Jump to content

Ink for flex nib ?

OdinLoki

By OdinLoki
in Inky Thoughts

 Share

Recommended Posts

OdinLoki Near Mint

OdinLoki

Posted
Posted

Noob question alert! :)

 

I recently acquired a Pilot Custom 742 with an FA (Falcon) nib. It's a modern flexy nib that can produce nice line variation with slight pressure. I inked it with Noodler's X-Feather, thinking that it would be wise to do so with the amount of ink that'll come out when writing broad lines. Everything was great for a day, but now the ink flow can't seem to keep up. The ink would 'break up' when the tines separate... I'm not maxing out the flex, I promise.

 

Is the problem the ink? If so, can anyone suggest a good waterproof ink that'll be suitable for flex nib use and resist bleeding & feathering?

 

Could the problem be the pen? It seems to work ok when I start writing (e.g. after a weekend of not using the pen), but the ink problems would show up after a few lines of writing. Please advise, thank you!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • Replies 15
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • Lloyd

    2

  • ZeissIkon

    2

  • OdinLoki

    2

  • Sandy1

    1

Popular Days

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

JMX Extremely Rare

JMX

Posted
Posted

X-Feather seems to have its quirks from what I've read here. You might find some more details when you search for those threads.

 

I'd suggest trying a low maintenance ink, e.g. Pelikan, Waterman or Diamine, before you try a special-purpose ink like X-Feather.

 

 

Pelikan 140 OB

Pelikan M605 blue F

Pelikan M200 transparent (Demonstrator Japan) M

Pelikan Level 65 yellow M

Pelikan Level 65 red B  

Pelikan Go! black/magenta M

Pelikan Go! black/petrol M

Pelikan M70/Go! (C/C) magenta B

Pelikan Steno red (70s)

Lamy Safari charcoal 1.5 mm italic

Lamy Safari yellow EF

Lamy Vista Eyedropper 1.9 mm italic

Reform P 120

2x Reform 1745

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ZeissIkon Antique

ZeissIkon

Posted
Posted

I'll second the suggestion to try Waterman -- Florida Blue seems to be a first choice among flex writers, even up to wet noodle nibs. You need to be aware, however, that the feed under your FA nib isn't really designed to feed a flex nib; what you might be seeing, even with X-Feather, is simply that as you get used to the nib, you're using flex for a larger portion of your writing time and, as a result, bringing your average ink draw above what the feed can reliably supply.

 

FWIW, the only really flexible pen I own, a Majestic from the 1930s or 1940s, does very well indeed with plain old Noodler's Black -- but I don't write Spencerian with it (I'm just getting used to the flex at this point, I've had the pen just a few weeks), and the feed was designed for a flexible nib.

Does not always write loving messages.

Does not always foot up columns correctly.

Does not always sign big checks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
GouletPens Collectors Item

GouletPens

Posted
Posted

I'd suggest inks that are known for great flow and have great shading (not as saturated as the Noodler's and PR). For these you could try Pilot Iroshizuku (not affiliated), Waterman (not affiliated) or J. Herbin (affiliated). I don't have any experience with the first two but I've heard good things, and the latter I sell (and also has a good reputation here on FPN).

Brian Goulet</br><a href='http://www.gouletpens.com' class='bbc_url' title='External link' rel='nofollow external'>www.GouletPens.com</a></br><a href='http://twitter.com/GouletPens' class='bbc_url' title='External link' rel='nofollow external'>GouletPens on Twitter</a></br><a href='http://blog.gouletpens.com' class='bbc_url' title='External link' rel='nofollow external'>Goulet Pens blog</a>

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Sandy1 Donor Pen

Sandy1

Posted
Posted (edited)

Hi,

 

I'm using the Pilot imasuzuki 'kiri-same' in a cute old Waterman 521/2V (I think that's the way to write it).

It runs very nicely, with magnificent shading and has really quite high viscosity, so I've rarely had a line 'pop' when generating a fair bit of flex.

 

I write more slowly with this pen than I do with most others I have, so the feed keeps-up with my snail's pace writing. (Mostly I can write faster than I can think. EDIT - To add: 'Also, I don't encounter many things that are worthy of writing down.')

 

Bye,

S1

Edited by Sandy1

The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Lloyd Donor Pen

Lloyd

Posted
Posted

Mike-it-Work turned my 743 FA into a semiflex with an unflexed line width < Sailor XF yet very smooth. Now, it doesn't skip even with a lot of flexing.

"Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination."

Oscar Wilde

Link to comment
Share on other sites
OdinLoki Near Mint

OdinLoki

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Thanks for the inputs, everyone.

 

Mint, the problem I face isn't skipping (as shown in the examples in the link you provided). Regular writing seems to work just fine. Broad strokes are the problem.

 

Lloyd, what did Mike do? Did he grind the tip or adjust the flow too?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ZeissIkon Antique

ZeissIkon

Posted
Posted
Mint, the problem I face isn't skipping (as shown in the examples in the link you provided). Regular writing seems to work just fine. Broad strokes are the problem.

 

This is a classic example of a feed that can't keep up with the flow demanded when the nib is flexed. One partial solution is to write slower -- really! -- though that will only help up to a point (ink will still flow into the paper even if the pen is still, just not as rapidly as it will if the pen is moving). The real solution, however, may be to have the feed channels opened up to allow more ink to pass -- as long as the gap between feed and nib is carefully set, this modification of the feed (best done by an experienced professional, it's easy to ruin a feed attempting this) may be the only way to get enough flow to feed a flexed nib.

Does not always write loving messages.

Does not always foot up columns correctly.

Does not always sign big checks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Lloyd Donor Pen

Lloyd

Posted
Posted

Mike did two things: he reground the tip to my selected XXXF (he made it write finer than a Sailor XF when no pressure is applied buy still super smooth. He emailed me pictures comparing the line width of my pen to that of a Sailor to decide when he had made it acceptably fine.) and he fit the nib and feed together better (perhaps tighter?). I'm not sure what magic he performed in fitting the nib and feed but...it sure makes me happy.

"Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination."

Oscar Wilde

Link to comment
Share on other sites
fabiorr Mint

fabiorr

Posted
Posted

I was having problem with Pilot flex nibs using Sailor Jentle Brown. I switched over to Pilot Namiki ink and the skipping just disappeared.

 

Fabio

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 7 years later...
Butrflis Dipped Only

Butrflis

Posted
Posted

I'd suggest inks that are known for great flow and have great shading (not as saturated as the Noodler's and PR). For these you could try Pilot Iroshizuku (not affiliated), Waterman (not affiliated) or J. Herbin (affiliated). I don't have any experience with the first two but I've heard good things, and the latter I sell (and also has a good reputation here on FPN).

Which J. Herbin would you recommend?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
HalloweenHJB Antique

HalloweenHJB

Posted
Posted

I have a Pilot Custom 912 with Falcon nib, and I've had a lot of trouble with most inks I've tried. I discovered that the the biggest problem was not ink, but the converter. So I simply removed the converter and turned the pen into an "eyedropper" fill. It's was a gamble, but so far, I've had excellent results.

 

If you'd rather not try something like so dramatic, then the best suggestions have been made above: a very wet, lubricated ink is your best option. Perhaps one of the Blackstone "Scents of Australia" inks will do well for you —they are highly lubricated.

 

Good luck!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ReadyFireAim Extremely Rare

ReadyFireAim

Posted
Posted

I use Bungubox with one drop of Liquitex per ml.

 

The ink film gets stretched and puddled many times per second and must not break in order to do BIG flex FAST.

 

I spent a lot of $$$ figuring this out :huh:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33583
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26772
    5. jar
      jar
      26105

  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      Links to web pages or articles about Chinese typesetting, signwriting, etc.

      By Shanghai Knife Dude · Posted

      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      Skeleton of a primer for a budding hobbyist

      By A Smug Dill · Posted

      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Skeleton of a primer for a budding hobbyist

      By adamselene · Posted

      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Skeleton of a primer for a budding hobbyist

      By A Smug Dill · Posted

      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      Skeleton of a primer for a budding hobbyist

      By adamselene · Posted

      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o

  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More

  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...