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"flexest" Nib? (Beginner Needs Help)


duckegg

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Hello everyone,

 

 

I'm a beginner to fountain pens but I love them and have always used them, even if just cheap supermarket ones.

 

 

I recently purchased a Conklin Duragraph fountain pen with an Omniflex nib. After a few hours trying to work it out, I've found the nib wasn't the best, or maybe it doesn't fit my tastes. The ink often doesn't flow properly and it's quite an issue.

 

Maybe I'm doing something wrong? However after looking it up it seems other people are saying this kind nib isn't the best so I'm not sure at all.

 

 

So my question is, can the Conklin Duragraph nib be replaced by another flex nib of other brands? If so, which ones would be the "softest" and "easiest to make big lines with"? Or is the nib "stuck" to the pen?

 

 

I'm very new to this so I have no idea how all of this works, and can't find the proper vocabulary to express my issue so I apologise in advance for this strange post.

 

 

Thank you

 

 

 

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Yes. The Omniflex is somewhat notorious for not being, how shall we say, not actually so flexy.

Yes. One can change the nib.

If you want "softest and easiest to make big lines with" you can have that too. Starting at €165 for a semi-flex, 14k gold nib, hand made by Pablo at FPnibs. Fabulous!

For less the FPR Ultra Flex might be a more reasonable place to start. Won't be as soft or flexy. I don't have one but they get good reviews here on FPN.

 

Good Luck!

Add lightness and simplicate.

 

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There's also the Desiderata Daedalus, which uses a flex dip nib (and hence it must be replaced often) starting at ~60EUR

 

26670516682_68a5cbaa71_b.jpg

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I’ve done this the hard way, since my fancy runs to small-scale vintage pens: I’ve collected old gold dip nibs and dropped them into my pens. A great flex experience for only about twice the money of a new pen.

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Thank you so much for all your great replies!

 

 

I'm ready to get an Ultra Flex nib from FPR, but one last question: do you have a non US-based (I'm from Europe) Amazon link or a website that wouldn't charge high prices for shipping each time? If not that is fine, just wondering in case someone happens to.

 

 

Thanks again to everyone for helping out :)

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can it be replaced with a proper flex nib? yes. Is it cheap? no.

 

Your cheapest option for that pen would be a ~$65 bock titanium extra fine nib. it's a little flexy.

 

your flexiest option is a custom flex XXF 14k JoWo nib from FPnibs.com. About $250, but with an XXF/XXXF grind, full flex and a keyhole breather, it'll flex more than any vintage pen (and more than any dip nib I know of for that matter, but it's got less snapback)

 

I don't know if the FPR ultra flex nib will fit. Those indian flex nibs are definitely good, but they have broad shoulders and often don't fit many #6 pens.

 

If all you want to do is play with flex and don't need an everyday pen (the more flexible, the less good a pen tends to be for everyday use) then get a noodlers ahab. the flex nib in it is great, the pen is only $20, and you can get it in europe without paying the FPR shipping costs. And once you REALLY want more flex, just buy a $10 pack of zebra G dip nibs and flatten them with pliers so they can go into the ahab.

 

Honestly, don't mess with flex until you're really into this hobby and ready to drop some dime. The cheap pens require so much fiddling and knowhow that they're not worth it for newbies. I like my noodlers pens, but I don't think they're for beginners.

Edited by Honeybadgers

Selling a boatload of restored, fairly rare, vintage Japanese gold nib pens, click here to see (more added as I finish restoring them)

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Thank you so much for all your great replies!

 

 

I'm ready to get an Ultra Flex nib from FPR, but one last question: do you have a non US-based (I'm from Europe) Amazon link or a website that wouldn't charge high prices for shipping each time? If not that is fine, just wondering in case someone happens to.

 

 

Thanks again to everyone for helping out :)

 

La Couronne du Compte in the Netherlands does carry FPR. And though I don't see the Ultra Flex offered you may want to ask if they could obtain it for you as I have always found them to be very accommodating and helpful.

 

https://www.lacouronneducomte.nl/

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And though I don't see the Ultra Flex offered you may want to ask if they could obtain it for you as I have always found them to be very accommodating.

 

Without the Ultra-flex, this is just another disappointing modern flex pen. (among many)

I've got a whole coffee can full of them.

 

Check out KWZ ink.

They are made in Poland and my favorite for flex.

Green #3, Red #3, Turquoise & Gummiberry (all iron gall)

 

The Desiderata / Zebra-G is an excellent hybrid pen but I wouldn't recommend it for a beginner.

You'll probably end up throwing it at the wall.

Edited by Nail-Bender
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You can also do the Ahab Mod....cut half moons in the nib***....turning it from a hard semi-flex 'flex' pen, to a fun first stage superflex; Easy Full Flex.

 

***A Swiss round file don't cost the world, or you might know someone with a Dremil.

 

The Ahab is a good pen to learn about feeds.....there are many possibilities to increase ink flow; that also works as a teaching tool......should you go a step too far....replacements parts are cheap....and the Originator the inventor of Noodler Inks, Nathan (forgot his last name) wanted you to fiddle around with feed and nib to learn about fountain pen.

 

You can find very many older threads of how to modify one's Ahab. Cutting the feed channel deeper making better flow, cutting off combs/rills on the feed so it buffered less, so was faster.

 

Mine worked just fine...even better after the nib Mod....but should I ever want more flow....I know where to go to find out how.

And the feed is sawn out of ebonite so is great for ink flow..........all the old vintage pens were so made....but pressed plastic is lots cheaper.

Lamy had to resort to bathing the pressed plastic feeds in chemicals to reach the old roughness of ink holding Ebonite.

Edited by Bo Bo Olson

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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These were considered from firm to flexible, everyday kinds of dip pens back in the day. You could buy a lot of each for what you'd pay for one vintage flex fountain pen.

 

 

fpn_1545338972__2018_12_20_example_of_wr

 

fpn_1537035201__esterbrook_717.jpg

 

 

fpn_1537034657__turner_harrison_70.jpg

 

“When the historians of education do equal and exact justice to all who have contributed toward educational progress, they will devote several pages to those revolutionists who invented steel pens and blackboards.” V.T. Thayer, 1928

Check out my Steel Pen Blog

"No one is exempt from talking nonsense; the mistake is to do it solemnly."

-Montaigne

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Andrew, like your Rockefeller cork pen holder. :thumbup:

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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Without the Ultra-flex, this is just another disappointing modern flex pen. (among many)

I've got a whole coffee can full of them.

 

Check out KWZ ink.

They are made in Poland and my favorite for flex.

Green #3, Red #3, Turquoise & Gummiberry (all iron gall)

 

The Desiderata / Zebra-G is an excellent hybrid pen but I wouldn't recommend it for a beginner.

You'll probably end up throwing it at the wall.

 

 

Thank you! Does that mean if I ordered these nibs they would fit on my fountain pen?

 

 

 

Thanks again to everyone for your kind replies, I've looked into each one of them.

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yes, they will fit. you need to just take some pliers and squeeze the base of those nibs a hair.

 

They're also spring steel and will wear out quickly. they tend to last a couple months.

 

They're not great for everyday use.

 

Save your pennies and get a platinum 3776 soft fine or pilot custom 74 soft fine

Selling a boatload of restored, fairly rare, vintage Japanese gold nib pens, click here to see (more added as I finish restoring them)

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If you want to create gorgeous artistic letters like the examples above, then you can do that with a dip nib or an Ahab cheaply enough - it's an art more dependent on the skill of the artist than the tool.

 

But if you just want to try a flex pen for fun, and be rewarded with those fascinating random line variations and highlights, then you need to go vintage. Flex was very common with vintage pens and it wasn't because everyone was doing fancy lettering: they just wanted their handwriting to look interesting. Although you can get flex nibs today and write beautifully with them, you don't get that effortless line variation and smooth transitions that the best gold flex nibs of the past delivered. It's just different and so much better.

 

I bet there are some for sale in the Classifieds right now for $100. And yeah, they can be fussy and need work, but then so can your brand new Ahab. And vintage flex pens hold their value.

 

Vintage gold flex doesn't make your writing any better or more artistic than modern steel flex. It just feels better, and it's easier.

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...

 

Vintage gold flex doesn't make your writing any better or more artistic than modern steel flex. It just feels better, and it's easier.

 

Writing with a flexible pen is a skill, and it's difficult to learn to control. It takes practice. That's why school kids in bygone days began by learning on stiffer nibs, and only after learning the control were allowed to move on to more flexible, softer, pens.

 

A problem these days is people are trying to jump right into so-called "wet noodles" or even just normal flexible pens, without any training or experience. This often leads to frustration and/or ruining a vintage nib from over-flexing. You're adding an additional element of skill, adding and removing pressure to the nib, to your writing.

 

This is why I'm an advocate for learning on dip pens, which are cheaper and come in firmer styles. It's almost impossible to over-flex a typical steel dip pen. And even if you drop it and bend it, or leave it covered in ink and it rusts, that's at most a buck or two (retail) rather than a $100+ vintage fountain pen, or even a $20 cheap "flex" pen.

 

I got into dip pens because I wanted to see if flexible writing was for me, and was too cheap to spend a bunch of money on something I wasn't sure I would like or not. I do, now, have a few "flexible" fountain pens, including a couple of vintage as well as modern. I've discovered I like the dip pens better. That won't be true for everyone. Some prefer the ease and convenience of a flexible fountain pen and are fine with the wider lines and slower spring-back you get from a tipped, gold nib. It's a matter of taste.

 

So, by all means, try out the various options. Try as many as your budget allows. If you have a limited budget, then maybe think about dip pens first and see if you actually like writing like this. If you do, then work your way towards what makes you happy. The more you do it, the better you'll actually know what that is.

 

“When the historians of education do equal and exact justice to all who have contributed toward educational progress, they will devote several pages to those revolutionists who invented steel pens and blackboards.” V.T. Thayer, 1928

Check out my Steel Pen Blog

"No one is exempt from talking nonsense; the mistake is to do it solemnly."

-Montaigne

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Aaandrew..those are fine advice...and am disagreeing on the cheap idea. some dip pen nibs are really expensive.

 

to the OP...if you really wanted flex nib on a FP..get a zebra G nib ..very durable..maybe with flexiblenibs.com. contact him to see if he can make one nib/feed/section for your Conklin pen.

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Amen!

 

I am SO WARY when newbies ask advice on what is the best flex nib pen to buy and we inundate them with all this choice. The person asking the question did not say what is their level of expertise, but I am making a wild guess here that they aren't Jake Weidmann level and just want advice on fountain pen versions of dip nibs.

 

When I bought my first flex nib, which was a Noodler's nib creeper, I could not use it to save my life for the first year while I tried to improve my handwriting. It was very frustrating and I almost wanted to throw the pen away. It took me a while for my hand to gain the control and finesse needed to write cursive before I could then deploy flex nibs. Now I can use flex pens decently enough to use the Mottishaw mods with decent results. THAT'S fun.

 

If you're thinking that somehow buying a flex pen will magically reprogram your brain, you're in for a nice surprise! As for "fun" of flex nibs, with demonstration of letter 8's over and over again, can someone explain the pleasure in that for me? I don't get it. I really don't.

 

 

 

 

Writing with a flexible pen is a skill, and it's difficult to learn to control. It takes practice. That's why school kids in bygone days began by learning on stiffer nibs, and only after learning the control were allowed to move on to more flexible, softer, pens.

 

A problem these days is people are trying to jump right into so-called "wet noodles" or even just normal flexible pens, without any training or experience. This often leads to frustration and/or ruining a vintage nib from over-flexing. You're adding an additional element of skill, adding and removing pressure to the nib, to your writing.

 

This is why I'm an advocate for learning on dip pens, which are cheaper and come in firmer styles. It's almost impossible to over-flex a typical steel dip pen. And even if you drop it and bend it, or leave it covered in ink and it rusts, that's at most a buck or two (retail) rather than a $100+ vintage fountain pen, or even a $20 cheap "flex" pen.

 

I got into dip pens because I wanted to see if flexible writing was for me, and was too cheap to spend a bunch of money on something I wasn't sure I would like or not. I do, now, have a few "flexible" fountain pens, including a couple of vintage as well as modern. I've discovered I like the dip pens better. That won't be true for everyone. Some prefer the ease and convenience of a flexible fountain pen and are fine with the wider lines and slower spring-back you get from a tipped, gold nib. It's a matter of taste.

 

So, by all means, try out the various options. Try as many as your budget allows. If you have a limited budget, then maybe think about dip pens first and see if you actually like writing like this. If you do, then work your way towards what makes you happy. The more you do it, the better you'll actually know what that is.

Edited by gerigo
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"""A problem these days is people are trying to jump right into so-called "wet noodles" or even just normal flexible pens, without any training or experience. This often leads to frustration and/or ruining a vintage nib from over-flexing. You're adding an additional element of skill, adding and removing pressure to the nib, to your writing."""

 

And agree with the rest.

For years I've advocated what 'noobies' don't want to hear.....work one's way up the flex ladder, instead of jumping into the deep end of the pool without their water wings.

 

(Some run screaming back to nails and never leave.........not even to try semi-flex. :( But they didn't pass through semi-flex on their way to superflex........................Wet Noodle Or Nothing.............. deaf when dip pens are suggested....to see if they want to put the work in to master Spenserian.

 

However they are more from Instant Gratification time them me....by a couple decades.

I too grew up to TV advertisement...but due to lack of money tended to go slower at chasing anything, much less 'flexi'.

 

A decade ago, there was much less 'Flex' desires than now, because of Youtube showing the way.

There was also vaguer terminology then now. 'Flexi' was used by almost all, and that could be semi-flex, low superflex (Easy Full Flex) or even wet noodles.....Some are still so lazy or think they are cool and say 'Flex' pen....some will whop everything into Flex pen...including semi-flex...or in some cases regular flex....in the tines bend and spread. :yikes:

Compared to a nail, a semi-nail is a flex pen. :bunny01:

 

Regular flex has become a rare nib, now made by Pelikan for the 200 & 1000. Could be some Japanese "soft" nibs are regular flex..............could be they are 'semi-nail', which would be soft compared to a nail. (I tend to think 'soft' gold nibs are semi-nail and are being compared to steel nails. I found no soft golden nails.)

 

Getting a definition using western pens for comparison seems to be very rare to Japanese pen lovers. So, I have no idea if Japanese 'soft' is semi-nail or regular flex.

Pelikan 200 is a regular flex...the '82-97 pens are also. There are Esterbrook regular flex nibs to be had. Wearever were often regular flex.

Regular flex was often a main offered flex by pen companies other than Parker, who a nail company after the mid-30's.

 

'Soft' is not semi-flex. There is a Pilot factory modified nib that is raved at as being...."flexible" that a couple of good posters have rated to = Western semi-flex.

The 'flexible' :headsmack: Falcon, is not. Compared to the common nail it does have more flex than a nail. It was rated by some to be a 'Springy' nib, good tine bend but only 2 X tine spread, like a modern MB or the great Lamy Imporium.

 

Some 7-8 years ago, Swan was well known here for a wide spectrum of nib flexes, including 'flexi'.....what ever that was. ................more than semi-flex, but the term superflex was not used much then.

So I spent some six weeks, learning about Swan, deciding not to chase it in the wild. The wild sellers had no idea a nib could or should or did flex. There were two English sellers with great sites, well described, top goods, and the nibs were flex rated. I had also decided the '30's gimmicks Swan used to get around patents, was too complicated to repair at home. The '50-55 Torpedo lever pen, was a uncomplicated pen, with a grand nib.............after '55 Swan went to hell and stopped in @ '60.

 

Just before I bit the bullet and ordered a 'Flexi' Swan, I ran into a solid 'no name' German war pen, with that so called 'flexi' nib. Which in that case was a super flex, first level, Easy Full Flex, with a Degussa nib.

I have a few of those nibs left.....gave some of them away to a few assorted posters, in they were given to me.

 

Superflex is not all 7X nibs as shown on Youtube** ....those are rare....one can get 4 X, 5-6 are much more common. If one has worked one's way up the flex ladder, one has an idea of how much flex a nib can take.

** Lots of sprung nibs....after it was made to do Olympic splits....that is 'now' expected by noobies.

 

Having read Richard Binder's fine article on metal fatigue and recommend it to all..........after the first time or two to see how much flex is in the nib.....flex it less. (And one should have the experience in feel to have an idea how much a nib flexes.)

I do have a couple 7 X superflex pens, and another that is a solid 6X....If I look hard at a certain other pen, it too might be 7X. I don't need it to be 7X...5-6 X works real good.

 

I strive to never take a superflex nib to the max. I have a Pelikan 100n, that is Easy Full Flex, first step of superflex, it will go 5 X.........I strive to never max that nib. 4 X is more than good enough with a pen that is easy to flex. Those that will do 7 X, I try to keep them away from full BBB, BB is good enough coming from a thin line.

I actually sweat when trying to make those 7/6 X pens write the EEF, they can do. I have to think to make it write EF.........so tend to scribble more to an F.

:headsmack: Practice makes it easier to reach, XXF..... :rolleyes: Those who can really write are more interested in the thin line and fast snapback than how fat a nib can be made to go.

So many 'noobie's don't want to hear that....and they want it yesterday.... :wallbash:

 

And don't want to hear about italic calligraphy either. :(..............not that I should talk about that. In either one has to learn to draw the letters.....and :unsure: that takes work...........that :blush: I don't do. But have done just enough to know, you got to do it regularly, not once every 3-4 years...and often in a week, not once a month.

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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