Jinhao nib and Victor Machine

[Penultimate]

Greetings
I'm a cheap guy so I don't like to spend a lot on nib units. $20 for a bock/Jowo is a little steep for my hobby so I keep looking for deals. I was buying Schmidt nibs from Milan's pen but the website appears to be shut down. I found cheap Jinhao #5 nibs online for about $4 apiece. I thought it was worth a try and figure out how to make them work.

When I received them and they appear OK. The thread measured about 0.245 with 36 tpi. I bought a tap and die from Victoria Machinery. I got them today and drilled a #2 drill hole and tapped a piece of scrap. The first couple threads started. So I rethreaded the nub unit with the die and it worked perfectly. The pitch was good just not the thread depth.

If you are looking for some inexpensive nibs for experimenting or just starting out this could be an option. Not sure how they write.

I like to buy stuff from Victor Machine, they have lots of stuff and the prices are good. However, I was disappointed with my purchase. The tap had a lot of gunk in it. I thought it was used. A 5C collet also didn't look like my other collets. It was black oxides with a big bare spot on it.

Just kinda disappointed has anyone else had issues?

Thanks.

 

[duncsuss]

I've bought a lot of stuff from Victor Machine and have never had a problem - but it's been a while since my last purchase so I don't know how things are now.

I've found that Jinhao nibs are mostly okay. Sometimes they need more tuning/smoothing than JoWo and Bock (which typically arrive in great condition and don't really need more tuning - I do it anyway if it's a sale.)

 

[hooked]

I buy from Victor and just recently got some drill bits, and a couple of them were pretty wobbly. I have never had a problem with the taps and dies from them.

I don't know if this will help you, but I saw this list on Facebook a while back showing the different thread sizes for a few different nib brands:


Bock #5 - m6.4 x 0.6 D2
Jowo #5 - m6.5 x 0.5
Hongdian #5 - m6.5 x 1.0
Jinhao #5 - m6.5 x 0.7

Bock #6 - m7.9 x 0.6 D20
Jowo #6 - m7.5 x 0.5
Majohn #6 - m8 x .06 / m7.75 x .6
Hongdian #6 - m7.5 x 1.0
Jinhao #6 - m8 x 1.0
Schmidt #6 (FH452) - m6.5 x 0.5

Bock #8 - m10 x 0.5
Jowo #8 - m9.4 x 0.5
Magna Carta #8 - m10 x 0.5
Hongdian #8 - m9 x 1.0
Jinhao #8 - m10 x 1.0 / Convertor m10 x 0.7
Wing Sung #8 - m8 x 0.5

 

[darrin1200]

The only issue I see with chasing the thread on the nib, is if the person who buys the pen wants to change the nib. If the buy a replacement Jinhao nib, it won't fit their section.
It's one of the reasons that the Jowo#6 is so popular. There are a lot of users with multiple pens as well as multiple nibs, including custom ground nibs. These often get interchanged between ink fills.

I don't know the thread of the Jinhao, but I would have suspected it to be a metric thread. Perhaps 6x.7mm.
Just a thought.

 

[d_bondi]

The only issue I see with chasing the thread on the nib, is if the person who buys the pen wants to change the nib. If the buy a replacement Jinhao nib, it won't fit their section.
It's one of the reasons that the Jowo#6 is so popular. There are a lot of users with multiple pens as well as multiple nibs, including custom ground nibs. These often get interchanged between ink fills.

I don't know the thread of the Jinhao, but I would have suspected it to be a metric thread. Perhaps 6x.7mm.
Just a thought.

THIS, Exactly 100%. Customers want a standard. I don't know how many pens you sell, but if you are willing to buy nibs in bulk you can get them for much less than $20 each.

 

[Penultimate]

I've bought a lot of stuff from Victor Machine and have never had a problem - but it's been a while since my last purchase so I don't know how things are now.

I've found that Jinhao nibs are mostly okay. Sometimes they need more tuning/smoothing than JoWo and Bock (which typically arrive in great condition and don't really need more tuning - I do it anyway if it's a sale.)

hi Duncan,
Thanks for the info on the Jinhao tuning. That will be good practice.

 

[Penultimate]

I buy from Victor and just recently got some drill bits, and a couple of them were pretty wobbly. I have never had a problem with the taps and dies from them.

I don't know if this will help you, but I saw this list on Facebook a while back showing the different thread sizes for a few different nib brands:


Bock #5 - m6.4 x 0.6 D2
Jowo #5 - m6.5 x 0.5
Hongdian #5 - m6.5 x 1.0
Jinhao #5 - m6.5 x 0.7

Bock #6 - m7.9 x 0.6 D20
Jowo #6 - m7.5 x 0.5
Majohn #6 - m8 x .06 / m7.75 x .6
Hongdian #6 - m7.5 x 1.0
Jinhao #6 - m8 x 1.0
Schmidt #6 (FH452) - m6.5 x 0.5

Bock #8 - m10 x 0.5
Jowo #8 - m9.4 x 0.5
Magna Carta #8 - m10 x 0.5
Hongdian #8 - m9 x 1.0
Jinhao #8 - m10 x 1.0 / Convertor m10 x 0.7
Wing Sung #8 - m8 x 0.5

Hi Mark
Thanks for the list. That's most comprehensive list I've seen. The 6.5 x 0.7 (0.255 - 36.28) is very close to 1/4-36.

 

[Penultimate]

The only issue I see with chasing the thread on the nib, is if the person who buys the pen wants to change the nib. If the buy a replacement Jinhao nib, it won't fit their section.
It's one of the reasons that the Jowo#6 is so popular. There are a lot of users with multiple pens as well as multiple nibs, including custom ground nibs. These often get interchanged between ink fills.

I don't know the thread of the Jinhao, but I would have suspected it to be a metric thread. Perhaps 6x.7mm.
Just a thought.

Hi Darrin
These nibs are just for me. I wouldn't change a thread for a customer.
I should have tried a metric tap instead, but it worked ok.

 

[Penultimate]

THIS, Exactly 100%. Customers want a standard. I don't know how many pens you sell, but if you are willing to buy nibs in bulk you can get them for much less than $20 each.

Hi David
I don't sell pens, I don't think my work is on par with people who sell pens and I'm experimenting with filling systems.
If I was going to sell pens then I would stick with well known brands like Bock and Jowo. It's best for the customer.

 

[Scriptitans]

Hi Mike,
I'm also experimenting with nib blocks and filling systems, and the Jinhao 9016 seems like an interesting compromise. It has a #6 Jinhao nib block, as well as a large-capacity Jinhao 9019 converter. I can fit #6 Kanwrite, FPR, and even vintage dip pen nibs (currently a very flexible Leonardt 505 EF). To improve the flow of the flexible nibs, I hollow out the back of the nib block. Since the converter is screwed on, I don't have any leakage problems.

 

[Penultimate]

Hi Mike,
I'm also experimenting with nib blocks and filling systems, and the Jinhao 9016 seems like an interesting compromise. It has a #6 Jinhao nib block, as well as a large-capacity Jinhao 9019 converter. I can fit #6 Kanwrite, FPR, and even vintage dip pen nibs (currently a very flexible Leonardt 505 EF). To improve the flow of the flexible nibs, I hollow out the back of the nib block. Since the converter is screwed on, I don't have any leakage problems.

Hi Andre,
Do you use the Jinhao pen or wrap your design around it?

 

[Scriptitans]

Hi Andre,
Do you use the Jinhao pen or wrap your design around it?

Hi Mike,
I use them, but with different nibs than the original ones. I love flexible nibs, so that's why I had to adapt pens, because commercial pens are really expensive, too expensive for someone like me who claims to be an Arte Povera artist, only collecting for the possible differences in writing.
Currently, I'm using these pens to contribute to Inktober on sites in the US. However, the pens used in the sketches are visible on my blog, in the Inktober section, which itself links to the fpgeeks site via the title links.
If this is helpful to you:

Inktober52 2025 - Contributions à l'Inktober52 de 2025 (en ligne sur Fpgeeks et/ou DeviantArt)

Scriptitans Calligrafia d’Arte Povera Calligraphie d’Art Pauvre Stylos-plumes ; aménagés ; customisation ;

scriptitans.blogspot.com

(Translated by Google)

 

[duncsuss]

hi Duncan,
Thanks for the info on the Jinhao tuning. That will be good practice.

Mike - for "nothing but practice" I bought a pack of 5 noname Chinese pens for $12, intending to throw them away if they never became usable. I use them daily. I load them with ink colors that might clog my regular pen, which I made from blue Parker Marble (sometimes called "crushed velvet"). That has a JoWo nib which writes beautifully - the two cheap ones are not quite as good and I might try improving them but they are good enough for making red and green highlights in my notebook.

 

[Penultimate]

Hi Mike,
I use them, but with different nibs than the original ones. I love flexible nibs, so that's why I had to adapt pens, because commercial pens are really expensive, too expensive for someone like me who claims to be an Arte Povera artist, only collecting for the possible differences in writing.
Currently, I'm using these pens to contribute to Inktober on sites in the US. However, the pens used in the sketches are visible on my blog, in the Inktober section, which itself links to the fpgeeks site via the title links.
If this is helpful to you:

Inktober52 2025 - Contributions à l'Inktober52 de 2025 (en ligne sur Fpgeeks et/ou DeviantArt)

Scriptitans Calligrafia d’Arte Povera Calligraphie d’Art Pauvre Stylos-plumes ; aménagés ; customisation ;

scriptitans.blogspot.com

(Translated by Google)

I like your calligraphy. I'm trying to get back into it.