Problems With The Noodler's Ahab Pen

[DavidsonChua]

Hi all,

 

I'm posting today to ask some questions about some problems I have with the Noodler's Ahab pen.

My pen recently arrived in the mail, and I have flushed it multiple times with cold water and water with detergent before filling it with ink (specifically Pelikan 4001 Blue-Black).

 

I immediately put the pen to paper, but was immensely disappointed when no ink flowed. It wasn't a problem with the nib being semi-flex, or the nib being scratchy - from observation, the ink from the feed never reached the tip of the nib.

 

Has anyone experienced such a problem before? I really would like help as soon as possible!

 

Thanks in advance!

Davidson

[wallylynn]

When lining up the feed and nib, be sure to align the slit to the slit. NOT point to point.

[DavidsonChua]

Thank you for your reply, Mr/Ms/Mrs Wallylynn! It really helped!

 

I have aligned the slit to the slit, but just for the record, what do you mean by "point to point"? Just so I can avoid that in the future.

[wallylynn]

point - tip - the pokey/stabby part

the feeds aren't all that precisely made. The point or tip may be a full millimeter away to the side of the main slit channel. If you center the point/tip of the feed with the point/tip of the nib, the slits may not line up. I had to take a razor and shave my feed a little to center the point in the "correct" place just for ease of alignment and because of OCD.

[DavidsonChua]

Ah, I see. Thank you for the information!

[load81]

The Noodler's Ahab is the IKEA Billy shelf of fountain pens. Some assembly required. There are a couple of threads here that can guide you. This one for example (https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/210763-noodlers-ahab-setup-for-beginners/) .

Good luck with your experiments.

 

Pro-tip from my side: Don't use Baystate Blue during set-up or you'll look like Mystique the next day in the office.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Ahab has an ebonite feed.

 

The Ahab can teach you more about feeds than you even imagine.

It is good so, one needs to know about feeds.

 

The Ahab is a pen that teaches you .... some are just fine, some need minor to solid fiddling.

Depending on where you set the nib on the feed gives you different flex. Perhaps you will need to widen the channel for more flow...or cut off a couple of the combs/rills to do the same...less buffering.

 

Mine had to have the feeder tube removed after I had mine modified...it worked just fine before the nib was made faster by the mod.

 

Later after you get use to the semi-flex "Flex" nib.....get the Ahab Mod....Angel Wings ground into it. It will take the pressure down to an enjoyable Easy Full flex...the stage under a Wet Noodle.

Semi-flex in a "flex" nib is a lot of hard work....but you have to start somewhere.

 

Having other Easy Full Flex nibs and a super flex....the Ahab sat 'in the box', because semi-flex is hard to use when one has and is use to easier flex. When one is new to it, it will do to start. Once I had the mod done it sits in a cup with Noodler's Apache Sunset.

[PhilProf]

The Noodler's Ahab is the IKEA Billy shelf of fountain pens.

Well said.

[KBeezie]

Worse comes to worse, may just need to re-set and heat set the feed/nib:

 

[load81]

some are just fine, some need minor to solid fiddling.

 

And some are dead on arrival.

[hsianloon]

I gave up on mine, it just wasn't worth the frustration of buying a new pen that needed to be fixed. It's probably somewhere in the netherworld of my storage boxes now

[Bo Bo Olson]

Nathan was a pen fiddler since he was a kid of 13 or so. Then he got into making inks a generation, later.

 

Eventually he wanted to make a cheap affordable pen with "flex". The idea was to make pen fiddlers out of them who had no idea, so they would learn many of the basics of pen repair. How to adjust pens.

 

The Ahab and the rest of his pens are Indian...where he could still get Ebonite pens and feeds. It took him a while to get them to make a pen the way he wanted.

 

The feed is at least as important at the nib.

[KBeezie]

The Ahab and the rest of his pens are Indian...where he could still get Ebonite pens and feeds. It took him a while to get them to make a pen the way he wanted.

 

The feed is at least as important at the nib.

 

I've wondered how well the Jinhao pens would be (X450,X750,159 etc) if they had used ebonite feeds instead of the black plastic they currently use, especially with the ability to heat set them as needed.

[I like mango cheesecake]

 

And some are dead on arrival.

No kidding. Mine is one of those. I'm ready to chuck it. I've done everything possible to that. There's no way it's going to start. EVAH!!!!!!!

[I like mango cheesecake]

 

I've wondered how well the Jinhao pens would be (X450,X750,159 etc) if they had used ebonite feeds instead of the black plastic they currently use, especially with the ability to heat set them as needed.

If I can get the flex nib on another pen that actually worked, I'd be half satisfied. But so far, I'm not amused.

[KBeezie]

If I can get the flex nib on another pen that actually worked, I'd be half satisfied. But so far, I'm not amused.

 

I can't think of any modern flex pens out side of dip pens or vintage that are really going to fit the price. Also I've seen quite a few arguments that Noodler's aren't "True Flex". It doesn't really surprise me though when you consider what they cost, and the nib's cost is probably less than half that. Doesn't seem like an easy task to make a flex nib.

[I like mango cheesecake]

 

I can't think of any modern flex pens out side of dip pens or vintage that are really going to fit the price. Also I've seen quite a few arguments that Noodler's aren't "True Flex". It doesn't really surprise me though when you consider what they cost, and the nib's cost is probably less than half that. Doesn't seem like an easy task to make a flex nib.

well I did do the EMF mod and yes, it is actually flexible - more so than the stock Noodlers flex nib. The only thing, is that when I wrote with the stock nib, the pen's ink flow was marginal at best. Now with the EMF mod, it's worse to the point of not coming out at all. I can flood the feed by forcing ink down there, but after the ink is used up (ie about two or three words), it railroads and dries up and never starts again.

[KBeezie]

well I did do the EMF mod and yes, it is actually flexible - more so than the stock Noodlers flex nib. The only thing, is that when I wrote with the stock nib, the pen's ink flow was marginal at best. Now with the EMF mod, it's worse to the point of not coming out at all. I can flood the feed by forcing ink down there, but after the ink is used up (ie about two or three words), it railroads and dries up and never starts again.

 

Have you tried modifying the feed to open up the channels more for more ink flow?

[I like mango cheesecake]

yup done everything possible. Used it as an eyedropper, widened the channel, heat set the feed, realigned the feed/nib, used different ink, washed the pen and parts, I've done everything list at least twice, sometimes 3x.

 

I think either I may have gotten a lemon, or I really screwed things up when I EMF'd the nib and put in back on. I really think it's the former rather than the latter, because it had bad start up issues right out of the box, even after cleaning.

 

I just tried one more thing this past 10 minutes and still a dud.

 

Now, where's that garbage can?????

[KBeezie]

yup done everything possible. Used it as an eyedropper, widened the channel, heat set the feed, realigned the feed/nib, used different ink, washed the pen and parts, I've done everything list at least twice, sometimes 3x.

 

I think either I may have gotten a lemon, or I really screwed things up when I EMF'd the nib and put in back on. I really think it's the former rather than the latter, because it had bad start up issues right out of the box, even after cleaning.

 

I just tried one more thing this past 10 minutes and still a dud.

 

Now, where's that garbage can?????

Bleh

 

Maybe be evil and PIF it.