Ebonite is hygroscopic (it absorbs moisture very well) which probably translates to holding more ink and releasing it more consistently. FNF sells ebonite feeds for JoWo and Bock. Pretty cheap (around $12-$30) they sell feeds, housings, etc. You can upgrade most pens by yourself. Link: flexiblenib.com/store/ And I totally agree with Kerry, ebonite is usually a huge improvement.
Depends the country's manufacture of ebonite. Swelling occurs in humid climates, where a water molecule will lodge itself, and breakdown the material, particular in most Asian countries. Made in N.America, the ebonite is superb, as most incredible vintage pens prove.
It’s cool to see an actual comparison of ebonite and plastic feeds. I’ve always heard that there were reasons to choose ebonite over plastic, but this is the first time I’ve seen any sort of side-by-side comparison. I think it is because most pens do not have a choice of feed so it makes comparisons not as relevant. Thanks!
Wait. Ebonite feeds with gold nibs are better than plastic feeds and steel nibs? *Mind blown* But in all seriousness, great video! So jealous of the urushi pens...someday.
I concur with the comment about eliminating the nib material difference, but I also think ebonite makes a huge difference, and I'm surprised it isn't standard for anything that isn't a basic pen.
Great video! I purchased a Wancher Dream pen a little over a year ago. They only sell gold nibs with plastic feeds so I went with gold and plastic. Pen is incredibly dry and hard starts so I sent it off for a tune a few weeks ago. Wondering if I can get an ebonite feed from Wancher and just swap it in, or if it wouldn't fit...
Ebonite may be a bit more pourus, the big difference is probably the surface texture or some other way it interacts with the ink fluid. The question is why charge $50 for a piece of rubber I get for $1 on FPR? All the cheap-o Indian pens I have came with ebonite feeds, so why? Whhhhhy? I should send that to Brian Goulet for his next q&a.
Ebonite is seriously cheap stuff, so it is kind of ridiculous to charge that much more for it. The thing is, however, that ebonite feeds can't really be machine produced like a plastic feed. They usually need to be hand carved. So the answer for why Wancher's ebonite feed is so much more expensive than FPR's probably comes down - in part - to the artisan pen makers at Wancher being better compensated for the extra labor of ebonite feeds than the workers who carve those feeds in India. The fact is that those Indian pens aren't always produced through what we would call fair labor practices.
@@highqualitywritinginstrument could be, but there are other reasons too. Maybe. I don't see a reason why ebonite could not be machined. Any way, I went and looked for answers, starting here on youtube I already found some important answers. One of the main reasons is that the market is switching to c/c systems in the last 40 years and ebonite is too brittle for a tailed feed. ua-cam.com/video/yLJ1Y6K5ulE/v-deo.html Still, a $50 premium is nuts. I'd buy the plastic and fit it my own feed and nib if possible.
@@Seefood73 - There are definitely other factors, and even if a higher price on the artisan pen can be expected, it's probably higher than it should be. Ebonite can be machined, as in it can be cut using machines, which makes the process easier, but it can't be rapidly molded the way resin plastic can. It has to be cut to shape, and it is more labor/time intensive no matter what. Even so, you're right that there is more at work. The economic machine is many-faceted.
@@highqualitywritinginstrument You are wrong about the Indian situation.. In the first place, it is wrong to compare countries blindly, without regard to their cost of living. The high price of non-Indian pens is more a reflection of their high cost of living, than a real difference in the material and workmanship. Cost of living in India has been low, it does not mean our workers are not paid well ie things are not produced through fair labour practices. Due to the impact of Globalization, our cost of living is also leaping, as compensation in some new sectors like IT is way ahead of the more traditional enterprises. A junior worker in a bank today earns at entry more than I earned at the time of retirement after 33 years of service. There is a strong and militant trade union movement in India, so the workers are highly unionised, and they cannot be exploited. It may be that workers in the pen industry are paid less compared to some other areas, but it does not amount to absence of fair labour practice. While there are regulations about minimum daily wages, the actual wages across sectors are not uniform. There is a choice of free movement and no one is compelled to stick to one job. Job hopping is very common. The worker in the pen industry gets paid according to his level of education, knowledge and skill levels , and it cannot be lower than the minimum wages fixed by the government, and accepted by the trade unions. I have been using fountain pens for over 60 years and most of them are Indian ebonite pens. Their prices have also been increasing over the years. .I can get a very good ebonite pen for Rs 1500 to Rs.2500, depending upon the nib units I choose. This is equivalent to US$ 25-40. This is a big amount for most of us. At this price, you probably cannot get more than an entry level plastic pen in your country. Thus, our prices are good for us, our wages are fair for us. There is no point in comparing them , disregarding the differences in the cost of living between countries. My Indian ebonite pens are writing well, after 30 years, My Montblanc, Sheaffer, Cross pens are not. So your higher price is no indication of better quality.
I've invested in jewelry for years and am just getting started with fountain pens. I personally think the current price of gold is to high but like you say "it's up to you"
Its not possible to compare gold ebonite with steel plastic. The way should be same nib material with different feed material. Probably the rubber has a different relation regarding the viscosity/adhesion with the inks. But 50 dolars for sulfur rubber is stupid. Perhaps 5 dolars, at most. Thats the standard... remove the old, and sell it as new charging premium for what was basic... Other question would be, if you tune the plastic feed channel, opening it more, would make equally wet?
It would be wet but out of control. I tried it. You get a pen that lays more ink but doesn't stop running when you lift it off the page. Surface tension and magic that plastic just doesn't have.
Very interesting! I tried using a scalpel blade on my lamy, and my result was pretty decent. Anyways, what you mention is really interesting, and probably i got lucky, or its some kind of really fine adjustment Hope you could fix that feed you mention! :\ Best Regards!
@@luccasnovaes5691 no, it was a calculated risk, experiments with cheap pens are important to understand the tool. Did you watch Nathan Tardif's channel? He abuses his pens and teaches a lot. In one demo he takes a wire cutters to his "Charlie" pen and shows us how stubs were originally made ;)
It's funny how you recommend the extra 60$ so casually when my most expensive pen I got as a treat for new years is 40$ xD Wouldn't you be able to just spread the tines to make the steel/plastic nib/feed wetter? Or widen the channel? Or even add a drop of flow improver (soap etc)
Reading the comments responding to your WANCHER pens made me realise why most collectors of various things tend to be very private and can’t be found on social media. I realised this when I was running my online antique hand drawn batik shop. Or why some prices are by inquiry only. I am looking to try my first ebonite feed so this has been very useful. To echo another person who commented here, what I would love to see is a comparison between plastic and ebonite feeds with same material nibs, AND same size / thickness, to control for variance. If anyone here knows of any a such comparison please give me a shout! Thank you so much!! And thank you again for this video!
Now you tell me - I just ordered one with a steel nib and plastic feed ... however I am left handed so I don’t like things too wet. So hopefully I have made the right decision
Ebonite is hygroscopic (it absorbs moisture very well) which probably translates to holding more ink and releasing it more consistently.
FNF sells ebonite feeds for JoWo and Bock. Pretty cheap (around $12-$30) they sell feeds, housings, etc.
You can upgrade most pens by yourself. Link: flexiblenib.com/store/
And I totally agree with Kerry, ebonite is usually a huge improvement.
Depends the country's manufacture of ebonite. Swelling occurs in humid climates, where a water molecule will lodge itself, and breakdown the material, particular in most Asian countries. Made in N.America, the ebonite is superb, as most incredible vintage pens prove.
It’s cool to see an actual comparison of ebonite and plastic feeds. I’ve always heard that there were reasons to choose ebonite over plastic, but this is the first time I’ve seen any sort of side-by-side comparison. I think it is because most pens do not have a choice of feed so it makes comparisons not as relevant. Thanks!
My best pens have ebonite feeds. They just have a warm fuzzy feeling to it.
Wait. Ebonite feeds with gold nibs are better than plastic feeds and steel nibs? *Mind blown* But in all seriousness, great video! So jealous of the urushi pens...someday.
I concur with the comment about eliminating the nib material difference, but I also think ebonite makes a huge difference, and I'm surprised it isn't standard for anything that isn't a basic pen.
Great video! I purchased a Wancher Dream pen a little over a year ago. They only sell gold nibs with plastic feeds so I went with gold and plastic. Pen is incredibly dry and hard starts so I sent it off for a tune a few weeks ago. Wondering if I can get an ebonite feed from Wancher and just swap it in, or if it wouldn't fit...
Ebonite may be a bit more pourus, the big difference is probably the surface texture or some other way it interacts with the ink fluid. The question is why charge $50 for a piece of rubber I get for $1 on FPR? All the cheap-o Indian pens I have came with ebonite feeds, so why? Whhhhhy? I should send that to Brian Goulet for his next q&a.
Ebonite is seriously cheap stuff, so it is kind of ridiculous to charge that much more for it. The thing is, however, that ebonite feeds can't really be machine produced like a plastic feed. They usually need to be hand carved. So the answer for why Wancher's ebonite feed is so much more expensive than FPR's probably comes down - in part - to the artisan pen makers at Wancher being better compensated for the extra labor of ebonite feeds than the workers who carve those feeds in India. The fact is that those Indian pens aren't always produced through what we would call fair labor practices.
@@highqualitywritinginstrument could be, but there are other reasons too. Maybe. I don't see a reason why ebonite could not be machined. Any way, I went and looked for answers, starting here on youtube I already found some important answers. One of the main reasons is that the market is switching to c/c systems in the last 40 years and ebonite is too brittle for a tailed feed. ua-cam.com/video/yLJ1Y6K5ulE/v-deo.html
Still, a $50 premium is nuts. I'd buy the plastic and fit it my own feed and nib if possible.
@@highqualitywritinginstrument So glad to see someone else is conscious of the reality of labour practices in some parts of the world.
@@Seefood73 - There are definitely other factors, and even if a higher price on the artisan pen can be expected, it's probably higher than it should be. Ebonite can be machined, as in it can be cut using machines, which makes the process easier, but it can't be rapidly molded the way resin plastic can. It has to be cut to shape, and it is more labor/time intensive no matter what. Even so, you're right that there is more at work. The economic machine is many-faceted.
@@highqualitywritinginstrument You are wrong about the Indian situation.. In the first place, it is wrong to compare countries blindly, without regard to their cost of living. The high price of non-Indian pens is more a reflection of their high cost of living, than a real difference in the material and workmanship. Cost of living in India has been low, it does not mean our workers are not paid well ie things are not produced through fair labour practices. Due to the impact of Globalization, our cost of living is also leaping, as compensation in some new sectors like IT is way ahead of the more traditional enterprises. A junior worker in a bank today earns at entry more than I earned at the time of retirement after 33 years of service. There is a strong and militant trade union movement in India, so the workers are highly unionised, and they cannot be exploited.
It may be that workers in the pen industry are paid less compared to some other areas, but it does not amount to absence of fair labour practice. While there are regulations about minimum daily wages, the actual wages across sectors are not uniform. There is a choice of free movement and no one is compelled to stick to one job. Job hopping is very common.
The worker in the pen industry gets paid according to his level of education, knowledge and skill levels , and it cannot be lower than the minimum wages fixed by the government, and accepted by the trade unions.
I have been using fountain pens for over 60 years and most of them are Indian ebonite pens. Their prices have also been increasing over the years. .I can get a very good ebonite pen for Rs 1500 to Rs.2500, depending upon the nib units I choose. This is equivalent to US$ 25-40. This is a big amount for most of us. At this price, you probably cannot get more than an entry level plastic pen in your country. Thus, our prices are good for us, our wages are fair for us. There is no point in comparing them , disregarding the differences in the cost of living between countries.
My Indian ebonite pens are writing well, after 30 years, My Montblanc, Sheaffer, Cross pens are not. So your higher price is no indication of better quality.
Interesting. Wancher now only accepts orders for plastic feeds with their gold nibs. I went with the steel so I could get the ebonite feed.
How did this choice work out for you?
@@jeffbeatty9735 I've never written with anything as smooth or with such perfectly-controlled and static wetness. I will be buying again!
This is EXACTLY what I was wondering! Thanks for the comparison. I’ll definitely splurge for the ebonite feed.
I've invested in jewelry for years and am just getting started with fountain pens. I personally think the current price of gold is to high but like you say "it's up to you"
Entirely agree!, split ebonite + 18k nib is the best combo
Great information, thank you. I too like wet feeds, and almost every plastic feed, I have to cut it wider. I will try ebonite!
Love your videos! Will go back and hit the like button on previous videos I have watched as I know this helps you out a lot. Cheers!
As a few others mention: it is not really a comparison if the nibs are not the same. Cannot one swap that nibs onto the Ebonite feed?
ebonite feeds do make a difference. most of my experience with them was with gold nibs, but the few with steel nibs had the same effect.
Its not possible to compare gold ebonite with steel plastic. The way should be same nib material with different feed material.
Probably the rubber has a different relation regarding the viscosity/adhesion with the inks.
But 50 dolars for sulfur rubber is stupid. Perhaps 5 dolars, at most.
Thats the standard... remove the old, and sell it as new charging premium for what was basic...
Other question would be, if you tune the plastic feed channel, opening it more, would make equally wet?
It would be wet but out of control. I tried it. You get a pen that lays more ink but doesn't stop running when you lift it off the page. Surface tension and magic that plastic just doesn't have.
Very interesting!
I tried using a scalpel blade on my lamy, and my result was pretty decent. Anyways, what you mention is really interesting, and probably i got lucky, or its some kind of really fine adjustment
Hope you could fix that feed you mention! :\
Best Regards!
@@luccasnovaes5691 no, it was a calculated risk, experiments with cheap pens are important to understand the tool. Did you watch Nathan Tardif's channel? He abuses his pens and teaches a lot. In one demo he takes a wire cutters to his "Charlie" pen and shows us how stubs were originally made ;)
It's funny how you recommend the extra 60$ so casually when my most expensive pen I got as a treat for new years is 40$ xD
Wouldn't you be able to just spread the tines to make the steel/plastic nib/feed wetter? Or widen the channel?
Or even add a drop of flow improver (soap etc)
Wow you can write quick I can only do that if it's messy.How do you tune fountain pens can you do a video for this please Kerry?
Ebonite more durable? Spread the tines a lil and will make any nib wetter?
Reading the comments responding to your WANCHER pens made me realise why most collectors of various things tend to be very private and can’t be found on social media. I realised this when I was running my online antique hand drawn batik shop. Or why some prices are by inquiry only. I am looking to try my first ebonite feed so this has been very useful. To echo another person who commented here, what I would love to see is a comparison between plastic and ebonite feeds with same material nibs, AND same size / thickness, to control for variance. If anyone here knows of any a such comparison please give me a shout! Thank you so much!! And thank you again for this video!
Now you tell me - I just ordered one with a steel nib and plastic feed ... however I am left handed so I don’t like things too wet. So hopefully I have made the right decision
Lol fountain pens can never be too wet
Beautiful Explanation!
Hi baby, you are completely right