on saleNoodler's Nib Creaper Flex Fountain Pen - Hudson Bay Fathom's Blue

Product Code N17042

In Stock

out of stock

on saleNoodler's Nib Creaper Flex Fountain Pen - Hudson Bay Fathom's Blue

Product Code N17042

In Stock

out of stock

$18.50
ENHANCEMENT OPTIONS

This translucent turquoise blue demonstrator 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!

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
Blue
Demonstrator

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

Yes
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 19 reviews
53%
(10)
26%
(5)
5%
(1)
0%
(0)
16%
(3)
C
Cyrus W.
Fun for the Price...

The Creaper's flexible nib is definitely fun-- and, for the price, there's not much like it (besides Noodler's other flex-nib pens). However, the pen has so many *annoying* aspects that, for the most part I'd simply rather use an italic-nib pen or dip pen!
My main gripes are pressure and build-design. To get thick lines, the Creaper takes a lot more pressure than is necessarily comfortable-- and barely puts down ink (if any) at its lowest pressure. This might not be as much of an issue with an extremely wet inks, but has been an annoyance for most of the inks I've tried. This is the first fountain pen I've used that gives me MORE hand-cramps than my old go-to uniball gel pens.
The pen design also has a few annoying aspects. While the built-in piston-fill is nice for ink capacity, if you post your cap and aren't extra mindful, you're liable to end up with hands covered in ink from accidentally twisting the piston... The cap itself is also a bit of a nuisance; its metal-clip is held on by a small plastic twist on the tip-- which is very very easy to accidentally unscrew while you're trying to uncap your pen. This fortunately doesn't impact the function at all-- but I find it extremely irritating.

In spite of the annoyances, I do still occasionally use the pen. It can be fun for line-art and doesn't require constant re-dipping, and is far more transportable than a dip pen. There just aren't very many fountain pens with THIS much flex-- and certainly not at this price point. With that said, an italic / stub-nib can also give you plenty of line variance, WITHOUT the hand strain-- and a dip nib can give you WAY more flex, ALSO without the hand strain....

C
Craig
Pocket Perfection

Love these pens!! I have two of them; one filled with Noodler's Red and the other with deluted Bay State Blue ink. Fits perfectly in my shirt pockets and is very comfortable to use. I highly recommend these pens!

J
Janet L.
Creaper a bad experience

Looking for a variable line pen, I tried the Creaper. Actually put it in the trash. The converter fill was difficult to turn, plastic sticking at every turn. After following the recommendation of flushing and then heat setting it still produced a cloggy flow. Even putting it down for a couple hours resulted in the ink flow being clogged, requiring work to open the nib. For me, it's not even worth it's inexpensive price.

D
D. S.
A nice beginner's flex pen +tip for converting to non-flex

These are lovely little flex pens, I own two and might get more. People complain about the vegital cellulose pens smells, but every noodlers pen I've gotten have had a nice sweet smell, sort of like store bought white cake. Also, if you want to convert these pens to a non-flex the nib and feed from a Noodler's Charlie pen (previously also called an eyedropper creeper) fits perfectly, but remember to heat set the ebonite! Personally I heat set my nibs atleast 3 times whenever I disassemble them for cleaning. The charlie pen comes free with the 4.5 Oz bottlers of Noodler's inks. I won't say the owner of Noodler's or Goulet recommend this, however, they are your pens, use at your own discretion! The pens are a bit on the thin side for my hands but I still love them. Only swapped the nibs a couple of times for the non-flex mod.

A
Anonymous
Nice pen.

So far so good, but I would probably prefer a wider nib to get more flex. The screw piston was a bit loose and spilled some ink on my hand when I put the cap on it. Otherwise, it is a good pen. I missed getting my lollipop and sticker in the delivery!

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.