Noodlers Ahab Nib Adjustment - Railroading Fix

No more bad pens! Decided to stop my Noodlers Ahab from railroading one way or another.
Did some work to the feed to help flow, think I did a little too much!
Here's a list of the items I use to inspect, tune, and grind my nibs:
www.amazon.ca/shop/doodlebud/...

[@CharmaineWallace]

I have 3 of these. One has literally been set on fire. One is the loveliest thing. Never been a bother. One was lovely then suddenly randomly decided to start railroading or vomiting ink which is infuriating. And the reason I found this video! You are absolutely correct: we have to endure more than any other consumer group in existence. Why I put myself through this I will never know

[@Doodlebud]

All the more reason I'm an advocate for users learning how to tune and adjust nibs. Grinding is a whole other thing, but a simple tine adjustment (alignment or gap) can fix so many problems. A quick 12K micromesh polish can smooth something out surprisingly quick too if someone finds it a bit toothy. The Ahab is definitely a pen that people need to learn to tune. I went full beans on this one which was a bit much, but it can perform well if you're up for the challenge :)

[@tiffanybluetarot]

Boy, isn’t that the truth?! […] and this is something you don’t realize comes along with the addiction until it’s too late. Oh! Wait. Habit. I meant habit…

[@davidmcguigan5497]

LOL! When pen nerds get tough: "I am done playing games." DIY meets the Spanish Inquisition. Thanks, Doodlebud! That was good--maybe Nathan T. will see it and make some tweaks.

[@Doodlebud]

Hope they don't "tweak it" as hard as I did. I think a tiny tweak is all she needs

[@Johan-vk5yd]

@@Doodlebud The Neponset feed is wetter, and fits any Noodler’s #6 nib.

[@howdidthisgethere119]

The one feed adjustment I've done is to run a utility blade along the ink groove a few times just to make sure it was opened up. I did this to a Noodler's Charlie pen and it changed the behavior drastically. It's still one of my worst pens in every aspect so I still don't use it, but that one time, I did get ink to flow by modifying the feed was nice.

[@johnlangston4108]

Obviously I’m here because I’m having the same problem. I really appreciate the honesty of your video. I reached out to Noodler’s (Luxury Brands of America) about this issue. First of all, you can’t reach them by phone. They direct you to email. I suppose they got tired of people complaining over the phone. Anyway, they told me that the easiest and most common solution is how you fill the pen. They instructed me to plunge it in the ink 4 to 5 times to fill the piston completely. They seem confident that this would do the trick. It didn’t. i’ve also done the thorough cleaning of all the parts of the pen as well as heat setting the feed. I bought a second Ahab from a different distributor, same problem. It’s really confounding that they continue to manufacture a pen that doesn’t work consistently. I realize I’m a bit upset right now, but this is fraud. They’re fleecing their consumers. One shouldn’t have to go to such lengths to modify a product to get it to do its very basic function. Ugh! Anyway, thanks for your video and the humor!

Im a translator and I use Ahab & Heart of Darkness for book length texts (waterproof). Work like a train toilet (as we say in Finnish). Got two Twisbis, both too dry. Thx for your vids 👍

[@tobymulder196]

Love the motto and really love your approach to you channel. Thanks

[@RONSPOTZ]

Noodler's Ahab was my first FP. Not a big fan of the flex but swapped it for a Jowo XF. Still love it after 4 years.

[@Doodlebud]

You are one of the lucky ones with a great experience with the Ahab!

[@MD-eb6iu]

@@Doodlebud tell me about it. I was stupid enough to keep buying Noodler’s fountain pens looking for that flex experience but every one of them is flawed. Tried every guide to adjusting and setting the nibs but didn’t get very far.

[@donthoms]

Had fun watching. Novice fountain pen user. Learned a lot. Thanks!

[@Doodlebud]

You probably learned more on what NOT to do 😂

[@JoeJoe-pf3ej]

Thank you for your knowledge! Just cut out the groove on my Ahab and now it’s actually working. It’s actually working!!! Anyway I appreciate you and your channel. Keep up the good work

[@Doodlebud]

Good to hear! Don't go crazy like I did lol. Open & deepen the groove a bit is all it needs 😁. I did a new video where I put their non tipped nib on it & it writes amazingly!

[@audiolover]

Hmm I'm doing this procedure on most of my pens all the time 👌 helps

[@Vendavalez]

My Noodlers Ahad had every issue you could think of. It burped, it skipped, it railroaded, it smelled horrible. I tried pretty much every non-destructive "fix" I found being discussed online to see if they would help. I tried heat-setting the feed multiple times. Just as bad as before every time. After a while, I decided to stop worrying about it and only use it to test new inks with the only flex pen I owned at the time. Eventually, though, the issues went mostly away on their own. Doesn't burp anymore. Doesn't skip. Only railroads with certain inks or if I try to write really quickly while flexing. I have no idea what did it. It only got better months after the last time that I tried anything. At first, I considered the possibility that, by pure chance, the nib and feed fell into the perfect configuration and, if I took it apart, it would go back to how it was. So I took it apart, and I have taken it apart multiple times since, and it still works fine. I have started to wonder if the Ahabs just need to be broken in and all the people who swear that it was either this or that "fix" that worked on their pen only think that it was what they were trying at the time when the pen was always going to break in eventually. I have no idea what part/s of the pen would need to be broken in though. I can't discard the possibility based on my experience though. I keep meaning to purchase a batch of them to do some tests but, whenever I have that kind of money to spend on pens there have always been other pens that I have wanted to get more. But one day I will do it and try to keep it as scientific as possible. The thing still stinks to high heaven though. I suspect I might need an exorcist for that.

[@Doodlebud]

They are a pen that typically needs some tinkering. I've also heard that after a "break in period" it csn improve. Challenge for me was with the poor performance I didn't want to use it much & it never had the break in.

[@Vendavalez]

@@Doodlebud I can absolutely see that. The only reason I noticed is because I had so few pens at the time. If I were to get it now I would give up on it in way less than half the time that I spent on it. I couldn’t blame anyone for giving up on it after a few hours of tinkering.

[@MrCabimero]

I had a similar problem with a Ranga I bought stateside with a stub nib. I only used a razor on the channel -trial and error. Now works perfect.

[@asheshgaur]

Super informative... as always... Congratulations for the 1K. This is just the beginning :)

[@Doodlebud]

Thanks buddy 😁

[@monkpato]

You CAN'T cut the feed channel to the very end of the tip! If you do the ink will just leak out like yours. Nathan of Noodler's makes that very clear in his video on adjusting the feed.

[@nitina8564]

I like your video ideas! Great work.

[@dr.jyotirmaydubey9400]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I already did a horrible job of scratching my ebonite feed with a Kanwrite ultra flex nib. It never runs out of ink now, but burps sometime. 😃

[@gunsmokeandghouls]

Tried this on a spare Ahab nib, works fantastic now.

[@Doodlebud]

Oh nice good work!👍

[@seancoyote]

I have the Noodler's Konrad. It railroads, I heatset it, very little difference. I adjusted the nib's placement on the feed, as someone suggested. No improvement. So I watched this, and took it easy. This was after your vid and the creator of Noodler saying what you can do with a ebonite feed. So it writes better. Does still railroad if I push it, and sometimes stops, but improved. But now it sometimes bleeds into the cap LOL. The Noodler has been a great educator.

[@BenjaminVaterlaus]

like the theme. keep it up. newly excited to see what you do.

[@Doodlebud]

Thanks buddy. Check out my previous vids... They are all solid GOLD! 🤣

[@nicksg3002]

Great idea! Thanks

[@derekdavis5720]

Great video yet again Doodle Bud you don’t make anything but good videos. My biggest meltdown during lockdown was with 2 Noodlers Arab Pens in the end I sent them back when I’d had enough. To do with the ink flow and the fact that when I opened the caps on the pens there was a river of ink each and every time. My levels of manual dexterity fell well below what was needed. Shame really as great writers. A good everyday flex nib which produces very good results if not great. Anyone with good manual skills should persist. And yes pens can be disappointing not just Noodlers. Even my last Pilot purchase was slightly below the mark compared to my others. Slight problems also with 2 Platinum pens. It’s a shame. Keep up the good work. Bud

[@Doodlebud]

No fingers left unstaiend by this pen!

[@DiamondDogsBand]

Thank you! You saved my life!! 😊

[@Doodlebud]

Well don't know if I saved your life, but maybe saved frustration with a pen 😉😆

[@blackletter2591]

That was a win for sure.

[@Doodlebud]

I went a bit far, waaaaaayyyyy too wet. I grabbed an extra feed and will give it a "moderate" adjustment

[@AnneGoggansQHHT]

I just twisted and pushed the nib and feed and it helped a lot. Ahab is made to tinker with LOL

[@Doodlebud]

Oh it needs a little TLC to get it running. But if you're open to messing around with it, it can be very good. If you order the untipped nib for it..... WOW! 🤩 kzbin.info/www/bejne/gZKWdKF6aZx0rtU

[@dpajc056]

Man you're such an awesome dude. I think if we worked together we'd have lots of fun in the office lol. I just ordered this pen and hope not to have those kinds of issues. This should be resolved by the manufacturer!

[@Doodlebud]

The ahab is definitely a pen for those who like to tinker. I obviously went WAY too far with the slit adjustment, but I ended up doing more work to the pen and it writes nicely now. Here's the last update on the pen: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gZKWdKF6aZx0rtU

[@stever7080]

Dude this video is hilarious lol . Liked and subscribed . BTW your recommendation on just opening up the center channel first is a good one! I did that on my Ahab and Charlie pen and now there great writers!

[@Doodlebud]

Less is best in this case. You might like this one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mmGnfJJ9fpmYsM0

[@sven-erikrose5732]

Thanks. I find that a hacksaw blade works great for opening up the ink channel on ebonite feeds.

[@Doodlebud]

Good idea

[@MD-eb6iu]

So true about the disappointment. I so wanted to like the Opus 88 Koloro I got but it never wrote well and the materials didn’t feel good. Contrast that with TWSBI who always feel great to me and write excellently every time (as well as never drying out).

[@Doodlebud]

Ah yes, the pen let down. We all get it at some point, and you never know which pen its going to be!

[@MummyBrown]

Mine seems to be my BlueDew. Unless I hit that super sweet spot it’s headache after headache.

[@thomashardy9994]

Wet. Fixed the burping. Looks perfect to me.

[@christopherpavkovich4995]

I also build models. There is a tool we use to scribe lines and widen panel lines. That would be perfect for feeds. It’s a small razor. Should look into it. 👍🏻

[@Doodlebud]

Shoot me a link oh where to buy, I can share it on a video. Like I said, not my best work/effort with this one. I was just like F-it! This pens needs to stop railroading!

[@stefanlaskowski6660]

G

[@etm567]

Okay, I am new to fountain pens. I have an Ahab, and it just stopped writing on me. I did everything I can find to do online, and everything seems fine, but no ink flow at all. I can get it to write for a few lines by dipping the nib into ink, but then it stops. When I cleaned it out -- twice, at least -- I can run water through the little tube and it comes out the tip. But INK won't do that! I got some silicone grease and greased it, although it did seem to be airtight before. I can blow through the thingamajib and it comes out the hole where it should come out. But no, it won't write. What do I do? I have a $1 or maybe a $3 pen from China that writes and writes and writes, and is like writing with silk. So I've ordered a variety of other $1 to $3 pens from China. But as to my Ahab -- can I send it to Noodlers, or Goulet pens, and will they fix it? Will it cost more than the pen did to begin with?

[@TheAndreaDonoso]

Damn... and here I thought I broke my Ahab when I (stupidly) used mini pliers to remove the nib and squished the feed a little... I love my Ahab, even the smell... the only anoying thing (today) is that the piston usually stay stuck and I can't filled it "normaly"...

[@hikingpipes6911]

1K - And to think, I was there at the monumental, historical beginning 🥱 lol. NBP... Like it. BTW...Dremel tools are quite helpful in cutting and grinding. 😁

[@Doodlebud]

I appreciate you & everyone else sticking around to watch my random brain spasms turned into videos. I HATE BAD PENS! Fix it or F*@k it!

[@Doodlebud]

My Dremel stopped working... So time to do some chopping

[@hikingpipes6911]

@@Doodlebud To be honest, the thing that got me to stick is that you address the questions and feedback of your viewers. I have asked questions of other youtubers only to hear crickets. Thank you.

[@Doodlebud]

@@hikingpipes6911 Thanks for the feedback cuz I have NO IDEA what I'm doing 😂. But I do have some really awesome ideas for the channel that nobody else is doing that I think would be Mega Fun! Just need to grow a bit more before I roll stuff out

[@hikingpipes6911]

@@Doodlebud Looking forward to it

[@nope8535]

The Charlie pen of Noodler's the feed is quite wet, not that wet but it keeps up with me when writing fast which is not an easy task. I can make rollerball and ballpoint pens skip at writing my full speed. The only downside is when I write way slower at times it can bleed through and makes it go from the fine to medium nib to almost a broad in line width. You can tell my writing speed very clearly in the rough draft Im writing for a book.

[@helenmcdonnell2585]

Hey Doodlebug, enjoyed this video immensely, the content is up my street and you seem cool:) New sub:)

[@Doodlebud]

Thank you very much! And yes.... Yes I AM cool 😎

[@helenmcdonnell2585]

@@Doodlebud :D

[@joshuatardiff1531]

Eurgh I'm trying to tune my pen, but it's dummy wet, and the flex of the tines keeps saturating the page

[@Doodlebud]

This pen has battled with every owner at some point. Many have lost. I think it's fight stats are something like 17,189 wins, 15 loses 😒

[@Phishrock]

Did know ave had a pen channel very nice call out to the princess power fister / hazard fraught

[@johnsomers8269]

I like your mantra of no bad pens! Is there a place to buy the repair stuff like nib grinding mater oil als, ink sacs, etc., etc.?

[@Doodlebud]

There are tons of places. I would look online for whats at least in your country of origin. Especially for vintage pens. Sacs & parts are typically very cheap but shipping can kill you if you're going over seas or even for US to Canada. Might only need $13 in parts but then its $25 for shipping!

[@sabero5668]

The Noodler's Ahab, Danger to Manifold edition

[@Johan-vk5yd]

This was so interesting! I learned a lot! I have Noodler’s and vintage european and chinese ebonite feeds. One of Noodler’s was too dry. I just widened the channel using heat, at one spot where it had been compressed. Ebonite is so wonderfully ”plastic” in the physical way, that the material ”plastic” seldom is. (However, I’ve succeded a couple of times to heatset standard plastic feeds. Albeit with a heat gun, not with the safer hot water method) I’d love to contribute with some videos about that, but I haven’t gotten to it, yet. I’m so grateful for your work.

[@Doodlebud]

Start up a channel and just make some vids. Don't over think it. Everyone loves to learn.

[@ycplum7062]

The finer fins doesn't just hold ink. It also regulates the flow. If I were to experiment in widening the fins, I would have opened the back, not the front of the feed. You could have made a longer video by progressively increasing the channel, followed by widening the fins with samples after each adjustment. That way, youcan get insight on widening teh channel vs widening fins.

[@Doodlebud]

Making a longer video and checkimg each stage would have been ideal... But just didn't have that kind of time. So went full beans to see how it did. It worked but should have dialed it back a few ticks 😂

[@BC21beats]

I have a FPR v1 pen and it railroads like crazy. Do you think doing something similar would help it ?

[@Doodlebud]

Definitely worth a try. Just don't go all out like I did!

[@siyuanxu3537]

there is in deed one Ahab outside there that writes perfectly, but sadly it is not meins. Thanks for the video.

[@Doodlebud]

Sort of like the Pinewood Derby Car races. Everyone gets the same kit, and now tries to tweak it to get theirs working the best

[@AnneGoggansQHHT]

Your awesome

[@Doodlebud]

Lol, well thank you for the kind words 😁 You're awesome for saying that 👍

[@lorenzoemmepi3302]

Hi, I may have damaged the tip of the tines of my noodler's ahab, nib do you suggest to turn it into a untipped nib? I'm based in italy and we don't have nib replacements available here, thanks!

[@karihajduk9776]

I’ve been debating if I should buy an ahab or not for awhile now. Idk if this swayed me in either direction hahaha

[@Doodlebud]

At the very least you know not to cut the sides of the feed up. If I could only keep one of my flex type pens... Vintage Pelikan 140. Fantastic writer & just works everytime. Also can use as a regular pen instead of an over the top flexy pen for specialty writing

[@karihajduk9776]

@@Doodlebud good to know!! i’ll have to look into it more

[@Doodlebud]

@@karihajduk9776 here are my thoughts on it if it helps kzbin.info/www/bejne/mpjafYyrbM2GnMU

[@karihajduk9776]

@@Doodlebud ahh thanks! I’ll check it out!

[@karihajduk9776]

@@Doodlebud update: I got my ahab and there’s no railroading!!

[@kattz753]

I got the free Charlie pen with the giant bottle of Heart of Darkness. Free pen! Who doesn't like that? It leaked everywhere. People were doing all kinds of things to make them work. I just changed the ink. I cleaned it out really well and filled it with Waterman Serenity Blue. It hasn't leaked since. I got the idea when I picked up a 4 pack of Wing Sungs. The only one that leaked was the one with Noodlers. Changing the ink fixed that one too. Love Noodlers. All of my pens, unfortunately don't.

[@Doodlebud]

It's interesting to me that all of the actually physical pen shops that I've been to around here, none of them, not one, carries Noodlers ink. They've tried them, and they have all independently concluded, not good for the pens they're selling...

[@nitebreak]

@@Doodlebud I only use noodlers I get for free, it’s so weird. I like the blue color but it’s kinda dry half the time.

[@gnarthdarkanen7464]

Several of the "Experts" and "Pro's" online make a specific note in their "Fountain Pens Basics for Beginners" vid's that one should avoid Noodler's in the beginning, OR they mention that "Bulletproof inks" are not for beginners or your first pen... {which is kind of obviously a bit of a riff on Noodler's which advertises up front ALL their inks are bulletproof unless otherwise stated}... SO there's that, too... ;o)

[@simc444]

Is there any more nib creep or ink leak in the cap?

[@Doodlebud]

I think its beyond nib creep.... it wets the bed! My feed "tweak" was a bit tooooooooooo aggressive. I would say just open up the groove just a tad and you should be good.

[@simc444]

@@Doodlebud Thanks man for the sacrifice.

[@MrCabimero]

Was that curved item you used a blade or file?

[@MrCabimero]

Sorry. Just saw it was a file.

[@koskey06]

Maybe try a thicker dip pen style ink inn it now. You might not have a pen that you would want to carry cuz of leaks but with thick ink you might have a awesome drawing pen

[@Doodlebud]

I don't use this pen too much as it is. I probably should have done small tweaks and tested each one to see if I needed more.... I just didnt have the patience LOL. It stays at home and just use it every now and then. But since this, hasn't missed a beat once 😂

[@ichirofakename]

At the moment I'm trying to figure out if flex pens are at all useful to me personally. Results remain inconclusive...

[@Doodlebud]

If I had to recommend one or trim all my flex pens back to only one, I would pick my vintage Pelikan 140. Fantastic pen especially for everyday use

[@MrCabimero]

I was having the opposite problem with my triple tail flex pen. It burps ink Do you have any solutions to fix this? Thank you

[@Doodlebud]

Does it burp constantly or more randomly?

[@MrCabimero]

Doodlebud starts after about 10 words, and then once it starts it’s pretty constant

[@Doodlebud]

I would really look into the fitment of the nib and feed into the pen. Seems like more of a slow leak you got going on. Possibly look for tiny hole or crack in the converter as well. If there's one at the top of the converter it will just let the ink flow out. Just guessing over the internet LOL

[@MrCabimero]

Doodlebud thanks! I respect your opinion and appreciate your help.

[@MrCabimero]

Doodlebug- can you direct me to some sites to find used pens or stalk them as the case may be!

[@Doodlebud]

I mainly check out ebay and follow @virtualpenshow on Instagram. Lots of online sellers sell fully restored pens as well.

[@NikeaTiber]

That isn't a fountain pen. That's a firehose.

[@UNKUHNOODLES]

Open up the slit!!!!

[@Doodlebud]

In a different context that sounds VERY dirty 😜

[@tiffanybluetarot]

My gawd, I’m feeling absolutely frustrated right now. I’m about to throw my Triple Tail at the wall! It’s taking all my self restraint to not rip this pen apart and hack the he%% out of it… glad I stopped here first to catch my breath… ‘I am done playing games!’ That’s when you **know** a fp user has gone full on gangster…

[@Doodlebud]

LOL yeah this pen can be a source of frustration! But it can also be pretty impressive. Here's a follow up after this, the results are impressive! kzbin.info/www/bejne/gZKWdKF6aZx0rtU

[@tiffanybluetarot]

@@Doodlebud ahh, so there’s hope for me yet! Thank you for the link…I’ll check it out right now. I’ve seen such impressive writing from you & some of my other favorite folks here on KZbin using these pens. I just wanna be flexy, too!

[@eleanor.shadow]

Doodlebud one year ago: “no bad pens!” Hongdian 1845 today: “hold my beer.” 😬

[@Doodlebud]

LOL! Its tough to fix this one too! At least with those other ones I did in that video they could be changed to now be great pens. But this one..... not only a new member of the Trash Pens club, it might be the new President!

[@johnsomers8269]

Do you have a web site?

[@Doodlebud]

I bought the domain but not site yet.... just not time but I really want to get it up and running.

[@dashsunil]

Chopped uP and railroads. 😅

[@hisham56hamilton50]

Maan you should not widen the channel groov only the wings.. 😭😭😭😭😭😂😂

[@Doodlebud]

Like I said in the vid, might want to dial it back a tad. "Don't do what Johnny Don't does"

[@santauxia]

Foist, I'm foist!!!!!!!

[@stevehuffman7453]

"No 'BAD' Pens ..." A worthy goal, and probably easy to accomplish ... if you have an unlimited budget and can afford to spend up to several grand for one pen ... and a few gross bottles of ink from various manufacturers. As a mere mortal, I don't have an unlimited budget. $49.⁹⁵ for a pen TO ME is a helluva lot of money. So is $14 for a 10~25 ml bottle of ink, come to that. Of my four Jinhao X450's, single 51A, and even a no name free pluss shipping Lamy knockoff that came from WISH (with 10 black ink cartridges and a converter), Not a bad pen in the lot. One of the X450's nibs needed tuned ... and to be honest, I have some Fine nibs inbound to swap in for the Medium nibs the X450's came with. I write too small for a Medium nib. Eventually I will get a couple stub nibs and an Ultra Flex nib for them. Question: I've read online (so it MUST be true 🙄) that pens can be ... persnickety ... about what inks they are fed, nibs may need tuned and polished, etcetera. Wouldn't it make more sense to make sure the nib is tuned, and the pen likes the ink, before modifying the feed? I may be mistaken, but doesn't a feed cost more than a replacement steel nib? An old adage you might want to keep in mind: "... You can't put back on what you cut off." WHY didn't you widen the feed channel and TEST TO SEE IF THAT FIXED THE FEED PROBLEM before widening the feed fins?!? If its going to randomly put down a blob of ink like that now, IMHO, that makes it unusable. A new feed is required. It may have been a 'bad' pen before you started. It is now a 'WORSE' pen now. BTW, the surface area of all those narrow fins is probably the same as or greater than the surface area of the far fewer widely spaced fins. I know you have a digital caliper, from watching you use it in another video on nibs, measuring line widths. Why didn't you measure the width and depth between the fins on those two feeds, do the math, and verify which has the greater total surface area, before modifying/irreparably damaging that poor nib?

[@julianneaitch]

😂😂😂

[@paulll47]

Fountain pens users are the most disrespected category of customers, we buy overpriced pens from dishonest companies that have, for the most part, absolutely atrocious quality control, often taking Chinese or Pakistani made pens and rebranding them before putting a price tag that is 10x the actual value (Stipula, I'm looking at you), the best part is that, despite understanding all too well the whole grift, we still fall for them hook and sinker, we are the worst kind of addict. Now off I go buying yet another Visconti with misalined tines and shit feed, lol.

[@e_b_z]

arm ass this fate ...

[@sushanart]

Can you fix a pen that's too wet then? 😇🩵🙏🙌

[@Doodlebud]

Did a video on that too. It will be up this weekend

[@sushanart]

Great! 😇🩵🙏🙌