How to use Zebra G Nib on a Fountain Pen

Hi Teoh, I'd like to ask you about the Zebra nib, is it gonna rust after some time?

Hi Teoh,
I bought two Jinhao X750 fountain pen to try this. I made the change of nibs. One quite well and the other perfect.
One trick when put back the feed whit the new nib.
Note there is a correct position. Is not perfectly round.
Start inserting the feed and nib with your fingers.
Make sure is perfectly aligned. If not try again.
Then use the pliers to push to the end.
Do not use tissue, is too thin. Use a thick cloth.

The nib is amazing. But the fountain pen is not (is a 3,50 euros fountain pen).
Often the ink does not flow correctly.

If you have a problem getting the nub ABD feed out from a new oen, soak the nib section in slightly hit water, not .hit boiling water, but hit from the tap and ut wills iften the nib assembly.thus wirked for me, but .i am having oriblems in getting the ink to flow, .j

For me, it's impossible to get the Zebra G nib out. Even after trying hot water, paper towels, rubber gloves, pliers, etc nothing works and so I guess that pen is now useless

I did not share your fortunate experience inserting the Zebra G nib into the the Jinhao 750 ! As the curvature of Zebra nib sideway with your thumb and index fingerdoes not fit that of the feed , there is always a gap near the tip of the nib when it is fully inserted . You end up with a useless pen as no ink will travel to the tip with such gap !

My solution is to ensure a good fit between the nib and the feed before attempting to insert it into the pen : I reduce the lateral thickness of the feed by sanding it down with a fine sand paper .
1) Lay the feed on the sandpaper, then hold the feed with yor thumb and index finger and scrape its side lightly on the sandpaper in one direction ( i.e. either towards you or away from you ) . After a few strokes, switch to the other side of the feed and scrape it on the sand paper .
2) Check how the nib and the feed fit together . Then continue the sanding process until you are satisfy that there is no gap between the nib and the feed.
It took me about 10 minutes to complete the job. Once this is done, inserting the nib into the pen is a cinch ! Just make sure there is no gap between the feed and the tip area of the nib . If you experience skipping or no ink flow when trying out the pen, it just means there still is a gap between the feed and the nip ! In this case, you can use the second trick to fix it as followed :
1) Remove the nib and the feed . Assemble them as if you are going to insert them into the pen
2) Use 2 small clips to hold the nib and the feed together (i.e. one clip near the tip area of the feed and the other near the end of the feed ).
3) Imerse them in boiling water for one full minute . Then take them out to cool down to room temperature.
Try the pen again and see. So far I have made 3 pens by this method and they all work very well.

In my last post, there were errors in the first paragraph . Please read it as followed:

"I did not share your fortunate experience inserting the Zebra G nib into the the Jinhao 750 ! As the curvature of Zebra nib does not fit that of the feed , there is always a gap near the tip of the nib when it is fully inserted . You end up with a useless pen as no ink will travel to the tip with such gap ! "....

All you need to do to eliminate that gap is take a small hammer to the G nib to flatten out the curvature a little. It will seat properly then, ink flow still isn't perfect though as the feed just doesn't push out enough ink for this nib fully flexed.

I use a bench vise and some soft rubber sheet to grip the nib and it becomes easy to remove.

Though the Zebra G in the Jinhao can be made to work, the shortcomings mentioned in the comments and the article are real. It is difficult, and is, at best a "workaround".

I've developed an entire line of fountain pens entirely around the Zebra G using a proprietary, custom made (by me) ink feeder system that:

1. Handles the ink flow demands of the flex nib, and
2. Is easy to remove, reinsert, adjust and clean with a precise, smooth press fit with a hard stop. It's taken me years to get here, but it is about as fool-proof as you can get.

I have reviews and videos to show what you can do, and have four years of happy customers to show for it.

Please have a look at http://www.desideratapens.com/faq for more information. And feel free to look at my user manual at the bottom of the navigation bar.

All of my pens can do this. Available here:

https://www.desideratapens.com/shop-pens/

They're not $5, but they're handmade in America by me, and come backed with outstanding customer service, if I do say so myself.

An option you should consider.

I can testify that Pierre's pens are wonderful and worth the money. I own two, and use them for drawing almost every day. They are really nicely designed and perfect for urban sketching and life drawing, and - obviously - calligraphy!

I love supporting artists like yourself and I have no doubt that you make a good pen, but I can't afford to spend anywhere near $200 on a pen which is why I went the Jinhao route in the first place. I think a lot of people are in the same boat. If you come up with something that has a flex nib and can sell for under $50, I think you'll reach a lot more of the people doing the Jinhao diy approach. Regardless, I hope your pen business continues to grow and thrive!

same here I have ruined a couple..just wont come out..some say use a knock block but what about the little tube feed connect inside..that gets damaged..????

Hi -I’m a calligraphy student and am trying the same but using either a Nikko G /Tachikawa G nib to replace the original nib on a Jinhao X750 - so far no success on either . They are both too rounded and won’t push in to the barrel . Is the Zebra g a different shape or is there any way too adapt either of these nibs as both produce a much better result but my issue is also with the constant need to dip .
Regards
Chris

Hi, please can you tell me if this NIB (G model) is the same as the Brause 361?

Just a suggestion; if you want to fit zebra g perfectly, find a #6 wood drill bit. Its diameter is 5.95 mm. Put zebra g on the bits straight area and with a pliers squeeze them together. That will increase the zebra g diameter a bit and it will perfectly fit to jinhao, easily putting it in and out. The only problem i have now is there is a tiny gap betwwen the feeder end and the nib. Trying to handle it now. Broke 2 jinhao feeders so far with my testings, i have 2 more to try :)

Turns out the gap is just because of i forced the feeder too much during my tests and bend the tip. Doing it on a brand new jinhao gave perfect results. You can apply also hot air to the nib with a heat gun or hair dryer while squeezing with pliers or vise. I squeezed the nib and the drill bit together on a vise and applied some hot air. Now the zebra g is on a perfect fit. And the flow is also good, on a jinhao 750 i dpn't even have railroading.

You can buy a comic book fountain pen with the Zebra G nib ALREADY in it for $3 on eBay . The ZG nib is NOT the same as the x750 #6 nib . It is a different radius . Flow issues because the feed does NOY touch the ZG nib correctly . DUH.You must all be blind.

It looks like John Neal has started selling a new titanium g fountain pen. Anyone have experience with it? I’d love to see an actual review/test drive. I have an early model Desiderata that cost way too much $$, and that sits unused, as I couldn’t get it to stop leaking. Customer service was less than helpful, as the owner does not replace or repair his pens (or, he didn’t at the time), and kept me running around trying different things with the nib, switching out inks multiple times, etc. as he assumed that it had to be user error. Eventually, nearly $100 poorer, I ran out of patience. Never again. I ended up buying a Namiki Falcon and Platinum Century, and most recently the FPR ultra flex in ebonite. I had issues with the FPR pen at first, but after some troubleshooting, Kevin sent a new feed, and it’s worked well since then. I only wish the nib was as fine as the one on my century.

Hey, thanks for this - it's very helpful.

One problem I have is I can't seem to get the Zebra G in the whole way (no matter how much I try). I'm using the Jinhao x750 and followed the steps (making sure the nib is aligned) but its still al most impossible to get it to 'click' into place.

I've noticed the nib which comes with the Jinhao is a lot thinner at the back, so I wonder if that has something to do with it.

Please help if you can.

Hey, I followed you instructions but no matter how hard I try I can't get the Zebra G nib to go in the whole way.

Im using the Jinhao x750 and followed all your instructions (making sure its aligned) but it never goes in the whole way (until i hear the click).

I've noticed the nib which comes with the Jinhao is much thinner at the back - I wonder if this has something to do with it.

Any help is appreciated.

The JInhao feed might be in all the way. I watched a Youtube that gave the wrong information. He said the angled tines must not show--- FALSE. Mine do (about a 1/4 ") when it is all the way in, and the pen works great.

Another new (to me) G nib fountain pen company here worth exploring also (I haven’t tried them yet, but soon):
Osprey pens
https://www.ospreypens.com/collections/zebra-g-pen

You can also get a Noodlers Ahab Flex for less than $20

Hi Teoh, thank you for this article! Still useful 8 years later! I just tried installing the nib and so far so good. I shot a couple short videos of how we did it, no sanding or boiling involved.

Installing the nib: https://youtube.com/shorts/PbJq1mDun-o?si=VfIo5vYQFFNvWkiD

Results: https://youtube.com/shorts/MFjI1DxyM18?si=5nOiB2I0nT2KiMim

*PS: after using it a bit, the pen did have some flow issues. We ended up laying the nib on an 8mm drill bit and hammering to flatten it a bit. Flows much better now.