# FP parts



## stevo81 (Feb 25, 2012)

Hi All

After making my first kitless pen i would now ilke to make a fountain pen, im confused as by the amount of different nibs, feeds etc out in the market place.  Is there any reccommended parts to start off with and also what tooling is required.  Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Stevo


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## OKLAHOMAN (Feb 25, 2012)

Stevo, there are two different sized nibs 5MM (small as on the Jr. Series of pens) and 6MM (larger as on the fulls sized Gent, Statesman etc.) each needs it own feed and housing the tooling you need for each would be a corresponding tap for each ( a 5MM tap and a 6MM tap) .Each brand of nib such as Jo/Wo, Bock, Schmidt etc has different threads so the tap needed is only good for that brand so you need to pick a brand that you would like to stick with and buy the nibs,,housings and tap from that supplier. Hope this answerers your question..


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## Lenny (Feb 25, 2012)

You could order an El Grande fp section from Berea and use a 10m x 1 tap (I think)


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## 691175002 (Feb 25, 2012)

IMO The nicest nib units are the #6 from meisternibs (JoWo distributor):






Really nice nibs, and they look good too.  They also do 14k, 18k and have lots of styles and platings:





Almost all the brands use different threads though.  The #6 from JoWo uses 7.4x0.5.

If you have a metal lathe you can make the taps yourself, otherwise it gets pretty expensive.


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## 691175002 (Feb 25, 2012)

Whoops, double post


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## watch_art (Feb 26, 2012)

691175002 said:


> IMO The nicest nib units are the #6 from meisternibs (JoWo distributor):
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I agree with this.  They're very good nibs and simple to make a section for.  You drill through the blank once with a J, tap it, thread the back end to go into the barrel, flip it into a threaded holder, then drill down with lager bits so the housing fits.  And given the money you can make selling nice custom pens, a 30 or 40 dollar tap doesn't seem too expensive.  More like a really good investment.  :biggrin:


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## BigShed (Feb 27, 2012)

Lenny said:


> You could order an El Grande fp section from Berea and use a 10m x 1 tap (I think)



Correct, just finished a pen using that same combination.


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## stevo81 (Feb 27, 2012)

thaks everyone, i may have to try the El Grande option if it works for others sould work for me 




691175002 said:


> If you have a metal lathe you can make the taps yourself, otherwise it gets pretty expensive.


 
i do have a metal lathe, not very good on it yet tho. is there instructions on here on how i would go about making a tap?

thanks

stevo


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## 691175002 (Feb 27, 2012)

Essentially you cut the thread you want, and then file/grind flats to make cutting edges:




While it might look like this style of tap would push material out of the way, it actually does cut very well.  The main disadvantage is chip clearing which shouldn't be a problem since none of the holes are blind.

Normally you would grind three (not four) flats and have the thread tapered a bit so it doesn't start cutting all at once.

You can harden the steel if you want, but if you are only cutting plastic it shouldn't be necessary.


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## Haynie (Feb 27, 2012)

Don't mean to hijack and I hope it is not taken that way.  Realizing that the feed sections are proprietary threads and require special taps, So far I have silver pen parts for meister nibs and classic nib for the Bock.  Is there anyone else?


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## PenMan1 (Feb 27, 2012)

Lenny said:


> You could order an El Grande fp section from Berea and use a 10m x 1 tap (I think)



This is correct. I THINK that the Cambridge and one other Berea (IIRC - Churchill) also use a 10 x1 section.

You can buy these sections as "stand alone" units, without having to buy a component set. 

Not trying to "Dis" other Berea dealers, but I do know that AS keeps these in stock. I would be interested to know other dealers that sell the sections only as Berea Hardwoods doesn't seem to do this anymore.


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## BigShed (Mar 5, 2012)

PenMan1 said:


> Lenny said:
> 
> 
> > You could order an El Grande fp section from Berea and use a 10m x 1 tap (I think)
> ...



Ernie at Bear Tooth Woods stock them as well, and he even (cheerfully) ships outside the US.

Yes, the El Grande and the Churchill use the same section as well as the same tubes.


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## curlyjoe (Mar 6, 2012)

Here is a link to Berea's replacment nibs and extras. Fountain Pen Pen Kit Making Supplies Berea HardWoods


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## jjudge (Mar 6, 2012)

@stevo81 -- You can also buy the metal couplers for the El Grande/Churchill. So, a coupler would replace the need to do some of the threading. You still need to thread the cap, but that *dangerously thin* body threads (inner threads with outer cap threads) is avoided.


@Haynie - I posted a Taps, Dies, Sizes spreadsheet with tap sizes and some links to sellers

I need to update it for clarity (before posting to library): e.g., Jo/Wo, Schmidt, Bock - where, who, etc.

Prices are $30, $40 for the feed/housing taps (typically)

Off the top of my head:
Indy-Pen-Dance.com
ClassicNib.com
MeisterNibs.com
SilverPenParts.com


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## Haynie (Mar 6, 2012)

Meister nibs does not sell the taps.  Those taps are from silver pen parts.


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