Pilot Custom 742 Falcon Nib: Bad Railroading

[figosmum]

Dear flex experts,

 

I've had my Pilot Custom 742 Falcon flex nib for a year now, and it has bad railroading problems.

 

I thought they might get better overtime, but no.

 

The pen will write a few sentences nicely after having rested, but then, bad railroading starts; the problem comes up regardless of ink, even inks with good flow like Waterman or Diamine don't solve the problem.

 

I have never taken a pen apart, so if you have some tips regarding this, please bear in mind I'm not experienced but willing to try.

 

As I ordered the pen from overseas, I would hate to ship it back and forth and would prefer to solve the problem myself.

 

Edited to add: Problem occur regardless of writing speed, and even if I don't flex the nib very far.

 

Thanks for your input,

Katinka

Edited January 26, 2011 by figosmum

[Pippin60]

Can you describe what you mean by "railroading"? Do you mean it writes and then goes dry, with ink flow problems? If it was new then I would say it just needs a good flushing out in case there were any machining oils left from manufacture. I have the original Falcon and its a wet writer. Mine did have a scratchy nib and I had it fixed by a "nibmeister" and I could recommend several in the US but I can't see where you are from.

[figosmum]

Can you describe what you mean by "railroading"? Do you mean it writes and then goes dry, with ink flow problems? If it was new then I would say it just needs a good flushing out in case there were any machining oils left from manufacture. I have the original Falcon and its a wet writer. Mine did have a scratchy nib and I had it fixed by a "nibmeister" and I could recommend several in the US but I can't see where you are from.

 

When I start writing after it has sat for a while, it is nice and wet and produces wonderful shading. Then, on the downstrokes, it will start to increasingly only have the outside lines of a letter, but not fill the middle. Is that a somewhat helpful explanation?

 

I live in Switzerland, so a US nibmeister would probably be expensive in terms of shipping - they charge about 20 USD for a registered letter with a pen in it from here to the US... and I've never heard of a Swiss nibmeister...

[wordherder62]

 

I live in Switzerland, so a US nibmeister would probably be expensive in terms of shipping - they charge about 20 USD for a registered letter with a pen in it from here to the US... and I've never heard of a Swiss nibmeister...

 

You need to find a pen shop and see who does its repairs. The only way your pen can do what your describing--if I understand it correctly--is when the nib is flexed. Otherwise the tines remain together and the nib will keep its flow. I'm guessing you're flexing the nib and it's staying apart too long and not continuing to write. It's hard without seeing an example of what you're talking about but I think you're just outrunning the flow with the nib flexed. If you're not flexing it, this doesn't make sense because the tines should not spread apart more than a little bit.

 

Maybe if you could scan a sample of what you're talking about?

 

But I really think a shop somewhere in your country should have knowledge of a repair person.

 

Richard

[figosmum]

Here's a sample...

 

Anything I can do myself to fix this? I love flex pens, and this one continues to be one big disappointment...

[watch_art]

you need to search through my old threads. i've taken this exact pen apart and pretty much cured the problem. with normal writing it doesn't do it at all, unless i'm using a drier ink like some of my noodler's. but for the most part it's great. even when scribbling it's great.

 

i've got videos you can watch too.

pm me if you want and i'll send you a ton of links. by the way, taking this pen apart is a SNAP. easy as pie.

 

cheers

[watch_art]

[stevlight]

Watch-art is the king of falcon fixing!!

 

You need to fix the feed so more ink flows to the nib. Actually what I learned at the Philly pen show was you want more air to flow back into the pen---but I am confusing the issue.

[watch_art]

Exactly. More air in equals more ink out. I took the feed tube out and LOTS of air in, LOTS of ink out. My Noodler's Eel Blue, Antietam, and a couple other Noodler's still railroad a bit, but not bad. My MB inks do great. Pel blue black is nice I think. Uhmm... what other inks do I have??? I dunno. But with this pen, you just warm the section and nib in a cup of hot water, put it back on the barrel, grab the nib and feed, and PULL. Then you push out the little tube thingy. Simple as that. I've got pics posted in some of my older threads, but it takes me forever to dig em all up.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Could it be you sprung the nib?

I don't have any experience with springing nibs but it occurred to me.

[watch_art]

I don't know, Bo Bo. These things track pretty badly during normal use even with light flexing. They're really not meant for that. Pilot refuses to admit that it's a flexy nib, thus not taking any responsibility for it's uncool flowlessness.

[figosmum]

you need to search through my old threads. i've taken this exact pen apart and pretty much cured the problem. with normal writing it doesn't do it at all, unless i'm using a drier ink like some of my noodler's. but for the most part it's great. even when scribbling it's great.

 

i've got videos you can watch too.

pm me if you want and i'll send you a ton of links. by the way, taking this pen apart is a SNAP. easy as pie.

 

cheers

 

The nib is definitely not sprung; in fact, I have an old Waterman flex with a sprung nib, and it still writes excellently, much unlike the intact Pilot.

 

@ watch_art: That's a great offer, thanks - a video of someone fixing this thing was just what I was hoping for. I'll definitely PM you right after this post and then take that pen apart over the weekend.

 

Thanks everyone for your help!!! I'll let you know how it went.

[ehemem]

Are all Pilot falcon nibs/feeds the same? I have a fairly new 912 with a falcon nib which seems to have the kind of flow problems described here. Thought it was me, something I was doing that caused it.

[watch_art]

i'd guess same feeds.

[Ouroboros]

Finally,some light on the subject! I have a 912 with Falcon nib and I'm experiencing the exact same things. It writes fine for a while and then nothing. It's beautiful when it works, and nearly ends up thrown across the room when it decides to stop in mid word. I'll have to pull the breather out later today and update on the status post surgery.

[Ouroboros]

Ok, on the plus side no problem getting the nib off. On the downside, no love in removing the breather tube. I don't want to force it too much - is there a trick?

[Bruno Taut]

This is a very general problem in the size 10 Falcon nib Pilot (in Tokyo) is not willing to address.

 

The problem of fixing it the way Watch_Art does --removing the inner core of the feed-- is that any shacking of the pen delivers an uncontrolled drop of ink, most likely on the paper you are using to write.

 

Hacking the inner core or the feed slits is the way to go, but it is not for the faint-hearted.

 

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aQ69G8Wh9To/TJeVrHOH6CI/AAAAAAAAAwI/tybeZuZ8ISU/s1600/IMG_2713-red.jpg

 

Cheers,

 

Iosepus

[Bruno Taut]

Ok, on the plus side no problem getting the nib off. On the downside, no love in removing the breather tube. I don't want to force it too much - is there a trick?

 

Push with a pencil lead from the tip of the feeder towards the back of it. Never in the opposite direction.

 

To put it back, reverse the instruction: from the back towards the front.

 

Cheers,

 

Iosepus

[Ouroboros]

Thanks for all the help, I've got the breather out although I have to tell you it was wedged in VERY tight. I eventually had to use pliers (cringe) to pull it out as it was impossible to push it any further out. The pen seems better now, but it has a nasty habit of appearing okay, and then going right back to skipping and railroading (if I'm lucky) so I'll write with it for the day, see how it behaves, and update again.

 

I have to say, I wish I knew about the troubles before I bought it, there is nothing more frustrating than a pen that is beautiful when it works, but works so rarely. If it was (bleep) from the get go it wouldn't bother me so much.

[JustinJ]

I can not believe that Pilot will not address this issue. It seems like everyone is having problems with the pilot flex nibs railroading. Pilot should not sell them as flex nibs, if they will railroad so badly.

 

Does Pilot call these nibs soft instead of flex? Has anyone gotten a response from them on the railroading issues? I almost bought a Pilot 742 but was fortunate enough to come across some of the posts about railroading.