How Do You Nib Swap? Optimizing Your Writing Experience

You’ve probably heard about people swapping nibs in their pens, but maybe you’re nervous about doing it yourself. I get it! 

My grandma always said I was “a twiggler” and I’ve always been about taking things apart and putting them back together. Sometimes that goes well, but likely only because I’ve messed up plenty of times. So, how about we help you skip some of the messing-up stage and go right to the getting-it-right phase? 

This article is going to focus on the types of nib swaps that you might look at, and how to do it safely, or how to avoid taking on more than you want to.

Why swap nibs in the first place?

There are lots of reasons to consider swapping your fountain pen nibs. Sometimes we just want to use the same pen but with a nib of a different tipping size to suit an ink or a writing style. Other times we might get a nice custom grind on a nib and want to use it in different pens. Maybe we just want to save some money. The nib makes a big difference in our writing experience, and it’s less expensive to buy different nibs than it is to buy a bunch of different pens. Some makers will even let you buy a pen without a nib at a lower cost. Perhaps it’s just a space issue, and it’s easier to have a drawer full of nibs than an equivalent number of pens. 

Swapping nibs is often simple, but there are lots of different types of nib swaps, and there are some things to be aware of before we get started.

Cautions!

Before you start pulling and twisting, let’s make sure you know what you’re getting into. You’re messing with one of the most fundamental parts of your pen, and there is certainly a danger that you could damage your writing instruments. 

You’re running a risk of a broken feed from pulling or twisting materials that can be fragile. You could also twist or bend your nib while trying to take it out of the pen or put it back in. You might damage something while reassembling, too. Sometimes if you set the nib wrong you might end up twisting the tines when you try to cap the pen. 

There are some risks. You can manage those risks, lower them, and avoid biting off more than you can chew. That’s what this article is for.

Types of Nib Swaps

The Easy Swaps

Some pens have a standard nib unit than can be unscrewed and swapped without much fuss. The pens from smaller makers like Carolina Pen Co, Mayfair, Karas Pen Co, or even Franklin-Christoph use nib units from makers like Bock or JoWo. These come in a couple of standard sizes and, as long as you are using the same size & brand, they are easily interchangeable. This is also true of pens from larger brands like Esterbrook, Pelikan, some Kawecos, and the larger TWSBI pens like the 580 and 700. It can be helpful to search for blogs or YouTube videos for more information about whether a pen’s nib can be swapped.

The standard setup for this kind of nib unit has three pieces: a metal nib, a plastic or ebonite feed, and a plastic collar that those two parts fit inside. That collar then screws into the grip section of your pen. 

To swap nibs in these pens you can simply unscrew the nib unit and replace it with a new one. To do so: 

1. Unscrew the grip section of your pen from the barrel and remove the converter from the section.
2. Put the pad of your thumb on the feed and the side of your pointer finger against the top of the nib. Grip gently but firmly.
3. Hold the grip section of the pen with your other hand. 
4. Gently twist the section clockwise. DON’T twist the nib/feed. 
   1. If it doesn’t move, scroll to the bottom for tips. Don’t force it.
5. Unscrew the nib unit, set it aside, and replace it with a different one of the same type by screwing it in until it’s finger-tight. Don’t force it.

The Less-Easy Swaps

Some pens do not use a nib unit, or they have a nib collar that is glued in place. This could be due to the way that the manufacturer makes the grip section or it could be done to ensure that the nib is always lined up in a particular way to match some element of the pen. In those cases, we call the nibs “friction fit.” The nib and the feed are just pressed into the grip section and cannot be unscrewed. They must be pulled.

Major brands with this arrangement include Platinum, Sailor, Pilot, and pens like the TWSBI Eco and Go.

This can be done safely, but it’s a little more advanced and there is more danger. The major danger is breaking a feed or mashing the fins on the bottom flat. Most of these companies don’t sell their nibs separately from their pens for this reason, so you’ll generally be swapping from one pen to another. It might even be easier to just swap the whole section into the pen you’d like to use that nib with. 

To Pull Nibs:

1. Take a picture of how the bottom of your nib and feed looks. Maybe even the top. (You’ll want this when you’re putting the nib back in.)
2. Grip the nib and feed by putting the pad of your thumb on the feed and the side of your pointer finger against the top of the nib. Grip gently but firmly.
3. Hold the pen with your other hand.
4. Pull straight out with gentle, steady pressure. 
5. If it doesn’t budge, pull a little harder. 
1. If it doesn’t move, scroll to the bottom for tips. Don’t force it.
6. Remove the nib and feed.

To Replace Nibs: 

1. Check to see if the housing or section you’re putting the nib/feed into is “keyed.”
1. A keyed section will have a flat side or a small rail which must be lined up with the bottom of the feed and (often) a slightly wider slot where the nib is meant to sit. You may need to shine a light into the hole to see these features. DO IT.
2. Failure to check this or to just cram a nib and feed in willy-nilly will damage your pen, feed, and/or nib. Do it every time. 
2. Once you’ve ascertained the correct alignment of the nib/feed, set your nib and feed appropriately, and grip them as described in the “Pulling” step 2. 
3. Gently insert the nib and feed together into the grip section of your pen. 
4. Press in until you feel resistance and your nib is set like it was before you swapped it out.

Tips & Tricks & Cautions & Advice

Look at how your nib is set before you pull it or twist it. Take a picture. Refer back to it. 

• This is especially important the first few times you mess with your nibs. It’s easy to twist a feed a little bit or to set it incorrectly when you replace the nib. A twisted feed will impact your ink flow and could lead to some hard starts. If you replace your nib and the feed is set too far back from the tipping you will get poor flow. If you replace it and the feed is too close to the tipping you’ll get way too much flow.

Use gentle pressure

• Always. 
• There’s no rush when you’re pulling nibs, and it’s better to go slowly and carefully than to ruin your pens. 
• Using gentle pressure and pulling steadily will keep you from flinging pen parts, breaking things, twisting things, and other mishaps. It’s okay to increase force, but do it smoothly and without jerking motions

Stuck nibs, feeds, and nib units

• Sometimes ink can dry in-between these parts and it will hold on like glue. 
• Generally, the fix for this is to soak the nib unit in some room temp water (maybe for a while). Overnight sometimes. Just a tiny drop of dish soap in the water can help in extreme situations. (I like Dawn)
• Don’t use hot water as it might warp things.
• It’s tempting to use hot water. Don’t. Do. It. 
• Don’t soak whole pens. That’s almost never a good idea. 
• Don’t soak whole sections unless you know the material can take that.
• Woods, ebonites, and some other materials do not like being soaked in water, and you’ll ruin them.
• If you can’t remove the nib unit or soak the whole section then:
• Rest your pen nib-down in a shot glass and fill the glass until just the nib is covered without covering the section. Leave it like that for a while. Maybe even overnight. 
• Use an eyedropper or syringe to put individual drops of water along the interface between the section and the housing. It will seep in and rehydrate the dried-up ink. 
• Remember, fountain pen ink is water based, and water is all it takes to act as a solvent and loosen it up. Don’t use chemicals unless you’re sure the materials of your pen can take it. 
• Materials like Ultem can take rubbing alcohol, but that same thing will discolor or even melt a Lamy Vista. Use care. 

It takes practice. 

Go slow. Use care. If you’re worried: STOP. Don’t continue, take it to a professional or just enjoy the nib you have.

Once you get the knack you’ll know it and you’ll have all sorts of nib options at your fingertips!

Get Eyes-On With The Nib Swapping Experience

With your newfound nib swapping knowledge, take a peek at some powerful visual aids on Goldspot's very own YouTube channel, where we host a number of choice brand nib swap tutorials to help guide you on your journey to

How To Swap A #6 Size Jowo Nib

How To Swap A LAMY Safari Fountain Pen Nib