Goulet #5 Nib On Twsbi Eco

[dkreider]

Hello all, I apologize if this was covered already, I couldn't find anything on the forums.

 

I recently purchased a Goulet #5 1.4 mm stub nib for my Opus 88 Picnic, but first, I figured I would try putting it onto my TWSBI Eco. In short, it works!

 

When looking at the 2 nibs side-by-side, I could see that TWSBI's nib did have a slightly different curvature on the concave side, my first thought was that it wouldn't work, but I have had zero issues with this swap. Nib doesn't wiggle, it hugs the feed nicely, and it flows just as well as always. Also, the nib extends out over the feed just as far as the TWSBI nib (i.e., it's not too far in/out of the section).

 

Goulet's website says that this swap won't work, and in general, they don't recommend trying to remove the nib and feed from an Eco (feed is too fragile). I am posting this because I was surprised that it did work, and I haven't found this info elsewhere online.

Note: My Eco was purchased about 1 year ago, I understand there were some slight design differences with older Eco's, so I can't say if this swap would work on those.

 

So, it is possible to do this swap. Obviously, if you decide to try this, do so at your own risk, there are people on FPN who have broken TWSBI feeds while trying to remove them. In my case, the old nib was damaged and unusable, so I figured I had nothing to lose.

[Fermata]

The feed on the Eco has a recess into which the nib must sit, its ok on the Twsbi nib, might be a problem with other nibs. I agree with Goulet on the fragility and also the sections are too easy to crack. The fact that you can remove a twsbi feed doesnt mean that you should take advantage, you dont have carte blanche,

[TSherbs]

The feed on the Eco has a recess into which the nib must sit, its ok on the Twsbi nib, might be a problem with other nibs. I agree with Goulet on the fragility and also the sections are too easy to crack. The fact that you can remove a twsbi feed doesnt mean that you should take advantage, you dont have carte blanche,

Well, he can do what he wants with his own pen. With a damaged nib beyond repair, I totally would have tried this swap. He does have carte blanche, and in this case, as he notes, virtually nothing to lose.

[Fermata]

Well, he can do what he wants with his own pen. With a damaged nib beyond repair, I totally would have tried this swap. He does have carte blanche, and in this case, as he notes, virtually nothing to lose.

 

 

Yes of course, people can do anything they want with their own pen. I was simply offering my own experience which is that fitting a nib that didnt fit ito the recess in the feed has the potential to crack the section, in addition to the advice from Goulet.

 

So, ignore the cautionary advice.

[dkreider]

 

 

Yes of course, people can do anything they want with their own pen. I was simply offering my own experience which is that fitting a nib that didnt fit ito the recess in the feed has the potential to crack the section, in addition to the advice from Goulet.

 

So, ignore the cautionary advice.

Although I have never cracked a section, I have cracked other parts, but not on modern pens (with the exception of the Platinum Preppy, of course). The ones I broke were my first vintage restorations, so a learning experience. With something like the Eco, I believe the feed would disintegrate before the section had a chance to crack! So it's risky.

 

The feed on the Eco has a recess into which the nib must sit, its ok on the Twsbi nib, might be a problem with other nibs. I agree with Goulet on the fragility and also the sections are too easy to crack. The fact that you can remove a twsbi feed doesnt mean that you should take advantage, you dont have carte blanche,

Most modern feeds do indeed have these recesses, the one on the Eco is relatively minimal, and I cannot discern a difference between the thickness of the metal on the Goulet nib vs the original TWSBI nib (and I doubt there is a difference, since they are both Jowo nibs. I would be more worried about cracking a section if the Goulet nib had a greater curvature, but the opposite is true.

I do appreciate your thoughts, and to be fair, I have broken pens before due to messing around with them. Also, there's a difference between inserting a nib/feed correctly, and just jamming it in there.

 

I would not focus on whether I should modify a pen, but rather, why shouldn't I. Regarding the former, if you had read my post, you would know why I did this: The potential benefits outweighed the risks. We are talking about a TWSBI Eco, not a $4000 Urushi pen, so the reasons why I shouldn't come down to finances etc. No-one is defacing a sacred relic here. For some of us, it's best to never attempt to mod a pen, but I would ask you to recognize that I don't share your pen morals here, and I would need a better reason for leaving the pen in a non-functioning state than a recessed feed. For further reading, google "functional fixedness."

[dkreider]

Well, he can do what he wants with his own pen. With a damaged nib beyond repair, I totally would have tried this swap. He does have carte blanche, and in this case, as he notes, virtually nothing to lose.

Thank you for reading my post!

[Fermata]

Although I have never cracked a section, I have cracked other parts, but not on modern pens (with the exception of the Platinum Preppy, of course). The ones I broke were my first vintage restorations, so a learning experience. With something like the Eco, I believe the feed would disintegrate before the section had a chance to crack! So it's risky.

 

Most modern feeds do indeed have these recesses, the one on the Eco is relatively minimal, and I cannot discern a difference between the thickness of the metal on the Goulet nib vs the original TWSBI nib (and I doubt there is a difference, since they are both Jowo nibs. I would be more worried about cracking a section if the Goulet nib had a greater curvature, but the opposite is true.

I do appreciate your thoughts, and to be fair, I have broken pens before due to messing around with them. Also, there's a difference between inserting a nib/feed correctly, and just jamming it in there.

 

I would not focus on whether I should modify a pen, but rather, why shouldn't I. Regarding the former, if you had read my post, you would know why I did this: The potential benefits outweighed the risks. We are talking about a TWSBI Eco, not a $4000 Urushi pen, so the reasons why I shouldn't come down to finances etc. No-one is defacing a sacred relic here. For some of us, it's best to never attempt to mod a pen, but I would ask you to recognize that I don't share your pen morals here, and I would need a better reason for leaving the pen in a non-functioning state than a recessed feed. For further reading, google "functional fixedness."

 

 

From my own experience, the section cracked after fitting a non twsbi nib. The pen went back to Twsbi and they said that this was the reason for the cracking.

 

There was no damage to the feed.

 

I have been using and fixing pens for many years, I have never cracked a section before.

[Misfit]

I put a Nemosine nib in an Eco. So far it seems ok. Birmingham Pens had TWSBI Eco bundles offering Knox nibs for them.

 

I did find when I tried to remove the nib from a Mini nib and feed unit I bought, the feed was indeed fragile and tines broke. Fortunately I bought it for the nib only.