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Ranga Duofold Nib Replacement -- Need Advice


Ambimom

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Purchased the Ebonite Ranga Duofold eyedropper pen which is beautiful to look at and feels amazing. After thoroughly cleaning it (the ebonite feed was filled with some waxy substance) I want to upgrade the nib. I tried the extra Wality nib that comes with the pen. That needed a lot of adjustment. It barely made a line on the page it was so dry. The tines needed to be flossed; the tip needed several go arounds on mesh but after all that , the nib writes beaufifully..

 

Here's my dilemma. I really, really like this pen and I'd still like to upgrade the nib to something better.

 

Does anyone know if the full Edison or Jowo #5 nib/feed assemblies fit the Ebonite Ranga Duofold eyedropper? Or can I find a #5 nib that will fit the existing ebonite feed?

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I would go back and talk to the people who sold you the pen. Jowo nibs are 5 and 6 sizes. In regard to the feed. Is it a unit that you can screw in? If it is you can use the feed in the nib unit.

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If you're talking about the same pen I've got (see picture), I was able to fit a #6-sized JoWo nib from Goulet Pens.

 

http://i.imgur.com/GY7s3xs.jpg

 

I loved everything about this pen *except* the nib, and that's made all the difference (though it's now a 1.1mm stub, not a F nib as pictured):.

 

http://i.imgur.com/ftQ0vbX.jpg

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Contact Terri at Peyton Street Pens, and she will help you out. Terri and her staff take Ranga pens, and upgrade them with a variety of nobs and feeds, even fits gold Duofold nibs on some models of Ranga pens.

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If you're talking about the same pen I've got (see picture), I was able to fit a #6-sized JoWo nib from Goulet Pens.

 

http://i.imgur.com/GY7s3xs.jpg

 

I loved everything about this pen *except* the nib, and that's made all the difference (though it's now a 1.1mm stub, not a F nib as pictured):.

 

http://i.imgur.com/ftQ0vbX.jpg

 

You should use a No. 6 or higher nib. The feed can stay, but it would be good to upgrade to something with more fins and surface area. No nib assemblies will work unless the section is threaded.

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  • 2 weeks later...

There's lots of information out there about swapping nibs in the Rangas. Teri often uses Sheaffer No-nonsense feeds, which are relatively available, excellent performing but a bit tough to get out of the donor section (without ruining the no-nonsense nib). The hand made feed in the Rangas is also quite poor and your ink flow will really show this.

 

Once you swap out the feed, you can use Sheaffer No-Nonsense nibs (which look a bit too small for the pen) or other #6 nibs. I've used the inexpensive Knox ones from Xfountainpens.com in my Ranga Duofold. Also senior size Sheaffer lifetime nibs can work as well, tough the early flat-top ones were a bit thick for my Ranga. The OS Balance nibs worked better. Teri has also sold them with dip pen nibs, if you want super-flex.

 

Two things to know about the Rangas: they are all hand made so every one is a bit different. My two Duofolds cannot exchange caps--not even close. So expect some variation in section inner diameter as well. You may well have to do a bit of minor filing with a rat-tail to adjust for your new nib. Be aware hard rubber is deceptively hard and has been known to dull tools.

 

Second, the quality of much new ebonite, whether Indian or the 'premium' Ranga ebonite, which I believe is made in China, is not what the old premium Waterman stuff was. Though beautiful, it can be porous or have flaws. If you look closely at the non-premium Rangas, you can sometimes see quite a bit of surface pockmarking and pores. And I'm no longer customizing Rangas because my favorite one developed a long cap crack without being dropped: just from being posted. This should not happen to any new pen. But I suspect it was from a preexisting flaw in the ebonite.

 

So be careful with yours. It's probably not as tough as those Waterman ripples were when new. But they are beautiful, feel great in the hand and are a great value for a hand-made pen.

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by the way, if you can't find a No Nonsense donor easily, let me know. I'm sure I have some extras kicking around from my Ranga experiments.

 

but the older Sheaffer No-Nonsense calligraphy nib sections are identical, and those are around and plentiful. They sold in a set of three pens with a manual, a dozen cartridges of ink and some graph paper for about $16. The set of 1 pen with 3 nibs was even cheapers. These were often given as gifts and were quickly abandoned (ah, the calligraphy craze of the 80's), so they are often available on ebay for around $10, here's one with an opening big of $6.99:

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-No-Nonsense-Pen-Set-Sheaffer-Calligraphy-No-72261-Koh-I-Noor-No-127-N-/161921433657?hash=item25b3450039:g:wtgAAOSw4UtWSuD3

 

Beware, I do not believe the newer Shaeffer Calligraphy pens with the nubbed softer rubber sections have the same feed.

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