Bullock Flange Problems

[Benson Coleman]

One of my oblique pen holders uses a bullock flange and recently I've noticed that it's not holding the nibs as firmly as it used to. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to fix this?

After close examination it appears as if there's more space in-between the slots on the front end of the flange as opposed to the back end (maybe caused by using too much pressure when wiping ink off the nib). Using my fingers, I pushed the front end down while lifting the back end up to try to even them out which seemed to help a bit but it's still not back to what it used to be. Since I don't know what I'm doing I'm worried I might accidentally apply too much pressure and break the flange or its anchor point in the wood.

Normally, I would send it back to the person who made it to be repaired but I have a spencerian class starting soon and this pen is the only one I have that can hold the nibs required for the course and I don't think I'd get it back in time if I sent it out for repairs.

Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

[darrin1200]

Good morning Benson.

If I understand your problem, the front of the flange that you push the nib into, has spread apart slightly, allowing the nib to wiggle a little bit. If that is the case, you can tighten it by squeezing it VERY VERY lightly with a pair of small round nose/needle nose pliers. I would recomend putting something round, like a 1/8 or 3/16 dowel, into the curve on the bottom of the flang.  This will prevent the pliers from deforming the flange. You should also cover the jaws of the pliers with a couple of layers of tape to prevent scratching the brass.
With the dowel in place squeeze the front of the flange very lightly, then try your nib. If it is still loose, repeat. If you squeeze a little to hard, don't panic, you can separate it slightly by forcing a nib into it. I use an old nib for this.

If you can, I highly recomend Christopher Yokes nib pliers for doing this work. They are also usefu,l if you decide to get a Zanarian flange, to make your own flanges.

If you have any questions, let me know.

Darrin

https://www.yokepencompany.com/collections/accessories/products/pliers

[Benson Coleman]

Good morning Benson.

If I understand your problem, the front of the flange that you push the nib into, has spread apart slightly, allowing the nib to wiggle a little bit. If that is the case, you can tighten it by squeezing it VERY VERY lightly with a pair of small round nose/needle nose pliers. I would recomend putting something round, like a 1/8 or 3/16 dowel, into the curve on the bottom of the flang.  This will prevent the pliers from deforming the flange. You should also cover the jaws of the pliers with a couple of layers of tape to prevent scratching the brass.
With the dowel in place squeeze the front of the flange very lightly, then try your nib. If it is still loose, repeat. If you squeeze a little to hard, don't panic, you can separate it slightly by forcing a nib into it. I use an old nib for this.

If you can, I highly recomend Christopher Yokes nib pliers for doing this work. They are also usefu,l if you decide to get a Zanarian flange, to make your own flanges.

If you have any questions, let me know.

Darrin

https://www.yokepencompany.com/collections/accessories/products/pliers

Awesome! Thank you so much. I'll give this a try when I get back in to town.