done with care, as you can actually chip tipping material. Brass is less likely to do this than a stainless steel shim, however.

 

And when you slide a shim in, do it from the back of the nib, not at the tipping.

 

When you polish, don't press down at all. that will force the tines apart and the polishing medium up into the gap, and create baby's bottom. Just go in circles, loops, draw the alphabet, move the pen all over as you polish, even up and down at angles you don't write at, to avoid creating small flat spots.

Edited August 7, 2019 by Honeybadgers

[MTHALL720]

That is very helpful. Thanks very much.

[Erik Dalton]

Honeybadgers has some good thoughts. Always work with an inked pen. It provides lubrication. Always use the same ink so that you are comparing apples to apples. I only use Waterman Serenity Blue when working on a nib. It has a dependable, moderate flow and cleans up and so easily with just water. I dont write with it in any of my everyday pens, only for working on pen and nib. And i use to use a lot of it.

You really have to try things out for yourself and keep going until you can feel what the nib is feeling. Once you become one with the nib, it will let you do anything you want.

I caution again to start on an inexpensive pen with identical inexpensive replacement nibs so that if you make an irreversible mistake, you can pop another nib in and keep going without having to adjust to a different pen, grip, different nib requiring a different technique. Having a couple Jinhao 450s and some spare nibs is a modest investment and gives you a constant base line to work with. Make one wetter, smooth as butter, grind down a babys bottom, change the line thickness, lift up the wings and see how that effects the nibs contact with the paper, then fix it. Have fun with it.

I only use 1200 and smoother grit micromesh (remember my old worn down pieces of micromesh)for nib smoothing and polishing. the nail files in my pic I only use to take off metal. A really bad Babys bottom, or creating a stub or oblique tip, bringing back the crisp edges to the ink line on a worn or abused stub. I had one guy send me a nib that he tried to fix with a razor blade. 😜The reason we use brass shims is that the brass is softer than the gold or steel nib material and thus is less likely to nick or gouge the nib itself. The danger of doing your polishing with those nail files is that they are soft inside. It gives an inconsistent grinding surface. You must be careful to keep very light pressure and consistent angle.

Once I have the shape, foot, and sweet spot to give me the ink line that i want, then i move to polishing. This I do on a hard surface. Lay the micromesh on a table top, book cover etc. Again goes back to consistency. Gunk will accumulate in the nib slit as you polish. Good time to floss. The corners of the shims will dog ear eventually making it difficult to get into the slit of a nib. A pair of scissors is a great tool to take a sliver off when it gets too bad and you want nice right angle corners back again.

 

I keep a record of what ive Done to every pen in a journal. Every test scratch, ink blotch, mistake, and frustrating twist in the process is right there to look back on as well as the final outcome for comparison. Its a learning tool for me, and something i can show a client to demonstrate in black and white what the nib was like when it came in and how it ended up. But, those are just things that work for me. take in some YouTube videos and have some fun. Youll be astonished at how fast time flys by when you get into it. Before you know it, its 4 am and you tell yourself: Just a few more minutes....hehehe....

Goulet is relatively close by so i use them for a lot of supplies, but Anderson, FountainPen Hospital, Indy-Pendance and others, all have the stuff you need. i also have friends that ive Developed through the years across the world that I can go to for parts hard to find. Its just a whole lot of fun and good people. I hope you get as much enjoyment out of it as i have.

Anyway, ive given up enough of my tricks for one night..😉.. Good Luck. Let us know how you make out....

[MTHALL720]

Thanks very much Old Salt. This information really helps me. I am very encouraged.

[Honeybadgers]

I don't always work with ink. Often, actually, I do not until the VERY final polish. You can't see the nib slit and the changes you're making with ink in it. And ink can clog/damage extremely fine micro mesh, so it should only be used with ink for extremely fine finishing.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Try wet inks......Japanese and Noodlers.....no one considers Waterman wet anymore (outside some old fogies); a big change in less than a decade.

 

Try slick paper. Rhodia 80 or 90g, Clairefontaine Triomph 90g are well known slick paper.

 

Then one don't have to fiddle with the nibs.

I imagine some one told you about classic nibs, stick your thumb nails under the shoulders and 'think' about widening the slit..............think two or three times is much safer than.....doing a quick one time OPPS!

 

I got into semi-flex early so didn't have to worry about wet nibs, in semi-flex due to ease of tine bend and spread is a wet nib.

[Honeybadgers]

  On 8/8/2019 at 9:28 AM, Bo Bo Olson said:

Try wet inks......Japanese and Noodlers.....no one considers Waterman wet anymore (outside some old fogies); a big change in less than a decade.

 

Try slick paper. Rhodia 80 or 90g, Clairefontaine Triomph 90g are well known slick paper.

 

Then one don't have to fiddle with the nibs.

I imagine some one told you about classic nibs, stick your thumb nails under the shoulders and 'think' about widening the slit..............think two or three times is much safer than.....doing a quick one time OPPS!

 

I got into semi-flex early so didn't have to worry about wet nibs, in semi-flex due to ease of tine bend and spread is a wet nib.

 

 

Waterman blue is still considered quite wet.

 

The old saying "If it won't write with waterman blue, the problem is with the pen" is still very much adhered to.

[FarmBoy]

I am firmly is the clean debris. Just like flossing your teeth, the goal is not a spitting gap.

[Bo Bo Olson]

""""""

Waterman blue is still considered quite wet.

 

The old saying "If it won't write with waterman blue, the problem is with the pen" is still very much adhered to.""""

 

I of course agree. Some decade ago having a dry nib, bought Waterman South Sea Blue to cure it and it did. As returning 'noobie' only had 4001 and Lamy.......which are dry inks.

Picture with permission of Penboard de, with such a nib, there was no way I was going to try to spread the tines, and had no brass shim & thought a spark plug gauge could be a bit too stiff......so bought Waterman South Sea Blue.

It was and is a dry semi-flex nib. Now I use DA Royal Blue in it as my wet blue ink...........................hum, got brass shims, wonder if I ever 'gaped' that nib.

Well I might not have, thinking I needed a dry pen for wet inks.

Out of sight, out of mind...pen in a walnut humidor, brass shim in an envelop in the lower desk drawer. If I go and shim that nib.....why would I need wet Waterman or DA ink????

 

 

But in the meanwhile, when I read about US (in it is there a local and cheap ink....expensive by us in Germany) Noodler users calling Waterman dry. That really makes me think how wet many Noodlers inks must be.

I only have Apache Sunset and Golden Brown, shading inks.

 

In until Amazon started delivering for me expensive E-22 Japanese ink to Germany......It use to cost E-70 a bottle so I don't know anything about Japanese ink.

 

In I set a E20 limit for ink....won't buy any. Same goes for the E19 MB....in that case I round up, in there was no reason to jump so high. I remember when it went fro E12 for 50 to E13 for 60ml....the jump to 15 was inflation acceptable. The jump to 19 was trying to keep up with the Rich Jones of GvFC and Cd'A............IMO.

But read I think in inky thoughts some Japanese ink users thought Waterman dry.

Edited August 11, 2019 by Bo Bo Olson