Noodlers Boston Safety Pen

[eharriett]

It may not be what you want then. A safety pen needs to be opened carefully and closed carefully. It MIGHT be a pain to clean out, and while the nib is not exactly the same as the cheaper, it is close enough you’ll get a similar result. It is long. It is the only pen I can’t post because of length. I’d never hand it to someone to use unless I opened it for them and told them to hand it back to me without trying to cap it.

 

And this is from a guy who loves his!

 

But it is also very forgiving with types of inks. More so than any other pen. It is also forgiving if you accidentally put it down and forget to cap it. It is comfortable to write with, as long as you don’t cap it. You can change the nib, as others have said. It is one of the only pens I will fly with because it was designed to be used in areas where air pressure will change. It has some flex.

 

There’s the pros and cons in a nutshell. If you want a no fuss pen, give this one a pass. However, I find it fun and reliable. Just one of those weird things I look for in my weird hobby.

[SlowRain]

I've read this far through the thread and I'm not deterred. All things considered, this has the potential to be the perfect pen for me. I'm not in search of a pen right now, but I may consider this one down the road. I'm mostly interested in monitoring Noodler's quality control. I live overseas, so any purchases and returns have to factor in international shipping. I'm also interested in monitoring people's experiences with different nibs.

[SoulSamurai]

I didn't know there were blue and demonstrator models. Where do you get them? I don't see them on Noodler's website.

[SlowRain]

Is anyone able to post a picture of a blue one?

[Chaos-incarnate]

I think they were limited release at a pen show recently. I'm hoping they add the demonstrators to their regular lineup.

[inkstainedruth]

I didn't know there were blue and demonstrator models. Where do you get them? I don't see them on Noodler's website.

 

The blue ones were new to this year's Commonwealth Pen Show. It's a pale translucent color. I think there were also clear ones (as opposed to last year's translucent white one).

I considered buying a blue one, but I'm really not that big a fan of demonstrators in general. I also wasn't wild about the brown ebonite one (I have one in black ebonite). If they came out in more ebonite colors, I would consider buying one, even though I don't use mine much (and it's probably in severe need of a good dismantle for a serious clean at this point.

I had hoped to have it be the "new" Kung Te Cheng pen, but that ink didn't really behave any better in it than in any of the Konrads. OTOH, it did well with Noodler's Luck of the Draw (last year's LE ink from the Baltimore-Washington Pen Show). Not really enamored of the color (green black) but the ink behaves well in the pen.

Also going to save my money on the new Triple-Tail pens until they come out in something other than clear plastic (ebonite, maybe? Please please?). I got to try one of the demonstrators at the Commonwealth Show this year, and the nibs do flex a lot more than the standard "flex" nibs on my Konrads and Piston Creapers.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[sciumbasci]

Brown ebonite?

Is it the Chestnut colour?

 

Anyway, I was hoping they'd release a mottled red, just like the historical Moore safety pen.

[eharriett]

Yes, as was said earlier, the clear and the blue were LE's for the Commonwealth show. They're unique, but they do have a couple of limitations the regular safeties don't. For one thing, you don't use the 1774 ink in them. For another, you have to coat the threads in silicone grease. The regular models don't require that.

[inkstainedruth]

Brown ebonite?

Is it the Chestnut colour?

 

Yeah, probably.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[SlowRain]

 

 

...the clear and the blue were LE's for the Commonwealth show.

I just figured out what "LE" means.

 

They're unique, but they do have a couple of limitations the regular safeties don't. For one thing, you don't use the 1774 ink in them. For another, you have to coat the threads in silicone grease. The regular models don't require that.

Any particular reason for this change? Was it intentional or a consequence of some design or materials change?

[Chaos-incarnate]

Are the new triple tails for sale online yet does anyone know?

[eharriett]

Any particular reason for this change? Was it intentional or a consequence of some design or materials change?

 

Yes. The materials are different. Rubber created a more reliable seal. The clear plastic leaks by the threads. Slowly, but it leaks. Silicone grease fixes it, but it is something I have to do each time I ink it up, since I eventually wear it down as you grease it where you grip it. Its an inconvenience. The public would not put up with that on a regular pen (already Noodlers has a reputation among some. Mostly undeserved, as far as Im concerned). But on a special release pen, you put up with things like this when you get it. I did my research and cant complain. The pen is fun and people always ask.

 

 

Are the new triple tails for sale online yet does anyone know?

No. Not yet. But I am hoping soon, and in non demonstrator finishes. Id really like to get several more of them. Theyre a bit wide for my hands, but I like the way they write.

[SlowRain]

Thanks.

[SlowRain]

I'm thinking of using this pen more for writing than its intended purpose of drawing. Do you have to wipe down the nib & threads every time you open and extend it? Does all the wet ink inhibit clean and typical writing use?

[wallylynn]

 

I'm thinking of using this pen more for writing than its intended purpose of drawing. Do you have to wipe down the nib & threads every time you open and extend it?

I have the black ebonite safety pen. My experience is both yes and no. My first pen required wiping the cap thread occassionally. Not every time. There would be a little ink. Then a little more, then a little more, then a wipe. I sent that pen back for replacement because it was leaking from the back of the pen. The replacement pen I do not need to wipe the cap/section thread.

 

Does all the wet ink inhibit clean and typical writing use?

No, it writes just fine. It's wetter than other pens, but it doesn't drip or anything awful. It's also a tinkering pen, so you can also adjust the nib. Widen, narrow the tines. And of course, the ink and paper play a role.

 

If you like clean nibs, this is not the pen for you. The nib is completely covered with ink every time.

[SlowRain]

Thanks. I don't mind the nib being covered in ink, I just don't want to have inky fingers or have ink dripping on my clothes every time I use it.

[WarrenB]

What?

 

I've fit at least a dozen nibs to it, including #1, 2, and 3 vintage nibs. Right now it has a #2 waterman ideal wet noodle in it.

 

Proof

 

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

You had access to the right nibs, then. The 'write' nibs, even. If signing waterproof cheques was my intent, I would've tootled merrily along with the stock nib, in blissful ignorance of the golden age of FP nibs.

 

One other thing about the pen is (was) that the interior sleeve sticks terribly, even when it's not fully extended. It needs a fair wrench to retract it, and a good number of times the rear of the sleeve pops off the threads of the piston. (Or whatever the terminology is) I thought maybe it was the india ink sticking between the sleeve and the barrel, but I'm trying it now when it hasn't been inked for a couple of months, and it's still ridiculously stiff.

I don't know if the sticking and thread problems have something to do with the nature of ebonite. I'm just not that familiar with the stuff. I'll admit the possibility - or probability - that I've done something stupid and cack-handed with it myself, given all the reports from happy Boston Pen owners. But it's been a very unsatisfying experience after a promising start.

 

So in my bumbling journey to find a proper flex drawing fountain pen that'll take pigmented ink (though that bit went for a Burton when I gave in to R&K Sketchink) I'm now eyeing the Triple Tail with interest, but there's a fair bit of once-bitten-twice-shy about dropping another fifty quid on a what-if notion. I wonder if I'd be better off with the old x750 + zebra nib combo. I wonder if I'd've been better off with that before I looked at safety pens.

 

The Boston pen - I'd feel some guilt about selling it on, in this state. Maybe I'll look at it again in a while, see what a smear of silicone grease inside the lip of the barrel might do, perhaps keep it as a regular fountain pen that does a neat trick. I take it that if it doesn't easily fit Creaper nibs, a Creaper feed wouldn't be perfectly compatible either?

[timotheap]

I'm now eyeing the Triple Tail with interest, but there's a fair bit of once-bitten-twice-shy about dropping another fifty quid on a what-if notion. I wonder if I'd be better off with the old x750 + zebra nib combo. I wonder if I'd've been better off with that before I looked at safety pens.

 

 

Hi Warren B - I don't know what your needs are but I should get a Triple Tail in the mail some time next week. I'll try to review it once I've had time to play with it and keep in mind you want to use it for drawing. (Now I'm really hoping it will work fine...!!)

 

Timo

[wallylynn]

The piston of my safety was also very tight. I took some sandpaper and spun the piston around a dozen times, just to make it a hair thinner. Just the fattest part that holds the nib+feed. That was enough for mine to move smoothly.

 

I don't think there's any modification you can do for the sleeve. Maybe some loctite threadlock "adhesive".

 

For the record, I had to return my first safety pen. I'm happy with my replacement.

[Honeybadgers]

You had access to the right nibs, then. The 'write' nibs, even. If signing waterproof cheques was my intent, I would've tootled merrily along with the stock nib, in blissful ignorance of the golden age of FP nibs.

 

One other thing about the pen is (was) that the interior sleeve sticks terribly, even when it's not fully extended. It needs a fair wrench to retract it, and a good number of times the rear of the sleeve pops off the threads of the piston. (Or whatever the terminology is) I thought maybe it was the india ink sticking between the sleeve and the barrel, but I'm trying it now when it hasn't been inked for a couple of months, and it's still ridiculously stiff.

I don't know if the sticking and thread problems have something to do with the nature of ebonite. I'm just not that familiar with the stuff. I'll admit the possibility - or probability - that I've done something stupid and cack-handed with it myself, given all the reports from happy Boston Pen owners. But it's been a very unsatisfying experience after a promising start.

 

So in my bumbling journey to find a proper flex drawing fountain pen that'll take pigmented ink (though that bit went for a Burton when I gave in to R&K Sketchink) I'm now eyeing the Triple Tail with interest, but there's a fair bit of once-bitten-twice-shy about dropping another fifty quid on a what-if notion. I wonder if I'd be better off with the old x750 + zebra nib combo. I wonder if I'd've been better off with that before I looked at safety pens.

 

The Boston pen - I'd feel some guilt about selling it on, in this state. Maybe I'll look at it again in a while, see what a smear of silicone grease inside the lip of the barrel might do, perhaps keep it as a regular fountain pen that does a neat trick. I take it that if it doesn't easily fit Creaper nibs, a Creaper feed wouldn't be perfectly compatible either?

 

Did you lubricate every moving and sliding surface with silicone grease?

 

My safety can be stiff if it sits for a while. If it sits more than 3 or 4 months unused, I'll re-grease it before use