Kaigelu 316 Nib Replacement

[YFS]

Pretty much everyone loves the Kaigelu 316.

Some folks don't appreciate the finial weight and go through some pain to replace it with a plastic one.

Some folks don't like the nib, and go about replacing the whole nib housing (which won't take a standard #6 or #5 nib) with a Bock housing from Beaufort Ink in the UK (which enables swapping in a #6 nib)

 

The finial hasn't bothered me, but I have done the whole Bock nib housing swap on one and it was a royal pain. The nib and feed came out with no issues. But the nib housing didn't come out easy like it did for some people. I destroyed the old housing and almost damaged the section trying to take out the old nib housing. It was clearly glued in the section with zuperduperglue. Out of desperation, I found a bolt the diameter of which just happened to be a tad bigger than the original housing. I screwed the bolt into the housing from the nib end, and it tore its way into the old housing, never to come out again. Several dousings in super hot water and pulls on the embedded bolt later, the nib housing inched its way out of the section. Patience has never been my forte. Couple of hours of elbow grease for sure. Pictures below. The pen works great now with a Goulet #6 nib.

 

Also, relatively speaking, it wasn't a cheap solution either. The Bock nib/feed/housing thingy + the new cartridge converter + shipping cost almost as much as the pen itself.

 

Now that I am somewhat past that trauma, I am considering easier solutions to swapping out the nib on my other Kaigelu 316s. The nib is smaller than a #6 and bigger than a #5, so a #5.5?

 

I noticed that fountainpenrevolution sells a #5.5 nib at a great price.

I wonder if it would fit into the original Kaigelu nib housing and work with the existing feed without any issues.

Any one tried this nib from FPR in a K316? Any other suggestions?

 

 

Edited February 21, 2019 by YFS

[Karmachanic]

Shocking the glue worked for me. Ice water for a while then directly to hot water for a while. Back and forth several times.

[YFS]

Eye candy of the Kaigelu 316 with the new Goulet #6 nib in black.

 

 

It needed a new International cartridge converter since the original Kaigelu converter wouldn't interface cleanly with the Bock nib housing/feed

 

[Ted A]

Yeah! That does look nice

[YFS]

Pictures are nice but my main questions was:

 

I am looking for an easy solution to swapping out the nib on my other Kaigelu 316s.

The nib is smaller than a #6 and bigger than a #5, so is it a #5.5?

I noticed that fountainpenrevolution sells a #5.5 nib at a great price.

Does anyone know if it would fit into the original Kaigelu nib housing and work with the existing feed without any issues?

Any one tried this nib from FPR in a K316?

Any other suggestions?

Gracias!

[WJM]

Unlikely. FPR 5.5 nibs are basically size 5 nibs. They would be too small for Kaigelu.

 

The only other pens which use nib in Kaigelu size I'm aware of are Wing Sung 626 and Wing Sung 590. Unfortunately, never have I seen spare nibs of those models to buy.

 

The only real option for replacing 316 nib is either getting a Kaigelu spare (they were available on eBay once, I don't think they are anymore) or replacing the housing for a Bock one with size 6 nib. The latter also gives you a whole range of tipping sizes, from EF to BB and a further option to use other size 6 nibs.

[Frank66]

My experience has been: (1) remove the kaigelu nib and feed from the section, (2) soak the section alternatively in hot and cold water numerous times (3) the nib unit is easily removed with a hollow instrument inserted in the section and pushed towards the nib end. A nib block can be handy if available.

 

This black nib on the photo above looks very nice with the amber Kaigelu.

 

As far as the FPR 5.5 nib compatibility is concerned, my answer is that I do not know for sure, my guess is probably not.

 

However, if you do not want to perform the whole K316 nib assembly replacement, you can use the original Kaigelu feed and nib unit, and change only the kaigelu nib with a Jowo #6 nib. People who have tried this do not report issues with this replacement, although the Kaigelu feed is a tab shorter than what is needed for the Jowo #6 nib. If this a EF or F Jowo nib, I guess there would be no or minor skipping issues, and this is perhaps the easiest replacement way to go.

 

I hope this helps some.

Edited February 22, 2019 by Frank66

[Karmachanic]

My experience has been: (1) remove the kaigelu nib and feed from the section, (2) soak the section alternatively in hot and cold water numerous times (3) the nib unit is easily removed with a hollow instrument inserted in the section and pushed towards the nib end. A nib block can be handy if available.

 

Cut the end off a syringe needle protector. Tap with a mallet.

I have no nib block, so I wrapped the section with rubber, held it with visegrips resting over the edge of the sink. Put the nib protector over the nipple and tapped. Having done the hot/cold thing. Fell out easily.

[YFS]

Thank you for your suggestions WJM, Karmachanic, and Frank 66.

 

Frank66, it was your instructions on another thread that led me to try the Bock nib housing swap method in the first place. So an extra thank you to you!

 

I am going to try it again on another K316, this time with a little more patience. It should go smoother than the last time.

Last time I used only hot water and cooled to room temperature. Not sure why I didn't think of alternating ice treatment. I will add that this time. That section has no idea what's coming

Also the vise trick from Karmachanic should make the process of tapping easier. I remember struggling with holding the section in one hand and trying to handle the mallet with the other one.

 

You would think an adult with an engineering background should think of these things without having to be told. Nope, not that smart apparently.

[YFS]

WJM thank you for the info on the FPR 5.5 nib. That saves me the trouble of placing another FPR order and being dissapointed.

[Frank66]

YFS, thanks for your kind words. Always a pleasure to see others try this nib modification in their own pens.

A 5cc plastic syringe needle cover cut at its end, as described in the original article can be used as a hollow instruement if a nib block is not available; do not worry, I do not have one either. Just make sure you dispose of the needle properly and you do not injure yourself. Alternatively, you can use a hypodermic syringe used for insulin injections and cut its end and use as a hollow instrument too.

Immersing the section numerous times for 3-4 minutes alternatively, in a bowl with hot and then ice cold water (with ice cubes) can help break the bond of the glue that holds the kaigelu housing in the section. Just make sure you do not use boiling water as this can ruin the plating of the pen section.

My 316 is always inked and resides on my office desk next to my laptop. My only complaint is not it's weight but that it takes almost 2 and a half turns to unscrew the pen cap, which can be an issue if you want to use the pen fast in a business envirionment. I have tried to meddle with this a little bit and now it takes a little less to unscrew.

Ever since I got the Titanium nib, I use the pen with this nib, and I am quite font of it. As I could not afford at the time any other more expensive pen with a flexible nib, for me the Ti nib in the 316 offered a solution that was/is totally worth it.

I wish you best of luck with your Kaigelu nib modification. Keep us posted if you wish. Best Regards,

Frank66

Edited February 24, 2019 by Frank66