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Hooded Nibs

Rod S

Full Member
Joined
Jun 8, 2020
Posts
12
Location
Winnipeg
First Name
Rod
Good morning from Winnipeg, Canada,

This is a question for turners who love / make 'fountain' pens - are there kits that have hooded nibs? I love the look and clearly it's not just a function of price (Lamy 2000 = $300 US or Jinhao Shark = $4.00 US) so maybe it's all about machining? Perhaps Phil has the answer.

Happy turning all,

Rod
 

Curly

Graduate Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2019
Posts
420
Location
RM of Aberdeen, Saskatchewan, Canada
First Name
Peter
There is only one that I have ever seen and had to search IAP to jog my memory. It is called the Arete and is sold in the USA by Woodcraft. I've never played with one much less seen any made other than Woodcrafts website. Only comes in Chrome which leads me to think it isn't/wasn't a big enough seller to warrant other platings. I suspect when stock is gone so will the kit.

WoodRiver - Arete Fountain Pen Kit Chrome

Pete
 

Morse

Graduate Member
Joined
Dec 20, 2016
Posts
679
Location
Cheshire. UK
First Name
Dave
Rod
May have to wait till Monday for an answer from Phil.
He gets a little tired after a weeks work. :winking:

Edit. Sorry lost track of the days, it is Monday. (Sorry again)
Dave
 

Penpal

Grand Master
Joined
May 26, 2013
Posts
25,340
Location
Canberra AUSTRALIA
First Name
Peter
Like the hooded nibs.The cheap chinese made pens sure do not have the problems. The Parker company ones were fantastic.

Peter.
 

Phil Dart

Moderator
Executive Member
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Nov 28, 2014
Posts
5,455
Location
Colebrooke, Devon
First Name
Phil
Until Curly posted his WoodCraft link above, I wasn't aware of any hooded nib kits I'm afraid. I can see why they aren't popular though - I think that many pen owners would regard the style as quite retro, and they also like the know that the nib can be swapped if desired, which with a hooded version would require a proprietary nib. I bet if you asked WoodCraft for an Extra Fine or a Double Broad, you might be waiting for quite a while. The other thing is that owners (or anyone else for that matter) would find it difficult to tune the nib if it were required.
 

Rod S

Full Member
Joined
Jun 8, 2020
Posts
12
Location
Winnipeg
First Name
Rod
Thanks Curley. I have actually visited the Woodcraft store in Salt Lake City but they never came to mind when I thought of hooded kits. The Arete kit is still on sale at a reasonable price and, on line, it looks quite nice. To address Phil's concerns, I emailed their Tech Department to ask about nib sizing and nib replacement. I'll post their answer. As far as 'retro' is concerned, even using a fountain pen is a retro activity but Peter is correct, the Parker 51 is, and still is, beautiful and writes equally well. However, I admire some older cars, so maybe I'm the one out of step.

Thanks for the replies,

Rod
 

Rod S

Full Member
Joined
Jun 8, 2020
Posts
12
Location
Winnipeg
First Name
Rod
Hello all,

It looks like Phil was right. After contacting Woodcraft, their Tech representative indicated that the nib is .65 mm and not replaceable with another nib brand or size. He was also vague about the possibility of 'tuning' the nib. My search for a hooded nib kit has come to an end ....

Take care all,

Rod
 
Warning! This thread has not had any replies for over a year. You are welcome to post a reply here, but it might be better to start a new thread (and maybe include a link to this one if you need to).
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