Making a Nib a Bit Drier

[@houghwhite411]

Years later and you still helping people with the video, thank you for showing us how it's done

[@billclockwell]

This man has an uncanny ability to handle his own fingers like they are foreign objects

[@bionerd100]

I did this to my flagship pen and it's now as drier than my ex's sense of humour, and that's finally what I want.

[@IlVenturetto]

+kinstitute LOL!

[@margaridaferreira8029]

😂😂😂

[@kongboshi]

kinstitute 😂

[@donna30044]

It is a highly unusual and vastly underrated talent to be able to speak so clearly with one's tongue so firmly in one's cheek. Love this channel!

[@sbrebrown]

Ankle Donna Thank you :-)

[@thorbjornkarlsson4681]

That fixed my Parker wictory Mk3 its perfect now. Thank you

[@nope8535]

I actually needed this to play with a nib that went from dry to almost gushing after I overdid an adjustment.

[@helderlucianicasagrande7303]

you are my hero! I walked around in pen stores in São Paulo all day and everyone said to me that it wasnt possible to solve this problem, and then I found your vídeo! Thanks a lot.

[@SpartanDara]

Fantastic video. Had a Pilot VP (tiny nib!) with this issue and I used some latex gloves to both protect my hands and as a "buffer" and these steps worked like a charm. Thanks!

[@matchesder]

Thanks for the inspiration. I was really hesitant to fiddle with nibs. When you want to change the tine alignment, the time you push should not matter but how far you push. For reference have a look at the stress-strain curve. There is a elastic region where deformation is elastic up to a point (yield strength) where further deformation becomes plastic. There is no time dependence but the elastic part still comes back.

[@doctormadhav1]

its amazing the way you respond to small requests. you really value your viewers and fans. thanks a lot .

[@Shanghai_Knife_Dude]

I tried on my MB 149 and it works. I will try it again on MB Hemingway Writer Edition this weekend. My skill only works for pens above $1000.

[@leod5609]

@sbrebrown thank you so so much. My wife bought me a Lamy 2000 ef for fathers day gift, but it was too wet. You have saved it! Much love from Australia!

[@krunalthehell]

I am hopeful. As of now I manage by pushing the nib upside down on paper and bend it slightly, that seems to help. But your method is more sophisticated and I liked it.

[@maryriley6163]

9/24/19 Thanks so much for posting your suggestions on nib adjustment. I bought a 1.1 stub for my old Jinhao X450 The stub almost ran with ink. On close inspection I saw that the slit in the stub was a straight line from the breather hole to the tip. I used the technique you suggested for reducing ink flow and it worked so well that I needed to use the slip of brass to open it up a little. The nib works quite well now.

[@Mmelbow2]

Thank you for taking the time to post this video. You provide good information in and entertaining way. I appreciate your help.

[@sbrebrown]

I'm glad this was useful!

[@lpanades]

If the feeder is a bit away of the nib the pen stays more wet if it is closer more dryer. deIt's normaly more common to make a pen wetter but it works in both ways. Nice video again, ever. Nice blue collor.

[@retro51fan]

Thanks for doing this video, Stephen. It's very helpful and actually enjoyable to be able to tune one's own nib (after some practice on cheaper nibs, of course). Bravo!

[@oxidize3]

Just tried these instructions on my overly wet Vac 700. Worked like a charm. Thanks @sbrebrown.

[@sbrebrown]

you're welcome

[@RobertMaguire67]

Enjoying watching some old videos on holidays while sipping a cup of coffee. Thx.

[@MrKeoto]

Just got a Sailor King Of Pens with a medium nib. Was very wet and I was disappointed. So I said what would Stephen Brown do? Watched this on You Tube and gave it a shot; worked like magic. Now it writes like a fine and does not feather even on cheap paper. Thank you very much!!

[@sbrebrown]

I'm glad this was helpful!

[@ReaderViaNil]

My Lamy fell tip first, opening like a banana, and in a panic i bended the nib back in place with a notebook, but it has been pouring out too much ink every time. Thanks to this video I was able to bring it more to how it was before :) many thanks

[@vaiovgnnr32s]

Muchas gracias, llevaba unas cuantas noches dejando los gavilanes presionados para acercarlos sin obtener resultados y gracias a tu consejo lo logré, estoy super contento. Saludos codiáles. Thank you very much, I had been leaving the nib under pressure for a few nights to bring them closer without obtaining results and thanks to your advice I did it, I am super happy. Best regards.

[@Tome4kkkk]

I - cannot - imagine - a better put - video! Thank you very much!

[@Fast58Eddie]

Stephen, Loved this video, it was real useful advice. I made my Jinhao 159 much dryer. I like a wet pen but it was so wet that I could not use it. I followed your technique and the pen is now writing the way I like it. Thank you, Eddie

[@Moleskineman]

Commented on your other video - just did this on my Noodler's Konrad and it's writing much better now. Less blotchy and doesn't dry out as quickly (still dries quicker than my other pens, but it's much less frustrating now), plus there seems to be a lot less nib creep. I'm a teacher and need a drier pen to mark homework quickly, so thanks for helping out with this video!

[@muskndusk]

Jinhaos are good for this because it's so easy to remove the nib. I've just done this to one of my Jinhao 51a's. I bought a separate stub nib for it but when I fitted this, it was too dry. Unfortunately, I then made it too wet by widening the ink channel, so went to your vids for a way to make it drier again. It worked, but the nib lost the nice 'glide' sensation it had when too wet. At least now I don't have bleedthrough. I even dug out Da Book from my stack! Must read it sometime. Thanks for all the vids.

[@ElizaHamilton1780]

Mine too...which is why I have named one pen "Lady Macbeth"--it is my tribute to my fountain pen experience. More often than not, when I wipe the ink off my fingers at work, I'll be thinking to myself: "Out, damn spot, out, I say!" Makes me smile. :)

[@miker5502]

Well done! Thanks for the video…clearly shows how to correct the splayed tines. Cheers from Nova Scotia.

[@littlestagpens8050]

Another thought - re my comment below - what about heat setting the nib? It's ebonite and I had set it before i realized the dryness but when I got the tines opened up, I might have "unset" the nib? (FYI - I'm not using "tools" other than my fingers, gently.)

[@poisonsnake9965]

Stephen,thank you very much for super procedure you showed. Nice and easy and informative. Simplicity makes geniality !!

[@sbrebrown]

Vaa PILOT I'm glad this was useful to you!

[@bob963me]

Wonderful video, very helpful for the few, we happy few, who enjoy our pens dryer than most. I salute the extra strength of will it to for you to do something so against your preferences as to make a pen dryer.

[@MicheleLHarvey]

Wondering if a band-aide bandage or medical tape on thumb and forefinger would be more exacting to use, (to protect finger tips) rather than the rug pad. That way you could still see what you're doing while working. It would have to have a bit of tooth, so wasn't slippery. Just a thought...

[@sbrebrown]

True, not a bad idea!

[@krunalthehell]

Doc, you have made my life easier. Here in my profession we have to draw many engineering part drawings on paper as a free hand sketch before we actually start drawing them on computer. On times like this, precision and a fine nib are important. No matter how much I love my super wet pens, I am forced to use a fine and dry fountain pen. A wet pen is too prone to feathering on our normal 70 GSM copier paper. Your video will make lifes of people like me easier. Thank you doc.

[@WallImages]

Used this technique on a very wet Lamy 2000 Fine. Worked a charm. Thank you!

[@listdoludzie]

On my cheap pens the nib seems to be easier to adjust because the metal is cheap. More expensive pen the nib just bounces back to where it was before. That's what I found. Or perhaps I should try to be firmer.

[@evelynnwinter5994]

I need to emphasize that the FEED dries out - turns completely clear. As if no ink if flowing from the converter to the feed after 2 pages of writing.

[@MarkPMus]

Thanks for directing me to this playlist, and I've tried the thumbnails technique on one of my Lamy Safaris to good effect, to get it to write a bit wetter. I've got a few pen questions for you, which maybe you could answer in a Q & A video. You'll excuse me if some are a bit naive, I am a bit of a pen newbie, and also a little off topic: 1. Do you think people knacker their nibs by trying to flex nibs for line variation, when the nibs were not made for that purpose. What's the difference between flexing a nib, and using an oblique, which is designed for line variation? 2. Why do "serious" pen people forego use of the ink cartridge in favour of bottle inks. I get that inks come in a wider variety of colours, but is there any kind of technical disadvantage to using cartridges? 3. Are you interested in graphology, i.e. the science of interpreting a someone's personality from their handwriting? If so, could you make some videos about it. From your writing I can tell that you are careful with other people's secrets, and as such people feel they can trust you with their problems and inner goings on!

[@dinklebobins]

How do i make my shafer F 1.0 mm drier? Im new to fountain pens and I find your vids the most helpful.

[@dinklebobins]

thanks!

[@TylerC_]

"I'm not trying to come off as arrogant, I'm just the best" -Stephen Brown 2013

[@littlestagpens8050]

Hi Stephen - I did the same thing with my Parker Duofold Jr. - was too dry, went a bit too far and now it's too wet. Slightly. I notice the tines are more equal distance apart from breathing hole to end - it's not slightly closed at the end, or a bit triangular from breathing hole to end. My question, in this case, i don't want the tines near the breathing hole any closed together, just the ends of the tines. Will the method you describe here be, in your opinion, still the method to resolve the extra wetness? I should also add I am not a fan of a broad line and the pen is not false starting or stopping writing so my other thought is that it's not that it's writing too wet, it's that I don't appreciate the broader line. Thoughts on this? Thank you!!

[@JCo-dl6vl]

Out~ in~ Out~ in~ I'm getting the hang of this

[@founink]

I figured out how to create the playlists to organize my favorite videos that you transmitted. Unfortunately, it means having to go to the youtube website and actually creating our own channel before we can create these playlists. Only then can we save your videos in these playlists!

[@GenWivern2]

Very good Stephen, thank you. I suppose that might come in handy one day, but wet writing pens are more my thing. It's worth keeping a dryish one for filling in crosswords on newsprint though, one of the few occasions when an old flexy Waterman really isn't the ideal writing instrument ...

[@mrbluenun]

Hi, And thank you for, without doubt, the most useful informative details on nibs of most cheap pens. Thank you so much.

[@sbrebrown]

You're welcome!

[@Fyre_Rose]

Did this with my jinhao x750 and worked a charm :D thanks my favourite pen is working much better and smoother now! (yes its a jinhao but i love it :P)

[@evelynnwinter5994]

Stephen, what would you say the problem is if a pen has no starter issues, is nice and wet, but after 2 pages or more of writing, the feed dries out completely? It's an Artista Crystal, so you can see the change occurring. I've pushed ink into it with the converter, but again after 2 pages, it's dry again. I've even deepened the ink channel myself, to no avail. Help!

[@Taylor-Ma]

It works ! It really works! OMG! thank you for doing this video! I tried this method on my pilot custom 823 m nib three times with very light pressure! As a result, the gap became smaller! no extra ink bothering me anymore! Got a lot of ink on my hands tho , LoL....

[@sbrebrown]

+Taylor Ma I'm glad this was useful!

[@RDaMyth]

I sprung my Pilot Namiki Falcon and was desperate. Following these tips carefully and cautiously worked. Thank you!

[@sbrebrown]

Well done, I am glad this was useful.

[@ElizaHamilton1780]

Never occurred to me to ask how to make a nib drier, but hey--the more you know, right? Very helpful :)

[@andrerieu100]

If you can pull out the nib and feed. Cut slightly into the ink channels of the feed this helped a lot with this exact issue with my lamy safari. But be gentle you don't want to bread. The feed or your fingers

[@evelynnwinter5994]

Perhaps it's oils from my hand. I worried that I may have bought a lemon (as the saying in the US goes) meaning "a dud" or defective pen. Now I have to figure out where to buy ammonia from!

[@oopisteinepoiss6264]

I fixed my Parker IM, which is normally wet in the first place. Many thanks!

[@sbrebrown]

You're welcome!

[@oopisteinepoiss6264]

sbrebrown As i found out later, my pen's nib needed to be realigned and filed after i dried it. I didn't feel the scratchy pull in the diagonal upwards sweeps in the first place. No harm done, I got it working again the way i really like it.

[@PB877]

Very useful video! Thank you! After all I have serious problems with my new TWSBI 580... :-( It seems to me that TWSBI has serious quality control problems... I never experienced something like that with a new Pelikan, Lamy or Montblanc... So I have to buy a cheap pen first in order to practice the nib adjusting.

[@greendiscussion]

Thank you very much! I did this treatment and my fountain pen writes very god now

[@blumpkin50]

Thank you for so many great videos! Great job. Was that a Sailor that you used to draw the nib? I have one and I believe the feed is clogged. I can’t seem to get it out. How is the feed removed on a Sailor 21, X1994 aka the mini. Please help. Thank you so much

[@sbrebrown]

I have no idea, I've never used that pen before

[@IamGlenQuagmire]

I will do everything possible to improve my pen's performance, Stephen, especially if it's a Montblanc pen! :) Keep up the brilliant work and best of luck to you from Hungary.

[@phm14]

Could you demonstrate the what's "out/in" one more time?

[@zerochaos360]

I think my tines are fine. The issue, I think, is that my feed JH x450 allows too much flow. I'm thinking about a bit of tape around the exposed part of the feed but do not know if this is a fix at all. Any ideas are appreciated.

[@ssnoc]

Here is my question ... what is the best stuff to use to get the ink off my fingers? Someone needs to invent a instant ink neutralizer, but in the mean time ... ??

[@drmrinalkantinath4336]

I just purchased a fountain pen which has a exactly opposite problem. It has ink flow problem but it gives excessive ink when I write. Is there any solution?

[@andrerieu100]

For the x450 and x750 what is the difference is it just weight and size like the 146 & 149. And is there one which is overall better? Thanks

[@mckonal]

this has been amazing. thank you SBRE.

[@Rgc571]

Does the nib and feed alignment (distance from tip) affect wetness?

[@ArtJourneyUK]

You crazy Dutchman lol! I have to tweak my mini... but I'm scared that I'll damage it.

[@AllanEngelhardt0]

Thank you for this. Another very useful video from "Doc" Brown. Learn to enjoy the pain :)

[@MrShooter54]

Can one take a regular nib and make it italic . Me being a lefty I haven't learned how I can hold the noodlers and get the flair like l do with a italic . Can u help ??

[@clydewilson1141]

Your vids are awesome. Do you have a recommendation where to purchase a fine nib for a Pelikan M800 at a reasonable price? Thanks.

[@IamGlenQuagmire]

Fabulous stuff, Stephen, helped a lot on my MB344. Thanks!

[@ElizaHamilton1780]

Personally, I like wet pens too. I like seeing the ink gleaming on the page as it dries. Uh...the bottom of my left hand doesn't like them so much, though. :P

[@BROWNDUKE123]

Very informative thanks for all your help!

[@williamfigueras9754]

What type of pen is that second pen?

[@ProjectE2]

hey mate its me again:P.can you tell which one is the new camera you got? Helpful tips aswell on this one:P

[@YanithOlivares]

I'm lazy for not reading 117 comments (as of today), but where did you get the book?

[@rubysumague-garcia5964]

What is your loupe size?

[@mikew9537]

So thankful for your "sacrifice" :D

[@RonaldoHoch]

Thank you a lot!

[@IamGlenQuagmire]

Yeah, now when I think about it I have to confess it was a brave effort, even if I was much more gentle than you in the video. But hey, it is perfect now!

[@ArtJourneyUK]

Yes, one of them is.

[@faruksoftic9721]

I have a Pilot Metropolitan (one of like 30 pens that I own) and I love it. I wrote with it and used it and everything was just fine and dandy, until one day, when I noticed that the tines on it were misaligned for some reason. I tried to align them (I wasn't nervous or anything because I've already done this to 3 pens), and... I screwed up. I splayed the tines just enough so that it won't write. It wasn't extreme, or beyond repair or anything, but the tines were just far enough from each other so my pen doesn't write. Doing what You've told me, Mr. Brown, I fixed my Metropolitan. Now it writes as it wrote before i screwed it up. You may think that I shouldn't sweat it too much over a Metropolitan, but it was a gift from my mother so it means a lot to me. Thank you so much. I honestly thought that I ruined my pen...

[@sbrebrown]

Faruk Softic I'm glad this was helpful!

[@williamfigueras9754]

the one you use to demonstrate the way the gap should look.

[@sbrebrown]

Could you give me a time stamp?

[@williamfigueras9754]

sbrebrown 6:56

[@sbrebrown]

That's a Platinum Carbon Desk Pen.

[@williamfigueras9754]

thnx

[@williamhumes3005]

it's been years. My problem is different. The ink flow is completely out of control. If I point the nib at the paper the ink will drip out until the cartridge is empty.

[@sbrebrown]

Are the nib and feed pushed far enough into the section? Is there damage to the inside of the section which has ruined the connection with the cartridge?

[@williamhumes3005]

The pen developed this problem while I was neglecting it I have two of these. I put ink into the cartridges and one is fine but the other gushes.

[@sbrebrown]

William Humes Its possible it has become clogged. I would soak it in water overnight, Just the section I mean, and see what happens

[@williamhumes3005]

I just put more ink in the cartridge and made certain it is inserted completely

[@williamhumes3005]

still out of control one of these www.gouletpens.com/pilot-plumix-fountain-pen-black-stub/p/PN90040

[@SpinStar1956]

Could you please tell me the color and brand of that nice aqua/turquoise(?) colored ink that you're using in your demonstration pen?

[@sbrebrown]

I think this was Akkerman Trêves Turquoise.

[@SpinStar1956]

Thanks for the info on the Akkerman Treves Turquoise. And most important, thanks for all your great videos. I'm just getting into fountain pens (actually used them as a kid!) and already you've helped me resolve two "showstopper-level" issues on new pens I just got; both now working superbly. I still have a Duke FP that seems too wet (using PR-Spearmint) but probably is just right if you used black ink; I think I will just go with a lighter green (Diamine-Kelly-Green or Noodler's St. Patty's Eire) ink to compensate for the density; that is, I might want to make it be used for black; finally the geometries of this FP are for my skill-level scary to try to make it drier! So thanks again and thanks to all your great commenters and subscribers for their insightful comments and observations...

[@sbrebrown]

I'm glad my videos are useful for you.

[@King_Kenny66]

Another good video Stephen!

[@DrZeeple]

2017, I've just come out da time machine Scotty!!! So, weirdly enough I came here today with a PGB3000, but I also had an X450 in the draw with a similar issue (phenomenon); so done, sorted, cheers! Loupes: iOS 11, you can just use the iPhone now to look at ya tines Jimmy! Now, how do I make me X450 put down a Japanese line? hahahaha

[@sbrebrown]

+Miao Glad this was useful!

[@mikesmukula482]

Nice job!

[@dren84]

Excellent tutorial.

[@ErikTheAndroid]

Seeing as I prefer my pens to flow like a water hose I don't really see why one would like to make a pen more dry but that is just me.

[@johnchan1825]

Thanks Stephen, it's very useful.

[@Aporqpyn]

Good stuff Stephen. Thanks!

[@emilianorabre6926]

Its a little bit stupid with a cheap/"unexpensive" pen because normally the brands like Jinhao, Pilot or a Lamy have a nib rechange, so you can go the shop (like me) and buy a new nib for 5€!

[@Proj8ct]

You should emphasise that if someone is brave enough to work on their gold nibed pens that they can be manipulated much easier than steel and thus can be damaged a lot easier

[@gudeking4247]

Thankyou. This video was very useful :)

[@lusitanonl]

Thanks!

[@pureby]

Think was an awesome video! Heel erg bedankt :-)

[@l10industries]

It was quite useful, now I know what I am buying everyone for their birthday this year... LMFAO

[@marespcservices]

What is that color?

[@sofijeffrey9797]

I beleve it's blue

[@garmse]

Great video!!

[@conymascarenhas6793]

Fabulous.

[@karanveersinghdulku]

My nib times seem to look alright , so is my Ebonite feed channels too wide ?

[@SovietSammy]

Lol that is the exact cheap pen I have and I did the exact same thing to it because it was super dry :P