Chip in Noodler's Ahab Ebonite Feed

[orangepopsicle]

Hello,

 

I just bought a Noodler's Ahab from a private user on eBay. It was described as new but it was clearly used at least once because there were bits of ink here and there. Since I've heard it is typical for these pens to need some cleaning or adjusting to get it to work, I assumed the person who sold it gave up on it after a while. Who knows? 

 

So I went ahead and cleaned it and flushed it several times. Tried it, very low ink flow. I scrubbed the parts with a toothbrush and dish detergent/water several times. It still didn't work. I tried to heat-set the nib and feed a couple times but it still didn't work.

 

The nib and feed are pretty loose in the section. There is very little friction holding it in and it even falls out when I flush it. If I put the nib in first so that it falls naturally in the cut-out space of the section, I cannot fit the feed in and it gets stuck half way through. I don't want to shove it down with force for fear of bending the nib. 

 

I suspect the feed and nib not fitting in the section well is the problem. I noticed a chip on the bottom edge of the feed as well. Do you think this could be the reason it doesn't fit right? If so, is there a way to fix it? I will attach some pictures of the feed. 

 

Thanks for reading! 

Edited February 6, 2025 by orangepopsicle

[hari317]

16 hours ago, orangepopsicle said:

Do you think this could be the reason it doesn't fit right?

in my opinion, this chip is of no consequence. the section bore is too big (loose) due to likely a defective moulding.

 

[orangepopsicle]

On 2/7/2025 at 5:46 AM, hari317 said:

in my opinion, this chip is of no consequence. the section bore is too big (loose) due to likely a defective moulding.

 

Okay, thanks for the info. I wonder if there is anything I could do to fix it. Maybe Teflon tape? 

[mhguda]

I would try teflon tape around the nib and feed, and if this works, maybe try reducing the inner diameter of the section by applying something like nail polish inside the section. Although this would be a pain to do, and you need to have it dry well before trying to see if the flow improved... or, just use with the teflon. It's worked for me in several similar situations. You do have to remember it's there, and probably periodically replace it with new tape.

Good luck! I have an Ahab, and I really like it.

[orangepopsicle]

7 hours ago, mhguda said:

I would try teflon tape around the nib and feed, and if this works, maybe try reducing the inner diameter of the section by applying something like nail polish inside the section. Although this would be a pain to do, and you need to have it dry well before trying to see if the flow improved... or, just use with the teflon. It's worked for me in several similar situations. You do have to remember it's there, and probably periodically replace it with new tape.

Good luck! I have an Ahab, and I really like it.

Great, thanks! I will give that a try! I was really excited to try it out so I hope I can get it to work.