What's new

Noodlers Ahab These are a joke right?

Even if the origin of the various parts is India or wherever else, it is assembled in the US if I'm not mistaken. And as such, and since the flaws are "easily correctable," they should be corrected during the assembly stage. Unless specifically sold as a "kit" pen, as noted above.

Noodler's is a one man operation. The law of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts apparently would impose upon Mr. Tardif burdens he does not care for if he had employees.

Luxury Brands, the distributor, is also a one man operation. They're in Georgia if memory serves.

I find it doubtful that there is assembly of the pens going on in the US, but anything is possible.

I wasn't trying to make an argument about any flaws (though my Konrads are 2 for 2 so far!). I was just pointing out the origin of the Nib Creeper and Ahab for whatever it is worth to people here.
 
Noodler's is a one man operation. The law of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts apparently would impose upon Mr. Tardif burdens he does not care for if he had employees.

Luxury Brands, the distributor, is also a one man operation. They're in Georgia if memory serves.

I find it doubtful that there is assembly of the pens going on in the US, but anything is possible.

I wasn't trying to make an argument about any flaws (though my Konrads are 2 for 2 so far!). I was just pointing out the origin of the Nib Creeper and Ahab for whatever it is worth to people here.

I thought only the very first round of flex nibs were adjusted by Nathan. He explained that all those after would not need to be hand-fitted, which I also took to mean they would be undergo final assembly at the manufacturer.

Not sure why a couple ahabs need a simple user-correctable adjustment or a flush and people are up in arms. TWSBI and Lamy put out some off pens from time to time, but they get continuous praise. I'd rather have the one I can fix myself.
 

oc_in_fw

Fridays are Fishtastic!
I thought only the very first round of flex nibs were adjusted by Nathan. He explained that all those after would not need to be hand-fitted, which I also took to mean they would be undergo final assembly at the manufacturer.

Not sure why a couple ahabs need a simple user-correctable adjustment or a flush and people are up in arms. TWSBI and Lamy put out some off pens from time to time, but they get continuous praise. I'd rather have the one I can fix myself.
Because the user adjustment seems to be- adjust, use for a few days, adjust again, use for a day, adjust again, maybe get a half day out, adjust again, get a few days, etc :001_smile
 
Not sure why a couple ahabs need a simple user-correctable adjustment or a flush and people are up in arms.
I spent well over two hours adjusting and flushing and cleaning and reloading....

Plus the o-ring and silicone grease that I bought because I was told I needed to.... and the piston STILL stuck.

It wasn't "a simple user-correctable adjustment or a flush"... the thing is a worthless piece of crap.
 

oc_in_fw

Fridays are Fishtastic!
I spent well over two hours adjusting and flushing and cleaning and reloading....

Plus the o-ring and silicone grease that I bought because I was told I needed to.... and the piston STILL stuck.

It wasn't "a simple user-correctable adjustment or a flush"... the thing is a worthless piece of crap.
Well, they are good for storing ink :biggrin:
 
I had two I tossed them out.

I found them to write very poorly and even with plenty of tweaking it was just a horrible experience.

Plus they smelled horrible!
 
I spent well over two hours adjusting and flushing and cleaning and reloading....

Plus the o-ring and silicone grease that I bought because I was told I needed to.... and the piston STILL stuck.

It wasn't "a simple user-correctable adjustment or a flush"... the thing is a worthless piece of crap.

That's a pretty well known issue, and the fix is simple. Turn the piston clockwise before you try to push it down, and it will break the seal and be much easier to use properly. (I just looked, and that is pointed out in the instructions included with the pen).

For the record, I have 5 Noodler's pens. All have worked very well with the appropriate amount of adjustment, research, and reading of the instructions included with the pen.
 
That's a pretty well known issue, and the fix is simple. Turn the piston clockwise before you try to push it down, and it will break the seal and be much easier to use properly. (I just looked, and that is pointed out in the instructions included with the pen).

For the record, I have 5 Noodler's pens. All have worked very well with the appropriate amount of adjustment, research, and reading of the instructions included with the pen.

There's the rub not everybody wants to spend time researching and fiddling to get their pen to function. I have a lot of sympathy for those that thought they were getting an easy to adjust working pen that, for them, was neither. I really like mine but I like the concept and enjoy the work in setting and modifying them to different purposes.
 

oc_in_fw

Fridays are Fishtastic!
There's the rub not everybody wants to spend time researching and fiddling to get their pen to function. I have a lot of sympathy for those that thought they were getting an easy to adjust working pen that, for them, was neither. I really like mine but I like the concept and enjoy the work in setting and modifying them to different purposes.
The fiddling doesn't bother me- it is the constant fiddling that they seem to demand.
 

Commander Quan

Commander Yellow Pantyhose
Today I flushed and refilled the pen with Noodlers Cayenne it worked perfectly for 3 full sheets of paper, and then quit again and it's totally stuck. and so it continues...
 

Commander Quan

Commander Yellow Pantyhose
The nib is completely dry. It's got a completely full pump and not a single drop will come out of the nib.
 

oc_in_fw

Fridays are Fishtastic!
The nib is completely dry. It's got a completely full pump and not a single drop will come out of the nib.

That is the problem I usually have- works for a while, then just stops. Funny thing is that there is plenty of ink on the exposed part of the feed- exactly where it shouldn't be.
 
I'm very puzzled by these reports. I have five Ahabs and now two Konrads and haven't ever seen this. Have either of you adjusted the nib and/or cleaned it? I'm trying to think of what might be diagnostic.
 

Commander Quan

Commander Yellow Pantyhose
Just Yesterday I took the nib and feed out of the pen and washed the feed with soap and water, put it together and it worked perfectly. Today I flushed the pen and refilled it. It worked fine for ~3 hours, and 3 pieces of paper and quit.
 

oc_in_fw

Fridays are Fishtastic!
I'm very puzzled by these reports. I have five Ahabs and now two Konrads and haven't ever seen this. Have either of you adjusted the nib and/or cleaned it? I'm trying to think of what might be diagnostic.

More times than I care to think about. I can get them working for a little bit, and that is it. I have seen the videos on adjusting them- not that is was needed, just wanted to make sure there wasn't some special trick (like slaughtering a lamb to appease the pen gods). I just checked the one I haven't written with in a half hour- got it going after 15 seconds and a couple shakes.
 
Just Yesterday I took the nib and feed out of the pen and washed the feed with soap and water, put it together and it worked perfectly. Today I flushed the pen and refilled it. It worked fine for ~3 hours, and 3 pieces of paper and quit.

If it is working well for a period of time and just quits it sounds like a blockage to me too, some bit of flotsam that either got sucked up from the ink or was loose in the pen.

More times than I care to think about. I can get them working for a little bit, and that is it. I have seen the videos on adjusting them- not that is was needed, just wanted to make sure there wasn't some special trick (like slaughtering a lamb to appease the pen gods). I just checked the one I haven't written with in a half hour- got it going after 15 seconds and a couple shakes.

If it has never written for any space of time and you're getting ink where you shouldn't I would guess nib and feed alignment. The channel on top of the feed on some are cut slightly off center, and this does anger me no excuses for it. The setting of the Flex nib to the feed is a little tricky as the nib does not have a breather hole so you have to pull the feed and nib out. Pay attention to where it fits in the section because there is a right way and a wrong way when putting it back. line up the channel with the slit in the nib, ignore the point on the feed it can mislead you. And reset the nib and feed in the section and see if it doesn't do better. I also highly recommend heat setting the nib. It couldn't be easier to do in the section once you have things in place with a hairdrier. Just make sure its cleaned of ink and I leave the piston fill attached with the plunger depressed to reinforce the threaded end of the section and it gives you a comfortable place to hold on to. I put a hairdrier on high setting on a bunched up towel and hold the nib feed and section in its line of fire for a minute or two and press the feed and nib together and repeat until its mated well. I also gently roll the nib end of the section between ny fingers to get a good fit of the nib feed assembly to the section. Let it fully cool none of mine have spit, leaked, or splattered afterwards. I had one that had the off center channel and I've replaced the nib in another for standard writing did it for both.

edit: I was reminded of another steel nib pen that had a similar issue that was driving me up a tree, I just couldn't figure it out. Finally I flossed the nib with some folded over aluminum foil and it smoothed right out wrote perfectly. Try it when you disassemble the pen you don't want to get foil caught between the nib and the feed.
 
Last edited:

oc_in_fw

Fridays are Fishtastic!
If it is working well for a period of time and just quits it sounds like a blockage to me too, some bit of flotsam that either got sucked up from the ink or was loose in the pen.



If it has never written for any space of time and you're getting ink where you shouldn't I would guess nib and feed alignment. The channel on top of the feed on some are cut slightly off center, and this does anger me no excuses for it. The setting of the Flex nib to the feed is a little tricky as the nib does not have a breather hole so you have to pull the feed and nib out. Pay attention to where it fits in the section because there is a right way and a wrong way when putting it back. line up the channel with the slit in the nib, ignore the point on the feed it can mislead you. And reset the nib and feed in the section and see if it doesn't do better. I also highly recommend heat setting the nib. It couldn't be easier to do in the section once you have things in place with a hairdrier. Just make sure its cleaned of ink and I leave the piston fill attached with the plunger depressed to reinforce the threaded end of the section and it gives you a comfortable place to hold on to. I put a hairdrier on high setting on a bunched up towel and hold the nib feed and section in its line of fire for a minute or two and press the feed and nib together and repeat until its mated well. I also gently roll the nib end of the section between ny fingers to get a good fit of the nib feed assembly to the section. Let it fully cool none of mine have spit, leaked, or splattered afterwards. I had one that had the off center channel and I've replaced the nib in another for standard writing did it for both.

Okay, I will give it another go. I have heard of heat setting the nib, but I didn't know the proper way to do it. I did do a little heat and compression on the plastic area (where the nib and feed enter the pen) on one of them, as there was a small gap on the nib side, which allowed ink to leak out on top of the nib. That problem appears to be gone.

on edit: I just want to clarify something. In the feed channel is a breather hole. When assembled, will this be covered by the nib?
 
Last edited:

oc_in_fw

Fridays are Fishtastic!
Someone on FPN suggested lightly scoring the feed channel, as it might be a bit smooth. What do I have to lose? I got a precision screwdriver and went up and down the feed a few times, then cleaned it up. Inkflow is pretty healthy- maybe too much, as I am getting a lot of nib creep. I may tinker more with feed position now. I still do not understand, however, why the exposed part of the feeds are wet on these things. They have been that way since before the tinkering began.
 
Top Bottom