This Didn't Go As Planned - Grinding A Fountain Pen Nib With A Stone

[@afongen]

I love the idea of being lost in the woods 4:00 needing to grind and tune a nib. 😂

[@Doodlebud]

Must be prepared for all fountain pen scenarios at all times. You never know when you'll be thankful for being able to say "I got it. I trained for this" 😅

[@afongen]

@@Doodlebud 😂🤣

[@Jessi-sj3zx]

Haha into pens after I had been in dental for a few years. I always have random “retired”dental instruments I use for my hobbies at home.

[@Doodlebud]

A dentist's skills would transfer perfectly over to nib grinding

[@karma13612]

I think it’s time to start classifying stub and cursive italic nibs with a thick-thin ratio number as well. This final grind is really nice!

[@Doodlebud]

I'm using this pen a bunch right now. Really like the look and feel it gives.

[@DaisyDoodles]

I honestly burst out laughing when you showed the up close at the nib! It certainly got quite a buzz cut!

[@Doodlebud]

It took over an hour to get that little bit taken off LOL. VS about 3 min with a proper sharpening stone or 10 sec with a dremel!

[@gunsmokeandghouls]

Late night Mexico and this is how you spend your time. LOL

[@Doodlebud]

Two little kids in bed so can't go hang out in the lounge and have drink. So its this or watch Mexican TV with the volume way low 😆

[@jacekolszewski3245]

I too use rocks to fine-tune my nibs which I find at the beach and other things as well like pieces of ceramic, glass, and even shells. I also use an Agate Coaster which works surprisingly well. I found I can sharpen my EF nibs using a teaspoon. I even use a leather belt to add that extra smooth writing experience. But let me ask you Mr. Doodlebud, have you ever tried stonewashing a nib...?

[@thilau5715]

... How to turn an ink pen nib into a calligraphy brush in less than 25 minutes.... You did the job my friend!😩😜😂

[@Bobsnbalconies]

now i realized how much i need the DooooooooooooodleBUD at the start

[@Alireza9900]

A nice cursive italic grind always makes me happy! It was fun to watch, thank you. Though to be honest it made me cringe a couple of times 😂. I'm also very curious about the "calibration slide", can you please elaborate on that?

[@Doodlebud]

I show the calibration slide in this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/aJaUmY2qa5Wqo9U Here's a link to the one I bought: s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DkvTYfh

[@Alireza9900]

@@Doodlebud Thank you!

[@bbrachman]

Love to see you fix the TWSBI that go bent in the cap. Seems like a very common occurrence that we all need help fixing.

[@Doodlebud]

Its in the job jar

[@varadharajannadarajah]

I once tried sandpaper to smoothen a scratchy nib. It smoothened the nib so much that I couldn’t have any feel of writing and ink was overflowing

[@nope8535]

I actually am exceptionally skilled at sharpening knives. You should have ground two rocks together to make a flat spot to avoid erratic angles, also conditions the surface to cut well.

[@Doodlebud]

I do knife sharpening as well, along with straight razors. These rocks just don't have the hardness. They nib would grind away the stone vs the other way around. I have a video on my channel from a while back where I sharpen a Japanese Nakiri and shave my face with it LOL

[@nope8535]

@@Doodlebud I should put up some videos of the crazy things Ive done sharpening. Hair whittling sharp straight off a 300 grit silicon carbide stone, zero strop use, although this was a stone freshly conditioned and flattened before I pulled that off.

[@kart182]

@@nope8535wow! I’d love to see that

[@kristiw.1823]

After seeing the title, it was very reassuring to realize most of the pens you brought with you weren't terribly expensive ones. Lol! Night owl, different country, nail file... these are not normal environs for the engineering species of mammal to be found.

[@hibernacle]

An electric nail file where you can really tune in the rpms might be better, the dental bits and Dremel bits will work just fine in them as well since nail bits will probably be too soft

[@hibernacle]

Although there are nail bits made out of ceramic and all sorts of other materials so those bits might be worth investigating for other options with the Dremel

[@moniaqua_on_youtube]

Was probably better that you went to bed than 😅Dremel is a really good tool when you are awake and there are tons of tools for it, even soft ones. For rocks: I have a "Belgischer Brocken" for knives. I guess, when my cheap fountain pens are coming (I was curious and ordered 4 of them for about $10) I might give it a try with that "Brocken". Should be kind of similar to a grindstone.

[@gnarthdarkanen7464]

For a good alternative to the micro-meshes... I'd suggest you look into "Wet-N-Dry" paper... or the cloth variants. It's a lot like sandpaper, but we use it both in automotive bodywork and I use it in knife making and finishing. It's the kind of stuff that's reasonably economical for a hobbyist, but you'll definitely find an industrial alternative (like a proper grit# whet or water stone, for instance) if you're going to get serious enough to want production numbers... BUT you can even mix and match for an assortment of grits on Wet-N-Dry and bring a proper Japanese traditional knife to life again down to the high mirror polish, patterns on the edge, and even return or "reset" the bevel(s) to the shinogi line... AND as the name implies, you can pour water over the paper or the work and just get to it... Personally, I use some decent spray-adhesive to put the paper or emory cloth (another general-purpose term for similar products, because cheap) to a useful surface for geometry and size, which depends on the job... and then pour water as appropriate (from a used dish-soap bottle for medium, or just scoop by hand from a bucket for larger)... or spray if that suits me... and go to work... re-wetting helps knock metal dust out of the grit of course, and it's always good to plan around something to catch the overflow, if you're going to be at it a while... whether for small jobs like X-acto's or pen nibs over a towel and definitely a spray-bottle, or for cleavers and large butcher or "willow" knifes you'll want something over a dishpan, casserole, or even a bucket... AND if you've got the want and cash, there's a grit to suit you WAY past #10,000 if you like to see your brain up your nose in the reflection... haha... For the Dremel, there's also FOOT CONTROLS for about $20/per on Ebay, and don't let the name-brands fool you... Even that popular ENORMOUS 8-Amp rotary monster's foot control is THE power control AND source, so it works for a Dremel just like an extension cord... In which case, for freehand, just flip the Dremel's speed control to Max, and plug it into the pedal... done and DONE... you've got full control, and no more power than you need for little bitty... You DO know that you CAN use that big-ass clamp on the MAIN BODY of the Dremel instead of choking right up to the collar/collet, right. It's still going to steady the tool and thereby the tip, so it's just up to you to control the nib. You won't be "trying to reign in a mule" or anything, so a soft touch and you should be able to get a good feel for working it... AND there's also jeweler's rouge, which is one of my favorite substances in the world for Dremel work... especially finishing work... BUT I bought one of the 8-amp monsters... and I LOVE it... God! You can't get smoother than that in operation. I'm polishing pennies to afford new hand-units, but the original is only a little bit "clunky"... Of course, for a nib, it's CLEARLY "beyond overkill"... BUT for gouging and digging, you just about can't beat it... AND it IS feasible to get hand units for nibs... which at that scale, I'm NEVER going to burn it out or hurt anything... probably won't on knifes and tools, for the matter. ANYWAYS... Still a pretty great show... It's just a bit physically painful to watch someone struggle and not finally get what they want... BUT "first time out of the gate" and all... You'll only get better at it from here! ;o)

[@JudyMatell]

you have very steady hands, maybe you might have to try taking up dentistry in your spare time. lol!

[@varadharajannadarajah]

Yet to watch the video. But the title itself making me ROFL 🤣

[@JefferyHall-ct2tr]

Hi DB!: Sorry you had so much trouble with the Jinhao! But at least, you ended up with a pretty nice stub nib!

[@Doodlebud]

I didn't have any trouble with it, just with my ridiculous ideas for alternative grinding methods LOL. The dremel fixed it all up, even if I went a bit too far

[@uhohDavinci]

I almost exclusivly use that exact dollarama nail buffer for smoothing my pen's nibs if they arent perfect out of the box. It works wonders, I start on 4 and go up from there(3 and below will cut off too much material). Like you did in the end, I use the ink itself as lubrication. Also a $30 jinhao 159, is pretty much a the WIng Sung 630 :) maybe give that a look. Same size and look, but with a piston filler and ink window.

[@Doodlebud]

The buffer is great for smoothing. I thought just maybe it could grind, but found out immediately thats a no go. I always have one handy for little touch ups. Super handy to have on hand.

[@malcolmmclaren3658]

Funny,and informative. Good video. Challenge... Can you make a nib from Ultem? My guess is that that material could mimic goose quills

[@schm4704]

My only real nib re-grinding adventure was with a 1000/6000 waterstone. I used it to turn an M nib more into an F and that went reasonably well. Some micro mesh afterwards and I was quite happy with the result. Not nibmeister quick like the Dremel, of course.

[@ironmic9244]

Dude, what were you doing? This video is a testament to bad nighttime decision LOL. In the name of pen science LOL Glad it ended up alright.

[@hiltonprice2625]

I like your innovation Doodlebud. Very enjoyable video. I use a stone Maple Leafs stone hockey puck that i got from the liquor store to do my grinds. Takes patience but I have three successful CI grinds under the belt. Probably not the best solution if you are not a Leafs fan but my investment is a lot less than most.

[@vincenta584]

Great vid! So, what’s the idea behind the hardened iridium tipping anyway? Is it a big deal to grind through it and just end up with a stainless steel tip?

[@Doodlebud]

Steel stub nibs don't end up having tipping so its not really a big issue. The hard tipping is a better material to use for the contact point on the page and increases longevity big time. Its a must have for gold (and other material) nibbed pens for sure. On steel its better for sure, but not a deal breaker if its not there. I don't see this nib being worn down anytime soon.

[@cynthiaalvarado8610]

My first attempt at grinding a preppy looked like this. It was mangled and ground past just the tipping. You salvaged yours but I couldn’t figure out how to salvage the preppy

[@EnCwoisant]

Check out the Wing Sung 630. Piston filler, no 8 nib, steel or gold, flat-top or rounded. The nibs look similar to the Jinhao but are not entirely swappable. The WS fit in the Jinhao housing but not vice versa

[@aaronsmith8265]

Human kind has evolved to do some truly incredible things- this human is demonstrating man’s humble beginnings ✒️🗿 😂jk, nice video 👍

[@jacobpedersen8661]

Howdy Doodlebud, love your videos and I have learned a lot from you and others on how to make my nibs sing. What kind of feeler gauge are you using for your FP fix-it kit, I need to pick one of those up to complete my nib repair set and would love a good recommendation!

[@Doodlebud]

I updated and included links in the description for the feeler gauges too. Also scroll further down to see my Amazon virtual store where I have the tools I've used amzn.to/46c5Ioa

[@jacobpedersen8661]

@@Doodlebud Awesome and thank you so much, I really appreciate it!

[@larsgottlieb]

Sweet dreams Doodlebud (o:

[@slo_carry]

Looks like a fun time. What speed settings did you use on the Dremel? Is faster better for delicate work?

[@Doodlebud]

I just went straight to max! I've only ground 1 nib so far so don't go by my advice. But from chatting with Josh Lax he likes really high speed

[@slo_carry]

@@Doodlebud ok, good to know. I tend to do low and slow when I'm working on my stuff, but never tried one on a nib

[@Doodlebud]

I think the higher speed reduces vibration

[@andykellens7237]

Did I see a spark when you started with the Dremel? 😂

[@Doodlebud]

Could have! I couldn't see anything as I was doing so many things at once all for the first time while looking out of one eye 😆

[@manuelsalazar3938]

LOL, in recent days I was thinking of getting one of those dremmels with nail polish kits to grind nibs, this is just what I needed to make my final decision XD What I wonder is why you carried all that equipment from Canada down here, it's vacations, forget about everything else!!! But given that you're apparently in a beach better do a video on how hot temperature and humidity affect fountain pens, I was recently in Mazatlan at 40° (celsius, we don't use farenheit here) logged just beside the beach and was wondering how those conditions might affect fountain pens... Of course I was on vacations and didn't carry any pen with me, so I'm still wondering 😅

[@MrAndrew1953]

Congratulations on having the courage to fess up to your failures. I have a Pilot with an FA nib. I can’t work out how that grind on the nib you had ground worked? Actually that doesn’t look too bad- I withdraw the word failure.

[@ichirofakename]

oh you wild man!

[@Doodlebud]

For the fountain world, this is like base jumping LOL

[@aidesbnlee5422]

Jealous that your Jinhao X159 works well. Mine is leaking ink. So I bought a Majohn P136 with a Bock nib.

[@pnwesty7174]

Dios mio... con un bloque limador??? Esta loco!

[@Doodlebud]

As Cypress Hill would say "Loco En El Coco"

[@Schein1307]

POV: you are bored and have nothing productive to do

[@Doodlebud]

I could argue watching this video is even less productive than the work & improved skill I acquired in the making of this video..... 🤔

[@ilikepens]

I’m over here wondering when you’re going to start trying your hand at stacking nibs? 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@Doodlebud]

Need to be able to weld them together. So custom spot welder build is required

[@eadgbe6215]

did u fly with those pens in a leather case? talk about bravery