Best Pen To Put A Noodler's Flex Into?

[InkyPoetess]

Hi!

 

I am relatively new to fountain pens and would like to try out a flex pen, without a huge investment. Initially, I added an Ahab to my wishlist, but the reviews make it seem a bit too finicky for my comfort level. Now, I'm considering buying a replacement Noodler's flex nib and putting it into some other pen. (the nibs come in #2 or #6). Are there any pens at $15 or less which would be good to frankenpen into a flex?

 

Thanks!

[Drone]

Hi InkyPoetess, Welcome to the Fountain Pen Network

 

I would not recommend putting a Noodler's semi-flex #6 nib (which means a nib that fits over a 6 millimeter diameter feed) into a modern pen. You will probably end-up being frustrated because the pen will not write properly, especially when flexed. This is because modern pens have plastic feeds, which cannot supply enough ink to the nib to keep up with demand when it when flexed. The results will be that the nib will railroad or skip when it is flexed.

 

To increase ink-flow, the Noodler's Ahab and Konrad pens have feeds that are made out of a hard rubber material called Ebonite. Ebonite feeds tend to attract water-based ink much more than a material like ABS plastic, this increases ink flow. Once upon a time, almost all pens came with ebonite feeds.

 

Rather than try to transplant a flex nib, I suggest you get started by taking a look at the inexpensive pens that come with "Flex" nibs over at Fountain Pen Revolution (FPR). Here's a link to their U.S. Web site:

 

https://fprevolutionusa.com/

 

Most of the FPR pens that come with flex nibs also have ebonite feeds. You can also buy flex nibs and ebonite feeds alone at FPR when it comes time for you to start experimenting. The selection is larger at FPR than you will find from Noodler's.

 

I suggest you send Kevin at FPR an Email and explain that you want to try out a flexible nib that has an ebonite feed, but you don't want to fight with the pen. You just want the pen to work. He will suggest a pen for you. When you order your pen from FPR, send Kevin another Email and remind him to adjust and heat-set the nib so the ink flow is correct before he ships the pen to you. He will do so at no additional charge. That's great service!

 

One more thing, when you eventually start working on your own flex nibs, it is important to know that you need to also heat-set the ebonite nib to the feed. Unless you heat-set the nib to the feed, they may not be in close-enough contact to enhance ink flow by capillary action. There are various ways to heat-set nibs and feeds, but the easiest and safest method is to use hot water. Here's one YouTube video on how to do it (there are others, do a YouTube search):

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rhfXcBoM_Q

 

Good luck & have fun! David

Edited June 2, 2017 by Drone

[Drone]

Here's a YouTube video of some of the FPR flex pens:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdAAtKI3ViU

Edited June 2, 2017 by Drone

[Bo Bo Olson]

What you can learn on a Noodler's feed is how wet to you want it to be. Do you want to deepen the channels or do you want to cut off combs/rills to make it flow faster. Or both....and you can do a little bit of each...while you learn. If you go too far...a new feed is not expensive.

 

Mine worked just fine so I didn't have to learn anything. I did read a lot about what others learned. It was my first 'experience' to what a feed actually did.

Two or three pens later I could see you getting a Ahab or similar....all I know is the Ahab not the others Noodlere pens with similar feeds and nibs.

My Ahab has the 'Ahab Mod, half moons cut into the side of the nib that took if from a hard...semi-flex to an easy super flex............first stage of superflex; Easy Full Flex. That took the pen out of the storage box and in the ink cups for well over a year.

HUMMMM that makes that a faster nib....I should see if I need to make the feed faster.....hummm.

 

Someday it will make it's way back into rotation, but I have over 50 pens that work....and a couple wet noodles, 4-5 Easy Full Flex nibbed pens and lots of German semi-flex stubs of the '50-60s and the obliques of that nib sort.

 

If you were able to find a truly flexible dip pen nib that fits one of the ebonite feed Noodler pens, you will need to know how to increase ink flow...by deeping the channel and or removing buffering.

 

A real flexible dip pen nib like a Hunt 99-100-101 makes a regular fountain pen wet noodle look un-coodked. You need a real fast feed for that to prevent railroading and ebonite is a very good substance because it's ground and not a pressed plastic so has lots of rough area to hold the ink.....(Plastic feeds can be made with the proper acid treatment at the factory like Lamy, as clingy as ebonite)

When you see the '30's and before fast feeds there is little to no visible comb buffering. It looks slick. Buffering was needed with stiffer nibs in they used less ink.

A superflex nib wants a good fast supply of ink.

[ReadyFireAim]

I use a Ahab / Nemosine Singularity and it works well with the stock feed.

 

I don't know why it does because the groove is rather narrow looking.

You can turn it into an eyedropper if you like but that will really make it wet.

 

Try this mod if you want some really flexy action.

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/240492-noodlers-ahab-ease-my-flex-mod/

 

The Singularity takes a size #6 and is $20.

I think you can order it with the Ahab installed for that price...Not sure

 

https://www.birminghampens.com/collections/fountain-pens/nemosine_brandfp+0-00-24-99_pricerange

Edited June 2, 2017 by Bordeaux146

[Mauricio]

For QUALITY flex on a budget, your best alternative is dip nibs and dip nib holders, which will cost you a few dollars. They have proven to be extremely effective flex writing tools for 150+ years.

 

Noodler's nibs are not flexible. They are steel firm nibs with a very long slit to which you have to apply monstrous amount of pressure to spread those firm tines. If you are looking for flex, there are many other better alternatives than Noodlers

[Sasha Royale]

Thank you, Ink Poetess !

 

I have learned much from the answers to your question, as well as the discussion that follows.

This is one of the reasons I value new members and their fresh perspectives.

[InkyPoetess]

Thank you, Ink Poetess !

 

I have learned much from the answers to your question, as well as the discussion that follows.

This is one of the reasons I value new members and their fresh perspectives.

 

Thanks Sasha,

 

Sometimes, I feel like an idiot who is wasting everyone's time when I take up a new hobby, so it's good to know my questions help others, too!

 

 

 

Hi InkyPoetess, Welcome to the Fountain Pen Network

 

I would not recommend putting a Noodler's semi-flex #6 nib (which means a nib that fits over a 6 millimeter diameter feed) into a modern pen. You will probably end-up being frustrated because the pen will not write properly, especially when flexed. This is because modern pens have plastic feeds, which cannot supply enough ink to the nib to keep up with demand when it when flexed. The results will be that the nib will railroad or skip when it is flexed.

 

To increase ink-flow, the Noodler's Ahab and Konrad pens have feeds that are made out of a hard rubber material called Ebonite. Ebonite feeds tend to attract water-based ink much more than a material like ABS plastic, this increases ink flow. Once upon a time, almost all pens came with ebonite feeds.

 

Rather than try to transplant a flex nib, I suggest you get started by taking a look at the inexpensive pens that come with "Flex" nibs over at Fountain Pen Revolution (FPR). Here's a link to their U.S. Web site:

 

https://fprevolutionusa.com/

 

Most of the FPR pens that come with flex nibs also have ebonite feeds. You can also buy flex nibs and ebonite feeds alone at FPR when it comes time for you to start experimenting. The selection is larger at FPR than you will find from Noodler's.

 

Thank you Drone! Based on what you and others have said about Noodler's, I plan of making a FPR my next pen! Though, since starting this thread I wonder if I should wait until I've made an unconscious habit of *not* using ballpoint pressure on my FP-- that's something I'm still working on.

Edited June 7, 2017 by InkyPoetess

[InkyPoetess]

For QUALITY flex on a budget, your best alternative is dip nibs and dip nib holders, which will cost you a few dollars. They have proven to be extremely effective flex writing tools for 150+ years.

 

Noodler's nibs are not flexible. They are steel firm nibs with a very long slit to which you have to apply monstrous amount of pressure to spread those firm tines. If you are looking for flex, there are many other better alternatives than Noodlers

 

Would I use FP ink with a dip pen or some other sort of ink?

[MercianScribe]

While I agree FPR is a good way to go, dip pens are far superior, feeds need to be modified... basically all of the above (!) I've had no problems at all fitting Noodlers 'flex' nibs to Jinhao x750s. Out of five pens I've done it on (pull the feed and nib out, put the new nib on the feed, push back in!) only one had a problem: it turned out the feed didn't fit into the section quite properly. The flow has been fine, and only very occasionally do I get railroading, even at speed.

 

Bo Bo, do you have link for how to do the 'ease-my-flex' mods? EDIT: Never mind... just found them on here!

Edited June 7, 2017 by MercianScribe

[eharriett]

 

Rather than try to transplant a flex nib, I suggest you get started by taking a look at the inexpensive pens that come with "Flex" nibs over at Fountain Pen Revolution (FPR). Here's a link to their U.S. Web site:

 

https://fprevolutionusa.com/

And thank you, Drone, for a new pen recommendation. I had not heard of FPR before and I am glad to find another maker of inexpensive flex pens.

[ac12]

 

 

 

Would I use FP ink with a dip pen or some other sort of ink?

 

I have used all of my fountain pen inks on my dip pens.

So no, you do not HAVE TO use dip pen inks.

But some dip pen inks work much better for different tasks than fountain pen inks.

[Drone]

 

Would I use FP ink with a dip pen or some other sort of ink?

 

As a rule of thumb do not put calligraphy/dip-pen ink (e.g., India Ink, Sumi-e ink, Gall ink, etc.) in a fountain pen. In many cases putting calligraphy ink in a fountain pen will ruin the pen.

 

On the other hand, it is safe to use fountain pen ink with your dip-nibs and nib holders. Just remember to not only clean your dip-nibs after using them, dry them thoroughly as well. Fountain pen ink is water-based and dip-nibs are prone to corrosion and rust.

 

Note however that your typical water-based fountain pen ink is rather thin for use with calligraphy nibs, especially pointed (i.e. flexible) dip-nibs (as opposed to stiff lettering or edged dip-nibs). You can thicken fountain pen ink for use with a calligraphy nib. A common method is to mix-in a thickener solution made up of roughly one part Gum Arabic powder (a.k.a. Acacia Gum) to four parts water. Add the thickener bit-by-bit until the desired thickness is obtained.

 

Use cool-boiled or distilled water in your thickener solution if you intend on keeping the thickened fountain pen ink in a closed bottle for some time. This will help prevent against contamination by mold or fungus, which may grow into a gloppy mess over time. I add a few drops of dilute (4% aq.) Phenol (a.k.a. carbolic acid) solution to every 50ml of thickened fountain pen ink as a biostatic (preservative) agent. You can buy jars or bags of Gum Arabic powder and bottles of dilute Phenol solution at good art-supply dealers.

 

For an overview of common calligraphy inks, see here:

 

https://thepostmansknock.com/a-guide-to-calligraphy-inks/

 

Have Fun, David

Edited June 7, 2017 by Drone

[ColdDeadHand]

Konrad is a lot better than Ahab, I've had both.

 

Definitely get an ebonite feed. I like the flex nibs from FPR a lot better than Noodler's. On the FPR site, check out the Airmail 444, mine does quite well with the flex nib.

[ColdDeadHand]

Konrad is a lot better than Ahab, I've had both.

 

Definitely get an ebonite feed. I like the flex nibs from FPR a lot better than Noodler's. On the FPR site, check out the Airmail 444, mine does quite well with the flex nib.

[inkstainedruth]

+1 one on the Konrads. I like mine a lot (maybe I've been lucky, but all my Noodler's pens have worked without tinkering with them -- well except maybe for one Charlie which I haven't actually tried yet). They just needed to be flushed with soapy water and then rinsed and drained before their first fills.

I have 3 of Flex Piston Creapers, several resin Konrads (I've bought 6 but lost a couple of them), one of the ebonite Konrads, and five Charlie eyedropper pens. I have noticed that the FPC nibs got more flex to them after a lot of use. I had seen mixed reviews of the Ahabs, but as it turned out the Konrads are a better size for me (and it turns out I really love piston fillers...).

Are they super flexy? No. For that matter, neither is the 2048 flexible fine nib on an old Esterbrook J pen I picked up on the Bay of Evil a few months ago. But if I want more flex than the Noodler's pens give me, I've got a vintage Parker Parkette, newly restored and fitted with a lovely 14K music nib harvested from a no-name lever filler that couldn't be repaired.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[SoulSamurai]

So I just tried putting an Ahab nib in a Nemosine Singularity. It was a bit of a tight fit, and the cap doesn't always screw on all the way without some fiddling, but it basically works. The feed mostly keeps up as long as I keep a measured pace. Also, the grip is too far back from my comfort in this configuration (but then I tend to hold pens closer to the nib that some people do).

 

Overall seems alright, probably a good option for a cheap flex-able pen that can take ink cartridges. Which might not be such a good idea if you're planning to use it primarily for flex writing considering how much ink it uses; I used a standard international cartridge style converter, and it's already half empty after writing maybe three A5 pages with flex? But for an everyday use pen that you will flex occasionally, it's probably fine. Luckily the Singularity can be converted into an eyedropper.

[ReadyFireAim]

So I just tried putting an Ahab nib in a Nemosine Singularity. It was a bit of a tight fit, and the cap doesn't always screw on all the way without some fiddling

The tip of the nib on mine is 0.910 inches from the grip shoulder of the Singularity and it has about 1/8" clearance when the cap is screwed on.

I can tell because mine is a clear demonstrator model.

 

The feed will only completely slide into the holder at one location.

If you turn the nib & feed as a unit, it should drop in at some point.

Mine is a tad bit loose so there must be some dimensional variance among these pens.

[SoulSamurai]

As far as I can measure, the tip of mine is just about 26mm from the grip, so 1.02 inches according to Google. Perhaps I'll try to seat it further down after the ink runs out (shouldn't take too long...), but my current plan is to take a bit off the back of the nib with a Dremel tool, and perhaps try the "ease my flex" mod at the same time. Not something I feel I should "have" to do to get a good pen, but I bought the Singularity and the nib as a project to screw around with for fun, so I was expecting this sort of thing.

[ac12]

-1 on the Konrad.

Mine would not stop drooling.

No amount of adjusting could slow down / control the flow of ink.

It now sits unused in a storage box.