Search the Community

Hey guys, So I recently got a Chinese pen delivered to me. (a jinhao x450) The section got three grooves for the fingers to go. (like the lamy safari) However, the nib and feed seems to be at a slight angle to the grooves and the nib and feed themselves are misaligned. I've done a bit of research and realized that the feed nib and section are a friction fit. But no matter how hard I Pull. The Feed/ nib won't budge. Is there anyway to seperate the feed nib and the section? Cheers, Victor

I think I'm in the right forum section, but mods feel free to move the post if it isn't. I've got a question about inks "lubricating" the nib, and whether that's affected by water solubility. Anyway, context. I recently started using my neglected Waterman Serenity Blue again, and I'm about to chuck the bottle out the window. It's horrible . I feel like I'm writing without ink, and my handwriting is garbage because of the vastly different feel. Thing is, the Waterman is the most (read: completely) water soluble of my four routine inks. I also remember reading about "lubricating" inks, and I got the idea that "lubricating inks" helped reduce the friction between nib and paper (I may have misunderstood, though). Do more water-soluble inks tend to cause more friction when writing? I figure maybe it's got something to do with viscosity? Or maybe less pigment/filler/whatever in washable inks that causes less lubrication or something. Any explanation would be greatly appreciated; anything for that good writing experience, hey?

Hey guys, long-time lurker, first-time poster. First, a little background on me. (If you're not interested in this part, feel free to skip ahead to the next paragraph containing the question). My interest in fountain pens is mainly artistic. I began cartooning using dip pens and brushes, which I still do feel are more expressive, but in the interest of speed, have begun inking with the tools from my sketch kit: a Pentel pocket bruch pen with Platinum converter, and a fountain pen that a friend of my father's made for me on his lathe for my 21st birthday, both loaded with Winsor-Newton Calligraphy Ink (the water-soluble one with the blue cap). Have had good luck with this set-up for a couple of years now. I have adjusted the nib of the pen and deepened the feed channel with a pin for better flow, because I have a somewhat frenetic style and I draw fast. I also like to sketch with a Pilot Parallel loaded with Higgins Sepia Calligraphy Ink for a 19th century look. Anyway, the question: the kit pen my father's friend made has a friction-fit feed, which can be pulled out by finger-force alone. I try not to take it apart more than necessary, but I use this thing *A LOT*. Do friction-fit parts eventually wear out? Is there a limit to how many times I can do this before I will have to replace the section, or the feed, or both? Side note: my mom's husband gave me an old Cross that the ink converter was so loose, it would just fall off, and I saved it by brushing on a coat of clear nail polish to reduce the inner diameter of the neck of the converter. Can the same fix be applied to sections that have become loose and sloppy?