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#41
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There appears no way to make ink flow in a 100% dependable
manner on titatinum. I was going to buy a (Visconti?) Pinocchio pen, in one of the bright colours (guess). I asked a local pen retailer about it, and she said she is not carrying them, because of the problems with the titanium nibs: poor ink flow, brittle nibs. satrap who really wanted the bright orange and bright pink and the white Pinocchio pens |
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#42
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In article , wrote:
Urban Fredriksson wrote: Unless you know something about it which makes it unsuitable as a nib material? Yes I do and so does anyone who knows pens. It offers poor surface flow and remains a brittle metal. Surface hardened won't help that muc I'd think. But the surface hardening I mentioned was for _titanium_ to make it a scratch resistant barrel material. The nib material which was mentioned is titanium-nickel alloy, which since it's about half of each can't really be called titanium. It's unclear from the above if that's what you say is too brittle and undependable below? There appears no way to make ink flow in a 100% dependable manner on titatinum. It does have interesting surface properties, which no doubt plays a part here. -- Urban Fredriksson http://www.canit.se/%7Egriffon/ Just because something is obvious doesn't mean it's true. |
#43
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Some do write perfectly, but the very next nib cannot be made to
write well no matter what is done. Last I knew John Mottishaw says he cannot and will not repair titatinum nibs. Frank He won't retip an inlaid nib either. Speaking of titanium - the flow dramatically improves when plated heavily with palladium...however, I lost money on every T-1 I retipped and it is the only kind of pen that I now refuse to retip as John refuses to as well. Here is the process: you need to obtain a laser (costly as hell, even if only for an hour or two), a vacuum chamber, certain inert gasses, etc... The cost to retip a T-1, although it included making it more flexible than fine to 3mm with 0.2 oz. pressure...was over $700. Ridiculous and never will be viable. The moment it heats up, if not protected...the reactions with impure gasses and oxygen are dramatic. It's a "damn fool metal" to use for nibs - as a 65+ year veteran nib retipper told me. The best nib metals remain: gold alloys harder/more durable than 18K, platinum, palladium, and certain stainless steel alloys. I do retip inlaid nibs though - and have no removal fees on standard nibs, and no "fees" tacked on even for postage. Although the backlog is a little worse than it once was - it is still a small fraction of somebody else's. Super flex nibs are the #1 reason for delay right now...if you want an aiken lambert or waterman 52 nib missing a tip to flex from needle fine out to 3mm with a light featherweight touch - it can be done (if you don't mind a little "reengineering" of the nib and it's structure/alloy). http://members.aol.com/repairpens/index.html |
#44
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Damn it all!
Those who need "proof" of a retip for inlaid sheaffer nibs, see base of this page. If that is not proof enough...then assume it can't be done. There is no more time to convince you beyond this! Argh! http://members.aol.com/scaupaug4/silver/index.html |
#45
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Very nice work, Nathan. I have looked and looked and looked at the Inlaid nibs,
and haven't a clue that it could be removed. Dik |
#46
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So then, what do you do when the pen you want is only offered with a T-1 nib?
Just forget it, or get the pen and then buy another nib? Ask the manufacturer for a different nib? satrap delete what doesn't belong there Satrap I find delusions of grandeur to be absolutely true |
#47
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"so what" wrote: | | To each their own, of course, but IMHO this is like putting wings on a pig. | | Wait, think how much faster you could get BBQ! I like it!! BBQ. MMMMMMMM. Did someone mention The Moonlite Inn in Owensboro, Kentucky? | | | satrap | wondering if john cline ii is going to invent a roller coaster-proof FP... The best place for fountain pens whenst going coastering is at home! Pens are more sensible than me, apparently! |
#48
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#49
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On Mon, 05 Jan 2004 11:45:56 +0000, Andy Dingley
wrote: Metallurgy has moved along too. A question here - as you seem knowledgeable - when ever I need new frames for my eyeglasses - I buy "flexon" - an alloy that supposedly has "memory." Thus far, my habit of throwing them on the bed when I get up for whatever reason - then of course, lying down in them without remembering they're there has borne this out. I don't know much beyond the sales blurb about this alloy but it seems to me if there is such a thing that really does spring back easily into shape, is very lightweight and so on - might be applied to the making of flexible nibs that can not be easily "sprung." So... what (of many things) do I not know that would prevent using such in a fountain pen nib. Secondly, the fountain pen market is inherently conservative. It's an unusual and to some extent inconvenient product, where the disposable roller meets the needs of almost all users far more effectively, I have to disagree on this - but only in that I would have said "meets the needs of uneducated users" - If people knew and understood how much less pain they would suffer in using an FP vs any other type of writing instrument that I've ever seen - than their needs would easily be met. I know I'm not in the minority of people who have problems with having to put pressure on the page with other pens. While a well-tuned and smooth FP makes the physical act of writing almost effortless. Thus far - no rollerball even comes close to that relief. Gels seem to do better (most of them, some are as bad as ballpoints) but nothing matches the glide of FP nib across paper for comfort. alone the price. Those who choose to use a fountain pen today are doing just that - expressing a personal choice. yes- - but don't assume that "personal choice" excludes ease of use, reduction of pain, and other very logical reasons for making such a choice that go beyond the "ooh it's a Mont Blanc" factor. For me, it certainly isn't just about craftsmanship or nostalgia. most of my FPs are modern and some are very cheap pens (even by ballpoint standards) All remove an element of pain for me personally. and really - how different is that from other pens - don't we all chose such things in a way that is expressing personal choice? Other than the BPs our employers might force I us use because of their economical nature, on a daily basis a person picks up a ballpoint, pencil, rollerball, "gel" or FP independent of some sort of social pressure and because they have made a personal choice to do so. I know people who only write with gels. They love the bright colors and smooth flow. or those who like BICS! G because they find them comfortable and reliable. or, as with my hubby, those who find a mechanical pencil to be the best writing instrument available hand's down because you can easily erase mistakes and the tactile feedback is completely different from a pen of any sort. I almost feel as if you are saying that an FP is an inferior instrument simply because it is not as economical (supposedly) or not as convenient (supposedly) or just not "new and improved" enough. Economically - I know that my pens will last with minimal need of repair for decades beyond my life (assuming Dog doesn't use one as a chew toy). Ink is cheap. Convenience - well - how many times have you been using a ballpoint that crapped out on you completely. yeah, it's great that it was a 10c BP from Bic/Biro - but you have to toss it and maybe got 2 or 3 uses out of it. At least I know that I can dip my pen in a bottle of ink and refill it (even the "disposables") Can't count the number of times I was in a bank trying to sign a deposit slip and found one BP after another on those stupid little chains and not a **** one of 'em worked. "new and improved" that I agree with - there is nothing (in terms of quality) in a new FP that can't be found in an old one... but why does that make them inferior and why is innovation so important? in my typical long-winded way I am saying 'If it ain't broke - don't fix it." And I personally feel that FPs are not "broke" and those few attempts to "fix" them (Pelikan Level comes to mind) have failed. This is as likely to be the appreciation of a past time, or the appreciation of fine craftsmanship as it is for the ease in writing. Even if the connoisseur could be won over to a modern pen that was truly better, the retrospect might never be. well - i think the convert I seem to have made this past saturday would prove otherwise - not perhaps in numbers to make FPs more marketable and appreciated. But at least one person I know who hasn't used a FP since childhood picked up one of my pens (Phileas) and started to scribble and said "WoW! That thing just floats across the page." and "I don't want to put this down!" yes, he will be getting an FP for his birthday. :-) Could a truly superior pen be made ? Almost certainly. tangent: I do wonder - it *sounds* like you view "flex" as an improvement on "nails" WRT FP nibs. (but I could be reading this into your post while it isn't actually there.) While some of us like the interesting feel of flex, the reason why it is not more popular is not that it can't be done well (many a nib guru can prove that flex can be done beautifully in modern pens) but that for most people now (and back in the day when FPs were *the* writing instrument and flex was about the only choice you had for some time) it is a novelty and often an irritant. Most people want something they don't have to concentrate on using. IMO, a sturdy, smooth, generous flowing FP nib fits that bill just fine. though I like the flexible nibs I have (two esties, and a Namiki Falcon ("falcon flex" as some poeple refer to it being different from "true flex") it did take time for me to feel comfortable with flex while the first time I picked up a nail like the Phileas - I felt completely at ease. Will it be made ? Sadly I doubt it. probably not - but I'm not sure it's necessary or even good to do so. just my .02 - pick it apart as need be. |
#50
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Just to answer your metal question the material is Nitinol, which stands for
a mix of nickel and titanium that was developed at the Naval Ordinance Lab. It has a "memory" that is unbelievable. The wires used to guide angioplasty balloons is made of Nitinol and you can tie it in a knot and the knot comes out without a kink in the wire. Mark "kcat" wrote in message ... On Mon, 05 Jan 2004 11:45:56 +0000, Andy Dingley wrote: Metallurgy has moved along too. A question here - as you seem knowledgeable - when ever I need new frames for my eyeglasses - I buy "flexon" - an alloy that supposedly has "memory." Thus far, my habit of throwing them on the bed when I get up for whatever reason - then of course, lying down in them without remembering they're there has borne this out. I don't know much beyond the sales blurb about this alloy but it seems to me if there is such a thing that really does spring back easily into shape, is very lightweight and so on - might be applied to the making of flexible nibs that can not be easily "sprung." So... what (of many things) do I not know that would prevent using such in a fountain pen nib. |
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