Yeah, that’s another reason I am a fan of Noodler’s pens, if you want to tinker, the replacements are so easy to get.
I have never tried a stub, but I would like to try an italic nib, through my hand writing usually demands a fine point on regular sized paper, when I write larger a medium nib usually works out.
Nathan has a good video on making all types of nibs from his $1 non-flex nib!
I actually used the $2.00 tipped, non-flex nib and the Ludwig Tan article. I will edit this post and add a link when I get to a computer or tablet. Nathan’s video made me want to get some of the non-tipped nibs and try his method, as it was different than the grind and polish method I used.
I agree, the biggest advantages of the Noodler’s Pens are the ability to tinker and availability of replacement parts at low cost (nibs and feeds for less than a 10 pack of yoyo string)
You can make or have an italic or stub made from any size nib. I believe the only downside with finer italics & stubs is there is less variation between vertical and horizontal strokes.
French
Yeah, I know there are fine italics, it’s just that the variation is so minimal that it’s not worth trying to make one out of a fine nib. I may try to make an italic soon though, that vid is pretty cool!
This is the article I believe. Good article too. Ludwig Tan - Grinding your Own Nibs - Glenn's Pens
Just looked at the Noodler’s Neponset music nib pen. Talk about line variation! Some nice acrylic colors too. Here’s a review I saw.
www.gourmetpens.com/2014/08/review-noodlers-neponset-fountain-pen.html
Man, I want a neponset, but I’d rather put that kind of money into a new yoyo. Or ink :’( Maybe next month’s pay check will have room for one
Right! That’s a bottle of Ardbeg Uigeadail!
I thought it was high for the Noodler’s price point myself but a neat pen. Although the acrylic Ahab/Konrad are $40 so acrylic just cost more to make I guess. I read somewhere that the nib was being developed for 3.5 years so maybe that ramped up the cost too?
I’m liking the J.Herbin Stormy Grey, good properties and almost black from a wet nib or flex. The Rouge leaves 1/2 gold and 1/2 red letters in many flexed writings but the grey is still grey with just extra sparkle instead of a completely different color. Which I’m not knocking as I still like it a lot too, just different. Now that they’re adding the hematite (I guess its the same in all the 1670’s?) to the Ocean Bleu why not complete the set!
That sounds awesome! I am definitely going to have to pick up some of that stormy grey!
I wish that MB didn’t sell their limited inks in such small bottles, on an unrelated note. They cost more than the average 60ml, but you only get 30ish 
but the colors are just so amazing! I’m having a really hard time staying away from my Jonothan Swift and Leonardo since I do so much writing in the day that my Al-Star is usually empty at the end of the second day after a fresh fill.
I wish I could’ve found some of the Leonardo to try other than steal-bay for ridiculous prices! 
Yeah 30ml can disappear quick with very much writing! That’s the problem with regular J.Herbin sizes too but at least they’re just ten bucks and some colors you can get the 100ml for $22.
Anderson’s has the Organics brand on sale and they’re evidently out of business so it’s the last of their inks, but they had several good reviews so they might be worth trying before they’re gone.
I wanted to try their inks, but I suppose I’ll just have to let them go into history since I’m broke :
Yeah, the bay always wants crazy prices for MB limited inks. I was looking for the Winter red from a few years back, and some people are asking $50 for a 30ml bottle
Eh… you’re at no loss really after looking through Organics colors as they can be found in other portfolios easy nuff imho. I like Twain but the color wasn’t that great of a blue so I passed.
Yeah the Leonardo was $59.99 plus $21 s/h from Singapore so… I do love Singapore, but they can keep that ink bottle!
I’ve got some more R&K ink on the way and already putting together another order so I’m stoked! Probably going to grab a Neponset also so I’ll hit this thread up after testing it. Some inks still don’t flow well out of my custom ground nib and heavily carved feed Ahab so the multi-channel feed on the Neponset sounds good to me. The 3 nib Noodler’s Art nib pack for $6 sounds great too!
Saw this pen and thought it looked neat for $22… http://www.isellpens.com/product-p/c_232_bllea.htm
http://cdn3.volusion.com/rvbga.avcnm/v/vspfiles/photos/C_232_BLLEA-3.jpg?1371547712
That’s a nifty looking pen! I was thinking about grabbing that art nib pack, could be pretty interesting, but I’ll need another stock feed since my feeds are all high flow. That R&K ink also looks really awesome, I’m going to need to buy some more ink, or I’m going to start looking like a slacker ;D
and geez, $81 for some Leonardo?!? I like this color, but no thanks!
That pen looks like a significantly cheaper imitation of the Mont Blanc Mesterstück that has an actual diamond embedded into the cap. I forgot how much it retails for but its somewhere between 750 and 950 dollars before sales tax.
It’s not close enough to immediately strike me as a clone, but I can get what you’re saying.
By the way, the standard Meisterstück models are resin with a plain white star, which are the ones that are usually had for around $900 new. The one you are referring to is a special edition, so think more along the lines of $1150
Here is a standard 149
www.montblanc.com/en-us/collection/writing-instruments/meisterstueck/10575-meisterstueck-149-fountain-pen.html
Here is the one you are thinking of
www.montblanc.com/en-us/collection/writing-instruments/meisterstueck/105978-meisterstueck-montblanc-diamond-classique-fountain-pen.html
The floating logo of the Mesterstuck diamond was what it reminded me of, there is also the Starwalker series that just has the logo but not as a diamond. Now that I’m looking at the web page, the Starwalkers look closer in spirit to that isellpens model.
I have never seen a starwalker before since I have pretty much no interest in buying a pen that costs more than my car. That being said, the isellpens pen is definitely heavily inspired, if not a direct copy of that, good eye!
The leather embossed body reminded me of a belt I had in the 80’s! Never saw leather embossing on a MB though? Do they not need belts to hold their pants up? Maybe they have them tailored like I do?
I had a MB roller-ball in the 90’s and it was junk for the $175 they charged. I would opt for the Jinhao 159 @ $12.50 before any MB 149 Mesterstuck in a fountain pen. I mean, 149 or 159, 159 is a higher number! Or $7.00 elsewhere…
Got a Neponset in. Eh… is my present opinion. Great looking acrylic as I’ve turned plenty of it myself on the lathe, but the issue’s with it are similar to what I’ve read on the Ahab. Hard pressure to flex, some inks the feed won’t keep up with flow (i.e. railroading) and then the price increase above the Ahab doesn’t really justify the slightly larger line variation imho, but I do like the larger size overall.
Apache Sunset was inked up first for the shading and it is too dry to keep up past several large flexed letters with the stock feed/nib. Kimi-same, Lexington Grey, and others the flow was fine. Although I found out Lexington Grey feathered horribly even on Rhodia and Clairfontaine paper with flex. But to be fair the Neponset lays down a lot of ink when flexed! A semi-dry line when not flexed in this pen. Of course the customization is there for the ebonite feed which I haven’t tried yet.
The Art nib pack looks fun but I haven’t messed with it yet.
Also, to be fair to MB ballpoint, their roller-ball or refill is nice. Put it in any large heavy pen it will fit and you’ll have a nice ballpoint writing experience. Then if the pen body falls apart later you won’t even worry about it.
Flex nibs on a fountain pen aren’t as flexible as nibs that are used with a holder. Flex nibs with a holder are very scratchy on paper. I was listening to a recent NPR program about calligraphy and the expert interviewed did a demonstration of Spencerian Script, and you could hear the sounds of the pen scrape across the paper, almost to the point that it would rip thin paper stock, the person was using a dip pen, and if the flex on that made such a scratchy sound it would be even more scratchier with a fountain pen.
The oblique dip pens are more flexible and needed for some script writing like Spencerian from what I’ve read. Just haven’t tried any yet. I’ve seen some nice script from a Namiki/Pilot Falcon with a modified Spencerian nib grind. Also scratchy sounding but very pleasing imho.
If you don’t mind waiting 14-21 days for shipping times to the US this site has R&K bottles for $4.99 and another ink brand I haven’t seen that looks good too!
If you like red the Morinda is a nice one! Shades and has an almost hair thin green sheen on the very edges of some flex writing… or its my eyes playing tricks on me. ;D
