on saleNoodler's Nib Creaper Flex Fountain Pen - Cardinal Darkness

Product Code N17060

In Stock

out of stock

on saleNoodler's Nib Creaper Flex Fountain Pen - Cardinal Darkness

Product Code N17060

In Stock

out of stock

$18.50
Color:
Cardinal Darkness
ENHANCEMENT OPTIONS
Noodler's Nib Creaper #2 Steel Nib - Flex
Add a Spare Nib + $6.50 Noodler's Nib Creaper #2 Steel Nib - Flex
$6.50
$6.50

Noodler's Nib Creaper #2 Steel Nib - Flex

Product Code N18090

In Stock

out of stock

$6.50
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This red and black Noodler's Nib Creaper flex fountain pen features a small, slender body with a steel flexible #2 nib and a twist piston mechanism. A small ink window shows how much ink is left in your pen. These pens are made from a celluloid derivative. The vegetal resin body of this pen may show particles or striations within the material. This is most noticeable in demonstrators and bright colors.

The Nib Creaper (also known as the "Standard Flex Pen") was the first fountain pen produced by Noodler's, introduced in 2010. The Noodler's flex pens were designed for the hands-on tinkerer - they are made to be taken apart and adjusted. The nib and feed pull right out and can be adjusted and heat set for optimal performance. Don't be afraid to get a little ink on your fingers while you learn how to use this pen.

As a simple rule of thumb for writing with a flex pen, just apply slight pressure on your downstrokes, which will spread the tines and increase the line width, achieving that optimal line variation. Make sure to go slowly so that the ink can keep up with your writing. As with any flex pen, it just takes practice!

Due to the residual machining oils used when cutting the feeds for these pens, we highly encourage you to give the pen a good flush before use. We recommend any of the following options: distilled water, water with a touch of dish soap, a pre-packaged pen flush, or a solution of 10% clear ammonia to water. This should resolve most ink flow issues!

We do our best to photograph the pens to show how they will appear in person, but due to the nature of the material, there will be some variation in the pattern seen here. This adds an element of uniqueness to the pen, with no two patterns being exactly the same. We cannot honor special requests.

Click here to download the printable PDF instruction sheet for the Noodler's Nib Creaper Flex.

Condition
New
Brand
Noodler's
Type
Fountain Pens
Color
Red
Demonstrator

Whether or not the barrel of the pen is translucent, allowing you to see the ink and filling mechanism inside.

No
Body Material
Resin
Cap Rotations

For pens with a screw-cap closure, how many rotations it takes to uncap/recap the pen.

1
Cap Type

How the cap is opened/closed from the barrel of the pen. Some common options include Snap-Cap, Screw-Cap, Magnetic Cap, or Capless (no cap).

Screw-cap
Compatible inks & refills

Which ink this pen will accept. Choices include bottled ink and various styles of pre-filled ink cartridges.

Bottled ink
Filling Mechanism

How the pen fills with ink. Click here to watch our video tutorial on common filling mechanisms.

Piston
Grip Material
Resin
Nib Size
Flex
Nib Color
Silver
Nib Material
Steel
Postable

Whether or not the cap fits securely onto the back of the barrel when open.

Yes
Retractable

Whether or not the nib/tip can retract into the body of the pen (usually for click or twist-open style pens).

No
Diameter - Body
10.7mm (0.4in)
Diameter - Cap (without clip)
12.4mm (0.5in)
Diameter - Cap (with clip)
15.9mm (0.6in)
Diameter - Grip (mm)

Measured from the place most people choose to rest their fingers, which varies with each pen.

7.8mm
Length - Body

The measurement from the back end of the barrel to the tip of the nib.

113mm (4.4in)
Length - Cap
57mm (2.2in)
Length - Nib

The measured length of the visible portion of the nib when it is installed in the pen, from grip to tip.

13.3mm (0.5in)
Length - Overall (Closed)
128mm (5in)
Length - Overall (Posted)

When the cap of the pen is posted onto the back of the pen body, this is the measurement of the entire pen including the nib.

148mm (5.8in)
Weight - Body

If a converter is included with the pen, this weight is reflected in the total.

8g (0.3oz)
Weight - Cap
2g (0.1oz)
Weight - Overall (g)
10.0g
Max Ink Capacity - Piston Vac

The maximum volume of ink that can fit in the pen when using the built-in piston or vacuum filling mechanism.

1.00ml

Customer Reviews

Based on 70 reviews
59%
(41)
26%
(18)
11%
(8)
3%
(2)
1%
(1)
B
Brian M.
Low cost pen, surprise value

I like this pen very much. It is very lightweight. I also like that you can see the ink level. It writes very smooth, although can't seem to get the Flex part of it. I am a lefty, so that could be an issue. It even writes a fine line on cheap paper which was a total pleasant surprise. Most pens seem to feather too much.

M
MJC
Cellulose Acetate Butyrate?

I have a couple of dozen assorted Noodler's pens (Konrad/Creeper/Ahab/Charlie/Neponsit/Boston Safety). Obviously from that.... I like them. Like most (but not all)..... This one worked fine straight out of the box with no tinkering. The material for this appears to be CAB (cellulose acetate butyrate), based on the look/feel and butyric acid smell. CAB is a vegetable resin. When CAB begins to biodegrade/decompose, it releases butyric acid ('butter acid'....a spoiled butter smell). The decomposition is accelerate by high temperature, humidity, and packaging (which contains the butyric acid....creating a feedback loop, accelerating decomposition). That could explain why a 'fresh' Noodler's pen smells .... they're boxed, in a plastic wrapper, and fresh off the boat from India (hot/humid climate).Whatever the material is..... I've had good luck soaking new pens in a plastic cup filled with a satured solution of water and baking soda for a few hours, and then flushing them with water before use. The reduces the smell to the point where you have to hold it right under your nose to smell it. If the material is CAB, that would be explained by the butyric acid reacting with the baking soda to form non-volatile sodium butyrate (no smell).Working on the assumption the material is CAB, I NEVER store these pens wet when I'm done with them. I take them apart, thoroughly air dry them, and then put them back together before storing them in an open pen holder. Storing wet cab pens in a closed container/display-box would be a recipe for 'stink'. The combination of heat, humidity, and enclosed storage cause the fastest decomposition of CAB and fastest release of butyric acid. The baking soda wash, followed by drying the pens well and storing them in open containers has worked really well for me. None of the Noodler's pens I have can be 'smelled' unless you hold them right under your nose, using this method.All of that said..... I love these pens because they have great flex and decent quality at unbelievably low prices. The colors are great. A little Armor-All once in a while gives them a nice sheen.

A
Anonymous
Smelly, but good

Maybe I just got lucky, but my pen worked great straight out of the box. The feed seems especially wide and deep, and it handles shimmering inks better than any of my other pens. I would guess the two are related. I'm a bit surprised with how often I reach for this pen. Really nice flex and fairly easy to use with just one small caveat:The cap and piston **** have quite a bit of friction with their threads and can take some force to get moving. Some silicone grease helps, but then if you put it on the cap threads it ends up on your hand. If you have grip issues, this might not be the pen for you.

D
Daniel S.
Great pen for the money

I needed a beater pen for work, and I liked the idea of trying out a flex nib. It's firm enough to use as a daily writer and soft enough for screwing around when you're in your 10th meeting of the day discussing appropriate power point color schemes. I have 2 of these, in fact, and both are subtly different than the original nib creeper I bought about 10 years ago, which I thought was interesting. One is a drier writer and the other wetter- I'm deciding not to mess around with anything because so far I can use each in different applications.

W
William M.
Smooth writing, inexpensive pen!

Things I like about this pen: Flexible nib, smooth writing nib, piston filling, easy disassembly for cleaning (makes it great for glitter inks!), I like the finish - not garish, ink window helps me to know when to fill with another ink color. Lastly, it is comfortable in my hand when I write for longer sessions.

FAQs about Fountain Pens

How do I fill a fountain pen with ink? 8EDA1617-F73A-4DAF-8245-6D2BF4ABEB7B

It depends on the pen's filling mechanism, which you can find in the Technical Specs section above. 

Here's a quick definition of the most common filling mechanisms:

  • Cartridge - A small, disposable, sealed plastic reservoir that holds fountain pen ink. These come pre-filled with ink, and typically you just push to insert them into place and you'll be ready to write! Check out our quick guide here.
  • Converter - A detachable and refillable ink reservoir that allows you to use bottled ink in a cartridge-accepting pen. Typically you will install the converter into the grip section, dip the nib/feed into the ink, and twist or pull the converter knob to draw ink into the converter. Here's a video for how to fill a cartridge/converter pen using a LAMY pen as an example.
  • Eyedropper - A pen that utilizes the entire barrel as a reservoir for ink. Ink is directly filled into the barrel, allowing for a high ink capacity. Here's a video on how to do it!
  • Piston - A type of filling system that uses a retracting plunger inside a sealed tube to draw ink into a pen. They are typically either twist or push-operated. These pens cannot accept cartridges or a converter, and only fill from bottled ink.
  • Vacuum - A push-style piston that uses pressure to fill the large pen body with ink. They seal the ink chamber when closed, making it ideal for flying without risk of leaking. Check out our video on how to use a vac filler here.

Check out more info on these filling mechanisms including a video on how to fill each one on our blog.

How do I clean a fountain pen? 8EDA1617-F73A-4DAF-8245-6D2BF4ABEB7B

It depends on the filling mechanism, but it mostly comes down to flushing it out with water, and sometimes a little bit of Pen Flush if the ink is really stuck. 

It's a bit easier to show than to tell, so we've put together a few quick videos showing you the process:

How often do I need to clean my fountain pen? 8EDA1617-F73A-4DAF-8245-6D2BF4ABEB7B

We recommend a good cleaning every 2 weeks, and any time you change ink colors. 

Water will usually do the trick, but we recommend you use our Goulet Pen Flush if the ink has been left in the pen for a while and could have dried up, or when you’re switching ink colors.

My pen won’t write! What do I do? 8EDA1617-F73A-4DAF-8245-6D2BF4ABEB7B

First things first... make sure you have ink in the pen! Be sure that the ink cartridge or converter is seated properly in the pen, and that you aren't out of ink.

We always recommend you give your pen a good cleaning first, using our Goulet Pen Flush, or a drop of dish soap in some water. New pens often have some machining oil residue left in the feed, so a good cleaning often does the trick first.

If that still doesn't work, try priming the feed. This consists of either dipping your pen nib and feed in ink, or forcing ink from the converter down into the feed. 

If it’s still not working after that, please reach out to us so we can help! 

What's your return policy? 8EDA1617-F73A-4DAF-8245-6D2BF4ABEB7B

You can submit a return request within 30 days of your order date. You can read all our Return Policies here.

To initiate a return, please submit a request at the Return Portal. Our Customer Care team might reach out to you for more information.

Please note we are unable to accept a return of any Namiki or Sailor Bespoke fountain pen for any reason once it has been used with ink. Please thoroughly inspect and dry test the pen before use.