Time to find new feed housings

[Russianwolf]

Pretty bummed. I have 5 of the Heritance assemblies left and the tap to go with them. I'll likely be out by the end of the weekend.

Mike and Linda are just about out themselves (according to the inventory on their site), so it's time to find a new source. (Jump in if you have more or can get them guys)

Let's see if we can get the sources to reply with a pic of their nib (so we can see the logo), and any info they have on the taps/dies etc.

Maybe we can get this stickied so the next person can find it easily.

Come on Roy, Brian, and whoever else can help a guy out.

 

[soligen]

I might be wrong, but I think it is against the rules for the vendors to post such info here. There are the Bock nibs being sold at a few vendors (Roy & I think Mike). Meister nibs from Brian, Schmidt from Richard Greenwald. I think the best bet is to go to their sites.

 

[Russianwolf]

Well if that's a problem......

Sources, PM me the info and I'll post it so its not an ad but a compilation of what's available in the industry.

And if that's not allowed it'll be my hand slapped. :tongue:

People shouldn't have to dig for this kind of information on a site like this.



Someone new to the site doesn't know who Roy is, I only wish I didn't know who he is. Just kidding Roy. :wink:

 

[Texatdurango]

Do you want just the feed and feed housing or the feed/housing and Heritance nib? I've got a supply of #6 feeds/housings and nibs if you need along with the tap.

 

[Twissy]

These are the same as the Heritance units. PEN PARTS > Spare Parts

I have no affiliation with the site, just a satisfied customer!

 

[Texatdurango]

These are the same as the Heritance units. PEN PARTS > Spare Parts

I have no affiliation with the site, just a satisfied customer!

I didn't see any Heritance nibs on the site at all.

The Heritance nib has a branded logo (ink bottle and quill) that Lou Metcalf spent several years getting accepted into the fountain pen community as an "upgrade" semi-flex nib to the Chinese and Taiwanese nibs that came with most kits.

Lou has suffered from some health issues and can no longer pursue this venture so the remains of existing supplies are quickly drying up.

 

[Russianwolf]

Do you want just the feed and feed housing or the feed/housing and Heritance nib? I've got a supply of #6 feeds/housings and nibs if you need along with the tap.

Those are what I currently have George.

I'd love to keep using them, but with Lou's health discontinuing his importing ,It'd just be a quick fix. His logo was perfect since it wasn't maker specific, but the community had come to trust the quality. Maybe someone will pick up that banner at some point.

What I'm hoping to do right now is

1)get something put together so people can see what's available in the market for us to use since this is a growing interest for many. Digging for the info or asking the same question (and getting different answers based on who sees it) all them time seems pointless. If I have to email every vendor to get info, I will.

and 2) decide for myself which one of those available is for me as the Heritance stock dwindles.

 

[chriselle]

Having choices is good Mike. Bock, Wojo or El Grande front sections is fine but more options is always good. I too, love the Heritance logo and am kinda saving the 20 or so nibs I have for a rainy day or for interested clients. I just bought 20 or so Wojo sets which will keep me going for a while but I will be interested in where..... YOU take this Mike....:wink:

 

[OKLAHOMAN]

Mike, I've sent you a PM as my answer might be considered by some as advertising ...But just my thoughts on Logoed nibs....

 

[Twissy]

These are the same as the Heritance units. PEN PARTS > Spare Parts

I have no affiliation with the site, just a satisfied customer!

I didn't see any Heritance nibs on the site at all.

The Heritance nib has a branded logo (ink bottle and quill) that Lou Metcalf spent several years getting accepted into the fountain pen community as an "upgrade" semi-flex nib to the Chinese and Taiwanese nibs that came with most kits.

Lou has suffered from some health issues and can no longer pursue this venture so the remains of existing supplies are quickly drying up.

Sorry, I got the impression you were more concerned with the feed and housing rather than the nib.

 

[Andrew_K99]

Good thread for me to read. I had no idea Heritance nibs were no longer being made. I picked some up with one of my orders awhile ago as upgrades to test. There was no mention that they were close to extinction.

AK

 

[PenMan1]

I'd be sure to check with Exotic Blanks. At one point, he had quite a supply of Heritance nibs and I THINK some Heritance feeds and housings, too.

 

[Timebandit]

I still have some Heritance nibs available in the classifieds. All the feeds i had are gone.

 

[Russianwolf]

Yeah, my understanding now is that the manufacturer of the Hertiance nibs, when contacted by Lou, wanted a MOQ that was in the 1000's for each size which made continuing too hard on the wallet.

Unfortunate.

I'm looking into all the current vendors and will compile info on what's out there and get it on here in some form so everyone can find it easily.

Info I'm trying to gather is:

Nib Logo (pictures hopefully)
Nib metals available (Semiflex steel, 14k, 18k etc.)
Nib sizes (5 or 6)
Feed/housing available (included, seperate, or not)
Feed/housing thread size
tap/die available
Nib Manufacturer

Anything else anyone would like to see in terms of info gathered.

 

[Robert111]

Yeah, my understanding now is that the manufacturer of the Hertiance nibs, when contacted by Lou, wanted a MOQ that was in the 1000's for each size which made continuing too hard on the wallet.

Unfortunate.

I'm looking into all the current vendors and will compile info on what's out there and get it on here in some form so everyone can find it easily.

Info I'm trying to gather is:

Nib Logo (pictures hopefully)
Nib metals available (Semiflex steel, 14k, 18k etc.)
Nib sizes (5 or 6)
Feed/housing available (included, seperate, or not)
Feed/housing thread size
tap/die available
Nib Manufacturer

Anything else anyone would like to see in terms of info gathered.

How about prices -- or estimated prices?

 

[IPD_Mr]

Good thread for me to read. I had no idea Heritance nibs were no longer being made. I picked some up with one of my orders awhile ago as upgrades to test. There was no mention that they were close to extinction.

AK

There are post all over the IAP about this

I still have some Heritance nibs available in the classifieds. All the feeds i had are gone.

I have been using Bock feeds for my personal stash of small Heritance nibs.


Mike I think you have a good thread going as the information is here in the IAP but it is spread out over dozens of posts. I think it would be helpful to have a list of what is available and sizes all in one location. Also you need to add point size (broad/medium/fine/extra-fine) to the list of information.

 

[Andrew_K99]

Good thread for me to read. I had no idea Heritance nibs were no longer being made. I picked some up with one of my orders awhile ago as upgrades to test. There was no mention that they were close to extinction.

AK

There are post all over the IAP about this

As a newbie who has made only 2 fountain pens (and have a few more kits to make) I am just testing them out, as they are new to me. I've not read, or have not processed anything about these nibs being a limited item.

I'm not saying the information wasn't out there, just that at the source of the nibs (the websites selling them) the information isn't provided.

It's not biggie ... I'm just saying

AK

 

[Texatdurango]

These are the same as the Heritance units. PEN PARTS > Spare Parts

I have no affiliation with the site, just a satisfied customer!

I didn't see any Heritance nibs on the site at all.

The Heritance nib has a branded logo (ink bottle and quill) that Lou Metcalf spent several years getting accepted into the fountain pen community as an "upgrade" semi-flex nib to the Chinese and Taiwanese nibs that came with most kits.

Lou has suffered from some health issues and can no longer pursue this venture so the remains of existing supplies are quickly drying up.

Sorry, I got the impression you were more concerned with the feed and housing rather than the nib.

John,

Sorry if I came off abrupt, didn't mean it that way. Feed/housings are all over the web but matching up feeds/housings with particular nibs is another story.

I remember the first pen show I attended, I planned on loading up on lots of nibs and feeds for the pens I was making but after a whole day of searching the tables at the show, I came home disappointed and empty handed!

Most of the kits we use have use #5mm or #6mm nibs and what Lou did was to find a source for nibs that would fit most of the feeds/housings used in the kits as well as offer his nibs with their own feeds/housings for those not using kits.

But as many of us soon found out, not all of the kit feed/housings were the same and just because a nib fit into a housing, didn't mean it would work properly allowing the ink to flow properly... if at all! Also, #5 & #6 nibs are about as generic as tire sizes on a vehicle. You aren't going to walk into Discount Tire and ask for a 16" tire to match the other three 16" tires on your vehicle, there is a LOT more to it than that.

That is why folks are seeking out these particular feeds/housings and nibs, because they know what they will fit.

Seeing the handwriting on the wall, I decided to switch to a source that had a different size feeds/housings and a nice assortment of nibs to fit them. Now I concentrate on my pen designs rather than worrying where I'm going to find a feed to fit or a nib to match.

Mike,

I wish you luck with compiling your list of vendors and will help provide input where I can since I have tried just about everything out there, but I think you are going to find that it's nothing but a mess out there! It is rare to find someone willing to invest literally tens of thousands of dollars to provide us with what we need like Roy (Oklahoman) has and finding a vendor who has a handful of nibs and a couple of feed/housings isn't going to be the answer to most of us.

As far as I'm concerned we don't need to look far to find what is already available.... a source for good quality, recognizable name brand nibs and feeds with the proper taps to use with them.

 

[Russianwolf]

But as many of us soon found out, not all of the kit feed/housings were the same and just because a nib fit into a housing, didn't mean it would work properly allowing the ink to flow properly... if at all!

Best example of this I can think of is The Vertex Fountain. Jon (Goodturns) and I were talking about the ability to swap to an upgrade nib in this pen, and while the #5 Heritance nib fits, let the pen sit for a day and the ink has dried in the feed and you need to clean it. Same for the stock nib from a Baron.

If you leave the stock Vertex nib in, the pen works. I can leave it for weeks without an issue. So that nib must be slightly different in some way (I think its ever so much thicker) than the other nibs.

Frustrating as I like the pen.

 

[Texatdurango]

But as many of us soon found out, not all of the kit feed/housings were the same and just because a nib fit into a housing, didn't mean it would work properly allowing the ink to flow properly... if at all!

Best example of this I can think of is The Vertex Fountain. Jon (Goodturns) and I were talking about the ability to swap to an upgrade nib in this pen, and while the #5 Heritance nib fits, let the pen sit for a day and the ink has dried in the feed and you need to clean it. Same for the stock nib from a Baron.

If you leave the stock Vertex nib in, the pen works. I can leave it for weeks without an issue. So that nib must be slightly different in some way (I think its ever so much thicker) than the other nibs.

Frustrating as I like the pen.

So, I'm not the only one who has been frustrated by this huh! :wink:

That is why I wrote "Fits most kits", many people here think that just because they can cram a nib into a feed housing then put the pen in a nice black box along with a converter and a spare cartridge that the sale is a smooth transaction and all is well, but that is rarely true! This isn't knocking those members, because they just don't know better.

Now and then a thread pops up discussing things that we as pen makers can do to make "kit" or "hand crafted" pens more acceptable in the marketplace and getting nice pens THAT WORK into hands of customers is paramount in that effort.

I'd like to see where this thread goes, it's got possibilities!

 

[glycerine]

Mike, are you just looking for a new source for nibs/feeds/housings? I know Roy offeres several options with the "default" Bock logo.
If you want something "generic" with just a logo and no name you could contact Bock and see about having some made. If Lou would let you use his logo, you could keep them alive... just a thought. Not cheap, but doable.

 

[Texatdurango]

Mike, are you just looking for a new source for nibs/feeds/housings? I know Roy offeres several options with the "default" Bock logo.
If you want something "generic" with just a logo and no name you could contact Bock and see about having some made. If Lou would let you use his logo, you could keep them alive... just a thought. Not cheap, but doable.

And THAT is the problem! As mentioned earlier, getting a nice assortment of nibs and feed housings together takes a small fortune, something not many folks are willing to do. Roy spent that small fortune making these supplies available to us since no one else could or would so I will repay his generosity by being a loyal customer.

As far as a logo goes, I would be tickled if the Bock nibs had a nicer logo but their name is easily recognizable and that's what matters to me.

 

[Russianwolf]

Mike, are you just looking for a new source for nibs/feeds/housings? I know Roy offeres several options with the "default" Bock logo.
If you want something "generic" with just a logo and no name you could contact Bock and see about having some made. If Lou would let you use his logo, you could keep them alive... just a thought. Not cheap, but doable.

As said, two purposes. one to gather the info on what's available in one place for all to see. and two to find what fits for me.


I would only use Lou's logo (with his permission) with his manufacturer, which he's never revealed as far as I know. Wouldn't be right to people who know the "brand".

If the Bock logo is remaining available, and I think Roy has now indicated he will keep it as well now, it's a good option. Bock being well respected and not a direct pen manufacturer.

My main concern is I don't want to start using something else only to have it fade away as the Heritance nibs are, and then have to go through the process all over again.

For now, I think I've found (been offered) more of the Heritance stock so I'll keep using them for a while. Since I already have the taps.

 

[Twissy]

These are the same as the Heritance units. PEN PARTS > Spare Parts

I have no affiliation with the site, just a satisfied customer!

I didn't see any Heritance nibs on the site at all.

The Heritance nib has a branded logo (ink bottle and quill) that Lou Metcalf spent several years getting accepted into the fountain pen community as an "upgrade" semi-flex nib to the Chinese and Taiwanese nibs that came with most kits.

Lou has suffered from some health issues and can no longer pursue this venture so the remains of existing supplies are quickly drying up.

Sorry, I got the impression you were more concerned with the feed and housing rather than the nib.

John,

Sorry if I came off abrupt, didn't mean it that way. Feed/housings are all over the web but matching up feeds/housings with particular nibs is another story.

I remember the first pen show I attended, I planned on loading up on lots of nibs and feeds for the pens I was making but after a whole day of searching the tables at the show, I came home disappointed and empty handed!

Most of the kits we use have use #5mm or #6mm nibs and what Lou did was to find a source for nibs that would fit most of the feeds/housings used in the kits as well as offer his nibs with their own feeds/housings for those not using kits.

But as many of us soon found out, not all of the kit feed/housings were the same and just because a nib fit into a housing, didn't mean it would work properly allowing the ink to flow properly... if at all! Also, #5 & #6 nibs are about as generic as tire sizes on a vehicle. You aren't going to walk into Discount Tire and ask for a 16" tire to match the other three 16" tires on your vehicle, there is a LOT more to it than that.

That is why folks are seeking out these particular feeds/housings and nibs, because they know what they will fit.

Seeing the handwriting on the wall, I decided to switch to a source that had a different size feeds/housings and a nice assortment of nibs to fit them. Now I concentrate on my pen designs rather than worrying where I'm going to find a feed to fit or a nib to match.

Mike,

I wish you luck with compiling your list of vendors and will help provide input where I can since I have tried just about everything out there, but I think you are going to find that it's nothing but a mess out there! It is rare to find someone willing to invest literally tens of thousands of dollars to provide us with what we need like Roy (Oklahoman) has and finding a vendor who has a handful of nibs and a couple of feed/housings isn't going to be the answer to most of us.

As far as I'm concerned we don't need to look far to find what is already available.... a source for good quality, recognizable name brand nibs and feeds with the proper taps to use with them.

No problem Mike. I appreciate the variance in nib/feed compatibility, and fortunately up to now have been lucky!
My link was a direct response to the thread title. I am lead to believe that the feeds/holders there are the same ones as those supplied to Lou.

As a mere fledgling in kitless, this is a very interesting thread, and I hope all the information is gathered. Maybe it could be used in conjunction with jjudge's excellent spreadsheet for taps/dies.

 

[Twissy]

Oops! George, not mike! :foot-in-mouth:

 

[glycerine]

And THAT is the problem! As mentioned earlier, getting a nice assortment of nibs and feed housings together takes a small fortune, something not many folks are willing to do. Roy spent that small fortune making these supplies available to us since no one else could or would so I will repay his generosity by being a loyal customer.

As far as a logo goes, I would be tickled if the Bock nibs had a nicer logo but their name is easily recognizable and that's what matters to me.

Oh, I'm all about supporting Roy as well. He's put a lot of effort (and capital) into providing Bock products. Was just saying that depending on ones production volume and "logo" desires, it might be better in the long run to work directly with a manufacturer to get exactly what they need.
... And I DO wonder how a mountain goat became the Bock "mascot"!

 

[Gerhard Christmann]

"And I DO wonder how a mountain goat became the Bock "mascot"! "

Bock is the german name of male goat,
and Bock is the family name of the owner.

regards from Germany
Gerhard

Some years ago in my small shop Wolfgang Bock turned his first wooden fountain pen