Heat Setting a Noodler's Ebonite Feed

[@nanjappa42]

'Heat Setting'- that is it! It is the way to fix flow problems in most pens. This video took me to my school days ( 60 years ago) in a small town when I used to watch 'pen repairers' ( we used to call them 'country doctors') fix such problems.[ While the stationery/general stores sold pens, they could never fix any problems. We had to go to these country doctors for servicing; only big cities had specialist pen shops who combined sales and service.] They used a simple (crude?) method: they would pull out the feed ( we called it 'tongue' in our language) , hold a lighted match stick under it , moving it over the length of the feed ( but at a safe distance, which was a trade secret). Then he would adjust it to suit the shape of the nib. But he told me that this heat treatment would work only with ebonite feeds ( he would call it 'lubber', colloquial for rubber ) and never for plastic feeds. He would in fact check the feed first, and replace the plastic feed with an ebonite one. Trying to follow his method, and failing miserably and spoiling many feeds, I discovered the method of immersing the feed in near-boiling water and then adjusting it to the nib! Now, in this video, you have made it both scientific and simple! Terrific!

[@Axisoft]

I just came here from a video from 2011 and can't help but say congratulations to Brian on his weight loss.

[@cldavis33]

So yeah, I'm that guy that couldn't get his Noddlers pens working. Until....I found these youtube vids that encouraged me to take it apart and tinker with it. And after some messing with the feed and nib, AMAZING performance, LOL. Like, I can't believe how great my Ahab is writing. Haven't tried the heat setting yet, but I guess my point is, don't be afraid to mess with these pens.

[@PeartFan76028]

My dad and I just watched this video and then we jumped to one of your older videos. He said, "Who's that guy?" He literally did not recognize you because of your weight loss! Awesome progress!

[@Gouletpens]

Haha, yeah, it's been pretty dramatic! Not only do I look different but I feel way different too (in a good way). I literally feel like I've traveled back in time 10 years! -Brian Goulet

[@DollyTheLlama]

I've been using fountain pens off and on for 30 years and never a problem until I, absentmindedly, decided to clean a stubbornly dirty and dried up 20 year old Sheaffer feed with a good soak in hot water. Whoops! To make a long story short, it's writing like a dream again! Thank you!

[@woodthrushcottage]

O.M.G. Just came back to watch this from the 6/17/2022 pencast #50 - this is amazing you guys!!😍

[@Gouletpens]

Yeaahhh - it's entertaining to go back in time every once in awhile! - Drew

[@pmckinlay653]

Just tried this with my new Ahab. I think it needs doing again, but it actually flows now! Thanks Brian!

[@lawrencegladwell163]

Totally awesome production value on this video. Really liked it...oh and more Drew diagrams in future please, great feature. 1:17 - Drew's first screen time. Classic.

[@Gouletpens]

Glad you like it! Haha, I'll look to have Drew-agrams whenever I can ;) -Brian Goulet

[@stinky_lizard]

just finished the new video on flex pens, made it here and today I've also made my first purchase on your store, I had some questions efore finalizing my purchase and somebody helped me out really quick. then after I did everything I realized I wanted to get a different color than what I ordered and someone fixed it for me real quick too! I'm just raving as a happy customer and watcher of these videos, write on!

[@Gouletpens]

Our Customer Care team are a bunch of superstars. I'm glad they were able to help you out, and I'll pass along your comment! Thanks for watching. :) - Colin

[@karlkunkel3757]

Up and running, thanks to You! I used your heat-setting technique on my Noodler's Konrad flex pen this evening, and it is now performing flawlessly. Your video tutorial was easy to follow and short. Perfect! My ink flow had been scratchy and unreliable and needed adjustment immediately. Strangely, I had used this pen back in December without any nib/feed adjustment needed but decided to give it a rest to try other models. I cleaned it first, of course. One tip for others I learned the hard way: store the Konrad small screw-on cap, located at the base, in a safe place while working on the pen. I am still looking for mine (!)

[@adamskawesker5102]

Thank you for making this all those years ago. I'm new to fountain pens, and recently got one of Nathan's ebonite feed pens with Heart of Darkness. Loved the pen, but I wanted to use a finer nib with it. Still wrote with a broader line after changing, but this technique solved that problem.

[@Gouletpens]

Glad to hear this video still works! - Drew

[@RobertMaguire67]

So far IMHO this is your best video to date of the dozens I have watched. Bravo.

[@Gouletpens]

Awesome! Definitely put more production effort into this vid than most of the others. I wish I had the time to do this for every one! -Brian Goulet

[@TonyThomas10000]

Great production values! You guys are becoming very adept at videography and editing!

[@Gouletpens]

It helps when I get Tyler to help me, he's got some skills ;) -Brian Goulet

[@MattZ42]

It's like if Alton Brown made a fountain pen video.

[@Gouletpens]

Funny you should mention that, Good Eats was thrown around as a stylistic inspiration when we were storyboarding this video! -Brian Goulet

[@OPRoadtoRecovery]

The Goulet Pen Company Love it!! 😂😂

[@bigshortstack2929]

Glad you didn't. Ole Alton gets a little TOO technical a lot of times. :)

[@dyloak6450]

These old videos are really good quality, motivation, and thought into them! I had no idea he used to make videos with this type of mindset! Edit: new videos are also super awesome haha

[@Gouletpens]

Thanks? Haha - Drew

[@YanDoroshenko]

Well that was EXTREMELY useful. Saved my pen from dripping in a minute.

[@Gouletpens]

Yeah, it's basically a necessity with Noodler's pens. Any sort of flow issues, this could help it. - Colin

[@SassyScentsTM]

Y'all are just Lil' Baby Nibsters in this video and I love it! I came here to find a resource on heat settings a triple-tail, so looks like I'm on the right track! Thanks for the great quality video and instructions!

[@kennethmcgeechan604]

Such a simple concise video, 10/10 straight to top of the class for you :) and it fixed the flow problems on 1 of my 3 Ahabs. (the other 2 worked fine out of the box)

[@Gouletpens]

Kenneth McGeechan awesome! That's so great to hear. I like the feedback on the video of course, but the fact that it actually worked for your pens is the best validation :) -Brian Goulet

[@billinrio]

An excellent article in Wikipedia informs us that "Ebonite", is in fact a brand name for a the hard rubber compound marketed by the Goodyear Tire company. It also says that "Depending on the sulfur percentage, hard rubber has a thermoplastic transition or softening temperature of 70 to 80 °C (158 to 176 °F)." Knowing this, as a precaution, when heat setting the hard rubber Noodler's feed to the nib, it would be wise to submerse them in water of that temperature range, and not hotter.

[@glumfish6862]

This is so well made, most of your videos are great but this one is awesome. It will attract even more people to the hobby!

[@domalex7738]

I swear anytime I have a question about a pen you guys already made a video on it years ago... I love the editing in this video! Reminds me of the top 7 shady (looks for cops) inks video. Keep it up Goulet crew! -Dom

[@Gouletpens]

This is a good one. Any Brian & Drew video is usually a winner. Hope to have a short Quick Tip version of this at some point! - Colin

[@teepee46]

Just used this technique on my Konrad Ebonite Flex pen with excellent results. It was always hit or miss previously... frequent flow issues, lots of railroading, etc. Writes like a dream now (w/ Apache Sunset). Putting my Pelikan M800 aside for awhile. ;) Thanks for the great tip.

[@Gouletpens]

Awesome! I mean, not about the initial issues, but that they were an easy fix ;) -Brian Goulet

[@tbayless8324]

I know this video is old, but it it is still new to me. I just had to do that this week with a flex nib I just bought. It was really stressful to finally figure this out. Also I think this helps if silicone grease somehow gets down in the feed and starts blocking things.

[@rdhumphrey]

Awesome video, I'm enjoying the different graphics and short skits.

[@neo7779]

Brian & Team, Great video. I actually went back and watched the first 101 video and then this one again. Wow you have some a long way. It was informative and entertaining. Brian, on a personal note to you, your physical transformation is nothing short of amazing. When ever I am discouraged or slip up on my eating I come back and watch the 30x30x30 video and it gets me energized again. Thanks for being honest and open. God Bless you.

[@Gouletpens]

Thanks! Yeah, I've come a long way from a physical standpoint, as well as a video production standpoint! I look back at the FP101 vids and while the information is solid, I know I could do it so much better now ;) Ah well! That's awesome that you're motivated by my story, I'm definitely a 'lead by example' kind of guy so that's incredibly rewarding for me to hear. You should also check out my other video I did once I actually hit my ultimate weights loss goal in January, Accomplish Your Goals with BLISS: Accomplish Your Goals with BLISS As a little follow up now, it's been 4 months since I hit my target weight, and I have kept it all off (within a few lbs that I fluctuate, of course). It hasn't been easy, I honestly have had to work pretty much as hard to keep it off as I did to lose it in the first place, but I'll eat the occasional cup of ice cream or piece of cake now and not sweat it too much. I just have to moderate (which is not in my nature!). It's become such a lifestyle though, that I really have changed my habits for what I believe to be permanent. -Brian Goulet

[@neo7779]

The Goulet Pen Company Brian, Thanks for Reply. I'll have to give BLISS a watch. I know your focus is family and your company, but if you ever get around to writing a book about your story and the insights you have received from all you do I would be first in line. It would of course need to be hand written in fountain pen on Clairefontaine. :)

[@SamDSo]

This was the most professional video you have ever made. And you look fabulously thin. Great!

[@Gouletpens]

Thanks, Sam! Tyler and Drew both helped me out on this one, and Katy helped in the initial planning. This video, as short as it was, took a LOT more time and planning than any other video we've done. If I had my choice, I'd do them all like this...but that would not be realistic given how involved it is. But we will definitely look to do more after seeing how popular this has been. And thanks for the personal compliment, I've been working hard to get to where I am (thin-wise!). -Brian Goulet

[@richardfields7582]

Just got my Ahab from Goulet and I took it out if the box and the nib and feed looked so out of whack I put it back in the box and decided this is definitely a rainy day project!

[@Gouletpens]

Sorry about that! These pens take a little tinkering, so don't get discouraged. -Brian Goulet

[@michaelcorrado8765]

Holy quality, Batman! I'm sure this took quite a bit longer than usual, but the finished product is great.

[@Gouletpens]

It did indeed, but I knew this video was one to take extra time doing. I'd need a whole team to be able to produce videos like this on a regular basis so I don't think that'll happen for everything, but there's definitely potential for more like this in the future. -Brian Goulet

[@roguequill]

Oh wow I didn't realize how easy heat setting process was - thanks for the tip!

[@Gouletpens]

Yep, just dip it into hot water, pinch and you're good! Sometimes it takes a few tries for it to set, so luckily it is this easy. - Colin

[@-----REDACTED-----]

The Goulet Pen Company how hot should the water be? Can't be hotter than 100C ofc...but I would feel safer knowing at least a ballpark figure I can work with... Also, does this potentially also work with plastic feeds such as the ones in the Jinhao X750 and X450?

[@justjollyjacob]

Brian, you look great man! Hi, Drew! I think it's awesome seeing other members of the Goulet Pens team. Would love to see more in future videos :) Also love seeing more of the building (house?). Gives us a more "behind the scenes" look at Goulet Pens.

[@DavePawson]

I have 3 Konrads. All of which 'blob' totally out of the blue. Yesterday I heat set one, twice in 2 minutes microwaved water, likely close to boiling. Dipped for about 30 seconds, pressed as per video. filled with Noodlers black... Fingers crossed, cheap(ish) paper. Two sides of A4, expecting the worst. .... It was fine. Today using it on my diary, nice paper. Half a sheet of A4. So far so good. My hopes are raised Brian! I'll let you know. Bit like a bad garage though, it will take ages before I trust the pen again!

[@Gouletpens]

That's totally understandable, Dave, but signs are looking good so far. I'm glad it's helping! -Brian Goulet

[@DavePawson]

Possible addition Brian? Set the feed / nib relationship to the flex and wetness level wanted prior to heat setting? Not mentioned, I'm now concerned that if I adjust the setting I'll be back where I started.

[@Gouletpens]

I've actually found that's not quite as critical when it's properly heat set. I mean, it shouldn't be way out of whack, but I don't find the finessing of the nib/feed placement to be as critical after doing this, especially on the Ahab which pretty much sets the nib and feed right in place. -Brian Goulet

[@Gouletpens]

I did do a video a whiiiile ago showing how to mess with the nib and feed on the Nib Creaper though, come to think of it. It's the same concept for the Ahab and Konrad: Noodler's Flex Nib Adjusting- Ink Nouveau

[@DavePawson]

The Goulet Pen Company That is a little contradictory Brian? In two places you say nib+feed out = wetter, then nib further out from feed = wetter? I guess it's just a case of try the combinations? Which brings up my point, having heat set it, too much adjustment, nib to feed, feed to body, will / may upset the fit? btw, 5 A4 pages now, no gushing! Fingers crossed.

[@AndiSWB]

I was watching a few of your other videos this morning and wow, you look like an entirely different person now! :-) Also, very snazzy video format!

[@Gouletpens]

Haha, I know, right? Yeah, it's pretty drastic. I didn't feel at the time that I was all that heavy, but seeing how I am now vs. then, it's pretty drastic! -Brian Goulet

[@athenapn5066]

That face Brian makes at his pen at .55secs? Yeah, that's me looking at my Noodler's Creaper: it's clearly possessed by the mischief-making spirits of ancient scribes who seem to resent that I don't have to carve my own goose quills to write. Ha! After viewing this & 'Noodler's Flex Nib Adjusting' yet one more time I'm giving it another go. Excelsior and all that - wish me luck! Also any pen exorcism tips would be appreciated.

[@Gouletpens]

It can definitely take a couple tries. I was convinced my Creaper was never going to work right, but I tried to heatset again and now it's the perfect flex option. Don't give up! - Colin

[@CyrilViXP]

It helped a lot! Thank you Brian! At least my Konrad can write now

[@yippiecahier9253]

Brian, thank you so much for this great tip.... I changed my first nib today, did the heat set like you said (it took three times!), and voila! I now have a Noodler's Creeper ("Charlie") eyedropper with a super-flexy artist's nib! Feeling very proud of myself. Almost makes me forget about the other feed I broke trying to change a different nib on another pen..... LOL!!!! Anyway, you rock. Thanks again. :)

[@Gouletpens]

+Yippie Cahier Good job! It's a unique process, but I'm glad it eventually worked out for you. It's worth it to get these Noodler's pens in top working order! - Colin

[@jisa39]

Great video, I think it's a more professional video than the oters. It feels like "Ink Nouveau. The movie" Way to go, GPC!

[@Gouletpens]

Yeah, we actually scripted this one out, first time we've ever done that. It really came together! -Brian Goulet

[@jisa39]

The Goulet Pen Company Also it looks awesome technichally, the image is great

[@Gregwisconsin]

Very helpful video, thank you. Seeing a close-up of some FP writing issues was helpful to be sure I understood the issue visually not just text or spoken description. I "hot-water" method heat set the feed on my Konrad (M no-flex nib) and am VERY pleased with the result. One follow up question: am I correct in assuming that if I remove nib and feed, say for example to change nibs, that I would likely benefit by re setting the fed with the hot water method upon re-assembly? Looking forward to more GP vids.

[@reasonnottheneed]

YOU SAVED MY NIB CREEPER! I got that pen years age and gave up and it because I thought I broke it! This completely revitalized the pen, and now it writes consistently even with Antietam, which caused flow issues in some of my other pens. From your new Q&A video, Nathan talked about taping the nib, and I doubted that that would do anything, but that WORKED UNBELIEVABLY AWESOMELY! It did just as much to improve the pen as the heat setting. The pen writes somehow incredibly smoothly without flexing and keeps up with incredible flexing speeds without railroading, and recovers instantly if it does railroad. I swear, that little piece of 0.01 cent tape is magic or something! The pen is now much better than even when I originally bought it (the heat setting returned it to that condition). Anyhow, it made the $14 I had spent on the pen into an awesome investment, 'cause this pen is something I would pay $50 for even being a student with no real source of income. Anyhow, thanks, thanks, many thanks!

[@Gouletpens]

That's so awesome to hear, Leo! This is exactly why I made this video :) -Brian Goulet

[@raria11]

You're my hero. Two more working beautiful pens. Thank you!!!

[@rafael55]

I found out what I was doing wrong. I needed a thermometer so I could get to near boiling temperature. 210 degrees seems to be what is needed. The nib has to feel hot when pressing with fingers, I had to use a paper towel to do it. I'm confident that it's going to work fine now. I love the big ink capacity of the ahab.

[@billinrio]

Too hot. The correct temperature for the water is 158 to 176 °F.

[@michaelgoodman3845]

This was a fun demonstration to watch.

[@GrantBotes]

Very helpful, thank you. And much simpler than I thought.

[@Detman101]

Pro-Tip: DO NOT heat-set your nib in a plastic bowl of any sort. Boiling water in the microwave in a plastic bowl causes molecules of the plastic to bind to the metal nib and ebonite feed when sitting in the boiled plastic-water. It renders your feed unusable because it will not conduct ink any longer (It becomes hydrophobic due to the molecular plastic coating the surface). The only way to restore the Ebonite feed and metal nib if you mess it up this way, is to acid etch it...removing the molecular outer layer of the items. Of course, I don't know how to acid etch so my ebonite feed and nib were garbage after this mistake. A very costly oversight and a good reason to USE CERAMIC BOWL!!!

[@quixoticelixer594]

This isn't true and isn't how it works

[@joshvenick2593]

My ahab works for the first time since I got it. Thanks so much!!

[@huntersmith8724]

whoa video quality is excellent now. I've been meaning to get a noodler's flex pen for a while now... maybe ill order one this weekend. And Brian! You lost all that weight. Might I suggest some levi's 511s or 514s?

[@Gouletpens]

Yeah, we're stepping up our game a bit ;) The Noodler's pens are fun, no doubt. Definitely worth dabbling for the price, low barrier to entry there. Haha, I won't lie, I had to look up those Levi's numbers, I've always been a carpenter/boot cut kind of guy! -Brian Goulet

[@bt5398]

Can’t believe this simple fix isn’t noted on their handouts. Noodler dude may think self evident but it isn’t. All my pens work right out of box with one or two exceptions. Noodlers always give me trouble. This has always annoyed me since his designers are wonderful and fill solutions intriguing. Just got neponset used that was giving me trouble but heat setting fixed it right up. Happy owner of full ebonite pen and musical tine.

[@johnhenderson1760]

A note of warning. I forgot the "up to the grip" part when dipping it into the water and submerged the whole section. The thread for the converter is boogered now. RIP Ahab - 12/25/2023 - 3/2/2024. 😢

[@aag24]

Wow - you've become so much more handsome over the years. Bravo!

[@holzfallen]

Hahah I didn't want to say anything and sound like a creep, but he totally has!

[@RamLaska]

Bro's been working out!

[@dddddddddddddyt]

Hair nicely done. You look so much younger...

[@Gouletpens]

Thanks! For the last 10 years I've been rocking the buzz cut, but as I lost weight I wanted to grow it out. Plus I know a lot of other guys my age (even younger) who are seriously losing hair, so I want flaunt it while I've got it ;) -Brian Goulet

[@IdelisThordarson]

Like many others have mentions, video was quite fancy this time around. Good work! I've been watching some of the first videos in your dining room (?), definitely come a long way since then!

[@IsaacYochelson]

Is the hot water method safe for the Acrylic and Ebonite Konrads? I tried using hot water to get the hood off a Parker 21 and it melted the hood, so I'm concerned that these materials can have different reactions to very hot water.

[@Gouletpens]

Well, you don't want the water toooo hot, keep it under a boil. It shouldn't be a problem with the Acrylics at all, the ebonites you may want to be a little more careful with. You can just dip the feed and nib into the water (keep it off the grip) and be okay. If you do dip the grip of an ebonite pen in, though, it's only going to become malformed if you squeeze or grab the grip intentionally. So there is that risk, I suppose, on those pens. I hear very few issues with the ebonite pens, though. And given the alternative (heat by flame) the risk is WAY lower with hot water. -Brian Goulet

[@AdamVoss]

I just wanted to add that with at least the Clear Demonstrator Nib Creeper, this can soften the plastic enough for it to be deformed. My pen is pointing to the right a bit but I think that but running through the process again I can probably straighten it out enough, though not sure how many rounds the plastic will tolerate. The the metal ring at the end is now loose enough to rotate (though maybe that was an adhesive under it that broke down). Since there was no disclaimer I figured this was pretty safe and I didn't concern myself with reading up on it further. I was even surprised when the video showed part of the section submerged. I'd recommend reading up on more detailed advice (I haven't) or at least not submerging any more of the grip than you have to. I did have more of the section in the water than shown in the video.

[@euga5653]

This feels like an homage to Alton Brown and Bill Nye Great work!

[@Gouletpens]

That might be the top compliment we've gotten on this channel! Thanks for the support. :) - Colin

[@iyshraq]

Hi I am one of your subscriber and would you make a video for how to make nib be dry instead of wet

[@jctrain6876]

Thank you thank you for this video and having an awesome team! I asked about Flex nibs on IG and was directed here by a Goulet team member. This is helpful sine I plan to purchase a Noodlers Flex pen from you soon!

[@cxvzf]

This video was amazing. Great job!!

[@Gouletpens]

Thank you!!

[@barbarajloriordan2697]

Here’s my problem, whose solution may seem obvious to some. I don’t know if the nib is set in the way that I want it unless I have filled the pen and tried to write with it. But, then, even if flush the pen, there may still be some ink in the nib or feed, and I would not want to heat set if there is still some residual ink. I won’t know if the pen is thoroughly clean unless I pull the nib and feed, inspect them, and wash them. But, then, I won’t know if the nib is set in the way that I want unless I ink it up again. So I am guessing that it is ok to flush the pen as completely as I can and then heat set. Would you be willing to verify that it’s OK to heat set the nib after flushing carefully, without removing the nib and feed again? Have you found another way out of this rather circular problem?

[@erwinb3412]

Does immersing the fountain pen down into the hot water , more than until the end of the metal nib , so also the plastic grip where the aft end of the ebonite feed sits in , not cause this plastic grip to discolour or disform ?

[@sharingtimeagain]

My Ahab worked great for a week out of the box and now its doing all those horrible things that was happening to B&W infomercial Brian. Could it need that Heat set again now that I have used it and broken it in a little?

[@Gouletpens]

Yeah, definitely try to heatset it again. Noodler's pens are definitely for tinkerers, and you may need to retry it until it sets correctly. But it usually fixes most flow issues. - Colin

[@sharingtimeagain]

Thanks. They are certainly for tinkerers. I describe the interesting thing I had to do in my review on the Ahab demonstrator on the company site.

[@Gouletpens]

@Mohamad iyshraq, Well, that's not something you can easily do with this pen (short of heat setting like I do in this video). And with most other pens, it's really tricky. I'm not a nibmeister so I tend to shy away from doing this level of modification, with the exception of pens like the Noodler's ones where tinkering like that is encouraged. -Brian Goulet

[@ShawnBiddle]

The infomercial style black/white cuts are hilarious

[@Gouletpens]

Yes! That was exactly the goal :) -Brian Goulet

[@Detman101]

Just ordered my Ahab after ruining my other flex pen project by heat setting the nib and feed in a plastic bowl. Microscopic plastic element transferred onto the nib, ebonite feed and ebonite housing at a surface level. $40 wasted on upgrade parts....but at least the penbbs-456 still has it's stock parts. those work perfectly so I can at least still use it. But the Ahab will be my tinker project. And no waiting 3 months on parts from china....ugh.

[@villegas24]

Wow this is more like a short film!

[@Gouletpens]

Yeah! We planned this one out more than our usual effort ;) -Brian Goulet

[@villegas24]

It turned out awesome! Now you know that you can start The Goulet Film Company. :p

[@michaelspain7621]

I have a Cross Townsent that skips and has a "weak" line flow.Will this heating method work on it's ebonite feed ?

[@RamLaska]

Thanks Brian, this is very helpful. My Ahab's been hard starting like a... er... old VW Bug? ;) I'm going to try heat setting it the way you suggested.

[@NoHandsMcGee83]

Super cool video, stepping up your game! Great work, can't wait for more

[@Gouletpens]

Haha, glad you like it ;) We'll definitely do more like this, they do take a lot of time though! -Brian Goulet

[@creativewatercolor]

Really needed this, thanks a lot!

[@Gouletpens]

You're welcome! The world needed this ;) -Brian Goulet

[@turbonerd42]

Awesome tip, thanks for sharing

[@bdm4504]

Hey, Brian. Is it possible to burn an ebonite feed when heat set using water? Would this lead to discoloration?

[@Gouletpens]

If you're keeping the water below boiling, you should be okay. It's WAY safer than trying to heat using a flame, the only other method I've really seen demonstrated before. I've never discolored ebonite with hot water, or heard of that happening. -Brian Goulet

[@paulyeoman3167]

This is an awesome video!

[@Gouletpens]

Thanks! -Brian Goulet

[@Shiruvan]

has the video always been this way, or youtube video compressing messed something up? this feels like 2005-2010 high quality office backrooms video

[@Gouletpens]

It's pretty old! - Drew

[@baka16649]

Do I need to hear set the feed every time i pull out the feed from the pen?

[@Gouletpens]

Yeah, the heatsetting is for bonding the nib & feed together better. If taken apart, that stops. It is easier to heatset after each time you do it though. - Colin

[@ethanwei6352]

How long did you set the microwave? (For how many minutes)

[@Gouletpens]

It does depend on the microwave, but around 2 minutes is what Brian used. - Colin

[@addictedtoelf]

GAH! There is a Goulet Pen coffee mug!!!!???!? Where has it been all. my. life. I have a clear Noodlers pen that I fill with their whaling brown bulletproof ink and I add a splash of another fuchsia colored ink that I have and it makes this deep rusty pink. My coworkers call it my "blood" pen. I say it comes from my enemies.

[@Gouletpens]

Rusty pink! You wouldn't think that would work for an ink, but I'm intrigued. Here's the GPC mug if you're looking for a gift for yourself come the holidays: www.gouletpens.com/goulet-pen-company-mug/p/GPC-Mug :) - Colin

[@addictedtoelf]

Yessss thank you lol. Yeah it works great and I can tell what I've written on our paperwork against their blues and blacks. Thank you! I will look at it I might need it lol

[@TheEverybodybutme]

Great presentation style

[@Gouletpens]

Thanks! -Brian Goulet

[@j.s.matlock1456]

Thanks for the video. I just tried this with my misbehaving Ahab, and it works a lot better now. (P. S. Brian Goulet is so adorable that I just want to reach through the monitor and pinch his cheeks!)

[@Gouletpens]

J. S. Matlock Awesome, I'm glad it helped! haha, thanks for the compliments ;) -Brian Goulet

[@InArcadiaSum]

If the nib is heat set, and then it becomes necessary to alter the position of the nib and feed, to adjust flow or flex, is it required or needed to re-heat set the nib?

[@Gouletpens]

Yeah, if you separate the nib & feed later, another heat-setting would be necessary to prevent any flow issues. - Colin

[@MicheleLHarvey]

I'm wondering if dunking a pen in hot water would be a good idea if the entire pen is ebonite (as in Noodler's ebonite ripple pens.) Do those need to be completely disassembled to heat set the feed?

[@Gouletpens]

Okay, well you don't really want to 'dunk' any pen, but I get what you're saying. If you're heat setting a solid ebonite pen (like the Konrad Ebonite), then just keep from sticking the grip of the pen in the water and you'll be fine. Just stick the pen nib and feed in, keeping the grip of the pen just above the water. No need to disassemble. -Brian Goulet

[@MicheleLHarvey]

The Goulet Pen Company Makes perfect sense. Thanks Brian!

[@MicheleLHarvey]

Michele Harvey PS-I wasn't sure if with an ebonite Noodler's pen, the feed (and nib) needed to be separated from the pen body in order to heat set safely. You've answered my question. Thanks!

[@Gouletpens]

Michele Harvey Yeah, you don't need to separate them. Drew was messing around with intentionally trying to ruin an ebonite Konrad in this way, and you REALLY have to try to screw it up. -Brian Goulet

[@chrisblanc663]

Do you do this while there is ink in the feed? Or clear it out first?

[@onii-chandaisuki5710]

I would definitely clean it out first.

[@Reisbig]

Hey, I am not sure if you have answered this already but are there any issues heat setting the feed on the Ebonite Konrad? I wanted to be sure that my pen would not be affected by it before I tried, considering that it is made of ebonite as well.

[@Gouletpens]

I wouldn't dip much of the section into the water to heatset it, try to keep it to the nib & feed, but the pen itself should be fine! - Colin

[@sh1pme2themune9]

So i guess this is what i'll need to turn my Charlie from a leaky faucet to a fountain pen?

[@Gouletpens]

It's worth a shot! -Brian G

[@sh1pme2themune9]

@@Gouletpens gave it a shot; worked like a charm. thanks for the tip.

[@ThePenPixie]

Fancy video!

[@Gouletpens]

Yeah, we were shooting for that...but in an accessible way ;) -Brian Goulet

[@PaulHurleygoogleplus]

Excellent video Brian and Drew. I would not even have thought of heat-setting my ebonite feeds before this video (not owning either an alcohol burner or heat gun and leery of using them on my pens even if I did). This is definitely much more doable now. Where's my Noodler's Konrad and Ahabs?

[@Gouletpens]

Yeah, Drew and I ruined quite a few feeds trying heat setting with fire, and we never felt confident telling others to try it that way. But discovering the hot water method was like a major revelation! -Brian Goulet

[@9823867]

I dont remember heat setting my Ahab and I havent encounter any problems yet. Is that normal?

[@MeLSL1]

But how do I adjust the nib and feed? Do I fill up the pen with ink, adjust the nib and feed, then remove the ink to heat set and fill it up with ink again?

[@Gouletpens]

Definitely start out with an un-inked pen & heatset the nib/feed. Then ink it up and the flow should improve. You may need to repeat this process, but it does usually work the first time. - Colin

[@F3rnando666]

jajaja Just before watching this video i was watching (like for the 10000th time) your review on the Rhodia webnotebook.. Watching this video after that one is kinda shocking! in a good way ofcourse!. Great work. Hope to see more of this!.

[@Gouletpens]

Wow, that was a while ago, yeah! I'll definitely look to do more videos like this, as time allows :) -Brian Goulet

[@markos741]

Hahaha great acting! Even better than the "fountain pen-Rambo" days :-) Thanks for the great tips!

[@Gouletpens]

That's awesome that you remember that :) -Brian Goulet

[@miss5050]

You look great Brian! Skin and bones ;)

[@Gouletpens]

Haha, not hardly! I'm still hanging out around 200lbs. -Brian Goulet

[@alejandrolujan2825]

Is it also the same for Noodlers Neponset music nib?; It won't write at all

[@Gouletpens]

Yeah, because of the ebonite feed, heatsetting is a good way to help with any flow issues. - Colin

[@marceloa.4247]

im having problems with my ahab converter and the section, is this normal ?

[@Melkorify]

This is not the brian i know.

[@GrandThrawn1]

Can you use the same method to heat set a plastic feed, lets say in a Visconti pen?

[@billinrio]

No.

[@SwetPotato]

love this

[@Gouletpens]

Awesome sauce :) -Brian Goulet

[@paulburberry7482]

How can I get a Goulet Pen Company coffee mug? ;)

[@Gouletpens]

Paul Burberry We've got a Zazzle store where you can pick a few things up! They still have our old logo for now. www.zazzle.com/gouletpens -Margaret

[@Detman101]

Man o man his hair was kewl in this video...

[@bekolax]

How did you get the pen to leak like that?

[@Gouletpens]

Haha, a little visual trickery. I did a tight macro shot of the nib, but I'm actually holding the pen without a pen body on it. To get it to gush like that, I pushed on the plunger of the piston so that it would intentionally force way too much ink out as I wrote :) It's totally exaggerated, but I have heard some that have had burping issues (though not this dramatic!). -Brian Goulet

[@JimSowers]

Then answer to my question may be buried in your responses to the comments, but if so, I'd suggest that you simply add a link to your video for FAQs. Here's the question, which may be obvious. I'm assuming (although the video did not state it) that your pen should be completely empty of ink and dry before heat setting it. Verdad?

[@Gouletpens]

Yes, definitely clean the pen out of all ink. You don't want the ink to settle into the space where you're pushing the nib and feed together. Give it a good thorough cleaning and you should be good to go! - Colin

[@JimSowers]

Thanks, and in re-watching it, you did mention it should be inkless. My bad.

[@AnneGoggansQHHT]

I’m guessing you’ve got to empty the ink out before doing this

[@rv_96]

Omg u look great..

[@Gouletpens]

Haha, thanks! been working hard ;) -Brian Goulet

[@PompaTG]

That was my first thought as well! I recognised the voice, but not the guy haha :D

[@DavePawson]

The Goulet Pen Company Clearly! I bet you feel much better for it too! Looking good.

[@filmlessledbetter7343]

IS "EBONITE" THE SAME AS "EBONY"?

[@billinrio]

It's a brand name for hard rubber, and was originally intended as a replacement for ebony wood.

[@jeremiahpua94]

So you have to heat set the feed everytime you use it? What a drag.

[@Gouletpens]

No not at all. Sometime it doesn't "take" when you attempt it, so you'll need a few more tries. But it should be good from there. - Colin