Woodex Pens

[Meghdut]

1 hour ago, hari317 said:

whats the nib setup on your 39?

Friction fit nib over an ebonite feed? Pure ED.

or a screw in nib unit with a plastic feed? 3 in 1

 

ambitious 40mm friction fit with ebonite feed...pure ED... I prefer pure EDs.

[hari317]

33 minutes ago, Meghdut said:

ambitious 40mm friction fit with ebonite feed...pure ED... I prefer pure EDs.

do you see any gap between the nib and the feed? the pen has to be dry, check against a strong light.

[Meghdut]

1 hour ago, hari317 said:

do you see any gap between the nib and the feed? the pen has to be dry, check against a strong light.

I looked hard, in the spinal part, there seems to be no gap. However feed width seems smaller than nib, not sure if that is the case with all wdx 39.

 

 

[hari317]

5 hours ago, Meghdut said:

I looked hard, in the spinal part, there seems to be no gap. However feed width seems smaller than nib, not sure if that is the case with all wdx 39.

 

 

 

you have to check for the gap between the nib and feed in the marked area. If there is no gap then your ebonite feed just needs some ink wetting. Keep the nib portion of your filled pen dipped in ink overnight. 

[Meghdut]

2 hours ago, hari317 said:

 

you have to check for the gap between the nib and feed in the marked area. If there is no gap then your ebonite feed just needs some ink wetting. Keep the nib portion of your filled pen dipped in ink overnight. 

 

 

Hi @hari317, no that portion doesn't seem to have any gap. I will try the ink wetting method you suggested. Thank you!

Just curious, for your Woodex 39, is the nib circumference much bigger than the ebonite feed circumference too? (as shown in in my picture)

 

 

 

 

 

23 hours ago, misalignedtines said:

One thing you can try is flushing the section with soapy water. You can purchase a bulb syringe from a pharmacy. It's used for cleaning ears. Mix a few drops of dishwashing soap in a bowl of water. Fill the bulb syringe with the soapy water and flush the section a few times. 

Once you have finished the bowl of soapy water, repeat the process with plain water. Once finished, shake out the excess water and then let the section then dry on a tissue. 

Next, make sure to prime the feed. 

Fill your fountain barrel till ink level reaches the bottom of the threads. Then screw in the section. When you have two turns remaining, hold the pen nib side down over your inkpot and fully screw it in. A few drops of ink will be pushed out into the inkpot. 

Your pen should be ready to write.

 

If your pen is hardstarting or skipping sometimes it's because it's been sitting in a cup for too long. Some pens function better when stored horizontally. 

 

And finally all inks tend to have different properties that not only affect the colour but how they behave in the pen. Certain dry inks may flow better in wetter pens. And certain wet flowing inks are better suited in dry pens. This is a process of trial and error or you can get the inks properties from numerous reviews online. Ebonite feeds flow much better than plastic feeds in this regard. But sometimes annoying issues of pen hardstarting or skipping can be solved by just replacing the ink. 

 

Keep in mind, you'd do well to repeat the first process and flush out your pen with the bulb syringe before changing inks. Sometimes two inks that don't get along can mix and cause some funny business in the pen. 

 

 

Be patient. I've come across stubborn pens that needed some understanding and love to function perfectly. You'll get there. All the best.  

 

Thank you @misalignedtines for the detailed steps, would try with other inks too. Already noticed that keeping it horizontally does reduce the hard start a bit.

 

 

[hari317]

1 minute ago, Meghdut said:

Just curious, for your Woodex 39, is the nib circumference much bigger than the ebonite feed circumference too? (as shown in in my picture)

Yes. 

[Meghdut]

On 5/16/2025 at 10:40 PM, Meghdut said:

 

 

Hi @hari317, no that portion doesn't seem to have any gap. I will try the ink wetting method you suggested. Thank you!

Just curious, for your Woodex 39, is the nib circumference much bigger than the ebonite feed circumference too? (as shown in in my picture)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you @misalignedtines for the detailed steps, would try with other inks too. Already noticed that keeping it horizontally does reduce the hard start a bit.

 

 

Just an update, I have tried all suggestions (Thank you all for the valuable suggestions!).

As of now the Woodex 39 does not give a hard stop problem if kept horizontally, always works.

However, if I keep it on pen stand vertically overnight, then it still does not start (hard start) for the first word.
Can this be called normal or something to discuss with manufacturer?

[misalignedtines]

7 hours ago, Meghdut said:

Just an update, I have tried all suggestions (Thank you all for the valuable suggestions!).

As of now the Woodex 39 does not give a hard stop problem if kept horizontally, always works.

However, if I keep it on pen stand vertically overnight, then it still does not start (hard start) for the first word.
Can this be called normal or something to discuss with manufacturer?

I would say it falls within the realm of what's considered 'normal' with Indian eyedroppers. Keep in mind everything is hand turned and even the most minute of difference (say 0.1mm) in the width of the feed channel can make a difference to flow. 

 

The issue you're describing does happen sometimes. Your feed and nib seems to be properly aligned.  I recommend the 'safe' steps that I mentioned early to try and counter it. 

 

I wouldn't recommend the following steps unless absolutely necessary. If you wish, you can take the feed and nib apart and clean the channel on the feed with soap and a toothbrush. Then position the feed 0.5 mm higher to the tip of nib.

 

If that doesn't work, you can widen the ebonite feed channel just below the nib, using a razor blade. This is a very minute and delicate adjustment. If you cut too deep the pen will write too wet or burp. I wouldn't recommend this step either  unless you have spare feeds and willing to experiment.  And even then I would recommend practising on cheaply available eyedropper pens you can pick up at old stationery stores before attempting doing such adjustments to your Wdx 39 (Oliver makes affordable and robust eyedropper pens for a few hundred rupees).

 

Also, you would need a knock block and makeshift tools to safely remove and put the feed back into the pen correctly.  Doing this step incorrectly can permanently damage the section and feed. Also, with friction fit nibs and feeds I would never recommend removing them more than once or twice in the lifetime of a pen. This is because the feed can eventually become loose if removed too many times and cause more complications that we can avoid. (For the sake of knowledge and visual demonstration on how to safely remove a feed, penhouse.in has an explanation of this in their youtube review of Gama Kuyil or Raja if I remember correctly). 

 

I've mentioned the above steps only as a possibility if this issue is unbearable. I certainly would not recommend it and is not necessary unless your pen was simply refusing to write no matter what, which is seldom the case with most pens. 

 

 

If the hardstarting is counteracted by simply placing it horizontally, I think there is your solution. Or if you do wish to place it vertically nib up in the cup, just turn the pen, cap facing down for 30- 40 seconds in the cup before you start writing.  This should be sufficient to prime the feed and the pen could start to write immediately.

 

Also, as I mentioned earlier certain inks have better flowing properties. Flushing your pen and trying a new ink may simply solve the issue, allowing you to place the pen nib up in a cup.  

 

I hope this helps you enjoy and make full use of your pen. 

[misalignedtines]

10 hours ago, Meghdut said:

Just an update, I have tried all suggestions (Thank you all for the valuable suggestions!).

As of now the Woodex 39 does not give a hard stop problem if kept horizontally, always works.

However, if I keep it on pen stand vertically overnight, then it still does not start (hard start) for the first word.
Can this be called normal or something to discuss with manufacturer?

This is most likely the reason the culprit. That's my Airmail 71 JT that's continuosly inked for years and sits in a cup on my desk. It always writes on the go even after a few days.  Sometimes the ink clings to the wall of the barrel like you can see in the images. The slight force of the nib touching the paper agitates the ink for it to fall back down. When this happens i experience a hard start for the first line on the paper. The thing is I'm able to notice it since it's a demonstrator pen. Its likely happening in your pen as well. That's why the horizontal storing works. 

[hari317]

On 5/27/2025 at 1:58 PM, Meghdut said:

As of now the Woodex 39 does not give a hard stop problem if kept horizontally, always works.

However, if I keep it on pen stand vertically overnight, then it still does not start (hard start) for the first word.

OK  after several days of use this problem indicates to me a slight air leak in the cap. when stored horizontally, the evaporating ink is replenished. When stored vertically the ink is not replenished and the point dries.

When stored horizontally, does the pen write very dark for the first few strokes?

 

[Meghdut]

On 5/28/2025 at 12:20 AM, misalignedtines said:

This is most likely the reason the culprit. That's my Airmail 71 JT that's continuosly inked for years and sits in a cup on my desk. It always writes on the go even after a few days.  Sometimes the ink clings to the wall of the barrel like you can see in the images. The slight force of the nib touching the paper agitates the ink for it to fall back down. When this happens i experience a hard start for the first line on the paper. The thing is I'm able to notice it since it's a demonstrator pen. Its likely happening in your pen as well. That's why the horizontal storing works. 

Thank you! will check.

 

[Meghdut]

On 5/28/2025 at 5:21 PM, hari317 said:

OK  after several days of use this problem indicates to me a slight air leak in the cap. when stored horizontally, the evaporating ink is replenished. When stored vertically the ink is not replenished and the point dries.

When stored horizontally, does the pen write very dark for the first few strokes?

 

 

I'm using montblanc black ink which itself is very dark! Will switch to a lighter colour next and observer this. Thanks!

[hari317]

9 hours ago, Meghdut said:

 

I'm using montblanc black ink which itself is very dark! Will switch to a lighter colour next and observer this. Thanks!

some dark inks give out a "sheen" when concentrated, you can look for that. anyway if the cap is leaky then only woodex can solve it with a replacement. I can tell you that my examples remain perfectly wet even after weeks of non use. 

[matteob]

How does one contact these people? They have no online presence. I like my pens eyedropper with Indian nib and handcut ebonite feed as they tend to be freer flowing than the German nib units. Do Woodex use Ambitious nibs or can they?

[hari317]

1 hour ago, matteob said:

How does one contact these people? They have no online presence. I like my pens eyedropper with Indian nib and handcut ebonite feed as they tend to be freer flowing than the German nib units. Do Woodex use Ambitious nibs or can they?

Threy are not on the internet in the form of a website.

They are on social media like whatsapp.

contact them on

+91 98854 28100

 

They have ambitious nibs available and they make pure EDs.

 

[matteob]

Would people be interested in a group buy? The choice of colours they have available is pretty poor and they don’t make to order.  

[hari317]

14 hours ago, matteob said:

Would people be interested in a group buy? The choice of colours they have available is pretty poor and they don’t make to order.  

You can ask them when they will make the next lot. 

[misalignedtines]

On 8/13/2021 at 8:34 PM, hari317 said:

Woodex 24: The company earns its name from the wood grain pattern on this pen. The shape of the 24 is endemic to India. Prasad made several pens like this. So did Hema, Deccan onyx, Guider etc. This Woodex example is particularly well made with a positive end stop for the cap and properly placed cap breather holes. 
 

 

 

the pen has an Indian no 4 nib marked “Emerson” Fine. 

 

 

As compared to the model 21:

 

the nib is pretty smooth. But the pen will be getting a Schmidt upgrade. Will post an update. 
 

Cheers 

Hari 

Hi i was planning on getting some of these small Woodex pens. I was wondering if there is an inner cap ledge on these ones. I find they help seal the nib on the pens very well. I use pigment inks and have noticed that when pens don't have this inner cap ledge (Kanwrite Desire, Click Falcon for example), they tend to hard start with pigment inks. This is not an issue with normal dye based inks.

I was also considering getting some Prasad pens but hesitate to invest in a pen that will not serve my purpose. I would appreciate if you would be able to provide me some information regarding this. 

[hari317]

23 hours ago, misalignedtines said:

if there is an inner cap ledge on these ones.

I can confirm that my examples have this. 👍

[matteob]

It’s a beautifully made pen they sent me but I asked for a fine nib. They say they fitted one but are sending me another. The nib looks broad to me. Here is a comparison with my Ranga which does have a fine Ambitious nib. The feeds look the same size but nib profile different. Are they separate types of Ambitious nib? I include a writing sample.