Just toying with the idea, i started out a XF user and I am slowly expanding my stable, very slowly mind you, and so my question is say I wated to change the nib on a P51 vac from an F tomething bigger, how hard is this to do, i.e a job you do yourself whilst waiting for the kettle to boil for a nice cup of tea; or a put the pen down, warp it up and send it to a nib meister type of job.

Oh and following from that how hard is it to get P 51 nibs, say M or B or even a factory italic? or is it better to get a nib meister to turn one for you? Also assume you are on the other side of the world as well...

You'd be best served in sending Jay another email...

I don't think it's something you'll want to try on your own while boiling water for tea.

I learned how to change nibs by buying old "51"s on eBay and trying it out. I would not advise starting off with a nice Cedar Blue '47 Vac

US nibs tend to be predominately F or XF, whereas in Europe and the UK M and wider is the order of the day. Yes you can get "51" nibs, but the larger sizes and unusual nibs do attract a real premium, sometimes as much as the pen again.

In the UK I find that I can easily get a trade from a F or XF to a M or B nib, but this may not be so easy where you are.

About all I can say really.

I've done the same as Jim. Though the ones I first tried I bought in a bulk batch at a market for £7.50 (my sumgai find) rather than on ebay.

I personally found it fairly easy. It's just realigning the hood with the nib that can be annoying rather than complex. At its most basic, it is almost is as simple as warming the hood unscrewing it, pulling out the nib and feed, reinserting new nib and feed and screwing the hood back on.

There are instructions around here somewhere, which I'm sure we can post again if you want to go for it, as there are a couple of 'channel lining-up issues' you need to know.

But the usual caveats apply, you've got to be practically minded, try it on beat-up examples first etc.

Oh, and personally if I have a 51 which writes well, I don't mess with it, I only change the nibs on those that need adjustment anyway.

- Mark

Edit: Oh, and nibs. Best source I think is battered 51s. Quite often I find you can get cheap 51s on ebay where the cap is destroyed, but often the nib is fine.

Hi Shelley, the nibs can be changed a couple of ways, the first is to use nib pliers and pull the nib - the correct tools and care are highly recommended.
The second method and one which I would recommend is to remove the hood, then the nib/feed/collector assembly are just push fit together and inserted into the barrel. With the hood off its a good opportunity to clean the feed and collector.

If you can find a medium+ P51 nib I'll italic grind it for you. England made P51s are fairly common with broad nibs, they will most likely be the later aerometric models, the nibs are still compatible.

OUCH! Not recommended at all!



That's better. Don't forget to use heat before trying to remove the hood. It softens whatever is holding the hood onto the barrel.

Right thanks for the suggestions guys, I think I'll hunt and once one comes up thats ideal I'll send the whole shebang off to Jay again...thanks for the help everyone, this is a long term project though-give me a year or so to get used to my new pen...then I may see.

I am very new to fountain pens, and I have to tell you, replacing the nib would be a snap. The hardest part would probably be finding a new one. I took my two Aeros apart to clean them for the first time, and I really knew nothing about what was under the hood, except one picture which I saw on the board. I heated the hood up for about 2 minutes with a hair dryer, then unscrewed it. All that you need to do is pull out the nib/feed/collector assembly by gently pulling it from the section. Then just pull the nib off of the feed (The nib is tube-like at the back and fits over the feed) and push the new one on. As mentioned earlier, it is a pain to align the nib with the hood, but the whole process, in my opinion, is nothing that needs to be sent out. Taking apart the pen takes about 3 minutes.

"You got lucky"

While I have had pens come apart that easy, I do have a couple three pens where the hood seems welded on. I have had the collectors break while trying to remove it and several other miss-steps. I am very well versed in taking things apart and have or will build the proper tools for doing a job.

When an Aeromatics comes apart easy, they are a pleasure. If some arsehat has bonded stuff on a "51" together, the pen will crush before it yields whole parts.

Ron

Don't listen to me then, I'm sure wydasq knows a lot more about the suject than I do. I actually tried to take the hood off of a P21 and it wouldn't budge. I think I did just get lucky. Does anyone have any suggestions on getting the hood off?

Taking the hood off a 21 is not for the faint-hearted, or those who want to keep the pen. The plastic on them is very brittle and cracks easily. Try soaking it and flushing it out if you have flow problems. I would not recommend trying to take it apart. If it's a keeper, I'd send it to someone who has a lot of experience.

A 21 hood comes off the same way as a "51" hood -- you must melt the shellac before it comes off. However, the 21 hood is MUCH more likely to crack before, during, and after removal....

Peter