Noodlers Ahab Flex Pen

Every now and then I've seen reference to pens called "Noodlers Flex" pens.  They seem to be made for calligraphers and fountain pen enthusiasts, but artists refer to them as well.  I finally decided to take a look at one for myself.  Looking on Youtube and various artist blogs really got my curiosity piqued so I ordered one for myself.  Fountain pens are notoriously finicky and often in need of adjustment and maintenance, but I figured it was worth a go.  It came today.

For lettering, this pen does pretty neat work.  I'm not expert at when to flex the nib and when to let up, but the possibilities are pretty amazing.

 The pen is beautiful.  It did indeed take some fiddling and adjusting, but worked the first shot out of the box.  My ink-stained hands are witnesses to my amateur status, but the lines glided onto the paper like a dream, notwithstanding my lack of experience in "fountain-pen-ese."  I think I can get the hang of this with more practice.  I want to, and that's half the battle.  I won't go into the technicalities of it here as there are dozens of well qualified demonstrators on Youtube.  If you're intrigued, you won't have any trouble finding plenty of information to answer your questions.  This pen model is well loved by pen people.

I had to add a page to my journal record of favorite tools.  This one is a winner!

Even though I spent most of the evening making lines and letters, it draws beautifully.  In fact, the flex bit is what attracted me in the first place.  The nib of the pen is split, allowing a thin line with light pressure and thicker ones with heavier pressure.  It flexes as you press down and the nib splits apart, making a wider line.  Pretty cool.  Although I won't haul this pen anywhere until I get it adjusted right- due to my worries about leaking ink- I will use it in the studio till I really get the hang of it.  All in all, a very useful tool.

Thanks for stopping by!  Alice