I have to say, I am not personally so into having the largest capacity possible. I personally change my inks a LOT, so I kind of like a cartridge/converter pen because it's easy to clean and I don't have to use one ink for long. But, for a pen like the Ahab flex that consumes a lot of ink, having a bigger capacity is really nice. Especially if you're an artist or writer and get into a creative state, the worst thing is to have to force a break in your thoughts to refill your pen.
I got my Ahab in November and just realized that I could use it as an eye dropper. As someone who is new to the idea of filling from ink bottles rather than just inserting cartridges, it was not immediately apparent to me. I thought I had to use the converter. Doh! Thanks for making such great informative videos!
Thanks a lot. This video helped me tame my Noodlers Neponset, which likes to dribble when I useit in eyedropper mode.May all your tines be happy tines.
Good point. You don't really HAVE to flick the ink out of the plunger tube if you don't want to, you could just refill it, but I totally get what you're saying.
This was a very, very helpful video! Thank you. I put the Noodler's Ahab on my Christmas list with a bottle of Noodlers x-feather black ink. This will be my first fountain pen! Yippie!
I've been watching some of your videos. They're so informative and helpful. I started with the beginning fountain pen video and then I checked out your website. Great prices. I've decided to go with the Nooder's Ahab Flex pen and some pipettes. This will be my third fountain pen (first two were TWSBI Eco pens). Thanks for everything, Goulet Pen Company!
Haha, that's perfectly normal! Once you realize that eyedropper pens are an option, it makes you want to try it on all of them! The things you want to watch out for when converting any pen to an eyedropper is that 1) there are no holes, and 2) there are no metal parts on the inside of the pen where the ink will be in contact all the time. Stainless steel nibs are fine in ink all the time, but internal parts of pens are usually some kind of chromed metal, which can corrode over time in the ink.
That's definitely a factor as well. Though it depends where and how you travel, taking a pen with a ton of ink on a plane isn't really the best idea. But going to a seminar or meeting down the hall, yes, that would be practical.
You don't even have to disassemble the pen for cleaning with most inks. You have to take the body off, sure, so you can get to the piston, but then you just flush it with clean water and you should be good to go. Check out my Fountain Pen 101 video called "Pen Cleaning and Maintenance" to see me do it in video form.
Thanks for pulling this one out of "The Lost Archives". I've never "flexed" before...pretty much of a purist up 'til now. Hmm, well that sounds kinda weird saying that. But it looks intriguing and might be a different twist. And wow… man that's a Bunch O' Punch you're putting in that puppy! I like it!
Is left over air in the barrel gonna dry my ink? I have a pen with 3ml pen capacity (custom) but I'm worried that near the end it's gonna dry (say 1ml-0.5ml left)
Brian Goulet On one of Nathans videos he said that you can move that o ring down onto the part for use with eyedropper. That is so you do not need to get another o ring. If you keep moving the o ring sooner or later it may break, so having a second o ring is the better choice.
I tried the first way you demonstrated here, but the ink did not fill up to the top, just the bottom part and only one side of it, with the height of 2cm of the pen is fill with ink,, any idea why this happen? help : (
hey, I just inked up my first fountain pen-the ahab! I was writing and when I write, a little puddle of ink forms on the top of the nib. Is this normal? Thanks!
+Artseytips Hey there! It's called nib creep and it's totally normal :) If it starts actually leaking, let us know, otherwise you're totally fine! -Margaret
+Artseytips Hey there! It's called nib creep and it's totally normal :) If it starts actually leaking, let us know, otherwise you're totally fine! -Margaret
That's going to be tough, I *think* there might be one or two retailers in the UK that have them, but I'm not sure who. Maybe someone else here will know. The pens are primarily available in the US for the moment.
Not sure if you're still curious but the grease acts as a barrier. More or less preventing ink leaking with its thick viscosity , though with the motions pens are put through ( tossing it in a bag, rolling off a desk, rustling in your pockets,etc.) The grease can only hold off so much until it begins to leak drops here and there. The o ring ensures a * tight * seal that prevents a leakage. I have tried to use it without an o ring on another pen and it wasnt a secure seal , meaning I had ink spilt in my knapsack, even with the grease.
I just got my ahab, I cleaned it, filled it with aurora black, got my paper out, and it had a few issues. It would skip often, it would railroad even when I was barely flexing it, and it had a few start up issues. The only reason I could find was the feed on my ahab being off center, and not wanting to re-center. Any solutions for this?
Is that equal to a Moonman C1 eye dropper’s capacity? My C1 is EF and I want a full flex what nib is best for it? Finally, is a vintage Waterman eyedropper top of the line in the flex category? I don’t want any railroading, or is that just a symptom of writing to quickly with any full flex pen?
Charles Jacques ,hi Charles, I have a Moonman and it eyedroppered fills at 5ml. I haven’t eyedroppered my Ahab but I love the nib and will definitely do this conversion. Claudia
Brian, I tend to call this filling mechanism a "syringe filler", as it's quite different from piston and plunger, even though it has a piston at the end of a plunger. I have seen a lot of Italian pens using it and also a simple Ta Tung pen as well, but they don't have the breather tube though. One of my Ahabs has the early style O-ring and it keeps binding terribly, got to get some new design replacements from you soon!
I'm kinda with you, this is how I usually am. But some pens I do keep inked with the same thing for months on end, so I get the appeal. Different strokes for different folks.
Is ink supposed to be in the grip section after filling?After writing for a minute or so,I had ink drops leaking out of the nib,making writing impossible.After emptying the pen and pushing the nib in a bit further, it was a bit better for a while till it started again.Am I missing something?
That's a tough one. Ink will probably never look like that in the bottle because it's much more saturated. Noodler's Liberty's Elysium is pretty close to matching the color though (www.gouletpens.com/noodlers-libertys-elysium-3oz-bottled-fountain-pen-ink/p/N20001). - Colin
Brian, no matter what I do with my Ahabs I always get railroads. I have tried countless times to get these pens to work for me but for some reason they just wont. I even tried using the methods you showed in your video explaining how to reset the nibs, but nothing seems to work for me. I even contacted Noodlers and got a new feed, but still no luck. Any suggestions for someone who has tried everything?
I bought my 2'nd fountain pen ✒️ now. I gravitates toward my old one all the time, and I came to the conclusion that I then will have twize the chance of it being inked up. I can also have different inks and nibs. I probably end up with a handfull (5) for most versetilety. That seems to be the sweepspot for most things, most value for money 💰.
How long do keep the pen inked (stored:without use) at maximum ink load with the syringe? Does the ink evaporate a little without writing with it for a week or so?
dinasaur2 it depends, you can go a lot longer than a week usually. If you're in a really dry environment it might be a week or two, should be longer under more temperate conditions though -Brian Goulet
Hi, I did the eyedropper conversion without the o ring. Im having an issue where I get intermittent heavy ink flow and a blob on my paper! Anyone else having this issue?
I've seen the video on flying with fountain pens, but is it generally safe (i.e., no leakage) to fly with a fountain pen that has been converted to an eye dropper?
I would avoid that if possible. Eyedroppers are pretty finicky with pressure changes, so that could end with burping, either while writing or in the cap. Play it safe & ink it up after you land. - Colin
Rumeel12708 I'd recommend the Ahab as a first flex pen. We usually find that since it is the biggest, it tends to be the most user friendly of them all :) -Margaret
Do you flex a lot with it? Sometimes the feed has issues keeping up with the ink needed for flexing. Forcing ink into the feed from the converter can help. Eyedropper converting can help too! - Colin
Hi Brian, I tried using a Platinum Preppy o-ring like you did in the video, but I realized that the cap would not screw on after that. Have you encountered this problem?
KL005 the preppy o-ring is slightly bigger than the one that comes on the pen originally, and the cap can have some resistance as it goes over that o-ring. It shouldn't stop it completely though, try loosening up the piston to keep that o-ring from squeezing out and you should be able to cap it okay. -Brian Goulet
+YouLin Ke I would go with the Noodler's Ahab. Lots of different color options, and the flex nib can be swapped with any #6 sized nib (like Goulet nibs). - Colin
Hey Brian, I have an Ahab and an earlier (one of the first?) narrow body Noodlers piston fill (twist style) pen. Both seem to suffer from ink evaporation. Has anyone ever tried a sealant on the whole pen body, i.e. urethane? I’d be interested to know if that would solve the permeability problem.
Great video. As an additional, the breather tube also helps draw the ink out of the hollow plunger. If you don't have it, ink will still get up in there as you use it. It will get stuck and you will have to flick the plunger several times to get it back down into the main body of the filling mechanism. It can get pretty annoying if you've lost the breather tube :P
Yeah, i could see that. So far, my only dropper is aPreppy, and I have tons of those, so i can afford to keep some as one color, and still have one to play around with and change things up if I want. :)
In reality, the cheap plunger will get stuck, and when you force it the pen will wobble violently, and you will likely knock over the ink bottle. (You can get the plunger moving before you put the pen into the bottle, but if it isn't empty this of course will squirt ink everywhere.) Unless you want to disassemble the pen and add some silicon grease (or, as Brian shows, convert it to eyedropper), this seems a good use case for the Pineider traveling inkwell, so at least the ink won't spill while you're struggling with a sticky plunger.
Lamy feed noodlers fit. Thus, it can be used with plenty of ink. It can also be fitted with a 14k lamy nib. If you have an old safari and you hate ahap, you can combine the two :)
I don’t like to fill my pens entirely. That way I get to fill them more often which is fun! I did regret doing this when my pen ran out of ink during an exam.
You cannot eyedropper convert a Lamy Studio like Brian does with this Ahab. It has metal components inside that'll corrode with the ink over time. - Colin
I wish I had seen you put the pen back together instead of merely expelling the ink into vials. I've filled mine before, but this time something went wrong. I think I had the plunger extended. Leaky mess. :-) I don't know, this pen always leaks on me. Time to go back to my trusty Lamy Safari, I think.
I filled one of my Ahabs today. Wrote with it. Put the cap on. Came back later to write some more and tipped the ink all over the paper from the cap!!! It seems my pen is extremely Leaky!!!
WOW, talk about good timing on my part. I just ordered a Noodler's Ahab + 2 bottles of their ink from Goulet Pen Company. This video is going to be really helpful plus, I see about 5 or 6 more Ahab specific vids I'll be watching. I have to ask, do the pen manufacturers put good directions for taking care of their products, into the pen boxes, or is it more of a "well, here it is. Good luck", kind of thing ?
It really depends on the company. TWSBI does a fantastic job at directions & education with their products, so does Noodler's. Other companies, not so much. - Colin
Thanks, I appreciate your come back. I've just ordered this Noodler's Ahab and one of the Pilot Metropolitans. Also, have a Jinhao 159 coming in so we'll see how they all compare. :)
The "ink" was just colored water, mostly water with a few drops of ink. The blue demo "ink" was way to translucent to lay something legible on paper due to lack of enough dye. So that will barely stain your fingers, if you are even able to see any faint stains with that "stunt ink". At least that is my strong assumption.
I will never understand the obsession with eyedroppers, who really needs that kind of capacity. I rather enjoy filling my piston fillers, its not a chore I want to avoid
It is a joy to spend an hour cleaning and refilling pens. I'm from Maine and love the color of dew on spruce trees. It is a chore to mix Pilot Iroshizuku Kiri-Same (autumn shower) and Pilot iroshizuke syo-ro (dew on pine tree) to get the exact hue I desire. It's a chore to fill the same ink in the same pen if you use the same ink in the same pen consistently.
Dillion Brown: For travelers it may be better filling a eyedropper pen. Holding that much ink it would write for quite a long time. Okay, use a cartridge pen, however for cartridges to equal the amount of ink in the eyedropper pen would require many cartridges. Think about flying, TSA sees a bottle of ink they may well have issues, whereas a full eyedropper pen could be a better solution. TSA is well known for hassling folks having carry-on liquids; such as mothers that bottled their own milk to feed their traveling babies. Myself, I was not familiar with eyedropper capable pens, after watching this I understand their value.
I did my research on the Ahab via Amazon.. I found out people most complains about an "awful smell" or "it doesn't write".. and that they leak no matter what. Now I'm totally cautious and afraid to waste my 20-25$! What is your experience about these problems? :\
+Zefy P. They are made to be tinkered with, so it's good to know that going into it. They do sometimes have a smell, but it doesn't stop me from using them. You may need to spend some time working with the feed and nib to get it writing just the way you want, but they are fun to work with and can lead to some beautiful handwriting :) -Margaret
Oh I didn't know you could acctualy adjust the pen to your needs(kind of hehe) .I watched some more videos about it and you're right ! I think I'm gonna bye the Ahab (or just the flex...well ,I've no idea yet!) and move to the next step. Thanks Margaret! :))))
@allydia, lol for me there's something satisfying about seeing ALL THIS GLORIOUS INK inside the pen. It makes me feel like I don't have to "worry" about running out, and I can just write and write and write. XD
Lol, nice video, but what's this obsession with ink capacity? I've never had a problem with this, and even if I did consume all the ink, refilling the pen is part of the fun, isn't it? :)
I have to say, I am not personally so into having the largest capacity possible. I personally change my inks a LOT, so I kind of like a cartridge/converter pen because it's easy to clean and I don't have to use one ink for long. But, for a pen like the Ahab flex that consumes a lot of ink, having a bigger capacity is really nice. Especially if you're an artist or writer and get into a creative state, the worst thing is to have to force a break in your thoughts to refill your pen.
I got my Ahab in November and just realized that I could use it as an eye dropper. As someone who is new to the idea of filling from ink bottles rather than just inserting cartridges, it was not immediately apparent to me. I thought I had to use the converter. Doh! Thanks for making such great informative videos!
Thanks a lot. This video helped me tame my Noodlers Neponset, which likes to dribble when I useit in eyedropper mode.May all your tines be happy tines.
Steve Crawford I had the same problem with my pen but it’s now fixed.(it’s a noodler’s ahab)
These are probably the best videos on youtube about all things stationary! I'm a huge pen geek and love your videos, keep up the great work!
Good point. You don't really HAVE to flick the ink out of the plunger tube if you don't want to, you could just refill it, but I totally get what you're saying.
This was a very, very helpful video! Thank you. I put the Noodler's Ahab on my Christmas list with a bottle of Noodlers x-feather black ink. This will be my first fountain pen! Yippie!
Exactly! I'm the same way, I use some pens with one ink (especially the ink matches the pen color!), and others I rotate all the time.
I've been watching some of your videos. They're so informative and helpful. I started with the beginning fountain pen video and then I checked out your website. Great prices. I've decided to go with the Nooder's Ahab Flex pen and some pipettes. This will be my third fountain pen (first two were TWSBI Eco pens). Thanks for everything, Goulet Pen Company!
That's awesome to hear, thanks for the support! Write on. :) - Colin
You have the best job in the world !!!!!! By Far !
Thank you so much. I JUST got the Noodler's Ahab. I know, as you say in this video, Better late than never.
Haha, that's perfectly normal! Once you realize that eyedropper pens are an option, it makes you want to try it on all of them! The things you want to watch out for when converting any pen to an eyedropper is that 1) there are no holes, and 2) there are no metal parts on the inside of the pen where the ink will be in contact all the time. Stainless steel nibs are fine in ink all the time, but internal parts of pens are usually some kind of chromed metal, which can corrode over time in the ink.
Yeah, the Ahab is kind of a unique pen in the way it fills. I'm sorry I didn't publish this sooner, I could have saved you a lot of confusion ;)
Slowing down while you write helps, it could also be a matter of the ink choice. What ink are you using?
That's definitely a factor as well. Though it depends where and how you travel, taking a pen with a ton of ink on a plane isn't really the best idea. But going to a seminar or meeting down the hall, yes, that would be practical.
Great video. Just ordered an ahab from you and looking forward to trying it out. Always enjoy your videos. Thanks again!
You don't even have to disassemble the pen for cleaning with most inks. You have to take the body off, sure, so you can get to the piston, but then you just flush it with clean water and you should be good to go. Check out my Fountain Pen 101 video called "Pen Cleaning and Maintenance" to see me do it in video form.
Do you need to reapply silicone grease every time you refill if you’re using the eyedropper method?
Thanks for pulling this one out of "The Lost Archives".
I've never "flexed" before...pretty much of a purist up 'til now. Hmm, well that sounds kinda weird saying that. But it looks intriguing and might be a different twist. And wow… man that's a Bunch O' Punch you're putting in that puppy!
I like it!
Is left over air in the barrel gonna dry my ink?
I have a pen with 3ml pen capacity (custom) but I'm worried that near the end it's gonna dry (say 1ml-0.5ml left)
Brian Goulet On one of Nathans videos he said that you can move that o ring down onto the part for use with eyedropper. That is so you do not need to get another o ring. If you keep moving the o ring sooner or later it may break, so having a second o ring is the better choice.
Oh yeah, there's definitely something appealing about just dumping a ton of ink in a clear pen body and watching is slosh around :)
Nice! Would like to have seen a standard cartridge emptied out too in there. Shown us everything we need to know though 👌🏼
There is not a standard cartridge. Cartridge size varies by manufacture, many are proprietary.
Have you had some trouble with an airy sound when filling and it does not get filled...
I tried the first way you demonstrated here, but the ink did not fill up to the top, just the bottom part and only one side of it, with the height of 2cm of the pen is fill with ink,, any idea why this happen? help : (
hey, I just inked up my first fountain pen-the ahab! I was writing and when I write, a little puddle of ink forms on the top of the nib. Is this normal? Thanks!
+Alex Fitch thank you!:-) and by the way, I just chose this vid because it is on the ahab.
+Artseytips Hey there! It's called nib creep and it's totally normal :) If it starts actually leaking, let us know, otherwise you're totally fine! -Margaret
+Artseytips Hey there! It's called nib creep and it's totally normal :) If it starts actually leaking, let us know, otherwise you're totally fine! -Margaret
+The Goulet Pen Company thank you
Santerfed Warm hands expand the air in the pen, and force the ink over and through the feed.
That's going to be tough, I *think* there might be one or two retailers in the UK that have them, but I'm not sure who. Maybe someone else here will know. The pens are primarily available in the US for the moment.
Is the o-ring necessary to all eyedropper conversion? Of all brands? Can't the grease do the job alone?
Not sure if you're still curious but the grease acts as a barrier. More or less preventing ink leaking with its thick viscosity , though with the motions pens are put through ( tossing it in a bag, rolling off a desk, rustling in your pockets,etc.) The grease can only hold off so much until it begins to leak drops here and there. The o ring ensures a * tight * seal that prevents a leakage. I have tried to use it without an o ring on another pen and it wasnt a secure seal , meaning I had ink spilt in my knapsack, even with the grease.
I just got my ahab, I cleaned it, filled it with aurora black, got my paper out, and it had a few issues. It would skip often, it would railroad even when I was barely flexing it, and it had a few start up issues. The only reason I could find was the feed on my ahab being off center, and not wanting to re-center. Any solutions for this?
Would it matter much if at all whether or not I use silicon grease when using as an eyedropper if I use two O rings?
Great Video Brian. Keep up the great work. Nick.
My breather tube is a little wavy, not straight. Is this normal? I thought it was made if glass. Can it be straightened back?
I lost the brether tube in my Ahab. Does anyone know where to find the replacement?
Wow! I really learned something very interesting today! Thank you very much!!! 😃
Just got my 1st Ahab from you today! How do I fix all the ink leaking down the grip towards the feed?
how would you go about cleaning an ahab? would you just empty the ink and dissasemble the pen then clean it?
Awesome, comprehensive video!
Is that equal to a Moonman C1 eye dropper’s capacity? My C1 is EF and I want a full flex what nib is best for it? Finally, is a vintage Waterman eyedropper top of the line in the flex category? I don’t want any railroading, or is that just a symptom of writing to quickly with any full flex pen?
Charles Jacques ,hi Charles, I have a Moonman and it eyedroppered fills at 5ml. I haven’t eyedroppered my Ahab but I love the nib and will definitely do this conversion. Claudia
Brian,
I tend to call this filling mechanism a "syringe filler", as it's quite different from piston and plunger, even though it has a piston at the end of a plunger. I have seen a lot of Italian pens using it and also a simple Ta Tung pen as well, but they don't have the breather tube though. One of my Ahabs has the early style O-ring and it keeps binding terribly, got to get some new design replacements from you soon!
I'm kinda with you, this is how I usually am. But some pens I do keep inked with the same thing for months on end, so I get the appeal. Different strokes for different folks.
My Ahab does not fill into the hollow piston with the breather tube installed. :(
Is ink supposed to be in the grip section after filling?After writing for a minute or so,I had ink drops leaking out of the nib,making writing impossible.After emptying the pen and pushing the nib in a bit further, it was a bit better for a while till it started again.Am I missing something?
Have you tried heatsetting the nib & feed? (ua-cam.com/video/9rhfXcBoM_Q/v-deo.html ) That can help some of the issues you're describing. - Colin
Great start for me - a complete beginner.
Fountain pens are an awesome hobby, welcome!
what ink is similar to this one!? it looks super cool a liquidy blue.
That's a tough one. Ink will probably never look like that in the bottle because it's much more saturated. Noodler's Liberty's Elysium is pretty close to matching the color though (www.gouletpens.com/noodlers-libertys-elysium-3oz-bottled-fountain-pen-ink/p/N20001). - Colin
Brian, no matter what I do with my Ahabs I always get railroads. I have tried countless times to get these pens to work for me but for some reason they just wont. I even tried using the methods you showed in your video explaining how to reset the nibs, but nothing seems to work for me. I even contacted Noodlers and got a new feed, but still no luck. Any suggestions for someone who has tried everything?
Thank for the tip!!! I love your company
I bought my 2'nd fountain pen ✒️ now.
I gravitates toward my old one all the time, and I came to the conclusion that I then will have twize the chance of it being inked up. I can also have different inks and nibs.
I probably end up with a handfull (5) for most versetilety. That seems to be the sweepspot for most things, most value for money 💰.
Can the push piston ink system in the Ahab fit the Lamy Safari instead of the screw system? Or is there a push piston system made for a Safari?
Brandon Lee Unfortunately no, only the Lamy converter or Lamy cartridges. -Margaret
How long do keep the pen inked (stored:without use) at maximum ink load with the syringe? Does the ink evaporate a little without writing with it for a week or so?
dinasaur2 it depends, you can go a lot longer than a week usually. If you're in a really dry environment it might be a week or two, should be longer under more temperate conditions though -Brian Goulet
Hi, I did the eyedropper conversion without the o ring. Im having an issue where I get intermittent heavy ink flow and a blob on my paper!
Anyone else having this issue?
what type of ink do you recommend for this pen?
That's awesome! I hope you enjoy it :)
Does the breathing tube come with in
Yeah, that comes installed in the pen when purchased! - Colin
If you convert a pen into an eyedropper do you ever have to reapply the silicone grease? If so how often?
I tend to reapply every time I refill the pen completely. It can be an inky disaster if there isn't enough, so it's worth doing. - Colin
What kind of work do you do?
I've seen the video on flying with fountain pens, but is it generally safe (i.e., no leakage) to fly with a fountain pen that has been converted to an eye dropper?
I would avoid that if possible. Eyedroppers are pretty finicky with pressure changes, so that could end with burping, either while writing or in the cap. Play it safe & ink it up after you land. - Colin
Which one is better the Ahab or the creaper???? For flex or over all?
Rumeel12708 I'd recommend the Ahab as a first flex pen. We usually find that since it is the biggest, it tends to be the most user friendly of them all :) -Margaret
Mine will only write for a little bit and then give no ink, I just got it. What do I do about that?
Do you flex a lot with it? Sometimes the feed has issues keeping up with the ink needed for flexing. Forcing ink into the feed from the converter can help. Eyedropper converting can help too! - Colin
Hi Brian, I tried using a Platinum Preppy o-ring like you did in the video, but I realized that the cap would not screw on after that. Have you encountered this problem?
KL005 the preppy o-ring is slightly bigger than the one that comes on the pen originally, and the cap can have some resistance as it goes over that o-ring. It shouldn't stop it completely though, try loosening up the piston to keep that o-ring from squeezing out and you should be able to cap it okay. -Brian Goulet
Hopefully someone sees this but do you have to flush/clean this pen before use?
It's always a good idea to do that
Sir, I would like to purchase a flex pen, and I'm still wondering which pen I should buy, Noodler's Ahab or Noodler's Standard Flex?
+YouLin Ke I would go with the Noodler's Ahab. Lots of different color options, and the flex nib can be swapped with any #6 sized nib (like Goulet nibs). - Colin
I can’t get the ink to flow right on this pen the nib dries out fast and doesn’t work
Hi, Casey. Heatsetting the nib and feed might help with this issue :) ua-cam.com/video/9rhfXcBoM_Q/v-deo.html -Lydia
I dropped some araldite glue into the bottom of my pilot kakuno to block the holes and make it an eye dropper. It works great.
The pen also leaks into its cap, and I've had it for a few days now.
Hey Brian, I have an Ahab and an earlier (one of the first?) narrow body Noodlers piston fill (twist style) pen. Both seem to suffer from ink evaporation. Has anyone ever tried a sealant on the whole pen body, i.e. urethane? I’d be interested to know if that would solve the permeability problem.
Move the O-ring further down the nib for eyedropper. See manufacturers video on Ahab.
Great video.
As an additional, the breather tube also helps draw the ink out of the hollow plunger. If you don't have it, ink will still get up in there as you use it. It will get stuck and you will have to flick the plunger several times to get it back down into the main body of the filling mechanism. It can get pretty annoying if you've lost the breather tube :P
Yeah, i could see that. So far, my only dropper is aPreppy, and I have tons of those, so i can afford to keep some as one color, and still have one to play around with and change things up if I want. :)
In reality, the cheap plunger will get stuck, and when you force it the pen will wobble violently, and you will likely knock over the ink bottle. (You can get the plunger moving before you put the pen into the bottle, but if it isn't empty this of course will squirt ink everywhere.) Unless you want to disassemble the pen and add some silicon grease (or, as Brian shows, convert it to eyedropper), this seems a good use case for the Pineider traveling inkwell, so at least the ink won't spill while you're struggling with a sticky plunger.
Brian or Rachel: Can you swap nibs in these pens like I can with my Konrad Acrylic?
Is that real ink, or just a sor tof demo fluid?
Lamy feed noodlers fit. Thus, it can be used with plenty of ink. It can also be fitted with a 14k lamy nib. If you have an old safari and you hate ahap, you can combine the two :)
Thank you, good video. very instructive.
love it! will subscribe
I don’t like to fill my pens entirely. That way I get to fill them more often which is fun! I did regret doing this when my pen ran out of ink during an exam.
Hello! and thanks for all your videos. I have a question have you ever tried to do the same with a Lamy studio? does it sound feasible?
You cannot eyedropper convert a Lamy Studio like Brian does with this Ahab. It has metal components inside that'll corrode with the ink over time. - Colin
Thanks!
I wish I had seen you put the pen back together instead of merely expelling the ink into vials. I've filled mine before, but this time something went wrong. I think I had the plunger extended. Leaky mess. :-) I don't know, this pen always leaks on me. Time to go back to my trusty Lamy Safari, I think.
I filled one of my Ahabs today. Wrote with it. Put the cap on. Came back later to write some more and tipped the ink all over the paper from the cap!!! It seems my pen is extremely Leaky!!!
Great video!
Aw, thanks! :)
WOW, talk about good timing on my part. I just ordered a Noodler's Ahab + 2 bottles of their ink from Goulet Pen Company. This video is going to be really helpful plus, I see about 5 or 6 more Ahab specific vids I'll be watching. I have to ask, do the pen manufacturers put good directions for taking care of their products, into the pen boxes, or is it more of a "well, here it is. Good luck", kind of thing ?
It really depends on the company. TWSBI does a fantastic job at directions & education with their products, so does Noodler's. Other companies, not so much. - Colin
Thanks, I appreciate your come back. I've just ordered this Noodler's Ahab and one of the Pilot Metropolitans. Also, have a Jinhao 159 coming in so we'll see how they all compare. :)
Amen! ;)
10:50 havent refilled my moonman c1 in a while lmao
Awesome video and so informative. But HOW did you not have INK all over your hands doing this demo?! LOL.
The "ink" was just colored water, mostly water with a few drops of ink. The blue demo "ink" was way to translucent to lay something legible on paper due to lack of enough dye. So that will barely stain your fingers, if you are even able to see any faint stains with that "stunt ink". At least that is my strong assumption.
I will never understand the obsession with eyedroppers, who really needs that kind of capacity. I rather enjoy filling my piston fillers, its not a chore I want to avoid
I think it's easier to clean.
It is a joy to spend an hour cleaning and refilling pens. I'm from Maine and love the color of dew on spruce trees. It is a chore to mix Pilot Iroshizuku Kiri-Same (autumn shower) and Pilot iroshizuke syo-ro (dew on pine tree) to get the exact hue I desire. It's a chore to fill the same ink in the same pen if you use the same ink in the same pen consistently.
I know this is late, but I find that eyedropper converting a clear pen makes it look much nicer when filled
If you drawing with it it helps. You’ll still fill it up just as often as a writer will with the Ahba unaltered.
Dillion Brown: For travelers it may be better filling a eyedropper pen. Holding that much ink it would write for quite a long time. Okay, use a cartridge pen, however for cartridges to equal the amount of ink in the eyedropper pen would require many cartridges.
Think about flying, TSA sees a bottle of ink they may well have issues, whereas a full eyedropper pen could be a better solution. TSA is well known for hassling folks having carry-on liquids; such as mothers that bottled their own milk to feed their traveling babies.
Myself, I was not familiar with eyedropper capable pens, after watching this I understand their value.
A built in piston holds a lot more than a converter
A.K night
And then there are those tiny cartridges.
yeah my TWSBI holds 1.7mL
I did my research on the Ahab via Amazon.. I found out people most complains about an "awful smell" or "it doesn't write".. and that they leak no matter what. Now I'm totally cautious and afraid to waste my 20-25$!
What is your experience about these problems? :\
+Zefy P. They are made to be tinkered with, so it's good to know that going into it. They do sometimes have a smell, but it doesn't stop me from using them. You may need to spend some time working with the feed and nib to get it writing just the way you want, but they are fun to work with and can lead to some beautiful handwriting :) -Margaret
Oh I didn't know you could acctualy adjust the pen to your needs(kind of hehe) .I watched some more videos about it and you're right ! I think I'm gonna bye the Ahab (or just the flex...well ,I've no idea yet!) and move to the next step. Thanks Margaret! :))))
The Goulet Pen Company o
@allydia, lol for me there's something satisfying about seeing ALL THIS GLORIOUS INK inside the pen. It makes me feel like I don't have to "worry" about running out, and I can just write and write and write. XD
The only pen I think could hold more ink would be a massive eyedropper pen like the emperor. But to say the least, those cost a lot more than $20.
Brian PLEASE!!! Tell ME what that ink is!!!
I thought it wasn't ink, but dyed water.
Lol, nice video, but what's this obsession with ink capacity? I've never had a problem with this, and even if I did consume all the ink, refilling the pen is part of the fun, isn't it? :)
I had to laugh at myself, though, as now I'm looking at all the pens I have to see if I can convert them as well :)
I Bought KanWriter flex pen(Indian pen) and that pen is exactly like this noodler pen :D .Kanwriter is half of this price
m nm where? I'm actually from india(this obviously isn't my name)
I like to change inks a lot, so I guess it's just the opposite for me. :p
Plz no need for long introduction
Go directly to subject
He cant he runs around and around and more around ...Dizzy ? Me too.