# Jowo bulb filler conversion ?



## sdmason (Apr 17, 2013)

Hello All,
 Would anyone care to share the specifics of converting a Jowo #6 nib unit for use in a bulb filler?
Thanks in advance,
 Scott


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## Curly (Apr 17, 2013)

First off welcome to the forum. 

There is a library that has many papers the members have contributed to about all aspects of penmaking. You can find it on the home page of the forum. Dennis Cabell wrote a detailed tutorial about making a bulb filler. While not specific to the Jowo nibs the methods and principles explained in it should help you make your own version.


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## sdmason (Apr 17, 2013)

Curly said:


> First off welcome to the forum.
> 
> There is a library that has many papers the members have contributed to about all aspects of penmaking. You can find it on the home page of the forum. Dennis Cabell wrote a detailed tutorial about making a bulb filler. While not specific to the Jowo nibs the methods and principles explained in it should help you make your own version.



Curly Thank you for your response and the welcome.
I have read Dennis' article multiple times and was hoping to get a hint or two before attacking an innocent feed.
 Scott


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## Texatdurango (Apr 17, 2013)

sdmason said:


> Curly Thank you for your response and the welcome.
> I have read Dennis' article multiple times and was *hoping to get a hint or two* before attacking an innocent feed.
> Scott


No further hints necessary.  You can modify a #6 Jowo feed exactly the same way Dennis modified the Heritance or kit feed in his tutorial.  The feeds are shaped differently but for the drilling you need to do, the steps are identical.  Everything you need to know is in the tutorial so just read and re-read it until you are certain of the steps you are going to take.

When I started doing these several years ago, there was more than one feed that was ruined until I got my process down pat.  I am sure Dennis went through several failures as well and you probably will too! 

With the price of feeds, learning how to drill them properly may be an expensive learning exercise so the only advice I would give is to stare at the feed and drill the holes in your mind before actually touching a tiny flexible bit to the material.  Remember that patience and ACCURACY are paramount.


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## sdmason (Apr 18, 2013)

Texatdurango wrote;
"With the price of feeds, learning how to drill them properly may be an  expensive learning exercise so the only advice I would give is to stare  at the feed and drill the holes in your mind before actually touching a  tiny flexible bit to the material.  Remember that patience and ACCURACY are paramount.

I find this bit of Zen and The Art of Penmaking as entertaining as it is unhelpful especially the part where you shout the word accuracy just in case I am to dense to understand it otherwise.
   The feed that Dennis is using in his excellent tutorial is straight in profile whereas the #6 Jowo feed tapers from 7mm to 6mm over it's length which would seem to preclude mounting it in a collet. If you have some practical advice as to mounting this feed to the headstock I would be grateful to hear it. 
 The design of the Jowo feed with it's small central member doesn't seem to be a good candidate for this method in terms of the difficulty of drilling the channel and the resulting loss of structural integrity which is why I was looking for an alternate approach.


Regards,
 Scott


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## Texatdurango (Apr 18, 2013)

sdmason said:


> Texatdurango wrote;
> "With the price of feeds, learning how to drill them properly may be an  expensive learning exercise so the only advice I would give is to stare  at the feed and drill the holes in your mind before actually touching a  tiny flexible bit to the material.  Remember that patience and ACCURACY are paramount.
> 
> I find this bit of Zen and The Art of Penmaking as entertaining as it is unhelpful especially the part where you shout the word accuracy just in case I am to dense to understand it otherwise.
> ...



Way to go....... Now I have to listen to my wife say "_*I told ya so!*_" for the next couple days.

After several years on the forum I stopped posting several months ago mainly because of the new wave of members and their "gimme, gimme" attitudes who felt they had the right to fire off a nasty PM if they didn't get the proper spoon fed answers they were seeking.  GOD forbid you tell someone to do a little thinking on their own or give them something to think about rather than 1,2,3 instructions.

All too often they would ask questions and when they didn't get the exact answers they wanted, they would blast those who bothered to take the time to try and offer some guidance or assistance..... like you did!

Several friends over the past few months have been asking me to return to the forum and I finally thought... what the heck, why not!  My wife said I was crazy and was just jumping right back into the same frying pan I got out of several months ago but I didn't listen and lo and behold, the third post I make I run into the likes of you!

If you re-read my post you will see there is no belligerent attitude whatsoever, I simply stated the facts that Dennis has given splendid guidelines, enough for anyone to modify their feeds and the sentence... _" Remember that patience and ACCURACY are paramount."_ was in reference to your comment..... "was hoping to get a hint or two before *attacking* an innocent feed"  

It was your choice of words that prompted me to offer some caution and to take it easy assuming you might not have much experience drilling with #60 - #70 drill bits.  I don't believe in spoon feeding information as much as I do getting one to do a little thinking.  Hell, I figured out how to make some nifty little holding jigs and work out some quick and efficient procedures all on my own and and I'm just an idiot!

I thought with 5 or 6 dozen bulb fillers under my belt that I might be able to offer some help once you got started but really didn't expect to see the reply you posted.

Thanks, I wasted the last half of an hour grabbing my camera, taking a few photos of the feed holding jigs I made for various feeds and was in the process of uploading them to my PC when I opened the forum and read your reply.

Well, you sorta put me out of the mood of sharing anything now and all the advice I will offer now is.... figure it out yourself or get someone else to give you the little "hints" you ask for.  As for the Jowo feeds making poor candidates for bulb fillers, you are incorrect, drilling the Jowo feeds is done in less than 1 minute with a simple holder that you can make in 15 minutes and they work great!

Unbelievable the attitudes some people have around here and how stupid some are for wanting to help them!  I FINALLY just learned my lesson.....again!


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## Robert111 (Apr 18, 2013)

Texatdurango said:


> sdmason said:
> 
> 
> > Texatdurango wrote;
> ...



Yes, George, Scott was undiplomatic in his response. I can see what he means, though, about the Jowo feeds. They aren't great candidates for bulb fillers.

I can see your point as well. Maybe they aren't, but if you want to use a Jowo feed bad enough, there's a way. Don't just holler "Help!" 

Now my point: I was happy you're back on the forum where you belong. You have scores of pen makers here who owe you their gratitude for the advice you've shared, and the successes we've experienced because of it. But understand: this is a forum. Some people will say the first thing that comes to mind. Don't be so thin skinned.  Stick around. Please.


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## Robert111 (Apr 18, 2013)

Here's what I've done for feeds for bulb flllers.

I found a source of feeds and holders that are simple enough to drill using Dennis's tutorial. I can use a Heritance or Jowo #6 nib in these feeds. The Heritance will be a little too wet for me if I push it all the way down into the holder, but if I stop about 1/32 from the bottom, the Heritance will keep its tines closed at the tip and write just moderately wet. Here's a link to these holders and feeds. And the price is right.

Fountain Pen Parts

However, these holders as I recall are about 9 mm in diameter and they require 8.5 x .75 threading, which is just not available.

So first, I turn the holder down to about 8 mm, which makes it easy enough to make a section for them that will screw into a barrel that has 12 x .8 thread for the cap.

Then, to get around the problem posed by 8.5 x .75 threads, I use my 9 x .75 tap and drill an undersize hole of 8 mm. The holder will screw into it and hold just fine.


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## sdmason (Apr 19, 2013)

Texatdurango,
I really didn't set out to start a fight or hurt  anyone's feelings and I wasn't looking for someone to hold my hand or  give me all of their secrets I just wanted conversation about methods in  general for the feeds I was thinking about using. I did not expect a  response that seemed to me to essentially go away and figure it out for  yourself without a hint that you would be willing to offer any advice.  Yes I know how great it feels to finally work out a solution to a  difficult problem on your own but I also know the joy of being able to  save someone else some of the pain of trying to solve the same problem  later.
 I made assumptions about you and then formed opinions based  on those assumptions which is always leads to a bad end end and for that  I am truly sorry.

  Making a jig to hold the feed in my collet  was as easy as drilling a ~5.9mm hole through  a piece of 1/2" delrin   and then carefully drilling a hole into the feed with a #63 bit mounted  in a pinvise that was held in another collet chuck in the tailstock, yes  I like collet chucks, unfortunately the #63 was to big and/or I drilled  a little to far and an innocent feed paid the ultimate price. Now I  will go back out to the shop and try again which is really what it's all  about.


Regards,
 Scott


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## sdmason (Apr 19, 2013)

Robert111,
 Thanks for the link and advice on the feeds I will take a closer look at them.

 If you think that my response was undiplomatic you should have seen the first 4 or 5 drafts. I guess that is what comes from being a cranky old F**T.

Regards,
 Scott


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