Stipula T-Flex Nib

November 7, 2011

I have Stipula Etruria De Architectura Gaudì Casa Milà pen with T-flex nib. I like writing with this flexible nib, but sometimes, it gives me a lot of troubles.

It rial drags some times. And it dries out some times.

For drying out, I was able to sort this out by using Montblanc cartridge converter. The spring inside the Montblanc CC assures that the ink will flow down and not get trapped by air bubble in the CC.

What I am not able to go around is the rail dragging.

Can anybody help me with this issue? Is there a way to adjust the neb and feeder to increase the ink flow?

Appreciate your support.

February 2, 2012

I have Stipula Etruria De Architectura Gaudì Casa Milà pen with T-flex nib. I like writing with this flexible nib, but sometimes, it gives me a lot of troubles.
It rial drags some times. And it dries out some times.
For drying out, I was able to sort this out by using Montblanc cartridge converter. The spring inside the Montblanc CC assures that the ink will flow down and not get trapped by air bubble in the CC.
What I am not able to go around is the rail dragging.
Can anybody help me with this issue? Is there a way to adjust the neb and feeder to increase the ink flow?
Appreciate your support.

Did you find a solution for your Etruria?

February 2, 2012

What I am not able to go around is the rail dragging.
Can anybody help me with this issue? Is there a way to adjust the neb and feeder to increase the ink flow?
Appreciate your support.

I had the same problem as well, and the only solution I could find is send the pen to a nibmeister; he re-set the nib and adjusted the flow and now I have no rail dragging whatsoever.

February 3, 2012

Same problem here, same solution as Korybas suggested.

What was done to my pen :

- enlarging a little the feed's ink conduit with a scalpel

- spreading the tines with the same scalpel (by inserting the blade perpendicularily between the tines)

- resetting the nib a tad further inside the section (by 1 or 2 mm)

Now my T works like a charm.

February 3, 2012

The first thing you need to do is flushing the pen with a soapy solution, up to 4 or 5 drops of dishwashing liquid, a neutral one, without additives (essentially the cheapest), in half a glass of cold water, stirred. Fill pen or converter (through the nib), squirt out in sink or other glass, and repeat this 4 or 5 times. This to remove any oily/greasy byproducts from the manufacturing process from the pen/nib/feed. These may cause skipping, and/or irregular ink flow.

If the pen foams a little, flush once only with some cold water.

Fill the pen with a well flowing, well lubricating ink the first time, preferably, an ink like Wtaterman BB, FB, SSB, or Violet (or a mix). This in order to prime the feed: it needs a good soaking with a simple ink, is my experience, before using an ink with a (relatively) high concentration of dyes.

You may indeed also have to increase ink flow by spreading the tines a little. Personally I prefer to use either a brass feeler gauge, a piece of thin, transparent sheet, or the finest (thinnest) mylar sheet (12000 grit or up).

Etruria told me they set the tines very tightly during the manufacturing process, because they found that the tines were spreading with use a little. I think it sounds like they do this to avoid problems caused by people only used to writing with BPs, who tend to press a little too hard in the beginning. Often, a 0.002" (or 0.05 mm) feeler gauge won't move between the tines; it should move freely for good ink flow.

One can achieve this also by putting the pen to paper as if one would start writing normally, lower the angle to about 45 degrees to the paper, and then press down fairly hard, but carefully, to make the tines spread a little, no more than 1 mm however, and draw a short line in vertical direction, i.e., towards oneself. Repeat that if necessary, but try in between attempts if that did the job already. This suggestion is from the horse's mouth, i.e., Etruria S.r.l. in this case.

BTW, I own both the C/C and the PF version of the Casa Mila, the former with T-Flex nib, the other with gold nib. In my case the above procedure was necessary for the PF filler. Incredibly beautiful resin, BTW. And the trim to match marvelously too.

HTH, warm regards, Wim

July 9, 2012

Wimg,

I had the same issue with a Vedo piston fill and converter fill pen, both had Italic nibs. I was about to send them off to a nibmeister after having given up on getting them to write well on my own. Luckily I looked one last time for suggestions. Your method worked great on both pens. Is this what happens with all the new Stipula pens? I haven't gotten one to write well out of the box.

I really wish sending them to a nibmeister wasn't SO expensive or time consuming or that I knew how to get them working myself. I've ruined a fountain pen or two and had to send them off, so I am very careful anymore.