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Greetings all. I am new to the group and the hobby. Please let me know if this is not the right place to post such a question. I recently purchased a new Pelikan m805 Stresemann with Fine nib. I have read that Pelikans are wet writers (and can confirm this by two other Pelikans I recently acquired in different configurations). But my m805 with Fine nib writes extremely dry. When I apply no pressure to the nib, there is barely a line that comes out. When I apply more pressure, it writes but the writing experience is not particularly pleasant. I use Irochizuku ink. I was wondering if you could give me some advice on how to increase the ink flow and make the pen a wetter writer. An ideal writing instrument for me produces a thin, wet line. Any advice welcome. Thanks in advance.

Hello My Custom Heritage 92 FM Nib is not putting lines down the way I have come to expect from Pilot. I'm right handed. When making ellipses or lines from center out, there is nothing between 7 and 11 o'clock. When I write slowly then there is line variation but it is an extra extra fine line within that area. I have flushed the pen, made figure eights across a paper bag and finally, gently pressed the nib down on paper repeatedly for a few seconds at a time. I looked at the nib through full zoom with my phone's camera and don't notice anything damaged or out of place.

I have a beautiful new Benu that sparkles and glows in the dark. Unfortunately, the pen's nib is very underwhelming. I really do want to use this pen regularly (I only buy pens I plan to write with) but the contrast between its very pedestrian nib and the eye-appeal is enormous. I suspect that if a nibmeister were to tune the pen for me, I would be quite happy with it. It looks as if it would be a heavy pen, but is actually pretty lightweight and sits well in my hand. Is there any sort of list of nibmeisters by region, city, etc.? I know of none. I can make figure eights if I have to, but I'd rather give this to an expert. Thanks!

Hello everyone. FWIW, I'm a "graduate" of a Richard Binder course on adjusting nibs and have a fair amount of experience, but I'm by no means an expert. I've come across a problem that I can't figure out. Hoping someone can give me some suggestions and ideas as to why this may have happened. The pen in question is a Montblanc 344G (gold nib). A recent eBay purchase, it writes well but catches on upstrokes, especially diagonals to the right. A look under the microscope reveals why (see pics). The strange thing is that the tines are flat and even and do not show any sign of prior deformation (or repair). The nib looks quite intact, in fact. Yet at the tips the tines appear to be of different lengths. The worn writing surface is fairly obvious at this magnification and is not continuous from the left to the right tine. Any ideas?

I recently picked up a Kaweco Sport, which seems to have a slight flow issue (skips and hard starts) when writing normally, but which disappear when reverse writing. Has anybody had any experience with this sort of phenomenon, and what is it likely to indicate is the underlying problem? Does this suggest it is a flow / dryness issue, for example, that could be solved by making the nib a little wetter (writing in reverse obviously produces a finer line which does not need to draw as much ink)? Thanks in advance for any advice from more experienced pen maestros...

I found something in China. It may be trying to replicate what we use a brass sheet for, but the instructions are in Chinese and my HS Chinese is failing me. Pics:

I have three Lamy Vistas with EF nibs. At first, they all wrote with a nice, fine line, and moderate ink flow. In the last couple weeks, however, the ink flow in ALL THREE has gotten much heavier. Almost as though there was some kind of 'break in period' or something. I'm completely at a loss, but I want the ink flow back the way it used to be! lol I have not changed the inks I am using in each one in months. One is always filled with Noodler's Zhivago, one with Noodler's Red-Black, and one with Noodler's Navy (diluted with a bit of distilled water). I do not think the ink is the issue, since the same pens, with the same inks, were writing much drier just last month. I do not think my writing style is the problem, because they're almost always used in my Hobonichi, and I'm careful not to put pressure on the paper, lest I dent the page beneath. I honestly haven't the slightest idea what would cause this kind of change? I have looked through the forums here, and have not seen anyone with *quite* the same problem (most people want to increase ink flow, or noticed a problem after switching inks). Hoping there are some ideas?

Hello all. This is my very first post. At an estate sale last week, I found a nice, clean Parker 45 with a medium 14k gold nib. I suspect the pen was never inked. I disassembled the pen as soon as I got it home, and it was as clean as a whistle. I flushed it anyhow, just for good measure. It wrote a touch dry, so I opened up the tines, and the flow has improved more to my liking. The pen writes nice and juicy now. However, it seems to have a very narrow sweet spot. Under normal writing, it mostly writes just fine, but if I underline towards the right, I get a nice wet line. An underline made from right to left is sometimes dryer and faint. Similarly, a down stroke is nice and wet, but an upstroke can be dry and faint. The tines are well aligned, and the pen writes smoothly when on the sweet spot. Drawing loops yields dryer line at certain points. I've uploaded a pic. Sorry it's not better, but it's the best I can manage at the moment. Is there something I could do to improve the consistency of the line with different strokes? I am fairly new to fountain pens. I've been using them since about May of 2015. I'm learning more and more about adjusting nibs. I'm not sure what to do about this one.

I just recently purchased a used Sailor Pro-Gear with a fine point nib. I usually prefer medium nibs, but I think I would enjoy this one if I could get it tuned up and maybe made a little wetter (if possible). Who does good nib work for a reasonable price? Thanks! Sarah

Hi all! I have recently gotten back into the fountain pen world (yay!) and while I am absolutely loving it I am having some issues with my latest purchase. I purchased a Lamy 2000 and have heard plenty about the QA/QC issues the Company sometimes has with the nibs. I believe the pen I purchased writes well, but not perfect (and not as well as some have raved). The rest of the pen is incredible, it just feels a bit scratchy at times. I heard great things about Michael Masuyama, but his current turn-around is 12 weeks. I live in Denver, so that would be ideal although I haven't found anyone yet. Any other recommendations for quick-ish turn around? I am happy to pay extra for an expedited service. Thanks everyone for any information! Regards, Mike

A few months ago I purchased a Diplomat Magnum Soft Touch. I went to refill it a couple of weeks ago... and it stopped writing. Dead in the water. No ink to the paper. I flushed it this past weekend, and tried forcing ink through the feed with the converter. The ink gets to the feed and to the breather hole, but nothing beyond that. I probably tweaked the nib somehow, so is there anything I should take a look at? This is one of those pens that the nib does not come out, so I'm going to have to adjust it on the pen. Thanks in advance.

I'm fairly new to the forums, though i have poked around and have found quite a bit of information on here!. Though i need some help now! I have a Lamy Safari with a 1.9mm nib and i went about trying to make the nib more wet, i watched videos and consulted info on here to do so. I was coming near the end and thought i had did a quite good job, though after the pen set for a little bit, the ink will retract back further into the tines of the nib so much so that it will not start. The only way i can get the pen started from there is to twist the converter or shake the ink down, though once it gets to writing its perfect! I wouldn't suppose somebody would know if i have the nib spread out to far or what is happening? It would be much appreciated! Thanks!