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My new Ahab stinks! Literally.

I just got my first full time paycheck at my current job (I have been working part time for a bit) so undecided I needed a new pen and some ink. Of course. I had been wanting a yellow pen for a while, do I picked up a Moodler's Ahab in yellow. So far I like it. It writes alright and is smooth. Only real issue I have with the pen is if I shake it even a little it throws ink everywhere.

My biggest problem is that the pen seems to smell. The smell is reminiscent of vomit. I washed the pen when I was flushing it out and it doesn't seem as bad but the smell is still there. Anyone else have the same problem? Anyone know what it is from or how to make it go away?

Thanks
 
The early Noodler pen's really had a stink problem. My ebonite pen still has a bit of smell after all this time. My original plastic piston reeked.
 
Noodler's pens are known to smell, some colors worse than others. My black Ahab has a distinct smell, but nowhere near as strong as you seem to describe. As long as I don't hold it up to my nose, I don't really notice it.
 
I have an Ahab which smelled awful (in the manner you described) and has improved quite a bit. Let it air out. I store my pens in a converted cigar box, which I think has helped, too.

My Indian eyedropper (Ratnamson) had only a minor odor.
 
Thanks for the info. I assumed it was something in the plastic. Good to hear that it dissipates. Because I think it writes rather well and I like the feel of it. I was considering purchasing another at some point, but didn't want to if it was just gonna smell horrible for ever.
 
The first Ahab I had leaked bad if you shook it and smelled just as you described. It absolutely reaked. It also wrote very poorly no matter how I tuned it. I returned it.

The second Ahab wrote pretty well and while it does have a certain scent it doesn't stink like the first one. I haven't decided if I like the smell or not, but it isn't objectional and isn't even noticable really unless the pen is close to your face.

The first pen's stench did dissipate somewhat over a few weeks, but it was still awful just not as loud.

D
 
I think Ebonite will always have it's smell.


Stealing a line from someone over at FPN:

"I love the smell of ebonite in the morning!"

I was grading with an Indian Serwex pen and caught myself sniffing it between papers.. Good thing I am grading at home this morning and not at school!

No, the smell on these pens was more than the ebonite.
 
I remember when I first started wet shaving and was experimenting with witch hazel as a toner. The smell used to be just awful, but now I actually, honestly like it. I've heard the same think happens to people who live in Indonesia for any length of time with regard to durian (a local fruit notoriously smelly, but apparently tasty).

More on durian:
"The edible flesh emits a distinctive odour, strong and penetrating even when the husk is intact. Some people regard the durian as fragrant; others find the aroma overpowering and offensive. The smell evokes reactions from deep appreciation to intense disgust, and has been described variously as almonds, rotten onions, turpentine and gym socks. The odour has led to the fruit's banishment from certain hotels and public transportation in southeast Asia."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durian

I heard it described as "Captain Crunch and armpit".
 
Ebonite's aroma is caused by sulfur IIRC, which some folks are much more sensitive to than others (onions and skunk are other sulfurous stinkers), the out-gassing of which can create sulfuric acid inside your pen storage case.... it is recommended that you store hard rubber (and celluloid too, but it out-gasses camphor related breakdown compounds) pens in a way that allows free air exchange thus preventing concentration of the corrosive byproducts of aging.

Plastics can be smelly too, but I have no idea what the specific smells are caused by, same with ink, although phenol can be a smell associated with some inks.
 
I do have two Ahabs (and use Tabac regularly). I've learned to live with many of the odors of the pens, Tabac, and many other products. Yes, some are more "odiferous" than others, but that's life and we either learn to live with the odor or we reject the product and switch to something else. For the price of an Ahab, and the quality once it is set up properly, I'll live with a distinct scent. Just like Tabac that I've learned to really appreciate, the scent can be alluring. By the way, I have a bunch of Parkers. They have never had an odor problem and the performance is great. But they are substantially more expensive than an Ahab.
 
The first Ahab I had leaked bad if you shook it and smelled just as you described. It absolutely reaked. It also wrote very poorly no matter how I tuned it. I returned it.

The second Ahab wrote pretty well and while it does have a certain scent it doesn't stink like the first one. I haven't decided if I like the smell or not, but it isn't objectional and isn't even noticable really unless the pen is close to your face.

The first pen's stench did dissipate somewhat over a few weeks, but it was still awful just not as loud.

D


If I shake my Arab it will leak, or rather throw ink all over the place. I made the mistake of journaling in bed the other day and moved my hand across the page quickly and ended up throwing a large drop of ink onto my sheets staining them green as I have it loaded with J Herbin Lierre Sauvage.

Other than the smell that is the only complaint I have about the pen.
 

oc_in_fw

Fridays are Fishtastic!
Mine doesn't do this; perhaps it's not assembled correctly.
That would be my guess. When I put mine back together after cleaning, I found that it is quite possible to put the nib in the wrong spot. With the nib and feed out, you can see the concave area where the nib should be. If the nib isn't placed there, it will leak, in my experience. Put the nib in fully (there is a stop in the back, too), then put in the feed. The feed pushing against the nib will keep the nib where it belongs.
 
Ebonite's aroma is caused by sulfur IIRC, which some folks are much more sensitive to than others (onions and skunk are other sulfurous stinkers), the out-gassing of which can create sulfuric acid inside your pen storage case.... it is recommended that you store hard rubber (and celluloid too, but it out-gasses camphor related breakdown compounds) pens in a way that allows free air exchange thus preventing concentration of the corrosive byproducts of aging.

Plastics can be smelly too, but I have no idea what the specific smells are caused by, same with ink, although phenol can be a smell associated with some inks.

While all this may be true, the smell of the Ahab's isn't consistent. Some of them stink in a really terrible, horrible way. Some of them don't. My first one would make you nauseous. My second one just has an interesting aroma. Some might differ as to whether the aroma of my second one is a good or bad thing, but I don't see how anyone would find the first one unobjectionable. A whiff of it could really make you lose your appetite.

D
 
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