Gentleman Nib Customization To Needlepoint Flex?

[Sinistral1]

My Gentlemen nibs have nice medium flex, but.... Here's where my bright idea might have taken an ugly turn - has anyone ever had one customized to a needlepoint with extra flex?

 

If you have had this done - was it worth it and are you happy with how the Gentleman nib performs as a needlepoint? Is the extra flex significant?

 

And, not to put too fine a point on it (no pun intended) - all you FPNers are the bomb for this here newbie getting started in this new addiction, I mean, hobby!

Edited August 19, 2013 by Sinistral1

[amberleadavis]

Hmm.... maybe we should bump this over to the nib section?

[Sinistral1]

Thanks!

[amberleadavis]

Still no replies?

[Sinistral1]

No, but I doubt many members are interested in ruining a good modern nib to create a flex nib. It's like asking someone who owns a 3/4 ton truck to race in the Indy 500. It could be done, but why? I was hoping to hear from someone who had said what the heck and tried it.

[amberleadavis]

Oh well.

[Tberry010]

Can't answer your question, maybe because I have no idea what 'a Gentlemens" nib is or where they come from. Or maybe the reason I can't is that I have never had a needlepoint. Can you enlighten me?

Edited December 20, 2014 by Tberry010

[georgeb]

I see a web page here: http://www.gentlemanpens.com/

 

The pictures are not displaying on my screen and I see no information about the nibs, assuming this is what you're referring to.

 

Perhaps you could contact the maker of your pen for more information about the nib.

[Tberry010]

OK. A quick search and I see some Gentlemens nibs. Nice.

[smk]

It is my understanding that anything higher than 14k gold is considered too soft to flex on a regular basis.

 

Waterman Gentleman's nibs are 18k which is too soft for a flex mod.

 

Salman

[amberleadavis]

It is my understanding that anything higher than 14k gold is considered too soft to flex on a regular basis.

 

Waterman Gentleman's nibs are 18k which is too soft for a flex mod.

 

Salman

 

That's good to know! Thank you.

[Cepasaccus]

I modified a Lamy steel nib to see how much flex I could get working.

 

The answer is: Not much and even that is not useful.

 

The reason for problem 1 is that the steel of these nibs has not much elasticity. So with a little flex the tines go back to original position. With a lot of flex the tines stay flexed and the nib won't write anymore.

 

Problem 2 is that with this little flex the ink flow increases when flexing, but it takes quite a bit of writing with reduced pressure to get the ink flow down and the line thin again. So with a zigzag line the first upstroke is thin and then follows thick, thick, thick, thick. I assume this has to do with the feed.

 

So the chances are IMHO good to ruin a modern nib when trying to add flex to it. Hence I would not try this on an expensive nib.

 

Cepasaccus

[jgrasty]

It is my understanding that anything higher than 14k gold is considered too soft to flex on a regular basis.

 

Waterman Gentleman's nibs are 18k which is too soft for a flex mod.

 

Salman

 

Salman is entirely correct. All modern and vintage 18k gold alloys from which nibs are made are too soft and not suitable for flex nib modifications.

[Algester]

not unless your using Sailor nibs which... for unknown reasons even at higher karats are still naily as heck... which can be good candidates for giving flex

[Cepasaccus]

Nail means normally that the material is just thick enough to be hard. It doesn't say anything about how it behaves if it is bent.

[Algester]

Nail means normally that the material is just thick enough to be hard. It doesn't say anything about how it behaves if it is bent.

I have seen a post from Cronicas Estilográficas a 21kt sailor nib with modified flex... the modification is similar to the FA nib by Pilot

[smk]

Gold has a low modulus of elasticity (Pure Gold is rated at 78). This does not mean that it will not bend at all but it is very easy to exceed the limit of its elasticity. The impurities added to Gold to make it 18k or 14k have a higher modulus of elasticity e.g. Nickel (200), Zinc (108), Copper (130). The more of these you have in the mix the more springy the material would be. This is why the 14k mix is considered to be better than ones with higher concentration of Gold.

 

My Sailor 21K nibs do exhibit a bit of softness - I wouldn't call it it springiness though. I am sure making it thinner or changing the profile would make it flex more as more of the length of the tines would contribute to the bending. However, it does not change the fact that it would be very easy to exceed the limit of the springiness.

 

These are general statements though. It is good to know that exceptions exist but I would still not recommend a flex mod for a 21k nib.

 

Salman

[Cepasaccus]

It is not like gold + copper makes it the average properties of both. As an extreme example both gold and (pure) aluminium are soft metals, as an alloy they are almost as brittle as glas. That is the result: http://www.periodictable.com/Items/079.30/index.html And the color is also not in between.

 

It is also important how the metal has been treated. As far as I know the nib gold has been rolling milled to get it hard and flexible.

[smk]

It is not like gold + copper makes it the average properties of both. As an extreme example both gold and (pure) aluminium are soft metals, as an alloy they are almost as brittle as glas. That is the result: http://www.periodictable.com/Items/079.30/index.html And the color is also not in between.

 

It is also important how the metal has been treated. As far as I know the nib gold has been rolling milled to get it hard and flexible.

 

Very true. However each 'mix' has its own range of properties.

 

Not all 14k (or 21k for that matter) behave the same either. The processes they go through makes a difference in how they behave e.g. vintage 14k nibs typically behave very differently than modern ones.

 

Salman