{"id":12457,"date":"2024-01-17T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-17T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/?p=12457"},"modified":"2024-01-16T07:58:53","modified_gmt":"2024-01-16T12:58:53","slug":"a-bock-mystery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/a-bock-mystery\/","title":{"rendered":"A Bock Mystery"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Last week, I posted on Instagram<\/a>, sharing an interesting situation. The Kawari-Nuri and Nashiji Nuri pen<\/a> I own from Tamenuri Studio<\/a> takes Bock #6 nibs. For this particular use of it, I decided to put the new cat-engraved nib from Shibui North<\/a> into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, to my surprise, it didn’t fit! Both nibs are Bock #6, with no sign of damage to the housings. And there started the mystery I have found myself enmeshed in now. Why didn’t both nibs fit? And, when I tried a couple other nibs, why didn’t they fit?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because I shared this on Instagram, I felt it was worth following up. And, the amount of feedback I received and the research I did means it needs more than an Instagram post to cover everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CAVEAT:<\/strong> I am not<\/em> an expert on Bock nibs, nib housings, or even nibs in general. I’m only sharing information I gathered after posting about an issue I came across last week. I have done my best to not make any hard claims, as I really can’t say what’s going on here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Feedback<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

My Instagram post got more comments than I expected. While many were along the lines of, I need to check my nibs<\/em> or oh no<\/em>, I did get quite a few comments from makers. I shortened some of the comments below to share the salient points. Please see my post<\/a> to read the full comment threads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Loft Pens<\/strong><\/a>: Oh wow, I thought I was going crazy or my material was dodgy as at at some point the nibs just became tighter and tighter to put in<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Butter Knife Creations<\/strong><\/a>: The tapco tap has changed! Which is and was weird so you need to adjust the depth of the cut for the tap itself. Bock housing are good I believe… I bought a new tap about 6 months ago… My old tap was 6ish years old.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Hinze Pen Co<\/strong><\/a>: Hey y’all… The housings have not changed, some of the tooling out in the wild do not cut the threads to the same depth, and that’s the crux of the issue… If [the nib] was forced into a smaller housing (thread) and removed multiple times, wear will dull.thr thread crests allowing it to.fit more places. The material of the section can also introduce wear (metal vs. Plastic, and then various plastic polymers. The housings have not changed<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was this last comment thread that really got me thinking. I’d only tried a few nibs in a single pen. To me, that was hardly enough to claim there was a problem with the pen. Although, I must also admit that I was precipitate in declaring a problem with Bock housings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Time for Data!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Data hoarder that I am, I needed data. So, I took twelve measurements from seven different housings. I also tried those seven housings in four different pens. While still not enough data to determine what was wrong, it was better than what I had previously. But, the results were… unexpected to say the least. I suggest you look through the data tables to see for yourself, but, you can also jump down to my thoughts<\/a> if you prefer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Measurement Locations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I attempted to measure everything I could think of that might<\/em> make a difference to how a housing fits in a section. I used the same, admittedly inexpensive, caliper for every measurement. In case my location descriptions don’t make sense to you, I’ve also provided a lovely technical drawing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Diameter under the top lip<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Diameter under the indents<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Diameter directly under the step down<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Diameter of the threads<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Diameter of the step down under the threads<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. Height of the housing, including the “nub” at the bottom<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  7. Height of the housing, without the “nub”<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  8. Height of the upper section of the housing, before the first step down<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  9. Height of the lower section of the housing, from first step down to base, not including the “nub”<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  10. Height from the first step down to the threads<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  11. Height of the threads<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  12. Height of the smooth portion directly under the threads<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n
    \n
    \"vector<\/a>
    Click the image to view full size if you have any trouble reading the numbers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

    Housing Measurements<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    I took each of the measurements listed above for each housing. I used the widest variety of housings possible given my and Jim’s collections. But, both of us have collections that favor Jowo nibs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • Housing 1: Nib and housing that came with the Tamenuri Studio pen in question, purchased in September 2021<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Housing 2: Nib and housing that came with a pen purchased in June 2021<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Housing 3: Ebonite housing Jim had that is a few years old<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Housing 4: Clear plastic housing Jim had that is a few years old. * Because this housing does not have a step down, I took measurement 3 directly above the threads, and measurement 8 is the length from the top lip to the threads.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Housing 5: Oblique nib and housing purchased in November 2022<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Housing 6: Kitty nib and housing purchased in November 2023<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Housing 7: New nib and housing that came with a pen purchased in December 2023<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
      Msmt.<\/th>Housing 1<\/th>Housing 2<\/th>Housing 3<\/th>Housing 4*<\/th>Housing 5<\/th>Housing 6<\/th>Housing 7<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
      1<\/td>7.9mm<\/td>7.9mm<\/td>7.8mm f2b
      7.9mm s2s<\/td>      		7.8mm f2b
      7.9mm s2s<\/td>      		7.7mm f2b
      8.0mm s2s<\/td>      		7.9mm<\/td>7.9mm<\/td><\/tr>
      2<\/td>7.9mm f2b1<\/sup>
      7.8mm s2s2<\/sup><\/td>      		7.9mm f2b
      7.8mm s2s<\/td>      		7.8mm<\/td>No step down<\/td>7.9mm f2b
      7.8mm s2s<\/td>      		7.9mm f2b
      7.8mm s2s<\/td>      		7.9mm<\/td><\/tr>
      3<\/td>7.4mm f2b
      7.3mm s2s<\/td>      		7.3mm<\/td>7.2mm<\/td>7.8mm f2b
      7.7mm s2s<\/td>      		7.4mm f2b
      7.3mm s2s<\/td>      		7.4mm f2b
      7.3mm s2s<\/td>      		7.4mm f2b
      7.3mm s2s<\/td><\/tr>
      4<\/td>7.7mm<\/td>7.8mm f2b
      7.7mm s2s<\/td>      		7.7mm<\/td>7.8mm f2b
      7.7mm s2s<\/td>      		7.7mm<\/td>7.7mm<\/td>7.7mm<\/td><\/tr>
      5<\/td>6.6mm f2b
      6.5mm s2s<\/td>      		6.6mm<\/td>6.6mm<\/td>6.7mm f2b
      6.6mm s2s<\/td>      		6.6mm f2b
      6.5mm s2s<\/td>      		6.6mm f2b
      6.5mm s2s<\/td>      		6.6mm<\/td><\/tr>
      6<\/td>24.4mm<\/td>24.7mm<\/td>23.5mm<\/td>24.2mm<\/td>24.8mm<\/td>24.4mm<\/td>24.7mm<\/td><\/tr>
      7<\/td>22.2mm<\/td>22.1mm<\/td>21.9mm<\/td>21.9mm<\/td>22.1mm<\/td>22mm<\/td>22.1mm<\/td><\/tr>
      8<\/td>13.2mm<\/td>13.2mm<\/td>12.6mm<\/td>17.5mm<\/td>13.2mm<\/td>13.2mm<\/td>13.2mm<\/td><\/tr>
      9<\/td>9.0mm<\/td>8.9mm<\/td>9.4mm<\/td>– –<\/td>9.0m<\/td>9.0mm<\/td>9.0mm<\/td><\/tr>
      10<\/td>5.0mm<\/td>5.0mm<\/td>5.4mm<\/td>– –<\/td>5.0mm<\/td>5.0mm<\/td>5.0mm<\/td><\/tr>
      11<\/td>2.8mm<\/td>2.9mm<\/td>3.0mm<\/td>4.0mm<\/td>3.0mm<\/td>2.8mm<\/td>2.8mm<\/td><\/tr>
      12<\/td>~1.0mm<\/td>~1.0mm<\/td>~1.0mm<\/td>~0.6mm<\/td>~1.0mm<\/td>~1.0mm<\/td>~1.0mm<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>
      1. Front to Back (f2b). 2. Side to side (s2s)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      Housing Fit<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      Having measured all of the housings, I tried them all in various pens Jim and I have that take Bock nibs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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      • Pen 1: Tamenuri Studio, purchased September 2021<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Pen 2: Karas Kustoms, purchased before 2020<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Pen 3: Chicago Pen Co, purchased June 2021<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Pen 4: Den’s Pens, purchased October 2023<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
        Housing<\/th>Fits in Pen 1<\/th>Fits in Pen 2<\/th>Fits in Pen 3<\/th>Fits in Pen 4<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
        1<\/td>Yes<\/td>Yes<\/td>Yes<\/td>Yes<\/td><\/tr>
        2<\/td>No<\/td>Yes<\/td>Yes<\/td>Yes, but slightly tight<\/td><\/tr>
        3<\/td>Yes<\/td>Yes<\/td>Yes<\/td>Yes<\/td><\/tr>
        4<\/td>No<\/td>Yes<\/td>Yes<\/td>No<\/td><\/tr>
        5<\/td>No<\/td>Yes, but tight<\/td>Yes<\/td>Yes, but tight<\/td><\/tr>
        6<\/td>No<\/td>Yes<\/td>Yes<\/td>Yes, but tight<\/td><\/tr>
        7<\/td>No<\/td>Yes<\/td>Yes<\/td>yes, but tight<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

        360\u00b0 Views<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

        Because it was mentioned that maybe the housing had been forced into the pen, I decided to take close up videos of each housing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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