Nib Service Denied Because I Use Noodler's Inks?

[notebookeresq]

Sorry, I thought I was posting the below in the Repair Q & A forum. Continue reading only if you want to read a Repair Q & A issue. I've also duplicated this post there, because I see no way to delete it completely from this forum.)

 

I was recently corresponding with a very well known nibmeister who seemed ready to work on my Diplomat Excellence nib, which actually squeaks when I write and writes very, very dry. That is, he was interested until he found out I used Noodler's ink. From that point on, he wanted nothing to do with the pen. (He wasn't thrilled that I use Private Reserve inks, either, but that didn't seem to be a dealbreaker for him.) Here's what he had to say:

 

[Noodler's inks] destroy sections and even chemically melt plastic in fountain pens. Also Private Reserve is another problem ink, certain colors, which does not destroy pens as much as Noodler's does, but for sure there are flow/drying out issues.

 

I don't get it. Even if he's correct, what has this got to do with adjusting a gold nib, which should be unaffected by any dastardly chemicals in Noodler's ink? I explained that I use a variety of inks, of which PR and Noodler's are only two. I was very clear that these problems (squeakiness and dryness) apply no matter what ink I use (including J Herbin and Diamine). Why not just accept the work and tell me he's going to test it with other inks?

Edited January 20, 2013 by notebookeresq

[Montblanc owner and lover]

i think he don't want to have ink on his fingers

no seriously i suppose he consider that it is criminal to use ink that destroy pen and so you are a criminal and so he don't want to do anything with you(it's a little bit exagerated but i think it's the way he see it)

but a lot of inks can destroy pens!even MB's ink.My pen dealer always say me to be careful and clean the pen once a week when i'm using my MB irish green.Apparently it's true that some inks can dammage the pen.I wasn't knowing that it was the case for Noodler's(i don't use them,they don't sell them where i live)

[bitterwonder]

Spend your money with someone who appreciates your business.

[tonybelding]

He's a crank. I suggest sending your pen to one of the many other nibmeisters who have no axe to grind against Noodler's ink.

[jar]

I don't see any problems. If he feels that way then he is only reasonable to avoid working on pens that have been used with Noodler's ink. In fact I applaud the person for being honest with you.

[i.like.whiskey]

[removed]

 

A perhaps modest suggestion: Give the pen to someone else.

Edited January 20, 2013 by i.like.whiskey

[akustyk]

I don't see any problems. If he feels that way then he is only reasonable to avoid working on pens that have been used with Noodler's ink. In fact I applaud the person for being honest with you.

Very well said! I agree, and I think that if the OP trusts the nib meister's expertise enough to contact him in the first place, I think it would make sense to take what he has to say seriously. Unlike us, amateurs, these people see hundreds or thousands of pens with all kinds of damage. The Noodler's ink issue must be prevalent enough, at least for that one repairman to have registered as a problem.

[watch_art]

What if the nibmeister doesn't like Noodler's ink b/c he has a personal issue with Mr. Tardiff?

 

(also - I fixed the threads)

Edited January 20, 2013 by watch_art

[WillSW]

What if the nibmeister doesn't like Noodler's ink b/c he has a personal issue with Mr. Tardiff?

 

(also - I fixed the threads)

 

This seems like a very leading question. And while my gossip interest is piqued I can't imagine it resulting in many constructive comments.

 

People who refuse to work on pens having touched Noodler's (or similar inks) do seem annoying, but it is their right, and while most people who use those inks love and have no problems with them (myself included) there have been documented cases of unpleasantness (never will we forget the yellow Safari). There are plenty of others who will fix your Noodley pen, or who you can forget to tell about your ink preferences.

[watch_art]

Good point - sorry.

[FarmBoy]

What if the nibmeister doesn't like Noodler's ink b/c he has a personal issue with Mr. Tardiff?

 

(also - I fixed the threads)

Doubtful.

 

Pretend you fix a lot of pens and on occasion you get a few that can not be repaired. Lets say you attempt to repar one of these pens with full disclosure in advance and are told to proceed. You also explain that the newt extract that has been used to clean the pen is likely at fault. You later return the unrepairable pen to the owner indicating that because it was cleaned with newt extract it was beyond repair. A series of unpleasant emails are exchanged and after the owner of the pen is still unsatisfied a thread is started on a well read forum. You make a futile attempt to explain to the other repair experts that read the forum the issue found with the pen but in general are ignored by the readership. Because you repair a lot of pens and have seen other instances of damage to pens caused by cleaning with newt extract, you post a warning on your web page. This action also riles the expert readership of the forum and a new thread is started about the virtues of newt extract with references to the warning you pasted.

 

Since it is your business, would you decide to pass on repair work involving pens cleaned with newt extract?

 

I don't have a strong opinion on ink brands, some do. I do not like newt extract.

[watch_art]

Newt extract.

Good point - taken.

Thanks.

[Susan3141]

I had a well-known nibmeister refuse to work on a couple of nibs I wanted reground because he only works in 1mm increments. We went back and forth in emails as I tried to decide the best width. Finally, I said I wanted one of them ground to a .5 or something (I forgot his 1mm increment rule).. He immediately told me to find a different nibmeister and even after I told him I didn't care if it was 1 or .5 he stopped responding to my emails.

 

Nibadonna?

[pajaro]

I had a well-known nibmeister refuse to work on a couple of nibs I wanted reground because he only works in 1mm increments. We went back and forth in emails as I tried to decide the best width. Finally, I said I wanted one of them ground to a .5 or something (I forgot his 1mm increment rule).. He immediately told me to find a different nibmeister and even after I told him I didn't care if it was 1 or .5 he stopped responding to my emails.

 

Nibadonna?

The emails might have consumed a good bit of time and time is money. Even though you were not trying to waste his time, he might have had a feeling of futility about the transaction. There's always the other side of the hill, and we can't always see where someone else is coming from.

 

I had lots of wonderful and enlightening experiences providing computer services.

[mhosea]

I don't get it. Even if he's correct, what has this got to do with adjusting a gold nib, which should be unaffected by any dastardly chemicals in Noodler's ink?

 

I don't intend to defend his premise, but this might make sense from his point of view. A nibmeister may want to know what inks you use so that they can adjust a nib for proper flow with those particular inks in mind. The right flow for Pelikan Blue (a very dry ink) would not be the right flow for Montblanc Royal Blue (a very wet ink), for example. Given his belief, it makes sense for this nibmeister to eschew Noodler's inks, so he will not have much insight into how to adjust your pen for the proper flow with them. Also, he may feel that your pen may already have or will have problems with the feed that he doesn't want to be involved in.

[Koyote]

I had a well-known nibmeister refuse to work on a couple of nibs I wanted reground because he only works in 1mm increments. We went back and forth in emails as I tried to decide the best width. Finally, I said I wanted one of them ground to a .5 or something (I forgot his 1mm increment rule).. He immediately told me to find a different nibmeister and even after I told him I didn't care if it was 1 or .5 he stopped responding to my emails.

 

Nibadonna?

 

I'm guessing you meant to write ".1mm increments"? After all, a 1mm increment on a fountain pen nib is huuuge!

 

At any rate, perhaps this nibmeister prefers to work with people who know what they want. That's not a dig at you, as I think there are nibmeisters who are happy to discuss and offer advice - but perhaps this was not one of them.

[Susan3141]

@pajaro Three, maybe four emails were exchanged.

 

@koyote Yes, I meant .1mm.

 

Guess he didn't need the business, and I found someone who would do the work. But I don't think rudeness is ever warranted.

[MusinkMan]

@pajaro Three, maybe four emails were exchanged.

 

@koyote Yes, I meant .1mm.

 

Guess he didn't need the business, and I found someone who would do the work. But I don't think rudeness is ever warranted.

 

I agree with that. No need to get rude or snobby about anything, especially to a paying customer. An email that says, "I'm super busy at the moment, but will email you in a few..." What's wrong with that, ya know?

 

I don't know who the nibmeister was, but maybe you should name him. Might be a good thing for us all to know...I wouldn't want to deal with anyone like that. Whomever it is, I assure you "he ain't the only game in town". :ltcapd:

[FarmBoy]

Isn't 0.5 an increment 0.1?

 

We often seem to only get one side of the story and make sweeping judgements.

 

Is there more to the story?

[sxu]

I had a well-known nibmeister refuse to work on a couple of nibs I wanted reground because he only works in 1mm increments. We went back and forth in emails as I tried to decide the best width. Finally, I said I wanted one of them ground to a .5 or something (I forgot his 1mm increment rule).. He immediately told me to find a different nibmeister and even after I told him I didn't care if it was 1 or .5 he stopped responding to my emails.

 

Nibadonna?

 

If you meant the nibmeister only works with 0.1mm increment, and you wanted the nib to be grounded to increments of 0.05mm (which is just 50 micrometers, typical length of a human cell), I can understand why the nibmeister backed out as different ink/paper combinations could easily give variance in line width on that scale. But if he did back out for this reason, he should have explained it to you.

Edited January 20, 2013 by sxu