I need pens for several FountainPenRevolution and Flexible Nib Factory.

[Gunkanes]

I have made several mistakes in the fountain pen world. One of then was buying several FountainPenRevolution nibs and now i think i have no pen to use then in. I was used to interchange nibs in my TWSBI Vac700R, Jinhaos or WingSung 699 (with 1cm cut out).

 

I am going to appeal to your benevolence in case this has been asked many times, to hoard my neglicence in purchases and implore your knowledge in case there is something I can do to use these nibs.

 

The pens i have to use the nibs:

- Ranga pen with standard jowo#6 housing.

- Several Jinhaos 750 and WingSung 699.

- Several TWSBI Vac700R jowo#6.

 

The nibs and housing i bought:

- FPR #6 Flex Nib and 6.3mm Ebonite Flex Feed Combo

- FPR #6 EF Ultra Flex Nib and 6.3mm Ebonite Flex Feed Combo

- S6E-XF Steel Two-Tone Flex Nib for JoWo #6 (link)

 

As far as i understand all these nibs comes from India and are not compatible with Jowo#6. I made a huge mistake. Maybe i can fit the full S6E-XF Steel Two-Tone Flex Nib for JoWo #6 in the Ranga Pen is i warm the ebonite with water and release the housing.

 

Is there any pens -cheap ones- that can fit the FPR nibs? Is modification of those nibs for Jowo#6 even possible?

 

Thank you in advance.

 

[Jamerelbe]

Hi there,

 

The FPR #6 nibs are great, but you're right, they won't fit into a standard JoWo housing.

 

The simplest option would be to contact Kevin about ordering a couple of his pens - the Darjeeling is his cheapest pen that will take the #6 nibs, and though it's not made of ebonite or high end acrylic, it's a pretty honest pen.  You can check the reviews on their website (or I posted one on FPN a few years back), to get a sense of whether it would work for you.  They won't take the ebonite feed, though, unless Kevin is willing to sell you one of the sleeves that are designed for the Jaipur V2 flex nib option.  You'd then have to eyedropper the pen (you won't be able to use a cartridge converter with the ebonite feed), but I'm pretty sure the Darjeeling can cope with that.  

 

Another possibility, maybe, is the Kanwrite Desire (or any of their #6 pens) - I believe the nibs are pretty similar, though I think they're made from a thicker material?

 

Option 3 is to check in with some of the Indian fountain pen companies (Ranga, Gama, ASA Pens?) that make or sell eyedropper pens designed for a #6 (or 35) nib and ebonite feed - but I'd be less confident of which to suggest.

 

One last thought: the Flexible Nib Factory nib should fit into the Ranga pen (if it's threaded for JoWo) without a lot of jiggling - it looks like that's what it's designed for!

[Gunkanes]

Thank you so much Jamerelbe for your kind and informative reply.

 

I just contacted Kevin from FountainPenRevolution ir order to ask him about a pen recomentation that uses the ebonite feed. I didn't know that if you use an ebonite feed must be eyedropper. 

 

Found your Darjeeling review, thank you. Link.

 

Update: Kevin from FountainPenRevolution replied me and these are the models that can use the combo: 

 

            -FPR Himalaya V2

              -FPR Jaipur V2

              -Click Falcon

              -Airmail 71J series pens

              -Guider Zimbo eyedropper pens

 

But he suggests that it is better to order the pen with the combo due to some heating and fine tuning process.

 

I am doomed 😰 

 

Edited August 23, 2021 by Gunkanes
Adding reply from Kevin

[Jamerelbe]

@Gunkanes, the back of FPR's ebonite feed are flat - while the back of a plastic feed has a protrusion that sits inside the opening of a cartridge or converter, and allows it to draw up ink.  So yes, the pen generally needs to be eyedropper or piston filler, not cartridge converter. 

 

Kevin is also right that installing an ebonite nib and feed involves some heating and fine tuning - but if you're game to give it a try, you'll find some videos on his website (and plenty more on YouTube) that can show you how to heat set a nib and feed.

 

I very much like the Himalaya V2 and Jaipur V2 pens - I think the Jaipur is a little easier to tinker with than the Himalaya, and is a little better, designed, though it's also more expensive.  

 

It all comes down to how willing you are to tinker and take risks for yourself - but I wish you all the best whatever direction you take!

[A Smug Dill]

3 hours ago, Gunkanes said:

I am doomed 😰 

 

At worst, those FPR nib-and-feed combos to which you linked add up to all of US$30 before discounts. No need for all the doom and gloom over that amount; if you stay in the hobby for any length of time, eventually you'll make bigger ‘mistakes’ than that! (Ask me how I know, although I think it's bloody obvious. )

 

Seriously, though, FPR pens are not expensive by any stretch of the imagination; buying a custom housing that will allow you to fit an FPR ‘combo’ into a gripping section threaded for JoWo #6 nib collars, even if that was possible and commercially available, as a niche product would probably cost you more than the price of an entire FPR pen. I really hope you're not expecting a proper solution that will cost you less than €30.

[Gunkanes]

Thank you ASmullDill and Jamerelbe. 

 

If I add up everything I have wasted in bad desitions i would have a Namiki Emperor. I really hope that you have better judgement and common sense than I do.

 

The only thing I have bought correctly is:  

 

- 1 x Flexible Nib Factory - S6E-XF Steel Two-Tone Flex Nib for JoWo #6

 

That goes directly to my RangaPen Gian 9B prepared for Jowo#6 (i already dismantle the original Jowo#6 housing). 

 

In any case  I have mis-bought:

 

- 1 x FPR #6 Flex Nib and 6.3mm Ebonite Flex Feed Combo

- 1 x FPR #6 Ultra Flex Nib and 6.3mm Ebonite Flex Feed Combo

- 1 x FPR #6 Gold-tone EF Semi-Flex Nib

- 1 x FPR #6 Gold-tone EF Semi-Flex Nib

- 2 x J6E JoWo #6 Replacement Feed and Housing, Black Ebonite 

 

I need to think about how to get use of these parts. 

 

 

 

 

[A Smug Dill]

15 minutes ago, Gunkanes said:

If I add up everything I have wasted in bad desitions i would have a Namiki Emperor. I really hope that you have better judgement and common sense than I do.

 

I'd have easily wasted three or even five thousand dollars on pens I broke, pens I didn't (and don't) like, pens that just look pretty and sit there unused and hidden away in a box for months on end, etc. I have six FPR Himalaya pens here that I don't touch any more, among dozens of pens that “sounded like a good idea at the time” I ordered them.

[Gunkanes]

1 hour ago, A Smug Dill said:

 

Oh man, than hit hard: -“sounded like a good idea at the time”. Can fully relate to that!

 

[Jamerelbe]

6 hours ago, Gunkanes said:

Thank you ASmullDill and Jamerelbe. 

 

If I add up everything I have wasted in bad desitions i would have a Namiki Emperor. I really hope that you have better judgement and common sense than I do.

 

The only thing I have bought correctly is:  

 

- 1 x Flexible Nib Factory - S6E-XF Steel Two-Tone Flex Nib for JoWo #6

 

That goes directly to my RangaPen Gian 9B prepared for Jowo#6 (i already dismantle the original Jowo#6 housing). 

 

In any case  I have mis-bought:

 

- 1 x FPR #6 Flex Nib and 6.3mm Ebonite Flex Feed Combo

- 1 x FPR #6 Ultra Flex Nib and 6.3mm Ebonite Flex Feed Combo

- 1 x FPR #6 Gold-tone EF Semi-Flex Nib

- 1 x FPR #6 Gold-tone EF Semi-Flex Nib

- 2 x J6E JoWo #6 Replacement Feed and Housing, Black Ebonite 

 

I need to think about how to get use of these parts. 

 

 

For the flex or semi-flex nibs, especially, you can easily swap these into one of FPR's standard offerings - again, I'd personally recommend the Jaipur V2, as they take a standard FPR nib housing (with plastic feed), OR a specially-designed housing that takes an ebonite feed.  You can see my review of this pen at https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/354449-fountain-pen-revolution-new-release-the-‘jaipur-v2’/ (yes, I've reviewed most of their pens over the years - and I think Kevin kindly tossed in one of his 'tester' pens for free when I purchased this one).  The Himalaya V2s are quite tricky to heat set - you actually have to heat up the grip section *as well as* the ebonite feed to get a really good seal between them, and I don't think the filling system is as robust.

 

FPR's flex pens (both gold and stainless steel) will fit into any of the pens Kevin recommended - plus the Darjeeling, if you're willing to pair it with a plastic feed.  And honestly, though the ebonite feeds are more 'customisable' (you can cut deeper channels in them if you want), I've mostly found the plastic feeds to provide an adequate to ample flow.  Or you could try one of the Tanoshii pens - though again, this relies on a plastic feed and a specialised (JoWo-thread-compatible) nib assembly, which I don't think Kevin has in great quantities.  They're a really nice pen for the price though - I have one I'm working on a review for right now.

 

Hope that's helpful, but even if not, I'm always happy to talk about FPR pens - I have no financial interest in the business, but have been buying pens from Kevin from over a decade, and appreciate what he's trying to do with his company. So, yeah, a bit of a fan, in case you hadn't noticed...

[DiveDr]

They fit in Jinhao #6 nib pens using the plastic Jinhao feeds. They also fit in the Kanwrite Heritage and the Noodlers Konrad.

[jandrew]

I put a #6 FPR ultra-flex in a size 6 jowo housing in one of my Franklin Christoph pens for a while, but not with the FPR ebonite feed (I used the plastic jowo feed that came with the housing). I recall having to bend in the tail of the nib a bit, but nothing too serious --- the plastic feed could only keep up to minor flexing (perhaps keeping it to half flexed, which was plenty). I do still have an ultraflex nib in a jinhao x450 that works pretty well (I think I modified that plastic feed for a bit more flow, but I don't recall all the details at this point).

[Jamerelbe]

Just now, jandrew said:

I put a #6 FPR ultra-flex in a size 6 jowo housing in one of my Franklin Christoph pens for a while, but not with the FPR ebonite feed (I used the plastic jowo feed that came with the housing). I recall having to bend in the tail of the nib a bit, but nothing too serious --- the plastic feed could only keep up to minor flexing (perhaps keeping it to half flexed, which was plenty). I do still have an ultraflex nib in a jinhao x450 that works pretty well (I think I modified that plastic feed for a bit more flow, but I don't recall all the details at this point).

1 hour ago, DiveDr said:

They fit in Jinhao #6 nib pens using the plastic Jinhao feeds. They also fit in the Kanwrite Heritage and the Noodlers Konrad.

 

I'm pretty sure you're both right, that with a bit of bending and twisting you can fit a FPR nib into a JoWo housing (and/or a Jinhao nib) - but it will permanently change the configuration of the nib.  I'm not sure I'd want to try that on their gold nibs, either - that would be costly if it didn't work out well!

 

 I took a photo a while ago, which I've attached below, to show the difference in shape between FPR and JoWo nibs - as you can (hopefully) see from the picture, the "bending" you need to do is really more about forcing the bottom end of the nib into a tighter curvature around the feed.  

 

 

 

[Gunkanes]

Thank you all again! You rock! I ordered several Kanpur Writers Heritage (and one Legacy...).

 

Main issue for ordering to USA from Spain is the long travel of the parcels. The FountainPenRevolution order is still on transit from July! Last RangaPens order was 7 days to Spain. Las Amazon.co.jp order was 4 days.

 

I will wait for pens and nibs to arrive and will fit the Kanpur Writers Heritage Pens with the best nibs. After that, i will prepare dremel, blowtorch, and workbench for the rest of the nibs. Can those TWSBI Vac700R be converted to eyedroppers and flex? I'll keep you informed of my partial success or total failure.

[A Smug Dill]

16 minutes ago, Gunkanes said:

Main issue for ordering to USA from Spain is the long travel of the parcels.

 

Only an issue if you use USPS instead of, say, DHL service for delivery, I suppose; the physical distance is not actually the cause of delays.

[txomsy]

That's COVID19 for you.

 

I sent some pens from EU to my nephews in South America (I think it was March or April) and they arrived a week ago.

 

As for mishaps... I wouldn't call those nibs mishaps. They've worked great for me, and I also got a handful of them.

 

As for pens... I have used FPR and Noodler's nibs in Jinhao, Baoer and other Chinese pens without any issue. Just look up them and see if they take a #6 nib.

 

It is a bit more difficult with nib+feeder assemblies from FPR as they are designed for use in eyedropper pens, still there is also a large number of Indian eyedroppers that can take them and some Indian pens are gorgeous.

 

The main problem, closing the circle, may be customs clearing. I just got a couple of Platinum converters from UK (didn't know) through Amazon, and they arrived on time with three copies of the same bureaufax asking me to do the customs clearance online... where the postal service web site does not accept the mailing number...

 

As they say... may you live interesting times

[DiveDr]

So these nibs will comfortably fit in any number 6 housing. That's how it works. Will you have to adjust the shape of the nib on the feed to get it to work exactly right yes of course you will. And then you would have to ask yourself why did you order nibs to change in the first place. It's not a mistake to order nibs or feeds if you want to tinker. In fact you can get much better results than out-of-the-box pens for the most part if you invest the time and effort.

[brokenclay]

On 8/23/2021 at 5:15 AM, Jamerelbe said:

Another possibility, maybe, is the Kanwrite Desire (or any of their #6 pens) - I believe the nibs are pretty similar, though I think they're made from a thicker material?

Nope. I bought a Kanwrite Desire and an FPR #6 nib. The FPR nib is too thick, there is no getting it seated in the Kanwrite barrel.

[Gunkanes]

Yesterday arrived the order from https://flexiblenib.com/ . I order it on 19th August and arrived on 27th August (150$ order and i paid 10€ in customs clearance). Still waiting the nibs from Fountain Pen Revolution (16th July 😔).

 

The semi-flex nib is simply not working for me. I attached it easily to a Rangapen with Jowo #6 housing. But the writing experience is awful. The pressure you need to apply is excessive and not comfortable. It is very erratic and leaks without warning, thank goodness I was using the converter and not the eyedropper. Maybe I'm doing something wrong. 

 

This semiflex is not even close to a Parker Duofold semiflex nib or a Waterman Ideal. Not even close.  

[Gunkanes]

Fountainpenrevolution order arrived today. 

 

 

One ultra flex, two cheap nibs F and another Flex. To the right the Flexible Nib Factory semiflex nib that was quite unremarcable. 

 

 

Fountain Pen Revolution Ultra Flex Nib, fits perfect on Ebonite #6 jowo housing (sold by Flexible Nib Factory). This is a great, fun and working combo. But my idea was to fit the flex on a TWSBI Vac700R. 

 

 

Comparison of nibs, to the right the Jowo EF #6. None of those three nibs fits in the TWSBI Jowo#6 feeder because the housing pushed them in a way that the two tines are separated. 

 

 

 

With some effort, the finally fit, but the quality of them was 1/10. Needles. 

 

In order to fit the Ultra Flex Fountain Pen Revolution Nib, i tried the ebonite feed for Jowo#6 in the TWSB VAC700R housing. 

 

 

The TWSBI Housing is propietary and you need to open a line in the Ebonite feeder to skip the plastic flap. I tried to remove the flap but wasn't that easy. A cheap replacement can be found in fpnibs.com, but i had three ebonite jowo#6 to spare. But it worked with first feeder easily. 

 

With ebonite feeder, the tines close correctly.

 

 

 

Is not writing perfectly, but quite good IMHO. Sometimes stops and sometimes you have to play with the TWSBI Vac700R rear valve to control the flow. The flow is somekind inconsistent, but i need to make more tests. Pigmented Inks will help too i guess. 

 

What to do with the other flex Fountain Pen Revolution nib? Lets try on a Winsung 699. 

 

 

After filing and lightly polishing the rear part of the nib to make it shorter, it fits well in the pen. After three tries, the tines closed correctly. 

 

 

It's working and indeed is better than the original WinSung 699 nib (even the architect/Naginata). Not so fun as the ultra flex. 

 

Quite a ride for me, i learn a lot and i won't stop testing and improving the Ultra Flex TWSBI Vac700R. 

 

The easiest working solution:

- Opus88 demostrator / Any rangapens treated for Jowo#6 (i do love ebonite Giant 9B - 2 weeks + 1 week of parcel travel).

- FountainPenRevolution Ultraflex Nib: soft, juicy and fun.

- FlexibleNibFactory Jowo#6 ebonite feeder+housing.

 

[txomsy]

Since you do not seem afraid of putting your dremmel or tool to work, and you already have an UltraFlex as a guide, may I suggest that you may find it worth using the dremmel to cut the Flex wings into a shape akin to that of the UltraFlex.

 

Actually, that is the "Ease My Flex" (EMF) modification (which you can find in its own thread for the Noodler's Ahab here in FPN) that later conducted to the FPR UltraFlex.

 

That way you would end with two UltraFlex nibs, one bought and one done by you. Plus you could experiment and learn to tweak it to your needs.

 

Just one step more down the road.