Writing With a Flex Nib Fountian Pen

[John in Covina]

Hello fellow fountain pen devotees! I just got a note from my friends at the Fountain Pen Shop in Monrovia about a new release of a Flex Nib fountain pen. Previous to this release the only real production flex nib currently available was the Falcon from Namiki. Other pens have come where the regular design nib has a fair amount of flex but true flex was not commonly seen since about the 1940' or 1950's in production pens.

What is flex you might ask. Flex is a type of nib that allows the two tines of the nib to have a gentle springy-ness that allows the tines to spread apart when pressed on a down stroke, this makes the ball tip spread apart and create a thicker line. It is different than an Italic nib but creates a similar thick-thin line effect. This effect of thick thin line variation when employeed by a skillful hand creates tremendous elegance in the writing. If you have ever seen some hand written letter or certificates this effect is stunning. There are two handwriting styles I know of that utilize flex nibs one is called Spencerian and the other is Copperplate. Both employ whole arm movement not writing action from the wrist to control the lettering.

The new pen is from Noodler's, the ink people and has an MSRP of about
$20.

Flex nibs are still available for dip pens and you can find them at places like John Neal Bookseller at their web site.

In Vintage I have found that Waterman and Wahl-Eversharp seemed to produce more flex nibs than say Parker or Shaeffer.

Anyone else have flex nibs in their collection?

 

[fluteplayer07]

I have a 50's celluloid Merlina fine semi flex, and a 1920's Waterman 55 hard mottled rubber extra fine semi flex. Both have 14kt gold nibs. I can't write elegantly with them though. Ends up looking like my writing from my other pens. Any tips on how to improve my penmanship?








Cheers,

 

[Qirrel]

All my nibs (i use a dip pen) have a certain flex to them. However i find shading impractical for day to day handwriting, it also makes the text harder to read IMO. If you want to learn to write elegantly, then stop writing with your wrist; use the arm and fingers instead. Keep your wrist elevated above the table. When you have rid yourself of these habits, you must learn to write with a uniform slant, which can be achieved by writing on exclusively paper with pre-printed slant lines for a few weeks. Then you can go on learning how to shade (which employs the use of pressure on the nib).

 

[Shangas]

I have several flex nibs in my fountain pen collection. One Waterman wet noodle #12 Secretary from 1904 and four or five Swan pens from the 1900s-1920s, all with flex nibs. Flex is a wonderful feature that sadly, you don't find in fountain pens today. If you want REAL flex, it has to be custom-made, or it has to be antique.

 

[JimWagner]

I think I'd like a Flex Nib based on what I'm seeing with the fine point Lamy Safari I just bought. It has a terrible time maintaining ink flow on vertical down strokes. Don't know if it's the pen or me.

 

[Lou]

I don't have any flex nibs, but have written with them and enjoyed the effect.

Jim, the problem you're experiencing with your Lamy could be due to the paper or ink.

 

[JimWagner]

I don't have any flex nibs, but have written with them and enjoyed the effect.

Jim, the problem you're experiencing with your Lamy could be due to the paper or ink.

Ink is Lamy. (Edit - from a cartridge. Haven't installed the refillable cartridge and tried the bottled ink yet.) I'm certainly open to alternative suggestions.

The paper could certainly be the problem as it's just your standard notepad from Staples. It's not like I've tried the pen on any kind of decent stationary.

 

[John in Covina]

Flow problems

Flow problems can be based on a couple of things.

One is the paper you are writing on. Some papers have a coating that will interfere with the ink going on the page and it gets caught in the nib affecting all writing from then on until cleaned out of the nib. Recylced paper can contain too much remnants of this coating too.

Second is writing on paper fresh out of a copier, Fax machine, or printer as some of the chemicals from printing interferes with the flow of ink until cleaned out.

Third is the adjustment of feed to nib that can make for dry writers and skipping. If you press down too hard on a non-flex nib you can put the alignment of feed and nib out of whack so it skips. A pen repair man can often fix this with a little work on alignment.

Dry writers often get the suggestion of Private Reserve Tanzanite color ink which is or was very free flowing in the past.

How to Clean a nib & pen out:
Flush with cool to cold water.
Make a solution of regular Formula 409 or non-sudsing ammonia.
Use cold water, 3 to 4 parts water to one part cleaner.
Flush out a zillion times with the solution and then flush with cold water until cleared.

(This is the Stylophiles tip that they use on all new pens to clear and grease oils or releasing agents in a pen before testing them for best working.)

New pens can have this problem right out of the box. Use the bottle filler to flush.

Some use a bulb from Radio Shack that is used for projects where you need to suck up excess wiring solder and fit it over the pen to flush it out. Fred at the Fountain Pen Shop has a proprietary flushing solution he uses and sells too.

If ink has dried in the feed and clogs it, the ink may not dissolve but have to be cleared from the fins and channels on the feed manually.

 

[JimWagner]

Thanks, John. Thoughts on using the ammonia solution with an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner on the nib?

 

[John in Covina]

Care must be taken with the Ultra Sonic as too long in the vibrations can pit the metal.

They say you test it by putting a slip of aluminum foil in and run the Cleaner for short bursts. Check the foil and note when it begins to get affected such as pitting or the finish changes. Then always keep all cleaning sessions to less than that time.

Yes the Ultra sonic can help clean the nib and feed, as I have seen others use one on most pens to clean before starting any work on the nib and feed.

 

[John in Covina]

Please remember never leave any thing in the solution for long as it can hurt many materials over time.

 

[fluteplayer07]

PM box cleaned...

 

[Talbot]

I ped up a nice 1961 Mont Blanc 32 with a flex nib and it is the smoothest pen I have ever used. Its a nice size to boot

At the same time I bought a chrome Cross Century as a 'beater' and it steadfastly refuses to feed smoothly. Perhaps its balanced for throwing....