Salvageable Nib?

[pompa]

Hi guys, I've just bought a bunch of nibs in an auction...pig in a poke indeed, most of the nibs that one would want are in "scrap gold" condition, a couple that a nib meister could straighten out, but a bunch of them need re-tipping as well, which from a monetary point of view is not a pleasant prospect.

 

Well, among them was this Soennecken nib that wasn't even mentioned in the listing! The tines are ok, the tipping is still there, and it seem to have a bit of flex! But woe, the lower part of the nib is broken off!

 

What do you think? Is there still enough of it to be useable? I wish I had already bought a Nib Creaper so that I could test it...

[pompa]

I just put it in a Schmidt nib unit, and although the feed can't keep up long with flexing it works fine, and it writes really nice and smooth!

Should work well in a Nib Creaper eh? I think I will need to get a few of those

[Ink Blotto]

I'm new to fountain pens, so it is interesting to see a nib wrecked at the base instead of the tines.

[discopig]

I'm afraid it's going to start developping massive cracks (I already see one on the pictures) at the base because of how broken it is down there, especially with regular flex writing. You should try to contact someone like John Mottishaw or Greg Minuskin and see if they could fix it. I'm almost certain they could at least mend the base so it isn't prone to cracking with use.

Edited April 16, 2014 by discopig

[KBeezie]

I'm afraid it's going to start developping massive cracks (I already see one on the pictures) at the base because of how broken it is down there, especially with regular flex writing. You should try to contact someone like John Mottishaw or Greg Minuskin and see if they could fix it. I'm almost certain they could at least mend the base so it isn't prone to cracking with use.

 

I was thinking the same and I have no clue about metallurgy. Though least mending the bottom with new materials isn't as difficult as say fixing the top portion and having to re-grind/tip/etc. I suspect the worse that would happen with adding new material to the bottom is change the way the nib controls flow from the feed.

[Drone]

If you find a pen/feed combination that will work with what's left of this nib, then you may be able to stop the cracks by drilling very small holes at the ends of the cracks. When you do this put the nib on a wooden dowel or wood case pencil to support it. Sometimes a #6 nib will work with a 6mm diameter dowel, a #5 nib with a 5mm dowel, etc.; but not always. Filling the cracks and drilled holes with silver solder may also help, but may be visible if the cracks extend beyond the section.

[pompa]

Sending an e-mail to Greg sounds like a good idea, this nib is a really nice writer and would be well worth saving. I also have some old Montblanc and Pelikan nibs that are in need of re-tipping and/or straightening...unfortunately the most interesting nibs are the ones that are sprung or have lost tipping, but there are a bunch of old "Warranted" and Parker nibs in good condition that I could try selling to finance the repairs, but I should try them out a bit so I don't unwittingly sell off some gems that I would rather keep for myself...like I wrote before, I'd better get myself a couple of Nib Creapers...

 

Thanks for the input

[sargetalon]

I have no experience with the work but I have had good experiences with pen purchases. Check out goldnibs.com (no affiliation). They are out of Spain and have a page showing the repairs that they've done. It looks like they've salvaged some really wrecked pieces. Again, no personal experience but it's another option for you to look into. Good luck!