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View Full Version : A different way to add flexiness to your Noodlers flex nibs!



00Photo
May 29th, 2013, 09:46 PM
Pterodactylus posted a great DIY thread on how to add flex to your Noodler's flex nibs here:

http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/240492-noodlers-ahab-ease-my-flex-mod/?p=2607667

I do find it requires a tremendous amount of force to get my Ahab to flex. After looking at his how to and then looking at dip pens I decided to try something a bit different. I started a doodle on one of my scribble sheets.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7335/8885942746_d0b4ddbe17_c.jpg

I decided to try to add some small slits along the shoulders of the nib like a dip pen with my Benchmade knives.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3706/8885951184_06195b189b_c.jpg

It took quite a bit of effort as cutting steel with a knife, even with a CPM-M4 blade, is not very easy. I wound up holding the nib between my knees, placing the knife in the correct spot, then striking the knife with a large hammer. This worked very well and I only needed one box of band aids to stop the bleeding from my knees. The pen now writes flexy with MUCH less effort. I did have to do a bit of nib tine realignment and smoothing as the hammer is not a precision instrument. Both the tines and my knees received a few errant blows. The doctor said I will probably be able to walk again in about a month. It was TOTALLY worth it though, as the writing samples prove:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7319/8885335145_97e2f6e734_c.jpg

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3832/8885964324_90cce099f9_c.jpg

I'm not a metallurgist so i'm not quite sure what happened, but somehow during the cutting process the nib got very hot and changed colors. It turned two colors and upon closer inspection with a loupe it apparently changed into 23k Palladium.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5334/8885955706_b3ccf280d4_c.jpg

I hope this was helpful and helps everyone who is having problems flexing their Noodler's Pens.

:bounce::pound:

MisterBoll
May 29th, 2013, 10:17 PM
Amazing - true alchemy!

cedargirl
May 29th, 2013, 10:39 PM
Best solution I've seen!!

earthdawn
May 29th, 2013, 11:54 PM
Love it.... well played with a beautiful result.

PS.. I suspect you increased the value of the Noodlers a little as well

AndyT
May 30th, 2013, 05:47 AM
Haha! Splendid.

Heliotrope
May 30th, 2013, 06:27 AM
Superb!:rofl:

reprieve
May 30th, 2013, 08:53 AM
I just tried this and, unfortunately, I needed two boxes of bandaids for my knees. Obviously I must practice more to perfect my technique.

MisterBoll
May 30th, 2013, 09:12 AM
I'm going to dig through my books on alchemy and magic to find an easier, and less harmful to the knees, way of adding flex to metals.

Pensivedoc
January 11th, 2014, 03:35 PM
Can anyone look at my picture and tell me why none of the stainless steel in my nib turned to gold when I did a modification? Does it require knowledge of astrology? Must the planets be in alignment? I know I must be missing something.

Pensivedoc
January 11th, 2014, 03:38 PM
Was playing around this morning with this. Tried to grind it to a finer point, but cracked the tipping material. Smoothed it out to end up sort of back where I started. Really enjoyed myself, though:

Pensivedoc
January 11th, 2014, 03:58 PM
Nothing I try seems to work.

Jeph
January 11th, 2014, 04:21 PM
Ha, had me going for a while!

KrazyIvan
January 11th, 2014, 04:52 PM
What type of dremel stone did you use. The green stone makes steel stay in steel form but if you go with the brown stone or better yet the ceramic cutting discs (not the fiberglass reinforced ones) you should have better success.

I have heard some people have good success with the cutting disks Mike Masuyama discards after doing a custom nib grind. The trouble is the last person was arrested after Mike called the police on someone rummaging through his trash.

Also, you need to make sure it is a true Dremel brand rotary tool. Those Harbor Freight rotary tools will turn your nib to brittle aluminum.

79spitfire
January 11th, 2014, 09:08 PM
I just tried this with a Chinese nib, and it turned to peanut butter.

It took a long time for the bleeding to stop as well...

Pensivedoc
January 11th, 2014, 09:23 PM
[QUOTE=KrazyIvan;60342]What type of dremel stone did you use. The green stone makes steel stay in steel form but if you go with the brown stone or better yet the ceramic cutting discs (not the fiberglass reinforced ones) you should have better success.

Everything was Dremel, so it must be the stone. . .

I have heard some people have good success with the cutting disks Mike Masuyama discards after doing a custom nib grind. The trouble is the last person was arrested after Mike called the police on someone rummaging through his trash.

Well, there goes that idea. :noidea:

Pensivedoc
January 11th, 2014, 09:26 PM
Nice katakana in your sig line, btw, K.I. :thumb:

. . . or romanized katakana, or whatever you would call that. . .

Pensivedoc
January 11th, 2014, 09:27 PM
I just tried this with a Chinese nib, and it turned to peanut butter.

It took a long time for the bleeding to stop as well...


Well, if you're ever hungry. . .