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I've been using this MB 144 for the past year or so. It wrote well for the first 6 months, and then developed an issue with ink flow. This is a 1990s 144 with the snap on cap and stiffer nib. I can write about 20-30 lines on an A4 sheet before it stops flowing. I have to then either shake the pen hard or unscrew the barrel and twist the converter each time to get ink back to the nib. I really dunno what to do about it. I'm not sure whether the feed is clogged or an entirely different issue. Some people on FPN were able to pull off the nib-feed assembly without any tools, but it seems very tightly fixed in my case, and I'm not confident enough to try too hard lest I damage something. What would y'all suggest I do? Is there a way I could solve the problem myself, or should I simply have it serviced by Montblanc?

I have two or three pens that skip severely, including a Pelikan M400. How do I address this issue? Thanks in advance.

I recently got an Airmail Ebo pen from Fountain Pen Revolution (Ebonite eyedropper for 20 bucks? how could I resist?) and the pen seems to built pretty well for it's price. However, I'm having quite a number of issues with ink flow and severe ink starvation. Initially, the pen flows really well and wet when first inked (I think because the feed is primed), but as soon as I've written about a paragraph or so, it starts writing faintly, begins skipping, and then stops writing entirely. Beyond this, when I put a finger over the slit and breather hole, there is no ink that comes off it, whereas most pens I own will typically slather my finger with ink when I do that if they're working properly. The problem is so bad to the point that, when I put the nib up to a light I can see directly through the slit when it should be full of ink. I've washed the nib and feed with dish soap several times and am at wit's end about it. I also am not being able to pull out the nib and feed even though they seem friction fit, so I don't know how to even inspect the feed for defects. Any suggestions on what I should do or what the problem might be? If it's of consideration, I've tried it with Pilot Black, Noodler's Black, and Waterman Black and all have suffered the same issues, and the issue's actually gotten worse the more I've written (I could go a full page without it drying out a few days ago, now it's about 4 lines).

Hi Awsome Network Bloggers, I am having a bit of a problem with ink drips collecting at the nibs of Platinum Preppy fine point eyedropper converted pens. Of course I have recently enjoyed converting all of the Platinum Preppy's to an eyeropper converted style when the trouble started. They were perfect writers with their own cartridge and ink brand. I'm needing some advice on a middle of the road ink that is not too dry nor too wet I'm thinking. Perhaps some experience with problems concerning Preppy eyedroppers out there. The ink that leaked first was Mont Blanc's Lavendar Purple in the purple converted Preppy which I love...then immediately again in another converted pink Preppy pen with Pilot's Kosumosu. Strangly, the complete opposite was true in the same pen with Diamine's Carnation which was so "dry" I could not get the ink to flow nor the pen to write! I love these pens for basic daily writing because I love the absolute juicyness of that particular fine point, it's cheap so I can test my own mountain of ink without the fear of ruining my expensive pens, and the fact if I lose it I probably won't go crazy looking for it if it gets misplaced but that is most likely not going to happen sadly. I just need to find that sweet spot ink for these pens. Definitely prefer a wet writer, but not so much that after every word I have to tilt the pen up to avoid an ink blot. Could it be the ink level and the air pocket theory are involved here?

Hello guys, I picked up this Waterman Gentleman a while a go. It has some issues with the nib. Though the nib looks very fine to me but it writes super dry. it delivers ink only when I apply a little pressure. its a gold nib, in case youre wondering, and its very smooth. I still haven't found any specific angle that it writes fine at. I have serviced the pen a few times but it just doesn't work well. I suspect the problem might be due to its tines having a small gap between them after the breather hole and then joining at the writing tip. ill attach some pictures of the nib and the quality of writing. Also, I think its worth mentioning that if I dip it into some ink, it works well for a few lines. Thank you all so much in advance. Looking forward to receiving your thoughts and opinions!

Hello all, I had an issue with a Pilot Custom 74 Medium Nib. I bought the pen awhile ago, however never really used it too much as I found my Lamy 2000 provides a much more enjoyable writing experience in my opinion. Recently however I decided to give the Pilot Custom 74 another go. What I'm having issue with is the flow. Once the Con-50 converter I purchase was firm inserted into the pen and filled with Noodle's Dark Matter ink, the pen would write for awhile, then begin to run out of ink flowing to the feed. To get the pen to write again I would have to unscrew the barrel from the nib unit and turn the screw to push the piston slighting forward to get ink to flow into the feed again. I suspect maybe this is happening because the pen and the ink combination isn't the best? Maybe an ink that has less colligative properties and maybe a lower surface tension would allow the pen to work properly again? I was wondering if anyone has any experience with this issue and might be able to recommend a remedy. Thank you for helping me with this issue in advance.

Hi all I finally gave in and bought my first pelikan m205. Got it in a fairly well respected store in Taiwan (cuz pens are cheaper here apparently). When I was trying out the sample pelikan in store, I noticed that the m nib writes kinda fine. But since it was a sample pen that probably has been beat up, I didn't think too much about it. After the salesperson gave me the new pen, he inked it up in store and let me try my new pen. I usually write with fairly little pressure and I noticed that the pen writes almost like a Japanese fine (even though it's a European M!) To my horror, the flow is inconsistent. It even skips sometimes. When I mentioned this to the salesperson he said that I write too lightly and my dad (who was getting impatient by that point) tried it and it seemed ok (he puts lots of pressure on his pens). So I left with my new pen inked with some beautiful pilot iroshizuku. Now the more I write with it, the more I notice the flow issue and it does not feel normal to me At All. My impression is that not only is a pelikan nib supposed to be smooth, it should also be very wet. And that's not what I'm getting. I don't think my light pressure should be the issue because its not a problem with my other pens, ranging from my cheap jinhao to my twsbi classic EF nib. Has anyone else gotten this problem before? Honestly I was debating between a pilot metropolitan and a pelikan when I was buying...the pilot met writes so smoothly and I thought the extra $$$ mmay mean that pelikan should do better. Am I expecting too much....

Some time ago I bought a superb Omas 361 - at the moment it is very difficult to get ink to the nib (shaking the pen helps) If I leave the pen overnight no ink to the nib, leave it for a half day then it starts writing but stops after a few words. Any advice re how to get the pen to start first time would be welcome. Currently using Omas black ink and have flushed the pen. Thanks for any advice. Roger