Ahab - Whats Wrong?

[Stompie]

So, I was very excited to get my Ahabs.

 

Took the one apart, cleaned it out. Went through all the fins with a scalpel, gently, and got all the junk out.

 

Filled it, emptied it, filled it, emptied it 4 times.

 

Writes for a bit and then stops.

 

Tap it and it sometimes writes, but again, for a very short time.

 

If I wipe the top of the nib, ink is sitting there but will not flow down.

 

If you press down and open the tines, you can see the ink run back from near the top of the tines but it just will not come down to the point and write.

 

So, I took the second one and just filled it - boom, off it went, writing away, for a short while but then it stopped and is doing exactly like the first one.

 

Any advice please?

[Ink Sandwich]

I had the same problem with mine. Try Disassembling the pen and soak the feed for a while in a mild solution of warm water and dish soap. This should get rid of any residue oils that might still be in the feed (and if you can't get that tiny tube back into the feed, I don't think it's a problem as I couldn't and mine still works well without it).

 

Hope that helps!

[Pineapple Frenzy]

Congratulations on your Ahabs. Hope you enjoy the smell; it grows on you. From time to time I find my self taking a sniff now and then during class. I to was frustrated with my Ahab when I first purchased it. I tried widening the gaps between the fins in the feed by removing some material but found that after screwing around with it, the pen would simply not write any more. This I think was due not to the fact that I had damaged the feed, but that after repeated attempts at trying to get the pen extra wide, I had bent the tines of the nib back so that they no longer touched the feed. I emailed Richard at Luxury pens who was very nice and sent me a couple of feeds and a nib at no charge. He was awesome.

 

After messing around with it a bit more I ended up simply replacing the nib and keeping the old feed with about eight fins showing. Now I get consistent ink flow and no stalling. I can't get guaranteed flow with extra wide writing, but when I let up the pressure the ink comes right away. I'm very happy with the pen now.

 

I would suggest pulling out the feed one fin at a time until you get the flow you like. The folks at Goulet pens also suggested that the pen takes a bit of time to "work in." In other words, since the ebonite from which the feed is made is quite porous, it might take some time for it to fill with ink and give consistent flow.

 

Cheers

[mhphoto]

Congrats on getting two very fun pens. I know it might not seem like it now, but they will be. My Ahab writes like a dream with no modifications other than having washed it first.

 

The setup that works for me is:

 

- Nib pushed all the way into its slot

- Feed in far enough in that 9 FULL slits are visible

 

At least with my pen, that setup works great. Keep tinkering! It'll be worth it.

[Stompie]

Ink sandwich, I even scrubbed the feed etc with a toothbrush.

 

Ok, so far, one nib wrecked! Trying to adjust feed etc and they fit so tight that eventually the tines bent over.

 

The other one I can not get the feed to budge at all. So I have pulled the nib and swopped it with the one with a looser feed.

 

I am going to leave them alone now until tomorrow - the one is going to the rubbish bin cause there is no nib, the other can soak up the ink and lets see tomorrow.

[Stompie]

Any ideas on how to get my hands clean???? :roflmho:

[Joshua J.]

Ink sandwich, I even scrubbed the feed etc with a toothbrush.

 

Ok, so far, one nib wrecked! Trying to adjust feed etc and they fit so tight that eventually the tines bent over.

 

The other one I can not get the feed to budge at all. So I have pulled the nib and swopped it with the one with a looser feed.

 

I am going to leave them alone now until tomorrow - the one is going to the rubbish bin cause there is no nib, the other can soak up the ink and lets see tomorrow.

 

Don't forget that you can get more nibs for your pen. https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?/topic/212678-ahab-with-knox-k35-bulow-nibs/

[P.A.R.]

Don't forget that you can get more nibs for your pen. https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?/topic/212678-ahab-with-knox-k35-bulow-nibs/

+1. Don't throw it away! send it to someone that wants to try this if you don't!

 

For the one that still has a usable nib, perhaps you just need to let feed get "broken in" with ink for a while. After cleaning I've never had any problems, but it does seem a little wetter after using them for a week or two. Maybe I'm just crazy.

[sparky.88]

Here's what I did with mine:

- disassembled nib / feed from pen

- gently ran a razor blade through all the channels in the feed to free any small, solid debris

- scrubbed feed with a tooth brush / water

- sprayed feed with mild cleaner, scrubbed with toothbrush again to remove oils

- rinsed feed very well with water

- reassembled and inked up

 

I've played with the nib / feed position a little to adjust ink flow. But it's been pretty good the whole time.

 

Oh, one more thing. Don't throw away the pen with damaged nib. You can get a replacement nib from Dick at 'Luxury Brands'.

Edited January 21, 2012 by sparky.88

[Stompie]

Nah, I want the flex, but thanks anyway!

 

Gonna keep trying. I managed to get the feed out but needed a little hammer and a punch it was in so tight!

 

COnstantly tapping to get the ink to flow :bonk:

 

Just gonna have to get Brian to send me more nibs!

 

Hmmmm, wonder how much he charges to actually set the pen up? Do you know if he does that?

[P.A.R.]

Nah, I want the flex, but thanks anyway!

 

Gonna keep trying. I managed to get the feed out but needed a little hammer and a punch it was in so tight!

 

COnstantly tapping to get the ink to flow :bonk:

 

Just gonna have to get Brian to send me more nibs!

 

Hmmmm, wonder how much he charges to actually set the pen up? Do you know if he does that?

Are you aware of the slot cut for the nib? If your feed got stuck in the section that tight you're probably putting it in upside down.

[Stompie]

P.A.R. thanks for that - the tight feed was the pen straight out the box which had not been touched until tonight.

 

Yes I am aware of that slot and when I reassembled, it is still so tight!

 

I have asked Brian if he has replacement nibs - if not I will just buy another pen, they are so cheap!

 

Very disappointong because they feel so good and, I was impressed with the smoothness - compared to my Jackdaw for example.

[Stompie]

Here's what I did with mine:

- disassembled nib / feed from pen

- gently ran a razor blade through all the channels in the feed to free any small, solid debris

- scrubbed feed with a tooth brush / water

- sprayed feed with mild cleaner, scrubbed with toothbrush again to remove oils

- rinsed feed very well with water

- reassembled and inked up

 

I've played with the nib / feed position a little to adjust ink flow. But it's been pretty good the whole time.

 

Oh, one more thing. Don't throw away the pen with damaged nib. You can get a replacement nib from Dick at 'Luxury Brands'.

 

sparky, is there that much oil?

Bear in mind that the one, now with a broken nib, was washed out pretty good, ran a scalpel through the channels and brushed it with a mild detergent.

I took the nib off the one withthe tight feed and stuck it into the first one. Again, it writes for a bit and then stops. If I put it down for a bit then it will write again but then stop again. Most frustrating!!!

[P.A.R.]

It sounds like you've done everything prescribed for the pen itself for fixing flow issues - try using a different ink. Noodler's Black, for example, has worked well in all of my pens but my Parker IM.

[Pickwick]

I've been experimenting with my Ahab fitting it with a vintage dip pen nib. I extended the channel in the feed to the very end, cutting the groove with a craft knife. I now have a true flex nib and the feed delivers the ink very efficiently.

 

I was also having trouble with the piston jamming, and surmised the groove which seats the seal might not be wide enought to allow it fit snugly. So I carefully sliced off a small amount of the seal, and now it does have a snug fit reducing the friction and fills perfectly.

 

I filled my Ahab with R&K Scabiosa and my vintage nib produces two very thin dark lines on the downstroke of a letter with a lighter infill which gives the letter an attractive look.

I've been enjoying the experience with the adaptability of this pen.

 

Kind regards to you all, because you set me on this delightful road!

 

Pickwick

[Stompie]

PICKWICK!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Now you talking!

 

I tried that but the dip pen nibs I have are too narrow, just.

 

Wow, imagine a copperplate nib afixed to an Ahab with constant flow.

 

 

One thing still puzzles me and it is on both pens - I have fixed the bent nib - it has only taken me till now - 04h39!!! but, on both pens, the ink is available at the top of the nib but wont flow down the nib to the point.

[GSteer]

Stompie,

 

One thing I've not seen you mention that fixed my flow issues (same as yours) was that the feed point is not manufactured in alignment with the top channel.

 

I.e. if you line up the feed, eyeballing it from underneath, to align the centre of the nib with the point of the feed then the channel at the top is not in alignment with the middle of the tines.

 

Worth taking a look at the feed out of curiosity to see if yours is the same as mine.

 

Greg.

[Stompie]

Interesting Greg because I have made sure the point of the feed does line up with the point.

 

So you are saying it must not line up? The feed line must be in line, but not the point of the feed?

[Pickwick]

PICKWICK!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Now you talking!

 

I tried that but the dip pen nibs I have are too narrow, just.

 

Wow, imagine a copperplate nib afixed to an Ahab with constant flow.

 

 

One thing still puzzles me and it is on both pens - I have fixed the bent nib - it has only taken me till now - 04h39!!! but, on both pens, the ink is available at the top of the nib but wont flow down the nib to the point.

 

I should have mentioned that I ground the nib shallower to give it a snug fit onto the feed with a Dremel. In order to get the flow to the tip I extended the feed channel right to the tip with a craft knife, that solved my flow problem.

 

I have experimented with dip pen nibs on other of my fountains pens without a lot of success, but the Ahab has been really successful.

 

Pickwick

[Bo Bo Olson]

Thanks for the info. I have an Ahab, that has not got any play time due to too many new inks and too many pens inked.

 

The more one knows, the more one can find one's elbow with both hands.