Kit Pens ....

There is a fellow that is making some nice pens from kits.
Here is a link to his eBay auctions.

http://tinyurl.com/2tbre

I think he is taking the "kit" pen one step farther and is making some very
nice pens that might appeal to "real" pen users. He starts with some quality
"kits" and eliminates the brass tubes and machines some of the parts
himself.
I think the price right now is low for the amount of work he has put into
them.

What do you think?

William Lee

On Fri, 28 May 2004 15:26:48 GMT, "William Lee"
wrote:

There is a fellow that is making some nice pens from kits.
Here is a link to his eBay auctions.

http://tinyurl.com/2tbre

I think he is taking the "kit" pen one step farther and is making some very
nice pens that might appeal to "real" pen users. He starts with some quality
"kits" and eliminates the brass tubes and machines some of the parts
himself.
I think the price right now is low for the amount of work he has put into
them.

They are priced twice that of other cottage industry pens on eBay. To
me the nib is most important. He uses "Iridium Point Germany" nibs. I
don't like them. For seventy dollars I can get a pen form the "golden
years " of fountain pens.

"William Lee" wrote in message
...
There is a fellow that is making some nice pens from kits.
Here is a link to his eBay auctions.

http://tinyurl.com/2tbre

What do you think?

William Lee

They're very lovely pens to look at. I like the designs and the materials -
especially not using the brass linings!

but... those durn IPG nibs... i know they're not all bad, but...

Are most pen nibs removeable and replacable?
I thought they just pulled out along with that little ribbed thingy and
slipped back in.
If that is the case what would be the best nib to put in a pen?
Is there a better replacement nib for my Pelikan M150?

I like to know the nuts and bolts of things so I ordered DABOOK along with
the new pens and have been trying not to burden everyone here with my
questions about fountain pens until I can read it. Hopefully that book will
give me a better understanding about what is what in the fountain pen
world..

I have been using my M150 every chance I get and am enjoying writing with it
more than I thought I would.
Several people have asked about it.

William Lee



"KCat" wrote in message
...
"William Lee" wrote in message
...
There is a fellow that is making some nice pens from kits.
Here is a link to his eBay auctions.

http://tinyurl.com/2tbre

What do you think?

William Lee

They're very lovely pens to look at. I like the designs and the
materials -
especially not using the brass linings!

but... those durn IPG nibs... i know they're not all bad, but...

On Fri, 28 May 2004 23:32:39 GMT, "William Lee"
wrote:

Are most pen nibs removeable and replacable?
I thought they just pulled out along with that little ribbed thingy and
slipped back in.
If that is the case what would be the best nib to put in a pen?
Is there a better replacement nib for my Pelikan M150?

I like to know the nuts and bolts of things so I ordered DABOOK along with
the new pens and have been trying not to burden everyone here with my
questions about fountain pens until I can read it. Hopefully that book will
give me a better understanding about what is what in the fountain pen
world..

I have been using my M150 every chance I get and am enjoying writing with it
more than I thought I would.
Several people have asked about it.


It is not that easy. The nib must fit the feed and the feed must fit
the section and the section must fit the pen. To remove the feed one
must place the section in a block and strike the feed with a wooden
dowel. No one makes descent nibs in this day and age. To get a
flexible nib that will give your writing character get a Waterman from
early last century.

William Lee wrote:
Are most pen nibs removeable and replacable?
I thought they just pulled out along with that little ribbed thingy and
slipped back in.
If that is the case what would be the best nib to put in a pen?
Is there a better replacement nib for my Pelikan M150?

The little ribbed thingy is called the feed; on your Pelikan
M150, the nib and feed are designed to screw out together. You
can, then, replace them with another Pelikan nib, but AFAIK only
M150 nibs are really usable with that pen (once you get to the
next size up in Pelikans, there's a whole range of Pelikan nibs
you can mix and match with).

There is no single best nib. For a start, there are different
types of nib -- not only widths, but whether or not you want a
"normal" point or a straight-cut point, either italic or stub,
and whether or not you want any degree of flex, and if so, how much.

After that, there are different tastes in nibs. I used to like my
nibs to have a buttery-smooth glide over paper; now I prefer them
to have a small amount of tactile feedback, as they might call it
in the marketing bumf.

Once you've decided what you want in a nib, finding it can be a
bit of a problem, since individual nibs vary. There's been a
discussion on generic "Iridium Point Germany" nibs. Some of these
can be pretty sorry things, but OTOH I have found some low-cost
steel nibs that write very nearly as well as the best rigid nibs
I have (Sheaffer Triumph nibs of the 1940s, as it happens, a
couple of examples).

All of which having been said, it's generally agreed that the
Pelikan steel nibs of the kind you have in the 150 are about as
good as it gets with modern steel nibs, and some people prefer
them to Pelikan's gold nibs. So I suggest you write on and try to
get clear what you'd like different from the nib you have, and
maybe try out other types of nibs -- broader, finer, italic
(which you can try easily with cheap calligraphy pens), flexy (if
you can find someone with a flex nib who'll let you try it) --
and then start hunting. You can get different widths of nibs for
the 150, but only a restricted range, IIRC.

Good luck

Michael

"William Lee" wrote in message
...
Are most pen nibs removeable and replacable?

yes and no.. :P

Most nibs are removable and replaceable. But not necessarily easily like the
Pelikan nibs. Some nibs are pressure fit (most) while some like Pelikan,
some MB nibs, Esterbrook (no longer being manufactured) and a few others are
screw-in nibs. Pressure fit nibs can sometimes be removed with careful and
gentle "rocking" motion but there are risks as you will read in Mr. Dubiel's
book. Some require removal with more force which is where you'll hear/read
about knockout blocks. Recently I had three pens with IPG nibs - the nibs
were to all appearances identical. Except one was pressure fit and the
other two were screw-in type. I'm sure they were manufactured by the same
company but they were sold in two different pen brands. The more expensive
brand used the pressure-fit nib. BUT - the pressure wasn't enough and the
flow was very inconsistent. I was able to slip the nib out too easily, IMO.
In a situation like this, I *think* that the issue was that with the
looseness of the nib and feed, there was not enough contact between nib and
feed to ensure proper flow. I'm new to the repair thing though so I'm
guessing. You can see how it snowballs just by reading my rambling reply.
:-)

That said - it is possible, and some custom pen makers do this, to use
better quality parts or even vintage parts to put quality nibs into "kit"
pens. There are probably sources for new parts that are better than the
standard IPG nib (though they still may be labeled "iridium point germany".)
Of course, then you're looking at a higher cost probably.

If that is the case what would be the best nib to put in a pen?
Is there a better replacement nib for my Pelikan M150?

The nib can be replaced easily with another 150 nib of course because
pelikan nibs are screw-in nibs. There are nibmeisters who can do amazing
things with a nib to make it ultra smooth or ultra fine or whatever. But
there is no other brand that I know of that would fit the 150 and be as good
as a Pelikan nib.

I think Esterbrook nibs can be used in another brand but I can't remember
which one.. oh... Osmiroid. talking about vintage here though in both cases.

give me a better understanding about what is what in the fountain pen
world..

yup - it will.

I have been using my M150 every chance I get and am enjoying writing with
it
more than I thought I would.

Just don't go and buy a custom nib for it... then you'll be sunk for sure.
:-)

I wouldn't worry about bothering the board with endless questions. Even
after you get the book you'll have questions and I certainly have an
opinion.

--
I am not a Lupus/Fountain Pen Expert. I am not a Medical Doctor. I do not
make my living in medicine or in fountain pen repair. All opinions herein
are based solely on my experience and observations. Take them with a grain
of salt (unless you have high blood pressure...g)

Thanks, Michael for taking the time to share that information with me.
This is getting a lot more complex.
Two weeks ago I thought a pen was a pen and looks were everything.
Last week I bought a M150 and started using it.
This week I ordered two M200's and a CORE.
Now here is all these nibs to consider.
I am starting to see why pen collecting is such a popular thing.
There is so much to it.

William Lee


"Michael Wright" wrote in message
...


William Lee wrote:
Are most pen nibs removeable and replacable?
I thought they just pulled out along with that little ribbed thingy and
slipped back in.
If that is the case what would be the best nib to put in a pen?
Is there a better replacement nib for my Pelikan M150?

The little ribbed thingy is called the feed; on your Pelikan
M150, the nib and feed are designed to screw out together. You
can, then, replace them with another Pelikan nib, but AFAIK only
M150 nibs are really usable with that pen (once you get to the
next size up in Pelikans, there's a whole range of Pelikan nibs
you can mix and match with).

There is no single best nib. For a start, there are different
types of nib -- not only widths, but whether or not you want a
"normal" point or a straight-cut point, either italic or stub,
and whether or not you want any degree of flex, and if so, how much.

After that, there are different tastes in nibs. I used to like my
nibs to have a buttery-smooth glide over paper; now I prefer them
to have a small amount of tactile feedback, as they might call it
in the marketing bumf.

Once you've decided what you want in a nib, finding it can be a
bit of a problem, since individual nibs vary. There's been a
discussion on generic "Iridium Point Germany" nibs. Some of these
can be pretty sorry things, but OTOH I have found some low-cost
steel nibs that write very nearly as well as the best rigid nibs
I have (Sheaffer Triumph nibs of the 1940s, as it happens, a
couple of examples).

All of which having been said, it's generally agreed that the
Pelikan steel nibs of the kind you have in the 150 are about as
good as it gets with modern steel nibs, and some people prefer
them to Pelikan's gold nibs. So I suggest you write on and try to
get clear what you'd like different from the nib you have, and
maybe try out other types of nibs -- broader, finer, italic
(which you can try easily with cheap calligraphy pens), flexy (if
you can find someone with a flex nib who'll let you try it) --
and then start hunting. You can get different widths of nibs for
the 150, but only a restricted range, IIRC.

Good luck

Michael

"Michael Wright" wrote in message
...

All of which having been said, it's generally agreed that the
Pelikan steel nibs of the kind you have in the 150 are about as
good as it gets with modern steel nibs, and some people prefer
them to Pelikan's gold nibs.

I'm one of those that prefers the Pelikan steel to the gold for the most
part. My gold EF is nice but most of the broader gold nibs feel "mushy" to
me. I use all widths and types (prefering a slightly sharp stub with a
left-footed angle of about 5-8 degrees.) :-)

"William Lee" wrote in message
...
This week I ordered two M200's and a CORE.
Now here is all these nibs to consider.
I am starting to see why pen collecting is such a popular thing.
There is so much to it.

William Lee

BWAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Fish in a barrel... :-)

Welcome to the addiction.