I recently picked up a Jinhao with a G nib, and the nib works okay except that it has a tendency to railroad. I've read about some inks that people have recommended for flex nibs, but I forget what they are. Any recommendations? Thanks.
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I recently picked up a Jinhao with a G nib, and the nib works okay except that it has a tendency to railroad. I've read about some inks that people have recommended for flex nibs, but I forget what they are. Any recommendations? Thanks.
No inks railroad unless you are abusing the nib or the nib is damaged.
I think it's more likely to be a nib problem than an ink problem. If it railroads, then it's likely to railroad no matter what ink you use.
Good question, for which I don't have the answer. You want the ink that holds the most surface tension to form that triangle bubble of ink between the pair of tines and the paper. I wonder if one of the categories in all the reviews can be compared to answer this. What attribute or additive would promote this?
I'm not much help. :crazy_pilot:
Maybe an ink that would form a bigger bubble from the feed?
Hi,
the feed and its design must match the nib, then it needs to be set properly.
Clogging also a reason for railroading...
Best
Jens
The nib is new and I'm not abusing it, and it seems to be properly seated with a feed that seems to fit it perfectly. With a full converter it doesn't railroad, but as the ink level drops it starts to. Then if I advance the converter screw until it starts to almost squeeze out a half a drop of ink, the railroading goes away until the ink level in the converter drops again. FWIW.
In that case, your problem is insufficient flow from the feed to the nib.
If it were me, I'd try a slippery ink like an Aurora or maybe something from Private Reserve.
seems like the feed may not be up to the task, but worst case, you give it a goosh from the piston when you need to.
good luck!
+1 for this.Quote:
Originally Posted by manoeuver
Maybe enlarging the groove that runs along the top of the feed? I saw a video on how to do it. It looks pretty simple.
Yes. That suggestion was well meant, but it was very wrong. Ink is water plus additives. And if anyone thinks that the type and amount of additives don't make a difference then I suggest you try blowing soap bubbles without soap...Quote:
Originally Posted by calamus
The feed might fit perfectly but it's being asked to do a job it wasn't designed to. Feed design is a surprisingly complex topic and in this case you are asking a feed to operate outside of the parameters it was designed for. You could consider modifying the pen into a sack filler - a sack will flex to some extent to keep pressure constant. Fitting a squeeze converter might just do the trick.Quote:
and it seems to be properly seated with a feed that seems to fit it perfectly. With a full converter it doesn't railroad, but as the ink level drops it starts to. Then if I advance the converter screw until it starts to almost squeeze out a half a drop of ink, the railroading goes away until the ink level in the converter drops again. FWIW.
And you could try doping a small amount of ink with a drop of dish washing liquid...
I wonder if the ink is hanging on the walls of the converter and not flowing freely. Some newer converters have a small bead or spring to break the surface tension of the ink. Have you tried a cartridge? You could also try washing the converter with soapy water.
I've never found doping a small amount of ink with OS Cuddles Flo-Plus or dishwashing liquid to be particularly successful. For me it has rendered the ink unusable: much too wet with loads of feathering as well as loads of show-through and bleed-through. I had one ink that wouldn't stop dripping out of the nib following treatment.
Before I started enlarging the feed groove I would try washing the inside of the converter with soapy water to see if that would help, but I would also try lubricating the inside of the converter with a tiny dot of silicone grease on the point of a cocktail stick. Maybe that might make it more slippery for the ink?
I have no idea what this is, but I imagine it comes in pink bottles with Hello Kitty packaging...Quote:
Originally Posted by Chrissy
(The classic ink additive is Kodak Photo Flo - which is sadly lacking in container cuteness.)
Nothing to do with Hello Kitty: Organics Studio Cuddles Flo-plus is an ink additive specifically made by Organics Studio for inks. Whereas Kodak Photo Flo is, and always was, made for photographs.Quote:
Originally Posted by ilikenailsI have no idea what this is, but I imagine it comes in pink bottles with Hello Kitty packaging...Quote:
Originally Posted by Chrissy
(The classic ink additive is Kodak Photo Flo - which is sadly lacking in container cuteness.)
Mine is the original version.
Attachment 44864
I tried this with a feed for a Noodler's Konrad and overdid it. The channel is so big that the pen doesn't hold ink! It drips out as soon as you fill it and hold the pen nob down.Quote:
Originally Posted by calamus
I recommend trying to solve the problem with ink choice before modifying the feed. Good luck!
Thanks for the warning! That'll be my last resort. And I'll use the less is more approach if I do try it.Quote:
Originally Posted by manoeuverI tried this with a feed for a Noodler's Konrad and overdid it. The channel is so big that the pen doesn't hold ink! It drips out as soon as you fill it and hold the pen nob down.Quote:
Originally Posted by calamus
I recommend trying to solve the problem with ink choice before modifying the feed. Good luck!
Interesting. that does sound like a good idea. I wonder who makes a standard international squeeze converter.Quote:
Originally Posted by ilikenails
I tend to be leery of pigmented inks like Private Reserve, but Aurora sounds like it might be a go. Also glad to find an excuse to try a new ink!Quote:
Originally Posted by manoeuver
Come now. :) You don't need an excuse to try a new ink. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by calamus
Kaweco make a tiny one for the Sport. I second the warning against messing with the feed: they're actually very carefully designed - or should be. Wider channels can mean that capillary effect will no longer stop ink from flowing under the influence of gravity. That's not to say that the feed can't be widened at all, but doing so risks destroying it. Can you buy spares?Quote:
Originally Posted by calamusInteresting. that does sound like a good idea. I wonder who makes a standard international squeeze converter.Quote:
Originally Posted by ilikenails
No idea where I could find spares. Thanks for the info about the Kaweco squeeze converter. I may give that a try. I'll look around for a larger one first. I guess I'll try a different ink first, then a squeeze converter. Of course, the converter would probably/maybe cost less, but it's always fun to try new inks. And even if it doesn't solve the railroading problem, I can always use it in my other pens.Quote:
Originally Posted by ilikenailsKaweco make a tiny one for the Sport. I second the warning against messing with the feed: they're actually very carefully designed - or should be. Wider channels can mean that capillary effect will no longer stop ink from flowing under the influence of gravity. That's not to say that the feed can't be widened at all, but doing so risks destroying it. Can you buy spares?Quote:
Originally Posted by calamusInteresting. that does sound like a good idea. I wonder who makes a standard international squeeze converter.Quote:
Originally Posted by ilikenails
No idea where I could find spares.
Actually, given this is a Jinhao, you could just order a pen from China. But you can often find packs of feeds and or nibs for Jinhaos on ebay.
I don't think this is a standard Jinhao feed. It's longer and narrower than others I've seen; it appears to have been made especially to fit a G-nib.
This sounds like the sort of pen my girlfriend might like for drawing so I did some research -Quote:
Originally Posted by calamus
https://www.parkablogs.com/content/h...b-fountain-pen
..Platinum Carbon ink works well
..The simple answer to rail roading is too slow down so the feed can keep up
I’ve found some GvFC inks to be better suited to flexing.
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