Jinhao 159 Fountain Pen with a Zebra G Flex Nib: Installation and Writing Samples
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ก.ย. 2024
- This is my first time with a flex nib and I talk about the installation of the nib in my Jinhao 159 fountain pen and do a writing sample - such as it is. It is a very inexpensive and satisfying project! I get to experiment with flex pen writing at very little cost. I'm proud to say, the nib wrote the first time after I installed it. You can try it too!
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Concerto No. 3 in F major, Op. 8, RV 293, "Spring" by Antonio Vivaldi, in HD quality!
- Classical music piece performed by: John Harrison - Violin / Robert Turizziani - Conductor / Wichita State University Chamber Players
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Thanks for this video. I have had several attempts at getting a Zebra G to work in my Jinhao X450 and I have finally got it to work using your method of heating both the nib and the feed together and then pressing them together. The only thing I did differently was to insert the tail end of the nib, together with the feed, back into the nib holder just enough to clamp the end of the nib and then put the pen back together and hold the nib and feed in the boiled water. This stops the heel of the nib lifting the tip up when reassembled and maintains the close fit between the nib and the feed. Well, it worked for me anyway.
That's a great idea Chris!
Hi Doug. Your buddy from FPN. Out of curiosity was looking for vids on the 159 today, and
came across your vid. Just inked my yellow 159 with some Diamine Brandy Dazzle, using
the original med. nib. You know I love your vids, for you do such a good job. You are an
encouragement to many wanting to get involved with using FPs.
Cool, thanks, Kelley! :)
I have thought about this a lot since I saw a Japanese cartoonist putting a Zebra nib in an X750 with impressive results. I admire your attitude, courage and persistence.
The Japanese guy went through a lot of ink quickly but found he wasn't refilling nearly as often as when he was using a dip pen, so overall he was positive about using the fountain pen /Zebra nib combination. Thanks & well done.
Thanks, Andrew. It was a cool experiment. I still have the pen and it still writes well. It is a tad rusty but I don't use it much at all since I'm horrible at flexing.
I tried all this stuff and the G Pen nibs don't really work well with Jinhao feeds. Osprey Pens makes a specific fountain pen called the Madison, with a feed designed specifically for the G pen nibs. It WORKS, and works well. Especially with the Rohrer & Klinger Lotte black ink. I do cartoon drawings and its perfect for that type of work. They are about $50 but worth it. The special feed screws into the fountain pen and so does the converter, so its not a Franken pen type fountain pen.
The zebra's curve is mostly on the tip. The main problem is that the Jinhao is a 6mm feed, but the zebra wants a 5.5. If you try it on a 5.5 drill, it fits like a glove. Widening the zebra with some pliers would be a far less dangerous procedure (and far cheaper in case of a problem), than risking overheating or deforming the delicate fins of the feed.
That seems a lot of work and frustration. Maybe buying a noodler's ahab is a faster way.
I have a long (even though unaccomplished) history with dip pens, which the Zebra Comic G was originally intended as. Untipped dip pen nibs, as a VERY general rule, are not meant to be "pushed" on an upstroke. All of the sharp points are very unforgiving about digging into the paper when doing this.
I'm just no good at writing with anything that snags the paper or drags my stroke. It has to be light and smooth for my handwriting.
The results of the 'Zebra G' calligraphyc nib on the X450, are satisfactory too.
Good video, I agree on the heat treatment of the nib+feed, is a more safe method although take a little more time. To increase the ink flow, I followed the technique of chrisrap52 wich is to make use of an exacto blade or another blade sharp enough to carve on the plastic feed: I try first to make the dorsal channel wider and if it needs to, I carve some line more closer to the place were the feed and nib point joined. As for me, Im currently experimenting some nib binding designs apart from the traditional fude nibs, something between PenBBS and old Shaeffer nib styles and other one more similar to the pilot falcon/labo nib designed... and I'm thinking if I can adapt a Noodler's flex nib on a Jinhao... and maybe a fude Lamy nib... Gosh! I'm running so many experiments at the same time 😂. Saludos, my Canadian fellow Dr. Frankenpenstein👓✒️🛠️🔬 👋
Thanks fellow Doctor! :) Yes I've seen Chris' videos performing surgery on a feed. I'm not having flow issues at the moment though. That would be cool to see that Noodler's flex on a Jinhao.
@@InkquiringMinds Soon 👓👍✒️🛠️
I was just looking at some x750s on amazon today and someone commented that they saw people putting the Zebra G nib on them. My head tilted. I have Zebra G nibs...
I'd never heard of this. So I started researching TH-cam. I should have known that Doug had done this & it was so 4 years ago. Now off to watch this method. I know it will be great.
Sir, thank you for the very informative video. May I ask, how long would the Zebra G Nib last? The one I used is the Titanium (gold) g nib, how long would it last and how would one figure that it is time to change the installed g nib?
If you clean it out and don't keep it inked for lengths of time, it could last a year. If you ink and and leave it inked, it will rust in weeks.
@@InkquiringMinds Thank you very much
Hi, what's the name of the movie clip at 10.25? I feel like I saw that movie when I was a child in the 1970s. It looks like one of those silent expressionism movies possibly directed by Fritz Lang, F W Murnau, or Robert Weine but I could be wrong. It looks like that character might have been a precursor for The Joker?
I'm sure it was! It is "The Man Who Laughs" (1928)
@@InkquiringMinds Thanks for replying. I just looked up the film on Wikipedia and I guessed the expressionism part right but not the director. I do vaguely remember watching this film about 45 years ago, so I'm going to check if it's available on youtube. Thanks again!
Writing with the Zebra G in my Jinhao pens really brings out the sass in my handwriting. I love writing with this nib so much.
Sass! I like that! LOL
Well i have problems with the jinhao 159 i have g nibs but it wont fit maybe the wrong size
@@bulletstothebeat1768 G nibs are a "standard" where they were first utilized in Japan. One G nib, whether by Nikko, Tachikawa, or some other brand, is the same as the next in curve and tolerances.
the key when using the zebra g nib is to h old the pen at the lowest angle possible you will find the upstroke will glide much smoother than holding it at a normal fountain pen writing highth i have been using a zebra g nib in a x450 for oh gosh 9 months now and i love it its super finicky but once you get it into the section you kinda want to dedicate that pen to that nib
Yes, I'm learning by screwing up! LOL The lower angle does help as does getting the hang of the light touch.
Thanks for the tip, Miss Darling, I will try this and see how it works. I hate to risk my vintage flex pens. 😁 🤞
Could you do a demo video of the process
It is in the video.
I have three of these pens. One is the standard tip, another is the flat nib tip and finally the other has the FPR Flex Nib #6 which is a lot better than the Zebra G Flex. I've tried the Zebra G Flex and it's just too sharp at the point that it causes to scratch along when you write. The FPR Flex nib is a much smoother and flexible nib. Unfortunately, these flex nibs cannot compare to the flex nib that Waterman 52V has to offer. The Waterman 52V is the best flex nib pen but they were made in the 1930's so getting one is quite expensive. I'm waiting for a company that can re-manufacture the Waterman 52V flex nib once again at a cheaper price. Maybe Jinhao should look into it.
Thank you, Mel! Don't hold your breath waiting for Jinhao!
You make a lot of work out of this! Of course, my way is even more work in the very short term. I haven't done it yet, but I'm going to get a piece of stainless steel rod the same diameter as the feed, and a piece of thick-walled stainless steel tubing with an inside diameter the same size as the diameter of the rod, then "flatten" the curvature of the G nib by pressing the nib together between them with some pressure (clamp, vise, Vise grips, take your pick). Boom. Nib fits feed. I might try it with a set (rod and tube) a few thousandths of an inch smaller in diameter, to allow for some spring back since it wouldn't be under impact pressure like stamping the curve into the nib is done.
That sounds like more work to me!
Thanks very much Doug, a really great explanation. The upstroke is a little bit easier if you hold the pen at a slightly shallower angle. Take care, David.
Glad it was helpful!
I've been trying to find a flex nib fountain pen that I can use alongside my favorite sketching pen - micron 005 - to thicken out the line weights without having to use a dip pen and I feel like this is probably the closest solution I've seen. Thanks for sharing.
Iv'e thought about this too. But it's so much trouble. And then to have to worry about it rusting (I think you can get titanium G's so it won't) and to prime the feed, I figure.....why not just use a dip pen? Also with a dip pen you can use India or acrylic inks :)
Yes,my simple Zebra G nibs rusted after a couple of months and they became useless ... probably that's why they sell them in butches of tens.
If I'm still at it in a few months, I'll get a Triple Tail.
I bought this already treated with a G nib. I had it for a day then than SUCH a time of it working for me that I figured I'd take it apart to see how the feed was treated. I'd have to get use to the replacement process as you will need to swap out the nibs frequently anyway. NOPE. I never got the damn nib/ feed off without the use of a pair of pliers. I tried everything and I couldn't get it off.
Good luck finding a replacement nib and feed that doesn't far exceed the cost of the whole pen.
It was a nice experiment though, but not for me. I bit the bullet and bought a replacement pen from AliExpress with the regular nib for much less than I'd have gotten the single pieces. It's a beauty of a pen and well worth it.
The zebra-G nib adds a lot of character to your writing. Think I might try this one day when I don’t have anything better to do. HaHa
I've often thought of trying a Zebra G nib, and you reminded me why I haven't. That's a lot of work. I've heard about the Flexible Nib Factory that makes a Zebra G nib unit that replaces a Jowo nib. It costs more and probably isn't as much fun to heat set, but it's another option.
Thanks Trace. I'll have to look into that.
Flexing is a difficult task. Even I am also not able to master it. I think its more of a talent
Anything practiced long enough eventually looks like a "talent".
Please answer: if I change my default nib to Zebra G nib, will the Zebra not rust?
It's just that many people write that it can rust on the Jinhao X750, but I really want to try out the flexible nib.
Oh sure, it will rust! But they are inexpensive and you can buy them in packs of five and more.
@@InkquiringMinds That is, their damage is inevitable?
@@vincentpaladin85 I would say so. They all seem to do it.
@@InkquiringMinds oh, okay, thanks for answer!
I hope you kept practicing and learned the fun of beautiful cursive with the flex nib! Thanks for showing me how to do this
Always!
at 3:32: "G-pen for comics"
Maaaaan, you handwriting is beautiful! I'm gonna try this on my Jinhao. Great video :D
Thanks a lot!
what??? OMG
Just a suggestion but you may want to try putting the nib in a Noodlers Ahab which has a ebonite feed that can be properly heat set and the ebonite feed will have a more generous ink flow.
Thanks, Barry! We'll see if I get the hang of this first. :) I might have to invest in a Noodler's Triple Tail.
@@InkquiringMinds I write too small for the Noodlers triple tail. The FPR Himalaya nibs seem to take less effort to flex the nibs in the 5.5mm nib size, I have not tried their newer # 6 size nibs.
Thanks for the video, Doug!
I bought one already installed. But it doesn’t work: no ink coming whatever I try. Tried to pull the feed out, but it won’t come out. Anyone got any suggestions?
Soak it in warm water with a drop of dish soap overnight and then try to pull it using a rubber band around the nib and squeezing on the sides of the nib so as not to damage the feed.
@@InkquiringMinds thank you so much! I will try that.
I've been meaning to pick up a pack of G nibs for the last few years.....haha..... 🎼.procrastination is making me wait 🎵. Sung to the tune of Carly Simon's. 'Anticipation'' 😸
LOL... another ear worm!
Hey, may I ask?
1) Are you familiar with Hongdian Black Forest?
2) I have such a writing style that my characters require thick upstrokes and thin downstrokes. I want to write with a fountain pen. Are there are special flex nibs for this or maybe there is a spexial method of using usual flex nibs but with a different orientation, angle etc...?
1) Yes. I reviewed one similar recently 2) The nib that I reviewed in this video (Zebra G) is a flex nib that will do thin upstroke and thick downstroke. There are nibs on specific pens that are flex. Like on the Fountain Pen Revolutions pens. fprevolutionusa.com/
@@InkquiringMinds Yes, fountain pen techniques is thick upstrokes and thin downstrokes. I wondered if there are nibs for a converse way of writing because that is my style.
@@ЧешуйчатаяЯщерица I'm not aware of such a nib.
Nice work. Your writing angle is too much narrow for that.
Thanks for the tip
Another interesting class, professor - I tried this awhile ago with a Noodler's Ahab and a vintage Eversharp with a flex nib - Just couldn't get the hang of it. You seem to have the knack. Pretty good for a few hours practice!
Thanks, pete! It is like learning to write all over again.
You've come a long over the last 2 years. These pens and friction fit nibs are an excellent way to learn about nibs. A local guy did a grind for me with a nib from a 159. He makes up these nibs as a hobby. Something exciting until the novelty wears off.
This was a great learning experience. It was a lot of effort for a nib that will just rust away to nothing in months.
@@InkquiringMinds that's why people pay more for the Gold ones that don't rust? At the end of it though you feel as though you have achieved something - changing a friction fit nib and lining up the feed. Daunting task if you haven't done it before.
ill make a video of how i just had a brilliant idea maybe it will help
Cool, thanks Marilyn!
I wished I had the skill to put these great pens to good use.
You can always pick up a Noodler's Triple Tail.
Ok, this is one of my favorite vids of yours.
I love my Franken G. I used a chrome 750 for mine and it works like a dream. I use it constantly. I've been using the same single G nib for about 6 months and it's still going strong. I have the urge to use some other dip nibs in Jinhao bodies and see what kind of set I can create.
I'm just really crappy at flex. But the experiment was a lot of fun!
@@InkquiringMinds Heck yeah! The fun is what it's all about!
Hiya Dean, Try a Brausse Steno nib which are available on Amazon, three in a box, they are really flexible and a lot easier to use than a G nib. They are known in the calligraphy community as a blue pumpkin! Well, they're blue anyway! Hope that this is helpful.
@@davidmolloy126 Ooo I will try those out. sounds awesome! thanks for the tip!! oh, i looked them up and i DO own a couple of them but havent tried them out yet. i'll give it a test drive today!
I had a pen with this G-nib in it, it rusted right in the pen, tried to get it out to replace the nib and ended up wrecking the feed.
They are intended as nibs for dip pens and not intended to be in contact with ink constantly, hence, they rust.
@@InkquiringMinds yep, as a user of dip pens who owns a kajillion nibs, I knew that going into this(I order old pen lots from EBay a lot), I just wanted something portable to carry around without having to drag an ink bottle around in my purse, but like you said, it’s a cheap pen and you are not out much.
@@tracylynnw Indeed. The dip pen nib in a fountain pen hack has been around for some time but there are drawbacks. The only way to keep it from deteriorating is to remove the ink and clean and thoroughly dry the pen between uses.
Very nice tutorial. I may try this some day.
Thanks, KA! :)
My first 159 and x450 that I bought came with a Zebra G nib fitted on them. Unfortunately they rusted after a couple of months and became useless ... Now I want to try the titanium coated ones to see if they can last longer ...
Yeah, that's what I hear. It will probably survive long enough for me to determine whether I have the knack for it or not. If I do, I'd probably get a Noodler's Triple Tail... they look fascinating.
@@InkquiringMinds just ordered a triple tail ! ! ! !
@@korax67 OMG! I'm an influencer!!! LOL
how much longer a nib lasts thats without rusting
@@sudir_ebi 2-3 months maximum. That's why they sell them in tens.
I think I’d prefer a Conklin Ebony All American Omniflex nib.
Not if made by Bock.
I have a Conklin Duragraph with the Omniflex, it is a really nice pen but the nib is really only a semi-flex and will not give the same line variation as a Zebra G. You can get some decent line variation if you really press quite hard but the feed will not keep up and it will soon railroad. Great pen though for everyday writing.
@@chrisdyson5513 My Conklin Duragraph with an Omniflex nib was a total pile of #$%$%.