A quick tutorial on nib replacement, with a photograph of my testing on two pages.
If you've taken my recommendation or received a fountain pen from me, you're almost almost certainly in possession of a
Noodler's Ink Ahab, pound-for-pound the best FP available. One of the reasons I recommend it is it's a flex pen (flexing can provide line variation) with an Ebonite feed (which is malleable.) The advice below applies equally to the Ahab.
Flex writing is a particular thing. Line variation is achieved through pressure, typically applied on the downstrokes.
The model up from the Ahab in the Noodler's range is the
Neponset. Whilst both are flex pens, the Neponset is a
MUSIC NIB, meaning it possesses three tines instead of two. This supplies greater ink flow thus greater line variation than the standard flex nib of the Ahab.
I use the Neponset and its music nib for my Christmas cards. This Christmas I stressed the nib with too much pressure and fucked it, beyond repair.
I obtained a replacement nib and feed combination from Noodler's. They offered me a replacement pen free of charge which I declined, because the damage was my fault and not a design flaw, and I'm -pretty much- an honest person.
Using a paper towel I pulled the broken nib/feed from the section and discarded them. I inserted the replacement nib/feed into the section.
Now here's where it
DOESN'T get tricky. There are two things you can do to adjust the ink flow in a pen with an Ebonite feed, such as a Noodler's. You can:
(•a) Let's call this the
VERTICAL- adjust the depth of insertion, of the nib/feed into the section.
The further you insert the nib/feed, the less the ink flow will be.
(•b) Let's call this the
HORIZONTAL- Adjust the relationship between the nib and the feed.
By heating the feed in hot water or with a hair drier, it becomes malleable. When it's malleable one can use finger pressure to mould it into position against the nib.
Now consider the photograph. I had to perform (•a) but I didn't have to perform (•b).
When first writing with a nib it can be a little stiff. I spent five minutes testing the nib with poor results. As you can see on the right-hand page, I had railroading when I applied pressure. To remediate this I pulled the nib and feed out a bit and voilà ! the pen is laying down so much ink it's feathering on the page.
It may be the case that over time I might need to heat the feed to adjust the (•b) HORIZONTAL but right now it's performing fine. And all I did was (•a) the VERTICAL: insert the replacement nib/feed, and push it out/pull it in until I was happy with it.
This took five minutes. It wasn't hard, requiring merely a little patience and a willingness to accept inky fingers.
-SRA. Auckland, 24/i 2018.
