Jump to content

Ahab Leaks Uncontrollably


eronavbj

Recommended Posts

Anyone else having leakage problems with the Noodler's AHAB? Mine is new (present from my daughter in October), and has a nice, wet surprise for me at various times when I uncap it. This has happened about four times now, despite cleaning and refilling.

 

I contacted Noodler's and they said, "We might need to send you a new feed. Is there too much space between the feed and section?"

 

I sent them photos. That was a month ago. I've heard nothing since.

 

I've heard this is a good company to deal with.

 

Any opinions?

 

 

 

post-144316-0-66468600-1546187080_thumb.jpg

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 12
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • torstar

    3

  • WirsPlm

    2

  • Ron Z

    1

  • TSherbs

    1

Top Posters In This Topic

Posted Images

Hello,

 

I don't have any experience dealing with Noodler's, but I hope they or the retailer can help.

 

If you want to tackle it yourself, the Noodler's pens are fairly user serviceable so you may be able to fiddle enough to diagnose and fix the problem, as long as there isn't a deformity in the feed or pen. Usually an ink leak really means an air leak, since air getting in is what lets ink leak out. So you could have a gap somewhere, or have you checked the piston mechanism to make sure it's screwed in tight, the seals are good, and the breather tube inside it is set up properly?

 

It's been a while since I used my Ahab so I forget all the parts, but certainly check for cracks too, and you could try pulling out the nib and feed, adjusting, and re-inserting. They are designed to pull out and adjust easily to suit the user so you can feel more comfortable doing this on this pen than on other brands.

 

You could do a full disassembly and reassembly, and fill with water to see if your tweaks are working along the way.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some work and some don't.

I had two bad Noodler's in a row, and decided that I wasn't going to waste any more money on a 3rd gamble.

San Francisco Pen Show - August 28-30, 2020 - Redwood City, California

www.SFPenShow.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

it wasn't a fun time when they were introduced on the market.

 

(I'm sure there are tons of long threads on the topic, i sure was a part of them, one started up very recently)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Noodler's inks are great but Noodler's pens have quality issues and sometimes need fixing, although this sounds like it might be fixed by making sure the feed is seated well and maybe pushing the feed and nib a tiny bit deeper into the pen?

 

Also, try contact the actual retailer who sold the pen they're more likely to have the resources to provide good support.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Throw the Ahab away! While I appreciate all of the hard work that Nathan puts into Noodler's, the fountain pens are not at all reliable and good only for tinkering.

 

Buy yourself something reliable like a Jinhao, Lamy Safari or something like that.

"Today will be gone in less than 24 hours. When it is gone, it is gone. Be wise, but enjoy! - anonymous today

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would not call Jinhaos reliable in general, certainly some Jinhaos are but you can't count on getting one that is. At least with Noodler's pens you usually have a shot at fixing the problem, there's no fix for a pen body that just up and disintegrates like some of the Jinhao models do.

 

Pilot and Sailor seem the most reliable to me, at least in inexpensive pens.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

He means Wing Sung. B) A 3003 will run you $2, and (I'm surprised to say this) is a really nice pen. A pack of 5 will set you back $10, including the shipping. I have two or three filled for the times I don't want to carry one of my good pens on the day's activities.

 

re. the Ahab. If you really want to fix it, I would look at the piston seal, or the thread seal at the front of the tube. Just a little bit of a leak at either point can cause the pen to flood. Shellac on the threads will seal the threads. If the piston seal is bad though, I don't know what you would do.

spacer.png
Visit Main Street Pens
A full service pen shop providing professional, thoughtful vintage pen repair...

Please use email, not a PM for repair and pen purchase inquiries.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They don't come packaged ready to write. None of my Noodlers pens came out of the box with the nib and feed in proper alignment for good writing. Sometimes I got no flow at all. Sometimes flooding. Each time I had to pull and push the feed and nib into several different alignments before I could get them right to write.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My two Ahabs came perfectly ready to write, and one of them was pre-owned.

 

My Charlie on the other hand, that came with a bottle of HoD, erupted ink like Old Faithful. It's the only pen I ever threw away.

 

C

Oh, I know this of myself

I assume as much for other people

We’ve listened more to life’s end gong

Than the sound of life’s sweet bells

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On second thought, leaking (without me tinkering around with the pen and a razor blade) was a different problem, usually a no-flow issue for the duds.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Charlie was the only pen I tossed the day it arrived. Leaked like a sieve, and even when it worked it was a scratchy mess. The Ahab finally started working, but it's taken some time.

Physician- signing your scripts with Skrips!


I'm so tough I vacation in Detroit.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would not call Jinhaos reliable in general, certainly some Jinhaos are but you can't count on getting one that is. At least with Noodler's pens you usually have a shot at fixing the problem, there's no fix for a pen body that just up and disintegrates like some of the Jinhao models do.

 

Pilot and Sailor seem the most reliable to me, at least in inexpensive pens.

 

The Ahab was an obvious dud on the market, everyone knew it. Store owners gave me a handful of them for $10.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33494
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26624
    5. jar
      jar
      26101
  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o
  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More
  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...