Nib flex
We do offer an adding flex service to some of the nibs we offer in this store.
Only for 14k nibs: this type of alloy have more content of zinc and copper than higher carats of alloy. The less content of gold is better because gold is a very dull metal, it is like Play Doh as it does not return to its original place.
In flexing rating there are a few names referring to the amount of separation between tines or slit gap and the effort needed to flex the tines. These are:
Semi-flex Full-flex Super-flex Wet-noodler
From a separation of half a millimeter from a semi-flex nib to 3 millimeters of the wet-noodlers only found in some vintage nibs. (I am referring to fountain pen nibs, not dip pen nibs).
In the last few years another grade of ‘flex’’ nibs has appeared in the scenery: soft nibs.
Soft nibs are those with a very little flex or line variation when applying pressure to their tines. They are bouncy and can give nice feeling while writing as well as some beauty to our writing style.
We only offer the modification of some 14k nibs to semi-flex and full-flex.
Semi-flex is a modification of the nib thickness, curvatures and shape. Full-flex is the same but also affects a modification of the ebonite feeder to get a better control of the ink flow.
Q&A
Can any 14k nib be flex added? No, highly stamped nibs with the decoration on the nib’s tines makes the tines very stiff.
Can an ABS plastic be modified to improve the control of ink flow? No, it can be hacked to increase the ink flow, but this is not the same as ink flow control: this is when a feeder can deliver a lot of ink when tines are opened and decrease it when not.
Do vent hole shapes add flex to nibs? A bit: keyhole vents make the tines longer while heart shape vents make the tines narrower. Both add a bit of flex to the nib.
Is SuperFlow ebonite feeder better for flex nibs? Yes, our feeder is designed to work with flex nibs, increasing ink flow and ink control to achieve the best writing experience. Bare in mind that different ink reservoirs may affect ink flow too.
My nib railroads, what can I do? This happens when the nib does not get enough ink. First of all, clean your nib unit and pen reservoir with soapy water. If after this it continues happening, you may use thinner inks.
Recommendations:
We only offer complete nib units with an added flex nib because the feeder, nib and housing is all very accurately adjusted to get the best performance. If you remove the nib from its feeder and housing we will not take responsibility of what you do with the nib.
Be careful when screwing the nib unit into the pen section, you can misalign the nib tines.
Be careful when flexing the nib, if you overdo it you will get a permanent bent nib. It is your responsibility to use the nib in its flexing range, it will last forever if sensible used.
Plating flex nibs is not recommended, it adds extra thickness and while flexing the tines coating may peel of.
Sandblasting flex nibs is not reccomended as it adds stiffness to the nib.
Check this two link about how to start calligraphy writing with flex nibs:
https://www.iampeth.com/lesson/adjusting-the-angle-of-your-paper
Some videos of our modifications: