Vp Nib Unit Not Fitting All Vps?

[KBeezie]

I have this VP with a Blue Carbonesque finish and a Fine Nib (14K unplated, A705 on the bottom).

 

Then I got an identical VP in Black Carbonesque with a 18K (thought it was going to be 14K, since that's what he offered in the trade) Medium nib says A908 on bottom and just below the A908 is an oval with some writing.

 

Under my 60x loupe, it's S1e in the top of the oval, then PP to the left, then a Pentagon shape, then a F to the right of the pentagon.

 

I didn't even notice a difference until I tried to put the 18K M into my Blue carbonesque, and I felt a scrape near the end of clicking, did it again slowly trying to figure out if it was the trap door or something.

 

Turns out the opening on my Blue Carboneques VP is smaller than the opening in the black one, since it was scraping the bottom of the 18K M's feed along the opening lip, so got a little scrape in the feed plastic there.

 

Other than the opening being bigger on the black one, they appear to be identical.

 

But I'm a little confused, were there VP units that were not compatible with each other on the nib units?

Edited August 29, 2014 by KBeezie

[rutherfordr]

Not always -- here's a good article that describes some of the incompatibilities:

 

http://estilofilos.blogspot.jp/2012/07/capless-incompatibilities.html

 

Although if you have different nib units in identical pen bodies (except for the color), I'd be inclined to suspect that the seller of one or the other pen swapped out the nib unit before sending it to you.

[KBeezie]

http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/vp/nibs_front.jpg

 

http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/vp/nibs_back.jpg

 

http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/vp/nib_opening.jpg

 

The Blue Carbonesque one came with a 14K Fine as a trade for my Pilot Falcon.

 

The Black Carbonesque one came with a 18K Medium (expected a 14K cuz he thought it was 14K).

 

The opening on the black one is larger and will take either nib unit, the blue one will only work with the 14K nib unit because it scrapes the bottom of the feed of the 18K.

[KBeezie]

Not always -- here's a good article that describes some of the incompatibilities:

 

http://estilofilos.blogspot.jp/2012/07/capless-incompatibilities.html

 

Although if you have different nib units in identical pen bodies (except for the color), I'd be inclined to suspect that the seller of one or the other pen swapped out the nib unit before sending it to you.

 

Seems that my 18K matches the 18K shown there with the round-ish notch, and the oval logo on bottom of the nib, and the 14K matches the capless there with the square notch.

 

But both pens I have appear to be identical VPs with the exception of the color and how wide the opening is in the front.

 

But my notches on both units are the same size, just different shape.

Edited August 30, 2014 by KBeezie

[kenshiro]

I must admit, I'm much more interested in what you're using to take these macro photos.

[rutherfordr]

Maybe the blue carbonesque was dropped on the floor nose-first, and it bent just enough to cause those problems?

[KBeezie]

Maybe the blue carbonesque was dropped on the floor nose-first, and it bent just enough to cause those problems?

 

Don't think so, I don't see any evidence of scrapes or minor stress cracks around the corners or anything to indicate that it was dropped as some of the plating would have shifted to I think if it had. Plus the different notch shape seems to suggest the nib unit was for a different series model of pen.

 

For now I just switched the nib itself from one feed to the other without an issue.

 

Oddly the 18K M feels like a very wide/wet medium, and flipping it over is more of a fine. (the flipping over part is something I can't do with the 14K fine, too dry).

Edited August 30, 2014 by KBeezie

[KBeezie]

I must admit, I'm much more interested in what you're using to take these macro photos.

 

Tamron SP 90mm f/2.8 Adaptall (Revision B I think) which does 1:1 Lifesize macro (meaning it can fill the entire sensor area with an object exactly matching the size of the sensor area), basically back before autofocus lens were around Tamron had made a lens system where you could just pop off the back of the lens and add on a different mount so it would fit on a different camera. So right now I have a Adaptall-to-Micro4/3 adapter on it now (made by fotodiox), and I also have a Adaptall-to-PenaxK adapter that I Was using before (handy if I want to mount it to the Tilt adapter for my camera which takes Pentax lens).

 

And yes it's Manual Focus only.

 

The camera body is an Olympus Pen EP-3.

 

Can see an older shot of the camera here with a FED 50 f/3.5 lens (unfortunately you can't collapse it without dinging the housing wall within) which is basically a Leica Elmar clone, adapted to the camera via a LTM (Leica Thread Mount) to Micro-4/3 adapter.

 

http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2012/005/e/2/fed_meet_olympus_by_kb244-d4lfn6m.jpg

Edited August 30, 2014 by KBeezie

[KBeezie]

The 18K M as I just switched it over to the already inked feed (scotch tape works pretty well to get the nib off).

Also compared to my Petit1 with a Fine and a Elite Mini (70s) with a 18K Soft fine.

http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/vp/18kM.jpg

Edit: I corrected the tipping on the medium and closed the tiping so they weren't wide open as the rest of the tine split. Whoever used it before must have sprung the nib, thus why it was so wet and broad-ish (for pilot).

 

http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/vp/tipping_fix.jpg

Edited August 30, 2014 by KBeezie

[Algester]

I was thinking of the capless back in the 1970s... I guess its the modern one but if ever the old capless units will not work with the new capless units and vice versa

[KBeezie]

I was thinking of the capless back in the 1970s... I guess its the modern one but if ever the old capless units will not work with the new capless units and vice versa

Thing is though I didn't think they made black carbonesque in the older capless unless you mean the older unit was somehow made to work in a modern-ish version of the body.