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Bought A Flex Pen, It's Cool! A Question Too


Apprenti

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No I didn't cut it. I'll try cleaning it and see what happens. If that fails what next?

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It's not actually as open as it looks in the picture at all. The channels are quite fine and thin.

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In that case you could simply widen some of them (those nearest to the tip) a little with a kitchen knife. - Or go buy some Quink. :)

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It runs ok for the length of the sentence 'it doesn't last anywhere near long' and then it starts to railroad.

 

I don't think I'll go and buy some quink as I've already spent a fair amount on this pen now and I can't really afford to buy more ink only for it to continue to not work. I'll try the channels, then I don't know what I'll do :(

 

Thanks again to everyone for the warm welcome to the site,

Joe

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Also look out for pieces of ebonite blocking the channel. If the surface of the channel is smooth the ink will flow better.

Some kinds of paper may also be a little too smooth to write at (as they don't drag out the ink like a less smooth piece of paper does).

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How would I adjust the tines? There's light showing through them until the tip (where the points touch).

 

I've tried everything:

different nib/feed locations

cut the channels more

three different inks

very thorough soaking and cleaning

 

I don't know what to do anymore, I'm just about ready to give up on this cheap pen. I'm so disappointed, I've spent £20 on the pen altogether (about $30) and whilst that may not seem like a lot to most of you, it is to me. I guess entering into the world of fountain pens is going to have to wait.

 

Thank you to everyone for making me feel welcome here.

 

Yours,

Joe

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Hi Joe,

I don't think that the tine alignment is your problem.

I can take a closer look at your problem later today, currently I'm busy.

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Questions:

 

Can you post a picture of the modifications to the feed you did today?

 

Please take a look at the bottom side of your nib from the front (when it is mounted).

Do you see a gap between the nib and the feed?

There should be no gap at all, if you can put a sheet of paper between the nib and the feed it's already too much.

Maybe you can also post a picture of it (from the front, feed and nib, to see the gap)

 

When you look from the side to your nib, does it look straight or are the tines slightly bended to the top (can happen if you push too hard when flexing the pen) .... Which would also result In a gap between nib and feed.

A nib picture from the side would also be helpful.

 

Depending on what we will see we have several options, e.g. Modify the feed further, heat set the feed, straighten the nib,....

If I would have to guess I would say we might have to heat set your feed.

 

If this all look fine, your problem also might be resolved by itself if you wait some time (up to about 24 hours). When you change the ink and you clean the ebonite feed sometimes it take a while until the ink is (hmmm difficult to explain) flowing well again, I guess it has something to do with covering and penetrating the ebonite by the ink but I have no reasonable explanation.

But sometimes it simply helps when you store the pen nib down for a day.

 

Don't give up, I'm sure we can make your pen work again (despite that Noodler's pen performance is always depending on the ink and some inks perform better then others, and railroading is always an issue, but it should work at least unflexed).

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The nib's straight and the feed fits perfectly. My dad just cut the first 2 or three channels a little cleaner and deeper. It's also been flushed out several times very thoroughly. :(

 

I'll leave it tonight and try it tomorrow. I suppose, if nothing else, the pen has introduced me to something I very much enjoy that I wouldn't otherwise have started.

 

Sorry to be such a downer,

Joe

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You are no downer. :)

You are highly welcome.

 

You started with a pen which can be a ....... Let us say a difficult one.

 

As I wrote earlier.

They can be a lot of fun, but they also can spoil all your fun using FPs

I use FPs more than 30 years but I almost thrown my Ahab several times into the bin until I got it working.

 

If it does not work tomorrow please let us know and post a close up of the feed mod.

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If you want to try a few dip pen flex nibs try this uk site. You can buy individual new nibs for around 80p each along with a slip on resevoir to save constant dipping. I've bought from here before and they are allways helpful.

 

http://www.dippennibs.co.uk/products.php?cat=Copperplate+Nibs

 

Try a gillott 170 or 290 nib and see the flex :)

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I'm sorry to hear that the problem still persists.

As I understand you, it does not skip any more (when it's not forced to flex) but railroads when fully flexed?

 

I have heard people (who also had no Quink or Herbin at hand) say that adding a few drops of an ammonia solution to the ink makes it run more easily. But that does not necessarily cure the railroading...

 

When I come to think of it, I believe that I had to push the converter on my Aham down a milimeter once in a while the first couple of days before it stopped railroading. :huh:

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