My Noodler Flex Pen Experience, Also Requesting Help With Konrad

[apkayle]

(Btw, I ordered all three pens from Todd at Isellpens. Each pen arrived on time, well packaged (protective but not too bulky), and with a courteous handwritten thank you note. I highly recommend his services.)

 

The Ahab is the most friendly Noodler's pen, and maybe one of the friendliest pens out there, to service and maintain.

• all Ahab components can be disassembled and reassembled
• nib/feed must enter through a specific part of the section in order to fit

The special fit in the section is especially useful since it's that area where the friction fit creates the best seal against air intake which can cause leaking and ink blobs.

My writing experience with the Ahab has been divine. The nib is rigid enough for daily writing, yet it will flex enough for me to do a little hack calligraphy.

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The Nib Creaper is the second most friendly pen. The only issue I had to worry about was fitting the nib and feed, and both were easy to fit and created decent enough seals to guard against leaking and ink blobs. Of all the pens, this pen *feels* the springiest and easiest to flex.

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The Konrad however...I cannot get this thing to write without burping up ink everywhere. No matter what I tried, I could not get the feed and nib to get a snug enough fit with the section in order to limit excess air intake. Does anyone have tips on how to prevent ink burping and leaking?

 

I contacted Noodler's asking for a replacement feed/nib and noted the lack of a snug fit between the top of the nib and the section.

[apkayle]

 

Here is a video showing exactly what I mean when I say the Konrad leaks. A gentle shake spills drops of ink all over the place, whereas the Ahab hardly spills any ink.

 

I should note that the Nib Creaper, in my experience, doesn't leak either and is a fantastic pen.

[mhphoto]

You might try (re)setting the feed with heat to make sure the seal is as good as it can be. The feed is made from hard rubber, so it can be warmed and molded into position (say, to fit more snugly into pen sections, or to close the gap between the underside of a nib and the upperside of a feed).

[SmoovD]

Another item to look at would be the piston seal. Remove the piston, clean the o-ring and apply some grease. This, along with the feed adjustment, was all it took to remedy my Konrads.

[inkstainedruth]

Hmm. All my Konrads worked pretty well right out of the box, with just flushing with soapy water first. Although I did have problems with the first one (the one I lost last fall) trying to find an ink that wasn't too wet or drippy. Noodler's Black Swan in Australian Roses brought new meaning to the word "bleedthrough" and then the nib railroaded later in the day -- but was somewhat better the next day; Iroshihzuku Asa Gao would write for about a page in my journal and then blurp (and this happened for three pages in succession). But Kung Te Cheng behaved beautifully in it.

You might have a look at drier inks. It's interesting, because a lot of people on here have had more problems with Ahabs (I don't have one of those because I wasn't sure I'd like the size -- the Konrad is perfect for my hand). I also have 2 Flex Piston Creapers, both of which I like very much (but of course don't hold as much ink on a fill as the larger Konrads do).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[apkayle]

It's strictly due to the gap between the nib and section. I tried four different inks and they all leaked like crazy.

 

Applying grease to the o ring might help.

 

I tried heat setting the feed, only to find that I accidentally expanded the feed. I'll attempt fixing this later. I really want to make sure the Konrad works because the filling system and aesthetics are too wonderful to give up.

[Runnin_Ute]

Mine worked terrifically right out of the box. I took it apart flushed it good and rarely had an issue. (if not used in a day or two it may take a doodle or two to start) I did find that it seemed to start easier if I didn't have the blind cap screwed on tight,but about a half turn or so backed off. Balancing pressure maybe? I'm considering one of the Goulet #6 nibs for it. Don't ever recall it burping.

[Cyclopentadiene]

The Konrad however...I cannot get this thing to write without burping up ink everywhere. No matter what I tried, I could not get the feed and nib to get a snug enough fit with the section in order to limit excess air intake. Does anyone have tips on how to prevent ink burping and leaking?

 

 

I've had the same issue today so my thanks for bringing this up. I placed my particular konrad nib down and got a nasty surprise when there was x-feather everywhere later! Can't point mine nib down for more than a second or its like a stream. Tried a few nib/feed placements but that's not sorting it.

 

I'll try heat setting the feed as mhphoto suggested and also apply some silicon grease like smoovD said.

 

Thanks all

[Rrobert Hess]

Mine worked terrifically right out of the box. I took it apart flushed it good and rarely had an issue. (if not used in a day or two it may take a doodle or two to start) I did find that it seemed to start easier if I didn't have the blind cap screwed on tight,but about a half turn or so backed off. Balancing pressure maybe? I'm considering one of the Goulet #6 nibs for it. Don't ever recall it burping.

I have a Goulet #6 nib on my Ahab. I'm very pleased with it. I have two more on order.

[terminal]

 

I've had the same issue today so my thanks for bringing this up. I placed my particular konrad nib down and got a nasty surprise when there was x-feather everywhere later! Can't point mine nib down for more than a second or its like a stream. Tried a few nib/feed placements but that's not sorting it.

 

I'll try heat setting the feed as mhphoto suggested and also apply some silicon grease like smoovD said.

 

Thanks all

I also had the same issue with my Konrad. When they came out a lot of folks had problems with them. I messed with mine for weeks and never could get it to work.

[Cyclopentadiene]

I have a Goulet #6 nib on my Ahab. I'm very pleased with it. I have two more on order.

 

I've currently got on order a vintage gold nib of similar size in the hopes that It'll fit better. We shall see, will do a comparison and a review when the new nib arrives next week.

 

I also had the same issue with my Konrad. When they came out a lot of folks had problems with them. I messed with mine for weeks and never could get it to work.

 

"Never"... That doesn't sound promising!

Edited June 21, 2013 by Cyclopentadiene

[apkayle]

I'll attempt heat setting one more time later this week. It'll be a shame if I never get to actually use the Konrad, it truly is a beautiful pen. Actually, the Konrad is my ideal pen.

 

It's cheap, thick but not too thick, light, good nib size, piston filler...etc.

 

Also, a working Konrad would help me round out my family of Noodler pens. : /