Customizing your pens

[nemo]

Anyone make any modifications to their pens to personalize them to your taste? I'm not talking about having a custom nib grind but if you want to tell us about that, fine.

Cap swaps, parts changed, or just little details can be fun. I round the fill knobs on some Pelikans, swap nibs around, and switch caps regularly. Sheaffer nibs in Parker Vacs, modified filling systems, vintage feeds in modern sections -- what have you done?

Here is a pretty new but very well-used (think: beat) M200 that I placed a vintage 400 clip nut on since I like the gold-filled version more than the plastic and tossed a 14K M400 medium nib in there for a poor-man's M400. It helps to have spare parts.

 

[ChefJohnBoy-ardee]

I only have a 140 nib in a M200 body. I should send out the BB m200 steel nib out to be ground but I have not.

I don't think the cap to my Waterman Ideal is from the same body but it could have just discolored differently throughout its 70 or 80 years on the planet.

I saw in the vaults at Franklyn-Cristoff that they were using old Sheaffer Imperial/PFM nibs with their own bodies and I think Bexley did the same. Tis kind of fun but not a personal piece it to fit together frankenpen.

I think some of the more experienced pen users/collectors will have more in-depth discussions to add about 'personalizing' their pens.

 

[nemo]

I sometimes change the shape of pen parts. For example, a rounded turning knob feels more comfortable to me, looks like a 400N (a rare pen), and slips into the pocket easily.



This same old M200 also sports a vintage semi-flex 400 oblique gold nib, probably the nicest upgrade possible for your writing experience.



Well under a $100 and feeling the love.

 

[andrew98]

Nice mods, Doug! I like the Faux 400 and the rounded filler knob.

The yellow Bexley Torpedo with the Sheaffer Imperial (?) section in the F-C Stockroom looks really unique.

I've put my Pelikan 140 nib in an M200 for no good reason. I've been planning on getting an M400 OM nib for my M215, whose current nib I'm not wild about. I'd also like to get my M200's (old style) OB nib ground to an OB Stub by either Mike Masuyama or Greg Minuskin.

I've modded my new Pilot Custom 742 by enlarging the slit in its breather tube. I'll either make the slit larger or just leave it out of the feed entirely.

I plan to do the Scotchbrite pad treatment on my 78G to give it a lined, matte finish. After I try that, I'll probably PIF that pen.

I'm hoping to have my Sailor Pro Gear A Mode's fine nib switched to a medium, if Sailor obliges. Those pens are only available with a fine, so that will make mine somewhat unique.

I added a Knox OB nib to my Jinhao X750, and switched its rubbish Chinese converter to a Lamy Z24 converter (big improvement).

My Taccia Momenta has also had its broad nib ground to a cursive italic.

That's about all the tinkering I've done/had done.

-Andy

 

[ChefJohnBoy-ardee]

I was writing a lot tonight with the 140 nibs. I need to buy more of them! Who cares if they go into a 140 body

Guess I should try an old 400 nib as well.

 

[andrew98]

I was writing a lot tonight with the 140 nibs. I need to buy more of them! Who cares if they go into a 140 body

Guess I should try an old 400 nib as well.

Same here.

-Andy

 

[Slivovitz]

Nothing radical, but here's a couple of nib replacements, and in one case the feed also. First, nib side up:



And now, feed side up:



The top pen is a Wearever with an Esterbrook feed and nib. This was in a batch of junk pens which was my first practice in restoration. The orginal nib was badly broken, The feed might have been okay. I had three Esterbrook 1555 nibs, however, and decided to peel off the outer shell from one of them, and use both the nib and feed in this pen. Haven't used it much, admittedly, but it does work.

The other one is a (blasphemy alert) Noodler's Piston Flex with a #2 Conklin nib. Well, I had a "parts" Conklin, and I didn't want to let that nice flexy gold nib go to waste. The Noodler's Piston Flex is sort of like a small capacity Ahab that actually works, normal piston filler, pretty much trouble free, but I wasn't crazy about the stainless steel flex nib that it came with. Noodler's actually encourages users to find replacement nibs for their pens, and I did. This one writes quite nicely, although with too many pens in rotation, it may take a while to get back to it again.

 

[Snargle]

I picked up an Indian fountain pen last year (a Ranga Rippled Ebonite, eyedropper-filler) with a Fine steel nib. The nib was never a great writer, despite several efforts at tuning and smoothing. I purchase a couple of replacement steel nibs (an "M" and a "B") from a gentleman on FPN several months ago. Yesterday, after much effort, I finally managed to pull the old Fine nib and replace it with the Broad nib. Wow...it's turned from a really-nice-feeling pen with a mediocre nib, to a juicy, wet, awesome writing machine! I can see me using this pen a whole lot more in the near future.

(Photo shows the old Fine nib)

 

[Mike H]

I had a 1950's Chinese "Long Life" ebonite button filler. I sanded down the ebonite to a matte finish, replaced the sac, and installed a TWSBI fine nib.

 

[oc_in_fw]

I sometimes change the shape of pen parts. For example, a rounded turning knob feels more comfortable to me, looks like a 400N (a rare pen), and slips into the pocket easily.



This same old M200 also sports a vintage semi-flex 400 oblique gold nib, probably the nicest upgrade possible for your writing experience.


Well under a $100 and feeling the love.

How did you do that? I don't think I would, as I would screw it up, but it would be nice to know.

 

[nemo]

How did you do that? I don't think I would, as I would screw it up, but it would be nice to know.

Various grits of sandpaper, started with 180, ended up with 2000, then Simichrome polish.

 

[Dave258]

I like the looks of those rounded ends, Doug!

 

[syngent]

Yaay.. not a huge custom job but I have an ugly duckling and a stealth Dani now

Like two new pens


The Danitrio takes to the MV nib really well, but the German nib in the MV is waaaay to wet, and any bump or nudge and an ink drop will come a flying out, so I guess this wont work for work after all, although I much prefer them the way they are, as the smaller grip on the MV is much easier and nicer to use with the Dani nib, and I don't mind the stub on the big Dani section

 

[syngent]

how easy will my wearever nib come out, if i wanted to try something crazy ?

 

[Slivovitz]

how easy will my wearever nib come out, if i wanted to try something crazy ?

I was able to twist and wiggle the nib and feed out of the section together using only moderate force. However, this was with a pen that I was willing to risk breaking in the interest of learning. Also, Wearever made a pretty wide range of pens, and I don't know if they all had similar constructions.

 

[syngent]

I tried to put a dip pen nib into the wearever, but it wouldnt flow for me.... was a nice little experiment though, and I found a clog in the feed and now my wearever writes much nicer then it used to

 

[andrew98]

I found a clog in the feed and now my wearever writes much nicer then it used to

Definite win!

-Andy

 

[nemo]

Vintage gold Conklin Cushon Point nib in an M200 Pelikan

 

[rickcharles606]

Doug, what M200 body is that?

 

[syngent]

Doug, what M200 body is that?

Ive been fooled twice now, I wont be fooled again lol