Adjusting/tuning a nib

[gpjoe]

I've got a Jinhao X450 and it is quite nice considering its sub-$10 price.

The pen has an M nib that is smooth enough but I am a bit disappointed with the inconsistent ink flow which results in a noticeable variance in the line it puts to paper.

What is the easiest way to adjust the nib to increase ink flow (slightly)?

Let's be honest, it's an $8 pen so I'm not afraid to attempt a fix, even if risky.

 

[blethenstrom]

I've got a Jinhao X450 and it is quite nice considering its sub-$10 price.

The pen has an M nib that is smooth enough but I am a bit disappointed with the inconsistent ink flow which results in a noticeable variance in the line it puts to paper.

What is the easiest way to adjust the nib to increase ink flow (slightly)?

Let's be honest, it's an $8 pen so I'm not afraid to attempt a fix, even if risky.

The tines on the nib might be a bit too close together. The video below kind of goes through it. He regrinds the nib as well. just ignore that portion. Doodlebud is good in general for nib adjustment and modification.

 

[gpjoe]

The tines on the nib might be a bit too close together. The video below kind of goes through it. He regrinds the nib as well. just ignore that portion. Doodlebud is good in general for nib adjustment and modification.

Thank you.

Yes, I watched a video at Jet Pens that explains how to open the tines a bit by gently pressing the nib on a hard surface. Before I do anything, I need to blow the dust off my loupe and get a closer look at my nib.

 

[blethenstrom]

Thank you.

Yes, I watched a video at Jet Pens that explains how to open the tines a bit by gently pressing the nib on a hard surface. Before I do anything, I need to blow the dust off my loupe and get a closer look at my nib.

Yeah checking alignment is also good while you are at it.

 

[Marco63]

Basic, but sometimes overlooked operation on Chinese pens, is to soak the section in a solution of mild soap and then cycle the same water, using the converter, to get rid of machining residues. If you already did this I stand corrected. Option 2) change ink?

 

[gpjoe]

Basic, but sometimes overlooked operation on Chinese pens, is to soak the section in a solution of mild soap and then cycle the same water, using the converter, to get rid of machining residues. If you already did this I stand corrected. Option 2) change ink?

I did not use soap. I did flush it with distilled water using a rubber ear bulb thingy, and scribbled on some "rough" index cards and it seems better.

If it does act up again, I'll go with the soap and water.

Thanks

 

[m949]

Try thin brass sheets which you slide between the tines. Also, Micromesh and Mylar paper can help. Goulet Pens offers a Pen Tuning set with two brass sheets, micro mesh and mylar paper, and a 10X loupe. All items are also available separately.

If all else fails, purchase a Bock Type 250 (Bock #6) steel nib and replace the Jinhao nib with that. It'll cost you about USD 20, but upgrades the pen tremendously. The Jinhao nib is friction fit and you can just pull it out, place the Bock nib on the Jinhao feed and push it back in. The bock nib & feed housing won't fit in the Jinhao because you can't remove the Jinhao nib housing unless you want to play around with acetone.

The Jinhao feed is tapered at the bottom, so there's only one correct way to put the nib and feed back in. Make sure that the feed is placed close to the pointed end of the nib and that the nib gap and feed gap are aligned. You'll need a loupe to make sure that the nib is set correctly. You now have an amazing writing pen with a slightly springy nib.

 

[gpjoe]

I've seen some discussion regarding the nibs, and have a few questions, if you don't mind educating me.

What is a #6 nib?...and will any #6 nib fit this pen?...and finally, where can I buy some decent nibs at a fair price?

I really don't want to invest a ton in a $5 pen, and don't want to (potentially) trash an expensive nib while modding a $5 pen.

 

[Claudel Xerxes]

I've seen some discussion regarding the nibs, and have a few questions, if you don't mind educating me.

What is a #6 nib?...and will any #6 nib fit this pen?...and finally, where can I buy some decent nibs at a fair price?

I really don't want to invest a ton in a $5 pen, and don't want to (potentially) trash an expensive nib while modding a $5 pen.

#6 refers to what size of feed/section the nib will fit. I'm not sure the exact specifications that designates the nib numbers though. It seems to me that a good number of modern pens commonly have either a #5 or #6 nib. Yes, all #6 nibs should fit your x450. The only exceptions are #6 nibs where the nib, feed, and section are an assembled unit, like with Edison, TWISBI, Kaweco, Sailor, etc..

I wouldn't be surprised if there are some good but inexpensive Chinese nibs out there, but I've bought a few Goulet Pens nibs that have all been satisfactory. It looks like they're priced at $16 per nib.

What can also be nice about having some spare nibs is finding cheap thrift/antique store pens and bringing them back to life. I bought this one for something like $2 or $3 a number of years ago. I can't remember if it had a missing or damaged nib, or I just decided to change it, but I threw in a spare converter and a Goulet 1.5mm stub nib. It's now a perfectly usable pen that lays down a nice thick line.

 

[gpjoe]

#6 refers to what size of feed/section the nib will fit. I'm not sure the exact specifications that designates the nib numbers though. It seems to me that a good number of modern pens commonly have either a #5 or #6 nib. Yes, all #6 nibs should fit your x450. The only exceptions are #6 nibs where the nib, feed, and section are an assembled unit, like with Edison, TWISBI, Kaweco, Sailor, etc..

I wouldn't be surprised if there are some good but inexpensive Chinese nibs out there, but I've bought a few Goulet Pens nibs that have all been satisfactory. It looks like they're priced at $16 per nib.

What can also be nice about having some spare nibs is finding cheap thrift/antique store pens and bringing them back to life. I bought this one for something like $2 or $3 a number of years ago. I can't remember if it had a missing or damaged nib, or I just decided to change it, but I threw in a spare converter and a Goulet 1.5mm stub nib. It's now a perfectly usable pen that lays down a nice thick line.

View attachment 1815637

That pen is nice.

Thank you for the response.

I did a bit of research and watched a video at Goulet that specifically talked about the X450, and demonstrated how to replace the nib.

It looked pretty easy, at least he made it look easy enough that I may try it. If I do, I'll probably go with a known upgrade rather than replace one Chinese nib with another, unless, of course, I'm seeking a different line weight or writing characteristic. Right now I don't hate the stock X450 M nib for everyday use.

I do haven a X450 that I purchased about couple a months ago, and that one doesn't seen to write "right" (scratchy, skippy) so maybe I'll use that pen for a nib replacement.

Thank you again for the response/help.

 

[Claudel Xerxes]

That pen is nice.

Thank you for the response.

I did a bit of research and watched a video at Goulet that specifically talked about the X450, and demonstrated how to replace the nib.

It looked pretty easy, at least he made it look easy enough that I may try it. If I do, I'll probably go with a known upgrade rather than replace one Chinese nib with another, unless, of course, I'm seeking a different line weight or writing characteristic. Right now I don't hate the stock X450 M nib for everyday use.

I do haven a X450 that I purchased about couple a months ago, and that one doesn't seen to write "right" (scratchy, skippy) so maybe I'll use that pen for a nib replacement.

Thank you again for the response/help.

Thank you for the compliment. I don't believe it's anything special. It's a Barlow/Salm that was made in Taiwan. I agree that it looks nice though.

My pleasure. It's nice to see some more activity in The Nib.

Good to hear. As long as you're careful not to stress, bend, or break anything, nib swapping shouldn't be too difficult. I agree, the M nib on my x450 was perfectly adequate. Like you mentioned previously, messing with an inexpensive pen is better than ruining an expensive one.

Yeah, try it out with the spare x450.

 

[Creeder14]

A few tips for tuning nibs:

Getting a little brass sheet can make it easier to spread times.

Micromesh is really a repair or modification tool, it's not for ordinary smoothing. You use it if a nib was improperly ground by the factory, otherwise damaged, or if you're reprofiling it. It shouldn't be your go-to solution for a scratchy nib, cuz it can result in sharp tines.

 

[blethenstrom]

A few tips for tuning nibs:

Getting a little brass sheet can make it easier to spread times.

Micromesh is really a repair or modification tool, it's not for ordinary smoothing. You use it if a nib was improperly ground by the factory, otherwise damaged, or if you're reprofiling it. It shouldn't be your go-to solution for a scratchy nib, cuz it can result in sharp tines.

Micromesh at 8000, 12000 grit will certainly not reprofile the nib, but polish it. However, alignment first is very critical. I agree that a brass shim is the best tool for spreading the tines. 2 or 2.5 mil brass shim works well.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Here's my sequence for fixing up a temperamental nib.

1) Clean

The soap and water suggestion above will get rid of any residual factory fluids from production. I'll sometimes use it to clean a pen that's been in use a while too. Personally, I tend to pull the nib and feed. Not every pen and user is conducive to that though.

2) Gap

Whether the tines are too close together, or there's a foreign object lodged in the gap, I run a spent but clean DE razor blade down the gap. Some use brass shims, but my pens aren't spendy enough for me to be worried about using a stainless steel one. I've never noticed anything to cause me to regret this choice, plus the edge bevels help me get the blade in there.

3) Alignment

Is one tine sitting higher than the other? Not easy to see, but otherwise relatively easy to fix.

4) Buttocks

Have we got a case of the dreaded "baby's bottom", where the internal corners of the tip, have radiused somewhat, caused the gap to widen a bit where it meets the paper. I fix this by scribbling figure eights and infinity signs on a nail buffer. Some use micromesh abrasives, or even a brown paper bag.

As I only buy lower cost pens, most of my nibs have been fine tuned with these methods. Sending the pen off to some guru to have them do it, would cost multiple times what my pen cost me.

 

[blethenstrom]

That pen is nice.

Thank you for the response.

I did a bit of research and watched a video at Goulet that specifically talked about the X450, and demonstrated how to replace the nib.

It looked pretty easy, at least he made it look easy enough that I may try it. If I do, I'll probably go with a known upgrade rather than replace one Chinese nib with another, unless, of course, I'm seeking a different line weight or writing characteristic. Right now I don't hate the stock X450 M nib for everyday use.

I do haven a X450 that I purchased about couple a months ago, and that one doesn't seen to write "right" (scratchy, skippy) so maybe I'll use that pen for a nib replacement.

Thank you again for the response/help.

You can also try to regrind the nib, for fun, italic stub or something if you are planning to replace it anyways. I love italic nib pens it just makes my cursive look "fancy". Plenty of videos on YT showing how to regrind it. Does not look too difficult.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I should probably add a couple of notes to the above post, as I realised it may lead to misunderstandings.

Running the razor blade down the gap is done after cleaning, and before the nib/feed are reassembled. I don't want folks gouging a channel down the feed then blaming me

Also, all of the first three steps are done with no ink, but not the fourth. I do everything I can when the nib is clean and dry, but then ink the pen up and make sure ink is flowing at the tip, before refining the tipping.

 

[gpjoe]

You can also try to regrind the nib, for fun, italic stub or something if you are planning to replace it anyways. I love italic nib pens it just makes my cursive look "fancy". Plenty of videos on YT showing how to regrind it. Does not look too difficult.

Yeah, I've got some lapping film that would do the trick when I'm ready to "sacrifice" a nib.

I watched a video at Jet Pens and it looks like a simple process, but I need to be prepared for the worst outcome.

 

[blethenstrom]

Yeah, I've got some lapping film that would do the trick when I'm ready to "sacrifice" a nib.

I watched a video at Jet Pens and it looks like a simple process, but I need to be prepared for the worst outcome.

Also our friend Doodlebud on YT, that I recommended for nib smoothing, have several videos regarding this topic as well. Oh yes we have to be prepared for the worst outcome. I also know that you can on the bay go and buy a number of #6 Chinese nibs for not very much. I need to try this myself since I have so many inexpensive pens that I can use as my test subjects.

 

[pravula]

Also our friend Doodlebud on YT, that I recommended for nib smoothing, have several videos regarding this topic as well. Oh yes we have to be prepared for the worst outcome. I also know that you can on the bay go and buy a number of #6 Chinese nibs for not very much. I need to try this myself since I have so many inexpensive pens that I can use as my test subjects.

Most of them are not tipped with anything hard. It might mislead you on pressure and lapping.

 

[blethenstrom]

Most of them are not tipped with anything hard. It might mislead you on pressure and lapping.

Yes italic nibs are not tipped and if it is a plain ol' stainless nib I would not worry about it. It is plenty hard enough. i would definitely not do this to an expensive nib. Grind away have fun!