New Vanishing Point: Slightly Rotated Nib

[crunchmaster]

Today I received my first Vanishing Point, a matte black with F nib. It's amazing, wonderful, etc. I've wanted one for a long time, and it's even better than I imagined. It writes beautifully and oozes quality.

 

However, when I look into its "mouth", I can see that the hatch is rotated a few degrees away from being aligned with the clip, and when I extend the nib, it is too. Looking down at the top of the pen while writing, it's rotated slightly to the right--or if looking down the axis at the mouth, it's rotated slightly counterclockwise.

 

Is this normal? If not, can I fix it myself? I suppose if I could rotate the clip/cap/mouth slightly, I could align it with the nib. Is that possible? Or is it possible--or wise--to disassemble the section and realign the mechanism with the mouth?

 

Thanks for any wisdom.

[Maccabee64]

The two VPs I have are the same way. It annoyed me at first but I have learned to live with it.

[kernando]

The Capless/VP nibs are keyed to the body (the clip and door end of the body, as in not the button end) with that nub on the unit and the slot in the body. That's how I would look at it, with everything else relative to the slot and the nib/feed/ink unit.

[crunchmaster]

The Capless/VP nibs are keyed to the body (the clip and door end of the body, as in not the button end) with that nub on the unit and the slot in the body. That's how I would look at it, with everything else relative to the slot and the nib/feed/ink unit.

I'm not sure what you mean. The problem is that the slot is not aligned with the nib/feed/ink unit.

[peelsreveni]

I had this with the blue kasuri model I bought recently. It turned out the angle of mine was causing my pen to skip on upstrokes. I've seen multiple instances where they are ever so slightly off. I would say if it doesn't effect your writing (as it did mine) then to ignore it, if it is then see about returning or swapping nibs I exchanged mine and the second was much much better. As for fixing it yourself, I'm not sure there is a way but maybe others have more insight.

[kernando]

Still too many variables for us to keep track of. The slot and the nib are aligned unless the nib/feed and the key are misaligned with respect to each other.

 

So say the clip, door, and the slot are all lined up. How is the nib unit? Just look at the nib and nub head on.

[crunchmaster]

Still too many variables for us to keep track of. The slot and the nib are aligned unless the nib/feed and the key are misaligned with respect to each other.

 

So say the clip, door, and the slot are all lined up. How is the nib unit? Just look at the nib and nub head on.

 

Ok, I think there is some confusion regarding the terms.

 

Door/hatch = the hinged flap that opens when you push the button

Slot = the gap in the threads that the bump on the nib assembly goes in so that the nib lines up with the hatch

Mouth = the opening at the front of the pen that the nib extends through

Clip = well, you know...

 

The nib is aligned with the nub

The nub is aligned with the slot

The slot is aligned with the hatch

 

The mouth is aligned with the clip

 

The hatch is not aligned with the mouth

The hatch is not aligned with the clip

 

Therefore the nib is not aligned with the clip. And since the clip is immobile and requires one to grip around it, it makes the nib slightly off when writing.

 

Can I fix this or do I have to return it?

Edited October 20, 2012 by crunchmaster

[kernando]

Did anybody drop the pen? The spring that closes the flap seems more delicate than the other parts. Or maybe it's the hinge.

 

You can see the door misaligned? I always just think of it as going down out of the way, within the the nose cone, where I wouldn't be able to see it. And since it's the feed and nib that push the door down, I wouldn't have thought the door could rotate the nib. And I wish there weren't enough play for that to happen.

 

If it's from a store, take it back? If it's by mail, e-mail some pictures until they send a label to send it back?

[crunchmaster]

No, it is brand new, just out of the box. There's no damage.

 

I can see that the hinge along the bottom of the door, which is flat and in a straight line, does not line up with the bottom of the mouth. And the nib is at the same angle. And the slot in the threads is also at that same offset angle. It seems like either the entire internal mechanism is misaligned, or the cap with the clip is misaligned.

 

I would post pictures here but I found it impossible to get a photo of it. It's either too dark or out of focus. The pen is black, after all, and the part that needs to be focused on is inside the mouth.

[Dillo]

Hi,

 

I think you should be able to ask Pilot if there is something they can do about it. I haven't seen many of these pens that have misalignment, and all of mine are perfectly aligned.

 

Dillon

[watch_art]

I had this with one of mine once - and there's a way to adjust it - but I can't remember for the life of me. I'll look at some pics and try to get back...

[watch_art]

bah - can't find it and can't remember what I did. Sorry...

[crunchmaster]

Thanks anyway.

[doggonecarl]

I had the same issue with my first VP, not so much with the nib as with the spring-operated hatch. Drove me crazy for a while, but the pen writes wonderfully. So if it's a flaw, it's one I have to live with.

 

I did buy a second VP and it opens and closes on the same axis as the clip.

[crunchmaster]

Thanks for your input.

[DanF]

I have a VP with the same problem. The nib is slightly rotated to the left (looking with the nib pointing at my eye). It still writes, but I wonder if it's as smooth as it could be, given that the clip makes me present the nib slightly canted, so that the right side gets more of the paper than the left. I use a tripod grip.

 

Dan

[physics.fun]

Hi all -

 

Sorry for resurrecting an old thread, but I recently purchased a VP and have noticed the same issue. I'm wondering what actions people took from this thread, if any. Did you send the pen back? Fix it yourself?

 

I've attached a picture for reference...the door inside the mouth is approximately aligned with the nib, which you can see is rotated counter-clockwise from the ideal position. I also notice that because more of the side of the nib and feed rub the door and mouth opening as the nib "clicks out", there seems to be more ink deposited on the inner mouth and on the feed than I would have expected.

 

Advice is much appreciated!

[DanF]

Zac --- Mine looks just like yours, I guess that's how they are intended to be. I haven't done anything about it, I guess I roll it over as far as possible with the clip placement and call it good. It doesn't appear to bother anything. If I hold it up on the lacquer part of the body instead of down on the chrome, it opens up the gap between my thumb and first finger, so there is more room to position the clip.

 

Because it's so heavy, I don't really use it for any long sessions, but it sure is handy for quick use at work or out and about, so I often have it with me. I find that in general, and particularly with this pen, that it goes better when my hand is fully relaxed when writing. Not sure if it's the extra weight or extra girth that sets this one apart from most of the others as far as comfort for long term use.

 

Dan

[hari317]

I think the examples in this thread are cases of slight sloppiness when gluing the outer cover/hood to the body. The hood has just the job of carrying the clip and shrouding the hatch and spring mechanism. Perhaps one can unglue the hood and reglue it with correct alignment.

[watch_art]

Maybe also sloppiness with putting the nib unit together?

The key on the nib unit needs to be lined up with the top of the nib I'd think, for proper alignment - but it could just be a case of poorly glued on hood.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/170944-broken-vanishing-point/?p=1736999