Cheap Thrills: Noodler's Ahab + needlepoint flex grind + KWZ Iron Gall Blue #1

Pen overview ends at 1:09.
Closeup of nib and flex tests: 1:10
Long-ass writing sample: 2:02 - 7:58
Ink credit: 8:01
Still view of writing sample: 8:38
Thanks: 9:25

For another video on a different grind I did with this nib (the Noodler's and FPR flex nibs are basically the same nib), see my previous video:    • Cheap thrills: Jinhao x750 + modified...  

This Noodler's Ahab was my first non-cartridge, easily tinkerable fountain pen. It's a terrible pen for most beginners because the quality control just isn't there (FPR is a much better option for similar types of pens that get seen to properly before they ship out), but it was an awesome pen for an obsessive nerd like me who compulsively modifies everything. I learned so much from futzing with this pen, and it still serves as a great vehicle for many of my experiments. It's also a comfortable pen that I find attractive and don't need to baby, so it frequently finds its way back into my rotation.

A reddit user who saw my last vid suggested I do a needlepoint grind to use for Spencerian. I don't think any FP nib, not even an amazing vintage gold nib, is able to do what a good dip nib can do, and Spencerian and other highly slanted scripts are just a bear to do without an oblique pen, so I've never really chased the whole "Spencerian grind" grail. But doing a needlepoint is pretty hard, and I thought I'd take up the challenge. I still need more practice, but I got fairly close. It's at least comparable to an ultra extra fine at its narrowest and is capable of a perfectly serviceable amount of line variation without tiring amounts of pressure. It will go wider without springing, but it will railroad frequently because these nibs aren't the right shape to be able to sustain surface tension of the ink when the tines are really wide.

All music is from YouTube's Audio Library:
"Run One Down", "Room For Two?", "Lazy River Rag", and "Wave In the Atmosphere" are by Dan Lebowitz.
"Rural Stride" is by Josh Kirsch/Media Right Productions.

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All of my videos are non-commercial, uncompensated musings. If I seem eager to link to vendors and brands, it's because the fountain pen world is a niche industry, and I want to support people and companies that have made products and provided services I enjoy.

My Instagram:   / the_hardcore_dilettante