Make your fountain pen write better: nib adjustment and polishing
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- Опубликовано: 20 июн 2024
- Links to products in video:
Each of the products below come with more options than you need for small adjustments like I do in this video, but the coarser MicroMesh pads come in handy when grinding your nib to a different shape or width. The Lapping Paper also comes with more options, but I only used the 1 micron and 0.3 micron grits.
MicroMesh Pads (affiliate): amzn.to/3HLf4NL
MicroMesh Sheets (affiliate): amzn.to/3nBeGui
Lapping Paper (affiliate): amzn.to/41ec57e
Vise (affiliate): amzn.to/46C0Zgq
My current microscope with camera (affiliate): amzn.to/3pDT9Ck
My previous microscope (without camera): amzn.to/44x9g3l
Nikon DSLR adapter for microscope: amzn.to/3O3HZzZ
Timestamps
00:00 Intro Theme
00:12 Unboxing and Intro
00:41 Common Causes of scratchiness
01:30 Problem with Nautilus
01:46 Problem with Ensso
01:56 Tools
03:12 Nautilus Nib Closeups
05:00 Nib Smoothing
07:02 Nib Lapping or Polishing
07:47 Fixing Sharp Edges or chamfering
08:55 Nautilus Final Result
09:53 Ensso Before
10:37 Tine Adjustment
11:20 Ensso Final Result
11:43 Signoff & Outtro
Helpful, thank you!
This was excellent! Thanks so much for sharing.
Thank you so much for this detailed walkthrough, much appreciated :)
Excellent presentation. This should help many users -- including some long-time ones! -- to get a better writing experience out of their fountain pens. You've covered both what to do and what to avoid, in a very easy-to-follow way. Great job, thanks.
Glad it was helpful!
I think you did a great job on this tutorial! Wonderful presentation!
Awesome! Thank you for the amazing teaching on how to make our pens better! Fantastic!❤
Amazing. Since I like some feedback, I won't need so much equipment! But, I deeply appreciate how you show how problems can be addressed with the right materials and skills. Thanks!
Wonderful to see you Fine Tune Nibs👌👌😍😍
That was illuminating! Just about on every other nib tuning video, we are encouraged to do the figure 8 to tune the nib which explains why I've ruined some good pens! You explain everything clearly and concisely, making it easy to grasp. My thanks to you! Please do more videos!
Thank you! Comments like these are super motivating. I’m working on a video on cursive italics and how to grind your own, but in order to get my point across I’m learning Blender so I have some animations to go with the video.
@@pensinfocus Blender is so difficult. I switched to Plasticity for 3D modeling. But Plasticity doesn't have animation tool. By the way, what magnification tool do you use? And at about what magnification power? Your instruction is very clear and precise. Appreciate it a lot.
Hah. Yes, Blender has been a challenge. If I don't have a breakthrough here in the next week or so I'm just going to shoot the video without the animations.
I show my microscope in my very first video. It's a stereo microscope from Amscope with a magnification between 10x and 40x. I originally used the camera that came with it, but that camera was really not very good and the software was atrocious. At some point I switched to using one of my Nikon mirrorless cameras attached via an adapter.
@@pensinfocus Thanks very much for your quick and helpful reply.
Great video
Thank you :) I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Good advice on staying away from figure 8's and writing on the pads. It's not bad to do, IF you know what you're doing, but telling people to do that will likely cause a lot more heartburn than the method shown. This is safe, easy, and effective. Really don't need much more unless you're dealing with a really fubar nib.
One of the better video out there regarding nib smoothing! Because your macro shots are excellent! Can i know your microscope setup? Its looks so much better than me using my loupe. At least I can know better what each stroke on micromesh did to the nib surface, with a loupe i just can't see it, have to rely more on 'feeling' than visual
In the description I've just added links to the two microscopes I've used. My current microscope is overkill for personal use, but my other microscope without the camera was more than sufficient for just doing work for myself. I bought the bigger one just to be able to share what I had been seeing.
The camera that came with the microscope leaves a lot to be desired. It was really challenging to get the footage for this video. The camera has poor dynamic range, poor resolution and poor frame rate. You have to blast it with light for it to work, but that causes specular highlights to bloom. And the software is terrible. I rolled the dice and bought an adapter to my Nikon cameras, and all the videos after this use the same camera for the microscope as for the wide shots: a Nikon z8 (though there may have been one video where I used my z6 before the z8 arrived)
Thank you! This video popped up just as I discovered the need with two nibs . . .
Great vid , how about making the nib wetter .
Up to a point, increasing the gap between the tines will make your pen wetter.
Good. I was taught this method 30-40 years ago and used it when I started making my own fountain pens. The figure-8, I was taught this in ancient calligraphy classes, meaning that what method you use depends on the type of nib and its material, that being writing, drawing or calligraphy nibs. Its very easy to overdo it so go slowly, tiny strokes, test, then STOP. Keep in mind too that the act of just writing on paper itself is abrasive and will wear/polish nibs.
What kind of microscope do you use? I would really like to get one to tune my nibs! Also, what is the lapping paper used for? After watching your video, I ordered the Micro Mesh pads. However, when I was looking for the lapping paper, I realized that the grit number is lower than that of the Micro Mesh. I was thinking this should mean the grain might be coarser and remove more material compared to the 12,000 Micro Mesh pad, but clearly is not the case because you use the lapping paper after the micro mesh. Could you help me to clarify this? Your video is really awesome, I have been watching fountain pen videos for the past year, but I haven't found any nib tuning video as explanatory as this one, so because of that, now I really want to try and start learning to tune up my pens, thanks for that! I'm looking forward to more nib tuning examples in your future videos! New subscriber here!
I use an AmScope 3.5X-90X Stereo Microscope with a camera adapter. My microscope package came with a camera, but I had a very hard time getting good footage from the camera. I found a mount that lets me use my higher-quality Nikon cameras, but it was just after this video that I started using it.
The lapping paper and the micromesh pads use different systems for labeling their coarseness. The micromesh use a system where a higher number is a finer grit; they're essentially counting the number of grains per unit area. The lapping paper is telling you the size of each individual abrasive particle, so the smaller the number on the lapping paper, the finer the grit. So I go 6000, 8000 and 12000 in the micromesh (increasing numbers) then 3, 1 in the lapping paper (decreasing numbers). That gives me finer and finer finishes until I reach my final mirror polish.
I've got some more videos planned with nib work, but they're big videos and they take me a while to script, shoot and edit. I also want to give good advice and not inadvertently guide people towards damaging their pens.
Thanks for watching :)
@@pensinfocus I'll be looking forward for next videos :) !! Thanks for the explanation!
May I ask why you are not supposed to do a figure 8? Alot of online tutorials suggest the figure 8 pattern.
My understanding is that the figure 8 movement is normally used when you want to keep polished/abraded thing to remain flat. This is not the case with the nib tipping as it is rounded.
This video is different than most of those other suggesting figure 8s, but actually pretty close to things that should be done. trying to explain every single 'why' that's missed can get this video very confusing, and there are lots of whys here. I'm just glad the video's got lots of good stuff I could ignore few things(and as said in the last bit on the Ensso, sometimes you get lucky with strange looking nib that writes fantastic anyway, so keep an open mind to any condition)
related to the problem that figure 8s or flat spot causes; 7:47 , fixing sharp edge. when you do figure 8 and only at singular spot, you make an isolated sharp edge from that one flat spot, sometimes the 'presence' of the nib might even disappear because of that, even if the sharp edge doesn't come out, you might feel something off without that 'presence' of the nib because you've worn down a nib into one without a rounded or certain intently shaped form, on a nib. The pleasantness of the nib must also be acquired through evenly smoothing the writing surface, beyond your specific writing angle, hence the bottom-up rotating of the nib as he gradually smooth the nib with micromesh, making sure everything is evenly smooth, not creating flat spot that could become source of scratchiness
Hey, sorry! I'm not ignoring you. I'm still new to running a RUclips channel, and at first I would get an email whenever I had a new comment, but at some point I stopped getting them and never noticed. I just thought no one liked my videos!
I just checked tonight and it turns out I have a ton of comments that I haven't responded to.
The reason you don't do figure 8s is because that flattens the nib at the angle you're holding the pen, which is usually not what you want. There are exceptions, but typically what you want is a smooth, semi-spherical shape, and a figure-8 ruins that.
Imo figure 8s are fine if you know what you're doing. You have to go slow and methodical and understand to rotate the pen correctly while doing the figure 8s to keep the exact shape of the nib. That get's more important the finer you go. But I also wouldn't use your method on a super fine nib that's supposed to give you a hair line. Putting just a little flat spot in that, by pulling straight down, instead of constantly rotating, can significantly change the line width and the nibs behaviour. For a broad nib I think your technique is fine and maybe a bit easier. But it won't naturally get rid of any burrs in between the tines if you went that far. If you just leave the nib in the pen, put in on the micro mesh, rotate it very slightly, put pressure down so the tines spread a little and then do kind of a little nike swoop, it will get rid of the burr and put that chamfer on there easier. Also, I wouldn't recommend only pulling up the tine that is further down to align them. It could make the nib too wet. It is easier getting a dry nib wet than vice versa. Take the nib out and either just bend the upper one down or try to do both at the same time and meet in the middle. Not saying your method doesn't work but it's not always the best idea.
Thank you for the feedback. There's a careful line to walk between giving helpful information and yet not overloading the viewer with too much detail. I'm erring towards simplicity and safety, while recognizing that there are some situations where my advice won't be appropriate. I don't want anyone to make their pen unusable by following my advice.
Loved the video and explanations - thanks for sharing.
How would you add a bit of feedback to a nib? I have a nib that's just too slippery (though I usually like smooth nibs). I'd like to add just a bit of feedback to it. I feel that it might help with some initial skipping (or at least that's my hope).
Is this a premium pen? I ask because what you’re describing sounds like baby’s bottom, which I’ve found to be more common in premium pens. Fixing the baby’s bottom will likely add more feedback - since more of the nib will touch the paper, critically the inside tine edges. It should also fix the hard starts. But that’s just my off the cuff response. If you don’t have baby’s bottom, using a rougher Micromesh pad to “unpolish” the nib can restore some of the friction
@@pensinfocusDefinitely not a premium pen, but still annoying/disappointing, esp since I have another one with the same nib and it's my favorite writer. I'm not nowhere nearly as knowledgeable as you on these matters, but my reading/searching on the web makes me think that baby bottom might be the cause too. Once the pen writes, it's ok, but it skips on start, and sometimes (though much less often) when I'm writing.
Do you have a video on baby's bottom?
Also, in case that's not it, what number mesh should I use? I only have one sheet of 12000 (which I bought some time ago to smoothen a nib, so I doubt this would apply).
I really appreciate you taking the time to have responded.
I don't have a video on fixing baby's bottom since I don't have a pen with that particular issue - those one or two that had it I fixed before I started making videos. If you're not comfortable reshaping your nib tip - that's what's necessary to fix BB - then I'd suggest sending it off to a professional.
If you have a loupe or microscope you can look at the nib to see if you can see the baby's bottom.
12000 micromesh is going to result in a finish that is still quite smooth. 8000 or even 6000 leave a nice tooth, still smooth, but with a touch more drag. A little goes a long way: just a swipe or two is enough to knock down the polish. I have an affiliate link in the description for the micromesh set I use and recommend.
@@pensinfocusSuper, thank you. Not worth sending to a nibmeister in terms of cost. I found a few videos on YT, and I may look into dealing with this a bit more over the holidays.
Great video, just what I need to see. I have 3 large compound microscopes including phase contrast …. None of which provide what you show with a stereo scope. Also lapping paper tells me that hey I can in fact grind and polish a $350 Pelikan nib if I want to.
If you go slow and use fine grits then there's very little danger of doing irreparable damage. I've done tuning and polishing for every pen I own that didn't come from a nibmeister: everything from $4 shark pens to $1000+ Montblancs. I've yet to have a nib that wasn't improved by a little TLC out of the box - to my tastes, at least.
is there anything you can do to a tip that was cut diagonally? If you're looking at the nib straight on, the cut at the top of the nib starts at 11 (o'clock) and the cut ends at the bottom of the nib at 5, instead of 12 at the top and 6 at the bottom. I have one of those Wing Sung/Pai Li 013 vacuum fillers and there's nothing I can do to get it to write. It's just trash to me and I wanted it to be my cheap baystate blue pen.
Ouch. That's tough. You can try regrinding it to some sort of wonky oblique, if the slit is angled in your favor, but it's probably a write-off. You can try contacting the seller and see if they'll just send you another one or a new nib, since that's pretty obviously a manufacturer's defect.
How would you adjust the gap (make it tighter) in the nib? I inherited a montblanc from my father. It flows too much ink :(
Honestly, if it’s an heirloom I wouldn’t try to fix it as your first adjustment. I’d either wait until you have some more experience, or send it to a professional.
But to answer your question, you need to determine the cause. It’s usually either the tines too far apart or a problem with the interaction between the nib and feed. The tines are relatively easy to fix by adjusting them downward, which will typically reduce the gap between them, so long as it’s not extreme. The feed is more difficult and beyond what I would want to give advice on in a YouTune comment.
Is lapping paper the same as micromesh?
They are both types of abrasive, but lapping paper goes to finer grits than micro mesh. Lapping paper is for finishing, and is optional, depending on how smooth you like your nibs.
I've been looking for this kind of video for years. Two questions: If tines are not aligned, how do you know which one needs to be raised or lowered? Most videos show polishing with figure eights. Why do you avoid this?
You look at the gap between tines. If it’s too large, you lower the highest one. If it’s too tight, you raise the lower. If it’s about right, then the choice is yours ( or you might need to tweak both to get alignment while maintaining the gap)
When most people do figure eights, they keep the pen steady relative to the plane of the paper, so they’re only abrading a single point. This can create a flat spot on the tipping. Depending on the severity, the flat spot will make the pen more sensitive to position when writing.
@@pensinfocus Thank you, sir. That's very helpful.
Where did you get the vise from?
Amazon. I've added a link in the description to the one I have. In addition to using it to hold the pen steady for the microscope, I used it recently to hold the pen at a constant angle when doing an architect nib grind. (Possible future video, if I can figure out how to explain it well enough)
Thank you.
uhoh why no figure 8s? i actually only had good luck with 8s and non of straigt or Os
If done improperly, a figure-8 will create a flat spot on the tip, which usually isn’t what you want.
@@pensinfocus actually my pen is smooth as rolse royce on butter. a montblanc 146 :) yeah i was foolish enough to try it on a montblanc.
To be clear it CAN work, but it has a higher probability to cause problems if you’re just starting out or don’t have a good way to check your work. I’m glad it worked out for you!
You can not reduce the valley between the left and right nibs without having special tools - you tried, but how?
In this case, much of the valley was caused by the extreme misalignment of the tines. Restoring correct alignment also fixed the valley. While I do have the specialized tools required to fix a valley, they weren't necessary this time.
@@pensinfocus What tool would you use to fix the valley?
There are some special pliers with thin, hardened extensions that allow you to reach between the tines and adjust the spacing without effecting the “rotation” of each tine. As far as I know they’re sold only by pentooling, item RBLK. I don’t recommend buying them unless you know you need them and you know what you’re doing (or are willing to damage some stuff to learn). I’ve only needed them once.
真っすぐ引く磨ぎ方はいいですね。
🐊🦕🦖🐜🐙🦎🐉🦃🦨
So no answer to my question? 😮
Doing writing motions on the emery board, holding the pen at an even angle, may make the nib flat, and not rounded at its contact point with the paper.
I think the advice is good. Albeit, I sometimes want in fact to flatten a nib. Just be aware of what you’re doing, and use a good loupe for frequent checks of your work’s progress.
This guy never explains why you shouldn't do figure-8's. 😂
Sorry, still new to running a RUclips channel. I honestly hadn't seen your comments. I replied to your original question below!