Increasing Ink Flow With Brass Shim: How Do You Do?

[Vintagepens]

After reading my messages both here and abroad, we are clearly wrong about shims.

 

Yes, it is now clear that the tool below is the proper one for opening up splits. Er, slits.

http://images.lowes.com/product/converted/755625/755625019981lg.jpg

[OcalaFlGuy]

David, maybe you could produce a special FPN Commemorative Edition in Brass...

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

[BMG]

FWIW I have had success using a bit of 35mm film as one would a brass shim. I discovered this by accident when I needed to remove a bit of paper towel that had got caught between the tines when I dried the nib. I ran the film from the breather hole to the tip and even -- hold your breath -- slipped it between the nib and the feed. The bit of paper towel was dislodged, and I learned how wonderful a wet nib can be! I have since done this on another pen or two with the same results. I go easy and am not trying for radical difference, just a wetter nib.

[OcalaFlGuy]

There is a difference between using film or shim to floss the slit and Trying to use it to Force the slit wider. Only the former is recommended.

 

Also recommended is that you rinse the photo film in bleach first to take off the film emulsion, as it can clog the slit.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

[BMG]

Thanks for the tip, OcalaFlGuy.

 

I just ran the film down the slit a couple of times, I wasn't trying to force the tines apart.

 

And this was a bit of clear leader from the end of a developed roll, so no emulsion was present.

 

(Good to know, though.)

 

[TimGirdler]

I use an X-acto knife. It isn't for the uninitiated of faint-of-heart. Richard taught me how to do it (and, by the way, I didn't bother to ask why he didn't use brass shims, so I can't help with that info...sorry). I have a specific X-acto knife that I use for nib work. I blunt my blade and the corners on top of the blade with sandpaper. You can still do major damage to a nib if you don't know what you're doing, but the blunting helps.

 

 

 

According to my late grand father, only stupid people never change their mind. So I gave the nib wing method a shot today.

 

I have to say that it work well, fairly quick as well. However I feel that I have less control compared to the bras shim method (by twisting it between the tine), maybe simply because I have less experience...

As I was expecting, the slit is more opened but the nib tips are like this as well: (/ \). How do you guys bring them back to something like this: (||) ? pushing inward to the wing so they are parallel to each other but not too much to not close the gap between the tine you've juste made?

 

By the way, did Richard Binder gave a reason why he moved away from using brass shim? slit damage, crak on nib or something else?

 

When I have a nib that has tines where the slit is not parallel at the tip (like: (/\) or (\/) , the inverse grand canyon and the grand canyon nibs, respectively) I use a specially modified pair of flat-nosed pliers to turn the tips of the tines to make the slit at the tip parallel. Again, this isn't something for the uninitiated or the faint-of-heart. It's VERY easy to take the tip of the tine off.

 

You can try to squeeze the shoulders of the nib together. The effect of this is that the nib, if it's in the section and on the feed when you try this) will stay round, but will, perhaps narrow the inverse grand canyon between the tines. It isn't fool proof. But, it is likely worth trying before you go at the nib with a pair of flat-nosed pliers.

 

Blessings,

 

Tim

[grainweevil]

 

Yes, it is now clear that the tool below is the proper one for opening up splits. Er, slits.

http://images.lowes.com/product/converted/755625/755625019981lg.jpg

 

Pish. Have you no ambition? Anything less than this is just pussy footing about:

 

It's gold! (Paint) It must be superior.

 

Being a cautious soul though, I picked up a suggestion to use the metallic strip found inside security tags such as you get on DVDs and such. Seems to work very well, and doesn't seem inclined to do any damage. I would welcome suitably applied ridicule if I'm deluding myself in this respect though. Well, actually I'd welcome gently worded advice along the lines of "I wouldn't do that if I was you" but if ridicule's all ya got...

 

Cheers, Al

[FarmBoy]

Pish. Have you no ambition? Anything less than this is just pussy footing about:

 

It's gold! (Paint) It must be superior.

 

Being a cautious soul though, I picked up a suggestion to use the metallic strip found inside security tags such as you get on DVDs and such. Seems to work very well, and doesn't seem inclined to do any damage. I would welcome suitably applied ridicule if I'm deluding myself in this respect though. Well, actually I'd welcome gently worded advice along the lines of "I wouldn't do that if I was you" but if ridicule's all ya got...

 

Cheers, Al

Seems only a few of us are not practicing the technique. You may as well go for it.

 

On your device, does it come with sanding paper or pre smoothed edges?

[grainweevil]

On your device, does it come with sanding paper or pre smoothed edges?

 

It believe it comes with advice on use with a sledgehammer, so smoothness is likely not an issue.

 

I should clarify; I've used the metallic strip for flossing, not bending tines hither and yon.

 

Cheers, Al

[WirsPlm]

I've found the wing tip method to be completely ineffective for some nibs so I do use a brass shim because frankly the other way doesn't work on the nibs I've tried it on (Sheaffer NoNonsense is the latest, the nib has other issues but the squeaky dryness was the biggest one), I think the key with any method of changing a nib is to go slowly and very carefully, if you're using a brass shim and paying attention it would be very hard to crack a nib but people always want to rush things more than we should.

[BMG]

I'd love to learn the basics of nib optimization and wish there were a workshop for such in my area. I've hinted as much to J. Mottishaw, but believe he's simply too busy to want to do something like this.

 

I suppose it's something learned on one's own using one's own pens, as some of us are doing. I've got a couple of books and have read them, but wouldn't mind some hands on learning.

[FarmBoy]

I'd love to learn the basics of nib optimization and wish there were a workshop for such in my area. I've hinted as much to J. Mottishaw, but believe he's simply too busy to want to do something like this.

 

I suppose it's something learned on one's own using one's own pens, as some of us are doing. I've got a couple of books and have read them, but wouldn't mind some hands on learning.

A pseudo workshop happens regularrly at Peter's Cafe in Millbrae.

[BMG]

A pseudo workshop happens regularrly at Peter's Cafe in Millbrae.

 

I'm down in L.A. I've seen the many posts about your NorCal pen posses and am definitely impressed. One day I may try to make one, if you allow foreign visitors.

 

 

EDIT: Just thought I should add that by "foreign visitors" I meant someone from SoCal, like myself...

Edited April 8, 2014 by BMG

[kestrel]

Forcing the slit wider by jamming a piece of metal into it is also a great way to crack a nib from the vent hole.

Or snap off the tip of one of the tines. Greg Minuskin can salvage those mistakes but it isn't inexpensive.

 

Don't ask me how I know that.

[vossad01]

I was in this situation about a month ago with a Kaigelu that wrote a nice wet line with slight pressure but did not write well otherwise. I could not figure out the method of running the 0.002 brass shim down the slit would increase the flow because it seemed to me the tines always returned to their original position when the shim was removed. I ended up using the Twsbi method at the time, but I am glad to see this thread.

 

Let me see if I got this all right

 

Twsbi Method:

 

Lahlahlaw Method:

<image removed because depiction was incorrect, see post below for corrected image>

 

"New" Binder Method:

 

The "New" Binder method is considered the recommended method (for pen safety reasons) and is described by Richard Binder in this post and by FarmBoy earlier in this thread. Edit: I also notice it is described on nibs.com (with a better picture), very near the bottom of the page in the section for point #5.

 

Did I capture and understand this all correctly?

Edited April 19, 2014 by vossad01

[GG917]

I currently use both the "new Binder" and Lahlahlaw methods to increase ink flow, as pictured above. For the brass shim method, I twist the shim (0.002 or 0.003) in the vertical axis, not horizontal: like if you were using a screwdriver on a wall, not on the floor!

[vossad01]

I currently use both the "new Binder" and Lahlahlaw methods to increase ink flow, as pictured above. For the brass shim method, I twist the shim (0.002 or 0.003) in the vertical axis, not horizontal: like if you were using a screwdriver on a wall, not on the floor!

 

I am not sure if you are saying I depicted it incorrectly or if you are restating for further clarity. I took the pictures because I wasn't sue I was understanding this all correctly from reading about it, so am not sure myself. I tried to depict the axis of rotation as the axis perpendicular the axis defined by the line of the slit. Is this consistent with your vertical?

 

To me the pen as depicted in the picture lays flat along the horizontal axis, so the perpendicular axis I described would be the vertical axis. However, holding a screwdriver parallel to the vertical axis and rotating along that axis would have the tip of the screwdriver pointed down just as if you were screwing into the floor. Herein lies my confusion.

[GG917]

I twist the brass shim in the same axis than the nib. Actually I don't twist the brass shim but the nib, just enough to spread the tines.

[vossad01]

Lahlahlaw Method:

 

So like this? I imagine this approach readily misalignes the tines so that will need to be adjusted afterwards. To avoid any confusion introduced by the text I use on the picture, I imagine that the pen is rocked in both directions probably less than a quarter(?)-turn; not twisted to great rotation in a single direction like a screwdriver.

 

It is good to know that it works for you with the thinner shims than Lahlahlaw specified; I would have thought my 0.002 was too flimsy.

[GG917]

Yes this is how I do. I turn the pen enought to spread the tine (max 10° relative to the brass shim plane), if you go further you'll misaligne the tines.

I hold the brass shim between three fingers to make it rigid. With the 0.002 it can take time, with the 0.003 you have to be careful has it it can be quick.

 

To be honest I have never thougth of doing the other way (as on your original picture), that way my guess is you can easily end-up with the tips more spaced than the slit. That was my problem when I used the brass shim to pull the tines away from each other, the slit sometimes end-up bieng like this ")(" rather than "/ \".