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Looks like the crowquill adapter is discontinued so I can't use this pen sadly 😢

hey there, so far since then- I haven't actually been able to find the right kind of G-nib that you need in order to be able to do this with. and it's been pretty difficult to maintain the longevity of this setup so I can't honestly say I recommend this method. I've since moved on to dedicated setups like Ackerman pen that's designed just for G-nibs (and other comic book nibs). but I also draw way too much and too quickly that I've started to damage nibs and I had to switch to a different kind of pen altogether that'll also give a good variable line. I use synthetic brush pens all the time now (Kuretake, Monami 3000, Pentel Sign) when you're doing a lot of work, these just tend to be more consistent and reliable

@@drawingwithcal1552 ok, thanks!

it's definitely not the easiest solution, just the cheapest one at the time. but for only a few bucks more than the kakuno, now you can get a pen called the Ackerman that's designed to feed ink to standard G-nibs. i made a review not that long after this vid

@@drawingwithcal1552 i know a better way and cheaper. Buy a #5 feed (from jinhao it should work) and a Bic stick. You will need a drink can as well. Put your gnib in the empty body of the pen with the feed. Make an over feed with the can and use it to lock the nib and feed in the pen. Yeah you will still need to dip but you will have enough reserve for at least a page of writing. No bending, no cutting. fountain pen ink preferred, you'll can cap the pen and it will be easy to clean and dry to keep your nib longer.

not gon lie, the pen's feeder is not that well designed- when i made the video, i had just got the pen and it was working well with water-based ink. after some time and constant use, it started to get more and more leaky but so here's some of the things around how i use this pen today: 1) i only store it in a pen cup with the nib facing upward. 2) i never use this pen on the go (cuz it leaks), it's officially studio use. 3) i only draw with it on an angled drawing desk (never on a flat 0 degree table). so yeah Ackerman should put more thought into the feeder design, maybe they updated their feeder i haven't checked. but as it stands, i still prefer using the Ackerman than dipping every 10 seconds. you could check out my other video where I frankenstein a G-nib to a Pilot Kakuno and another cheap Daiso pen but for that you need specifically Zebra G-nibs which are more bendable than Nikko’s, but for that solution you have to keep cleaning it well. No pen solution is perfect if you want to use G-nibs, but the Ackerman in the right setting is close cuz i never clean that thing.

haha well this video is quite dated- but the basic problem was: many illustrators enjoy using the G-nib to ink comics due to its insane line variation and "scratchy" characteristic. the G-nib only exists as a dipping format and many illustrators are tired of dipping back and forth. there's no fountain pen at the time that really came close to the experience/performance of the G-nib or other dipping-flex nibs. and long before I made this video, other youtubers have attempted to modify the cheap Chinese Jinhao fountain pen with the G-nib. I personally don't like the grip of Jinhao's but it made me think, it's certainly possible to adapt G-nibs to other pens. fast forward to today, there is a fountain pen solution you can purchase that is specifically designed for G-nibs called Ackerman. they offer 2 different variants and are very affordable, about $25. that kind of renders my project here obsolete- unless the illustrator doesn't prefer the Ackerman grip, then maybe this video is still relevant :)

oh there’s a ton of excellent nibs, and i do have an assortment of them. i’ve only managed to work out how to retrofit a zebra G-nib into a fountain pen- i couldn’t even get a nikko G-nib to work, much less other nibs that are shaped very differently

Hi can you tell me what you did? Jet stream edge body and then .5 hi tec refill? Where did you get refill?

Can confirm. These work as is no trim!

yeah pilot uses the same excellent performing namiki ink in all of their tip sizes, i just prefer the largest possible tip when it comes to roller gel- but you can use whatever you prefer

@@drawingwithcal1552 Love their namiki ink, that's good to know!

hey thanks! in my experience, I think the flow has more to do with the ink type then the pen, but it is also true that Pilot is known for exceptional pairing between their inks and their hardware. like many of Pilot’s pens across different styles, the parallel pens use their own namiki and iroshizuku inks which are water-based. water based flows faster than acrylic or other types, and water based doesn’t tend to clog fountain feeders. among water based inks, i’ve found Pilot to be the most intense and bold while being fast- very reliable and satisfying for quick strokes. the one issue with ackerman is that the feeder was designed for all kinds of inks, it won’t clog really with acrylic ink and therefore is actually too flow-y with water-based. this could be an issue if you draw on a flat 180 surface, but not a problem at all if you draw on an angled surface like a drawing table or canvas. G-nibs like zebra are excellent with namiki and the industry standard in Japan. the zebra / ackerman with namiki pairing has great flow on angled surfaces- but for flat lying surfaces, use thicker ink types like indian ink. but if flow is your main performance focus, i stand by pilot inks- this is why for on-the-go pens i recommend pilot hi-tec-c. and i have a short video where you can modify a much nicer pen with hi-tec-c refills for better performance.

i’ve used a number of things- the first was a tree branch trimmer where the blades meet- but they were so thick it was hard to be accurate. and then i tried industrial grade scissors which was a big easier to use, and lastly a tailor’s scissors for cutting thread- the one with large handles but with tiny blades, also worked and the easiest to be accurate. don’t cut and bend nikko g-nibs, they crack. i only had success with zebra g-nibs

@@drawingwithcal1552 Thanks for your reply. I tried cutting the Zebra G nib with big scissors but ended up bending the scissors and poking myself!

@@ytskt yikes! yeah definitely take care with handling these nibs, they're super sharp. i used a tissue paper folded up many times to hold the tip as i cut

@@drawingwithcal1552 That's a good tip, thanks! One of the unique aspect of this tutorial of yours is you are use using smaller feed, so I was hoping that I can use your technique to replace nibs on my number 5 sized pens, and also it seems snug the smaller feed much better without flattening etc. I tried fixing this on Jinhao number 6 feed (most tutorials are like this) but flattening is a big problem and mine got stuck and I'm not able to remove it after heating, freezing etc...

​@@drawingwithcal1552 finally managed to fit a Zebra G nib in a #5 nib housing, it fits much better with #5 feed than popular #6 options, without any manual bending/flattening of the G nib. Thanks for showing this approach.

in my personal experience, zebra’s g-nibs are higher quality like more durable. if i were to pick the criteria which zebra’s are better than nikko’s i’d make that case. performance wise they’re both G-nibs and they perform almost identically if not the same. I’ve used both extensively and found no difference in the usage. in the video, i mentioned that i accidentally bought a whole box of nikko g-nibs lol, and because they’re so inflexible they can’t be used to make frankenpens- so for me personally it made sense to buy the nikko ackerman since i already have a whole box of them. If i didn’t make that mistake, i would’ve gotten the zebra for sure- so since you haven’t gotten that far yet, i’d recommend the zebra for the quality- the performance will be the same as the video

@@drawingwithcal1552 ah, ok thank you my friend!

🥶hello. Also how do you open this pen? I got both of em, been able to open the zebra one with no problem just the Nikko one is givin me some trouble. Every time I I’m able to open the bottom I can’t the top and visa versa. It’s like it’s screwed shut! I can’t use the damn pen if it’s not fillable with ink or I can’t close it lol. Maybe I’m just stupid lol.

@@Ktn_Tico so the bottom external part of the pen and the cap are both screwed on, you screw it off and on. on the inside, the fill tube is pushed in with friction- you just pull it off (i have the simple tube- im not sure if you bought the pump one, in which case the pump you dont have to take off you dip the nib part into ink and pump suck ink into the pen i think). the nib/feeder part is friction too and you just pull it out (use folded up tissue or toilet paper to avoid poking and with a bit of pressure you should be able to yank it out

Right, the Jinhao concept (or as in a past video where I show how to frankenpen the Pilot Kakuno and some cheap Daiso pen) is not guaranteed to be reliable in the long term. but the Ackerman is technically not a ‘frankenpen’ because it was literally designed to house the G-nib in particular (it comes installed with a G-nib ready to go). I’ve tried a number of different flex fountains, many of which are expensive (and the BlueDew at $90+ I’d consider also quite expensive) and while expensive, a lot of flex fountains simply don’t perform the same as a G-nib. From the wide line variation, the consistency at high speeds, to the delightful scratching noise it makes on the paper that many comic illustrators have come to fall in love with. So while there are artists who look to frankenpenning a G-nib as a means of getting a high performing fountain pen for very little money, there’s also a market whose focus is the G-nib. We want the G-nib period…. and if there’s a way to have it in a portable format like a fountain, perfect. The Ackerman’s only $20+ But to those watching this review, yeah by all means, if you’re not specific about the G-nib and you’re just looking for a reliable fountain pen with decent line variation, BlueDew or any other flex fountain will work for you. A Noodler Ahab Flex pen costs the same $20+ if you want a cheaper option- just note you won’t have the same line variation range or the cool scratching noise from a Noodler, but it’s a good pen. At the end of the day it’ll give you great results as well. But if you’re like me and you have to have a G-nib, then I recommend Ackerman over any actual frankenpen applications. To address cleaning, I honestly never take the nib out and clean it and it hasn’t yet degraded in performance. In my experience, so long as you use water-based ink like Pilot Namiki, it’s gonna be fine.

@@drawingwithcal1552 Ooo, many thanks for the tips! I wish I'd found out about this pen sooner. I have my Ahab set with a FPR Ultra flex nib that is amazing in its own right for calligraphy illustration, but still find myself wanting for some way to use my dip nibs for art without the annoyance of the dipping...that sounds very first world of me to say, but that's def a part of my not really sitting down to use my dip pens. I'm eager to give this puppy a go for my artwork. Thanks for the great video and the extra words of advice!

have you tried getting some g nibs from AliExpress? They don't have to be titanium, but to make them last you have to take them out and clean and dry them after each use. Hope this helps.

oh yes, gotta use water-based ink. almost every fountain pen's feeder design is that solid plastic thing with many lined grooves- thicker permanent ink like indian ink will clog such feeders. the only fountain pen i've used that can use any kind of ink is the Ackerman pen (i've reviewed it before), as the feeder is simply a tunnel. in terms of ink, the most versatile i've used is Pilot's Namiki ink, or their Iroshizuku ink

@@drawingwithcal1552 Thank you for your quick informative response & video. I've tried the Ackerman pen & found that it didn't work for me, maybe after I view your video I will try it again.

@@larryglatt2548 no prob- the Ackerman isn't for everyone, I have some beef with it too- it's my go-to pen for in-studio long hours work session. but that thing never leaves the studio- in my spare time doodling and sketching, i have 20 other pens i'd rather draw with

@@drawingwithcal1552 YUUUUUP

I have found that different brand G-nibs are not alike. so far, Zebra G-nibs are the best for doing these kinds of mods where you have to bend them. and Zebra i haven't experienced any corrosion problems at all (they might be the titanium version). Nikko G-nibs for example, are NOT as flexible and if you try to bend the rear to shape, it will crack and break so do not use Nikko for mods. I haven't had any experience with Leonardt G, or corrosion in general- what kind of ink are you using? I might recommend you try Pilot Namiki or Iroshizuku ink as i've used both for many kinds of nibs on both fountain pens and dipping nibs and i've never had any nibs corrode at all

look into titanium nibs, they are corrosion-resistant

@@carassiq5386 but are a pain to bend

@@tiagodagostini just got my titanium nibs. They work flawlessly. No rust, easy to bend. They are bouncier than chrome ones, but still easy to fit

I used too and threw it into dustbin .... Now I purchased *noodlers ahab flext fountain pen* and my work going smoothly 🕺🕺🕺🕺

i’ve done a formal review on the Ackerman Nikko G-nib fountain pen, but i’ll definitely include reviews on many cool cheap finds in the near future. you’ll notice all of the pens i use have variable line width- the 2 main pen types i look for are metal flexible nibs, and synthetic brush pens, so i’ll mostly focus on those.

this pen is an Ackerman fountain that is designed specifically to use Nikko G-nib’s (another brand of the popular flexible nib type that is used by many comic illustrators). you can find them on Amazon for about $25 and they will include a G-nib. the performance of this pen is outstanding, but due to it easily leaking, i wouldn’t recommend carrying it around portably, as it was perhaps designed for- instead i consider it an in-studio workhorse

this pen is a cheap $1.50 fountain pen i bought at a japanese discount store called Daiso- but i custom modified a zebra G-nib (highly flexible) and fitted it into this pen. one of my earlier videos, i show you how to do this.