Ahab With Knox K35 & Bulow Nibs

[SamCapote]

My Ahabs are here and I love them - but I would really like some finer nibs on them!

 

Xfountainpens have still not come through, but fortunately I was able to swap for a set of nibs with a friend.

 

However, the Knox nibs do not seem to fit the Ahab at all!

I've tried two different nibs in two different Ahabs, but they are way, waaaay too loose; they basically move whenever I try to write with the pen, and keep sliding every which way.

Meanwhile, ink kept dripping out throught the feed.

 

I've tried putting a sliver of plastic bag underneath, which worked well in the sense that it secured the nib, but it has completely stopped any kind of ink flow - nothing comes out anymore (and I've tried several sized and thicknesses of plastic, in several different places).

 

Any thoughts?

The Ahab's original nib is ok, but the line is far too wide for me, even if I don't put any pressure on it at all.

 

To say that the Knox nibs 'fit' the Ahab is a bit of an optimistic statement, I think....

 

They fit in all 12 of the Ahabs I have. A couple are slightly loose, but not enough that they fall out or affect writing. Did you read this thread for the other suggestions? How wide did you make the sliver of plastic, and did you try putting it off to the side, not directly over the air channel?

[P.A.R.]

Mine have fit the feed well, I haven't had any problems and I just seat the feed and nib as far back as they will go. Do you have the nib and feed farther forward?

 

If the plastic bag method didn't work, perhaps you should try putting the plastic on top of the nib, not between the nib and feed.

[hedera]

I've tried slivers ranging from 2 mm to about 5 mm, several lengths, and in tree different plastics.

 

I've tried placing them in between the nib and the feed, in the middle and off to the side, as well as on top of the nib, and it hasn't helped at all.

 

I've had the nib & feed sit in various positions, ranging from as far back as possible, to more and more forward - no difference.

 

Ink is either dripping out, or not coming out at all.

 

 

For now, I've put the original nibs back in.

They work quite well that way, I just wish they were a bit thinner.

The Ahabs I got all had the new O-ring, so perhaps it's a different batch with a slightly different feed and/or part-of-the-pen-that-you-put-the-feed-into shape?

[AndyLa]

Hedera, I had some issues with the nib being a bit loose. I put a bit of the plastic with the nib, but I had it more near the top than bottom of the slit. I have a little sticking out, but it doesnt bother me much. Try running it under water for a second or two. Mine wouldn't start at first either (was sitting for a few days and it could have been that) but it did after some water. Mines been working fine over the past few days. Thanks again for the suggestion Sam!

[Jimmy James]

As somebody mentioned in a thread about a lever filler, shellac might be a good option if your nib is too jiggly for your liking. I don't mean you should shellac the nib in place, but perhaps a good coating of shellac allowed to dry on the inside of the section would change the dimensions enough to get satisfaction. Let it dry before installing nib and feed.

Edited February 21, 2012 by Jimmy James

[hedera]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions!

 

AndyLa, I've tried the running water - no dice.

 

MachoBusinessDonkeyWrestler, I have thought about something like shellac... Trouble is, I'm not sure what might be safe to use (don't want it to react with the ink), and if it makes the pen stop writing, like the plastic has done so far, it would be much harder to remove.

 

For the moment, I've put away the Knox nibs, put the original ones back in and am working with the pens that way; they're awfully wet and a bit broad for my taste (might have to find a 'dryer' ink), but they do feel very, very nice.

 

Who knows, in a couple of weeks, the Knox ones might suddenly magically work; stranger things have happened.

Edited February 21, 2012 by hedera

[penocd]

I tried the Knox nibs and have to say thanks for the tip. It has been an excellent writer and has taken me through a first filling of Diamine ink-- simply fantastic. I ended up fiddling with the placement of the nib and feed some before everything was right but finally got it working. All in all, very positive and I have to say the price makes it okay to mess with and do some learning about fountain pen maintenance instead of practicing on more expensive pens.

[P.A.R.]

I tried the Knox nibs and have to say thanks for the tip. It has been an excellent writer and has taken me through a first filling of Diamine ink-- simply fantastic. I ended up fiddling with the placement of the nib and feed some before everything was right but finally got it working. All in all, very positive and I have to say the price makes it okay to mess with and do some learning about fountain pen maintenance instead of practicing on more expensive pens.

 

I too love the breakdown feature of the Ahab - very simple but good for learning how it works. I have three Ahabs now, and can now use the entire EF-M set I bought. Still waiting for when I can get the B-OBB. I have at least three vent fins opened in each Ahab, so there is a good amount and consistent flow even with the nib and feed all the way back. This means that cleaning and reassembly only takes about a minute, no adjusting the spacing of the nib and feed.

 

Out of the colors I own, I think the Pumpkin Ahab is best suited to the Knox nibs...

http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc453/NoodlersCreaper/0301122116.jpg

 

I'm actually looking to trade the barrel, cap, and section of my Ruby (clear red) Ahab for those of another color. I have a classified linked in my signature, or anyone who is interested can PM me.

Edited March 2, 2012 by P.A.R.

[P.A.R.]

Double post

Edited March 2, 2012 by P.A.R.

[Fatestorm]

I know this thread is about a month old at this point, but I wanted to throw my two cents in-- in this case, about the K26 nibs as substitutes for the nibs on the original (non-Ahab) Noodler's flex pens.

 

The fit is perfect and I am getting good writing from them--there was occasionally some startup problems but a little fiddling and it all seems to work right.

 

In my case, the only 'problem' I am experiencing is that the line is very wet (I am using a Knox K26 extra-fine). I am 99% sure that the wet line is due to the very generous feed. What I ended up doing is keeping the nib seated pretty far out of the barrel, and pushing the feed pretty far into the barrel, so that there is not as much overlap of nib to feed. This is working pretty well for me personally--the line is still noticeably wet, but it is also noticeably fine and suitable for my purposes.

 

The nib is extremely, extremely smooth, a dream to write with. I have nothing against the standard Noodler's flex nibs, which are great value for the money and great fun to write with. But sometimes you just want a consistent line with smooth writing and these Knox nibs deliver.

 

Thank you all above for the tips! I will try the substitutions on the Ahabs soon.

[Phormio]

Excuse my ignorance, but what is a Bulow nib?

[mikefromsac]

It's a brand of Nib. You can Google it.

[P.A.R.]

The nib is extremely, extremely smooth, a dream to write with. I have nothing against the standard Noodler's flex nibs, which are great value for the money and great fun to write with. But sometimes you just want a consistent line with smooth writing and these Knox nibs deliver.

 

Thank you all above for the tips! I will try the substitutions on the Ahabs soon.

Glad to hear you like the K26's! I need to get one (in F or M, most likely) for my Noodler's piston flex and ebonite pens. I got a broad K26 when I got my EF-M K35 set, but the B K26 taxes the feed a little too much and it has skipping problems. Very smooth though - perhaps I should try heat setting the feed to the K26 nib.

 

The K35's are awesome.

Excuse my ignorance, but what is a Bulow nib?

Yes, they're a brand that is apparently specific to xfountainpens.com.

[etoyoc]

I got sick of fighting my Ahab pens, so this morning I started digging around my junk pens to find a nib replacement. I settled on sticking some Jinhao nibs in my ahabs. Now that I finally see this thread, I noticed the Bulow nibs. Other than the Bulow marking, I don't see any difference between that nib and the nib that Jinhao has stock on many of their pens, which shouldn't be surprising from xfountainpens. My Ahabs are much happier with the Jinhao nibs. Now, I would be happier if it was a little finer.

Edited April 14, 2012 by etoyoc

[SamCapote]

I got sick of fighting my Ahab pens, so this morning I started digging around my junk pens to find a nib replacement. I settled on sticking some Jinhao nibs in my ahabs. Now that I finally see this thread, I noticed the Bulow nibs. Other than the Bulow marking, I don't see any difference between that nib and the nib that Jinhao has stock on many of their pens, which shouldn't be surprising from xfountainpens. My Ahabs are much happier with the Jinhao nibs. Now, I would be happier if it was a little finer.

 

Their Knox nib version comes in EF

[etoyoc]

I got sick of fighting my Ahab pens, so this morning I started digging around my junk pens to find a nib replacement. I settled on sticking some Jinhao nibs in my ahabs. Now that I finally see this thread, I noticed the Bulow nibs. Other than the Bulow marking, I don't see any difference between that nib and the nib that Jinhao has stock on many of their pens, which shouldn't be surprising from xfountainpens. My Ahabs are much happier with the Jinhao nibs. Now, I would be happier if it was a little finer.

 

Their Knox nib version comes in EF

 

I see that, and I am debating whether to just get the F, or get the three pack with F, EF, and the M. Too bad I get can't get a three pack of F or EF. I also found that they have the Bulow in F as well as M even though just the M shows up under accessories. Now, I wonder if the Bulow is also available EF.

Edited April 14, 2012 by etoyoc

[codster]

I'm so glad I came across this thread.

 

My Ahab nibs go out of alignment frequently. Recently I snapped off some of the tipping material when I was straightening the nib under a loupe.

 

Another of my friends has 2 Ahabs as her first fountain pens, and she has been unhappy with the erratic behavior.

 

I bought the set of EF, F, and M Knox nibs and got a separate OB nib.

 

After a morning of inky fingers, I decided that I like the EF the best for my Ahab. It writes very smooth and similar to a Japanese fine.

 

The F nib actually seems the scratchiest of them all. The tipping material seems like it's in a very similar shape to the Ahab original nib, sort of pointy on top.

 

The M nib was very smooth, and I think this one will go to my friend for her Ahab.

 

The OB is VERY wet. I might have to squeeze the shoulders together to reduce the gap between the tines. This is my first round oblique nib, and I'm having more trouble remembering to angle the nib properly. Oblique italics i guess provide instant feedback when you rotate the pen. The round oblique nib feels the same as I unconsciously rotate the pen, but the ink stops suddenly. Also the oblique italics are easier to visually glance at and know how to place them on the paper. This one I have to practice with to make sure that I'm using it at the right angle.

Edited April 17, 2012 by codster

[ninjandrew]

So just to confirm, the niether the Knox nor the Bulow nibs offer any flex, right?

 

Also, has it been determined yet if the bock nibs will fit the Ahab?

[JimB]

So just to confirm, the niether the Knox nor the Bulow nibs offer any flex, right?

 

Also, has it been determined yet if the bock nibs will fit the Ahab?

No, no flex. I have 2 Bulow pens and the nibs are very nice and smooth. Okay, it's nice to have options, but why trade a flex nib for a good nail? Unless you like nails... To each his own.

[noodlesinabag]

I'm resurrecting this thread to confirm that the Bock 250 nibs (6mm) do in fact fit the Ahab. Mine's sitting in it right now. It doesn't write as fine as the Ahab nib does but it is really nice and smooth. Neat. Oh and FYI, I bought my nib from indy-pen-dance. Fast shipping and everything was very well packaged.