Nib Tuning - Fountain Pen Nib Adjustment

[@ssnoc]

If you’re a fountain pen user, you absolutely need to know how to tweak the nib - shipping alone in freezing weather or very hot weather will expand and contract the tines, so it’s necessary to know how to tune it yourself. Great video - Thanks👍

[@Doodlebud]

Yup, Ben Walsh and I chatted about the effects to temperature changes on a nib during flights and how that can impact alignment. If its great enough it can throw a nib out of alignment

[@canoelac]

i thought I was the only one with a set of feeler gauges next to my ink collection! Well done Doodlebud! No bad pens!

[@Doodlebud]

A must have tool 👌

[@andrewtongue7084]

Nope, Chris, I keep mine in my pen repair kit 😉

[@gnarthdarkanen7464]

Awh hell... I'm probably the ONLY one who just rummages through the tool box to his motorcycle, and surreptitiously waves his hand with a "hominus dominus" to embue them "multi-purpose feeler gauges"... Either Greased Lightnin'... OR Purple Power and a rag to keep the grease and "rando' weird sh*t" out of the pen collection... ;o)

[@karihajduk9776]

wow that's a pretty pen. i've gotta get the courage to work on my nibs myself but i'm still a little too new and nervous about it so i really appreciate this video!

[@error.418]

Get some super cheap ones and play! It helps build confidence with low risk.

[@gmtisrad3356]

I love that you tweak your nib all by yourself. XD

[@Doodlebud]

Nobody is going to tweak it for me 😝

[@MummyBrown]

Your a lifesaver, Doodlebud. Thank you so much for savin’ me!

[@Doodlebud]

Good to hear it helped you out

[@MaurySaucedo]

This gave me the confidence to do it myself. Worth it! Love my Kaweco Brass Sport Fine Nib now. Got rid of the hard starts and now juicy enough. Lol " Hotdog in a Hallway"

[@jacquelinesmith4873]

Great video, thanks for making it. Really helpful. Just need a feeler gauge now.

[@derekdavis5720]

Very interesting your breadth of knowledge is awesome

[@manifunk1]

Thanks Doodlebud, I tried this on my Pilot Capless that I’ve issues with for the past year and it worked! I wouldn’t have had the confidence to have try this without your clear tutorial! Thanks again buddy!

[@Doodlebud]

Hey that's great to hear! Glad to hear your pen is working properly now 👍

[@willbaker1986]

Hotdogs down a hallway. You sir are definitely a machinist. Lol😂

[@Doodlebud]

👉👌

[@nitina8564]

I have a few thin sheets of brass for that job and they work well too. The video certainly is helpful.

[@weevilinabox]

Thanks for sharing such a detailed description, with quality video that's actually good enough to see what's going on. It gave me the confidence to tweak my own nib, though it took a 0.2 mm (about 8 thou) feeler gauge to loosen mine enough for the ink to flow. I guess my nib material has a lot more springback than yours.

[@Doodlebud]

Happy to hear your pen is working better now

[@ichirofakename]

Now there's some useful info, thanks.

[@slo_carry]

Very helpful. Going to fix my Monteverde now.

[@erwinb3412]

Good video . Setting me on route to nib tuning . Thank you .

[@Doodlebud]

Glad it helped

[@sevurueva5138]

Nice. Hope you make more of these videos about tuning tips. Helps me get better idea on what and what not to do. I have mauled a few pens by over sanding or crudely handling the tines.

[@Doodlebud]

I have a playlist with some other vids around adjustments and grinding. kzbin.info/aero/PL6RAe6vPmtDin2cIizbra73IJCrZHLXs6

[@rod4530]

I normally user those gauges on my old Shovelhead. Now it looks like they will be coming in the house! Great vid - thanks.

[@Doodlebud]

Glad to help

[@mzbrayzn7404]

I'm new to fountain pens, using the Platinum Preppy starter pens and use them daily. I won't be able to afford fancy pens. I think the nib is the key, so I'm eager to learn all I can.Thank you for your videos, they are good for us newbies. I have a nib that won't load ink, but I now know how to repair it. I have small hands and prefer small writing implement and am wondering if you would have a recommendation.

[@Doodlebud]

Go very good and affordable small pen is the Jinhao 82. Has an pretty nice EF nib that works great. Another small slender pen is the Muji pen, very well built

[@Opinion123-no-walls]

He said "hot dog down a hallway" lol, about a fountain pen. Welp thats enough internet for today

[@guillermocruz2169]

this video was extremely helpful

[@Doodlebud]

Glad it helped

[@Volkmannx]

Helpful, thanks!

[@Doodlebud]

Glad it was helpful!

[@mariatriesart8389]

You mentioned Princess Auto...Ive been to a princess auto numerous times with my husband. I've heard of harbour freight too!! Same city in Southern Ontario maybe??

[@Doodlebud]

I'm a BC boy. Princess Auto near by in Coquitlam

[@mariatriesart8389]

@@Doodlebud Nice to meet a fellow Canadian!!🇨🇦

[@michaels3429]

Dig the video, good work

[@tobymulder196]

Very informative. I very much appreciate your giving us the specifics. Your measurements were in thousandths of a inch, correct? Thanks again

[@Doodlebud]

No problem. Yes correct, thousandths of an inch 👍

[@MrCabimero]

" Less is more"".... and my favorite "perfect is the enemy of good enough"

[@viv_2489]

.0015 feeler guage.. thanks for the tip .. i have made so many nibs wetter with this technique... recently my Jinhao 80..

[@bobbyw9046]

You sound just like Avi and Boltr!

[@strshooter7399]

Nice video DB, getting the courage to start tweaking on your nib takes having one spare nib in reserve ( my opinion only). Start on a pen/nib that isn't going to cost you a couple hundred if things go sideways. I'd work on a Jinhao first (of course you'd have to have a Jinhao, and they are pretty precious and rare in some folk's mind... ha ha) No, ya, hey, start on a cheap pen nib for sure if you're a novice. Nothing bets screwing up your Namiki Yukari Royale Black Urushi nib just cause you thought you could make it better... . (That's a joke son, I keep pitching em, and you keep ah missin em ~ Foghorn Leghorn)

[@mikeone2one]

That was a good video! Where can you buy those tools you use?

[@Doodlebud]

Amazon for sure, but also any local automotive store that sells tools. Very standard thing for any mechanic to have

[@trx3264]

I had been using a single edge razor blade for this but I don't think it was good for my pens. The feeler guage look like a better idea.

[@entretantosmundosgaming4974]

Thanks for the video. Now I think I know how to fix my sailor 1911 Standard that came very dry.

[@Doodlebud]

I would try on a cheap pen first if you've never done it before so as not to mess up and expensive pen

[@lorddiablo8575]

How to adjust when the tine of an EF nib is too wide ? The nib of my fountain pen indicates it is EF, but I found the tine gap is a bit wide causing writings became Medium instead of Extra Fine ...

[@Doodlebud]

You'd have to be sure the gap is too wide and not that the tip is too large for the nib. Is the flow way too much & wet?

[@lorddiablo8575]

@@Doodlebud Well, I can say the tine gap is WIDE when compare with another EF nib, besides the flow is wet, very wet ! !

[@Doodlebud]

Ahhh ok, yeah it can be done. I think I did that in one of my nib videos. But maybe I can do a quick one specifically on that issue.

[@imploud]

Thank you very much. I wonder where I could obtain this tool in my country. Edit: I found it! In my country it's called "spárová měrka".

[@InkDiaries]

Did you remove the grease from the gauges before using it on your nib?

[@Doodlebud]

Yes, give them a wipe

[@InkDiaries]

@@Doodlebud thanks!😊

[@michaels3429]

I was under the impression that the lamy 2000 was a metal pen. I’ve been using an Kara’s aluminum decograph for two years in my outdoor dirty job and it’s been ok. The lamy isn’t metal?

[@Doodlebud]

The section is metal & the body is makrolon. I did a deep dive (2 parts) on the L2K. Here's part one kzbin.info/www/bejne/sIW8ioyua85nbcU

[@michaels3429]

Yea, had no idea what makrolone or what ever was , maybe I shoulda paid closer attention to the lamy vid lol. I double checked goulet and sure there’s a metal version. For 100 more… I’m no longer only one paycheck away dang 😩

[@lestercantem7740]

Hi DB, This is a great tip. I bought a set of feeler gauges and it worked! My Parker with a gold nib, writes much better. My Feeler Gauge set came coated in oil. Will that contaminate/ affect the ink flow? I'm tempted to spread the tines even more to increase the wetness a bit further but I am reluctant to go to the next level. Thanks again!

[@Doodlebud]

I would wipe them clean to minimize oil getting into the feed. Very fine adjusting to get things right where you need them. The increments on the feller guages is 0.0005" but you can adjust & feel to a finer resolution than that. You can tell the difference between say a 0.0015" guage being too tight/tight/just below clearance/clearance/just over clearance... Then use the 0.002" guage will start to tell you where in between you are with 0.0015" - 0.002". A trained & experienced sense of touch can feel insanely small differences

[@barbarajloriordan2697]

Can you explain how to tune a pen with an italic nib?

[@Doodlebud]

It's really the same process. Ensure the tines aren't too tight so you have good flow, then check for alignment. Here's a recent nib tune & grind video I did: kzbin.info/www/bejne/f4uoiXWbp8-amMU

[@barbarajloriordan2697]

Thank you. I have pretty much taken that advice with a Kaweco 1.5 nib that hard started and skipped out of the box. I flossed the tines, aligned the nib and feed, and ground the tines gently. It seemed that one tine of the nib was minutely longer than the other, so I evened them out. I also softened the edges a bit. Now the pen is writing quite nicely, although I may do a little more work on it. I really appreciate this tutorial, as it has enabled me to enjoy using some pens that I previously did not enjoy using.

[@Doodlebud]

Hey that's awesome, great to hear!

[@barbarajloriordan2697]

Thanks!

[@nicksg3002]

Very interesting!! It's not nice to pay for a pen that doesn't write and then pay more for all the tools and time to fix them but once my tantrums end, I kind of have fun and enjoy those who I could fix...another story are those I brake, never worked,etc. 😄

[@Doodlebud]

They should work out of the box... But not always the case. Like you said, getting pissed doesn't fix it. So learning how to tune it helps. Also can get it to write just the way you want

[@rikoflishas]

I will try this in my JinHao x159 that I got from Aliexpress lol

[@Bomb0095]

Something you sad in one of your videos really resonated. Instead of buying a new pen use what you have. So I did just that. I for a year now I’ve had a sailor pro gear slim with a fine nib . It has this vibrant green collor with gold accents. If ha pen could have sex apeal this would be a reel attractive one. In Japanese style it writes perfectly. Even though it’s probably a Ef size in Euro standards. I also have a pilot e 95s with a medium nib. And man that one writs good after I tuned the nib a little bit. So I started looking for a sailor with a broader nib. Then I saw your channel a month ago. And I’ve kept watching. Then you sad use what you have in one of them Couple of days ago I ground down the sailor nib a little bit. It’s like writing on glass and I’m in love with the dam thing all over again.

[@Doodlebud]

It's fun to take pen from ☹️ to 😄

[@Тихийлётчик]

Я снимаю перо, а затем вставляю иглу в воздушное отверстие и с небольшим усилием надавливаю. Эффект тот же. Если получилось слишком широкий зазор, то его всегда можно сжать пальцами.

[@Hawker900XP]

I’ve got a MB 149 that’s never been a good writer. I’ll try that. 🖋

[@Doodlebud]

That nib is big enough you can grab it with your fingers & open it up a touch if needed

[@Hawker900XP]

@@Doodlebud I’m thinking maybe using a chainsaw. 😬

[@wonkalu2089]

idk y but i want to see u go ham on a modded jinhao w/ zebra g nibs.

[@Doodlebud]

I picked up a Jinhao with a Zebra G & wasn't overly impressed with it

[@wonkalu2089]

@@Doodlebud I was thinking more of the lines of how far can u mangle/grind the nib till its completely unusable, but that seems a bit much now that I think about it

[@RossFairweather]

Is that a Manitoba accent.