Tools For Nib Work

[Larry Barrieau]

Hi, I'm missing out on some pens that look good except for slightly wonky nibs. I'd like to try my hand at some cheap nib repairs. What tools would you recommend for a beginner and what sources can you point to that would give me a good starting point.

 

Thanks, I appreciate the help.

[ac12]

You will probably need a nib block

http://pentooling.com/burnish.html

[Larry Barrieau]

Thank you. How about other tools like pliers (eek!). And is there any source of actually doing a repair, in other words has someone written the steps to straightening a spread or bent nib. Or even better is there a video out there?

[Carl_S]

Richard Binder has held a workshop on nib repair at a couple of pen shows. An excellent pamphlet on nib smoothing was provided in the workshop

[rtrinkner]

I am not a "nib-meister," but I've had good luck getting most of my pens to write nicely, without using many tools. In fact, I generally just use my fingernails and a 10x loupe. I only use a knock-out block for nib repair (at my non-meister skill level) if a tine is really twisted or if I need to burnish a nib back into its proper shape. For getting nibs to write nicely, I generally do the work at the end of the restoration process. I find that inserting a knocked-out nib into the section can cause the tines to become misaligned, so I prefer to align them after the nib is back in the section.

 

(If on eBay a nib is obviously in bad shape, I just don't bid on it. So I'm missing out on some pens, too.)

 

My technique for adjusting nibs to write nicely:

 

1. Before you do any sort of smoothing, sanding, or otherwise changing the nib material itself, inspect the nib closely with a 10x loupe. I use a loupe to inspect every pen I repair. I almost always have to make a nib adjustment based on what I can see through the loupe. In the end, I very rarely need to smooth a nib by sanding, etc.

 

2. Make sure that the two tines of the nib exactly align. Even the tiniest disparity between the tine tips can make writing feel scratchy. I use my fingernails to align the tines. If one tine is too "high" (lifted above the feed), I carefully push down near its end (not the very tip, which could break off) in a diagonal directinon so that during the push motion the tine gets pushed under the other tine. Only use a tiny bit of pressure, since you don't want to over do it. Release the pressure after a second and let the tine bend back naturally to where it wants to go. Inspect again with the loupe to see if you've matched the tines or have more pushing to do. If a tine is too "low" (bent below the feed relative to the other tine), you can use your finger nail to gently lift the tine above the other (again, avoid the very tip). Do either/both of the above actions on either/both of the tines until they align perfectly. You must use a loupe to check; the naked eye (at least mine) can't see the alignment well enough.

 

3. Sometimes you can see an obvious problem with the nib through the loupe. A bit of the tip of a tine might be broken off or the tine might be twisted. If a tine is a little bit twisted, you can sometimes use a .2mm brass shim, slid carefully between the tines (avoid the very tip when inserting the shim), to untwist the tine. This won't work well if the tine is severely twisted. If part of a tine is missing but otherwise the nib works OK, you can then smooth the nib gently by writing circles and figure-8s on a mid-grit micromesh pad (don't use a coarse one). The micromesh pads are less prone to creating a flat foot of a nib, since when you press down, the nib pushes into the pillow nature of the pad and the smoothing affects the sides of the nib a bit too.

 

I only need to smooth about 5% of the nibs I've worked on. The rest become really nice writers once the tines are aligned carefully (assuming they're not damaged in some way).

 

Laurence Oldfield sells some concave and convex nib burnishing tools that look really nice. They're on his web site. I haven't bought them yet, however. I do have a set of tapered steel rods that nicely hold a removed nib for burnishing. I bought them at my local hardware store and they work fine for my limited nib work, but Laurence's look nicer.

Edited February 27, 2015 by rtrinkner

[fountainpagan]

Thank you all for all the infos.

Does Laurence Oldfield have a web site?

[rtrinkner]

http://www.penpractice.com/

 

By the way, his repair book (also on his site) is superb.

[Larry Barrieau]

Great information. I have done the leveling of the two tines before and the micromest pad too. Your instructions gave me some better idea of what's going on. Thanks.

[FarmBoy]

All you need to do is apply a restoring force equal in magnitude but opposite in phase to the force that damaged the nib.

 

Farmboy

[Larry Barrieau]

Undrop it?

[bsenn]

All you need to do is apply a restoring force equal in magnitude but opposite in phase to the force that damaged the nib.

 

Farmboy

In other words, drop it on the other side...

[lcoldfield]

Bending it back in the opposite direction rarely works because the nib is not supported symmetrically in the section - ie the feed is only on one side of the nib. Bending it back merely produces an ugly kink. The nib has to be taken out of the pen and bent back in careful stages using smooth jawed pliers. Much can also be achieved by finger pressure alone. To finish off, a nib block and burnisher is useful but I have fixed many nibs without using one. Residual kinks can be removed using fine grade abrasive sticks.

Laurence

[Larry Barrieau]

Thanks very much Laurence