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BEFORE you start throwing things at me for asking a question which has likely been asked many times, I'm new to TWSBI (and fountain pens in general). I'm looking to buy a TWSBI Diamond 580 in "Iris' because it looks great. But it's not cheap so I kinda want this one to be the one I'd use for my day to day writing. Now, I have an older but basic Parker fountain pen, uses a converter, steel nib noted as 'medium'. That's all I know about it. (Aside from it gives a little too much feedback for my liking) Writing on normal 7mm ruled notepaper (nothing fancy) using Parker Quink ink (all I currently have, that'll change). The line width, for what I'd call 'normal' handwriting size sometimes gives me closed loops on the e's. For that reason I thought PERHAPS a fine nib might be a better option? On the other hand, it wouldn't show off a nicer ink as well as a medium nib would. For what it's worth I intend to use Diamine Inks, primarily. And while I'll practice on cheaper notebooks and copy paper I do have a couple of pads of Rhodia and Clarefontaine paper 'for best'. Maybe those with experience of 580s and both M and F nibs using Diamine ink could comment as to whether the TWSBI M writes toward the Fine or Broad side of things (if that makes sense). If anyone is able to give me any guidance as to what else I might do / check / think about to help me decide between a medium or fine nib, I would very much appreciate it.

Hello! I could really use some advice on this, hope someone out here has gone through something similar or has any alternatives as in what to do. Someone brought in a TWSBI ECO pen for me to try reassembling it because they weren't succesful doing so, I've given service to many of these in the past and dealt with many stuck plunger related situations, but this time I really have no idea how this person made this happen. I'm attaching a video trying the mechanism so I can show you and explain myself better because english ain't my first language and don't know how to elaborate on what's going on (my apologies and thanks for understanding). The threads don't look damaged, I'm wondering how they managed to put it all back in, the wrench obviously does not fit. I don't want to force anything because I'm afraid I could make irreparable damage to it, so I'm having a hard time figuring out a way to solve this. Thank you all who took a moment of their day to read this. x WhatsApp Video 2024-03-24 at 12.28.23 PM.mp4

I recently have become very interested in the different filling mechanisms used in fountain pens. As a result, when the TWSBI Go was introduced with a spring-loaded piston mechanism at a reasonable (under US$20) price, I decided to order my first TWSBI. The Go is made of solid-feeling plastic. I like that everything on it feels nice and tight. The pen is a bit short, and I find the width a bit wide for the length of pen. It doesn't really seem to be intended for use posted, which is how I usually write (unless the pen is Capless). This is a demonstrator pen, so everything is on display from the spring that is responsible for drawing the ink to the large ink reservoir (making it easy to see what color is inside). it feels much more substantial in the hand then similar clear plastic pens. I purchased an F nib, which seems to be appropriately labeled. Not particularly smooth, but not scratchy either. I also like that the pen is tapered towards the nib; it makes the width of the pen more suitable (at least for my hand). Pros: LARGE ink reservoir, interesting and fun filling mechanism, price, seems pretty leak-proof Cons: A bit inelegant, a bit wide, the nib is just adequate Bottom Line: Though I like the filling mechanism and ink capacity of this pen, I don't expect to use it often. I did fall in love with the new ink I opened at the same time, however!

Having heard so many things about TWSBI pens cracking, I thought a poll would be of some use in clearing up the matter with some (hopefully) accurate and representative results. Perhaps we will even be able to see if TWSBI's efforts to improve the issue have in fact been effective, and to see if their current line up still suffers from this problem. Please vote, and do so honestly. If done correctly, I have a feeling this poll could become a valuable resource.

I definitely need to lubricate the piston of my Go after the present fill of ink is used. The piston is becoming a little stiff in the bore that the spring pressure alone will not return it to the top. Is the pen capable of being dismantled and lubricated? I note they did not supply any toll to dismantle the pen.

Everybody knows that TWSBI 580 is sporting a #5 nib screw unit, so I'm thinking to make it easy by posting pictures of modified ones, maybe a little explanation as well. So, I have a TWSBI 580 AL and my first modification being with an Inoxcrom golden fine nib from a model that looks like a Parker Vector. The second mod is with Schmidt® PRS rollerball cartridge system, using a bit of duct tape and O-ring:

Hey all. Enjoying my brand-new 580-AL (I'll throw in a photo for happy times), but I'm having an issue that doesn't seem to be unheard-of in the TWSBI universe. My Medium nib writes incredibly smoothly and reasonably wet--it allows for some lovely shading, as you'll see. But after a page or two I start to get skips, nothing crazy, but it requires a re-priming to get them to go away. (The lines also darken considerably after a re-prime.) I'm hesitant to squeeze the tines to get a wetter nib--partially for shading, but also because it writes a relatively fat M line as it stands and I don't want to make it any broader. It seems like either the pen doesn't exchange ink for air very well, or else the feed doesn't quite keep up with the nib. So has anyone actually fixed this issue? If not I'll keep working with it the way it is, but if there's a quick-fix and I missed it in the forums somewhere I'd love to know http://www.samanthawilding.net/penstuff/twsbi2.JPG http://www.samanthawilding.net/penstuff/twsbi1.JPG

I’m seeking vac fillers which have 1.5mm stub or italic nibs (do they exist?) and/or 1.5mm stub or italic nibs which fit TWSBI GO and/or SWIPE vac fillers. Do these exist? (They need not be from TWSBI — I enjoy Frankenpenning.) Also, what chance is there of anyone being able to persuades TWSBI to resume making their 1.5 mm stub nib? Oh — by the way — what does TWSBI stand for, anyway? I assume that it abbreviates something, and that it may be abbreviating something in Chinese. I don’t know much Chinese, but I do know that a word which sounds like “bee” Is the Chinese word for a pen or pencil, So I wouldn’t be surprised to find that the company name is short for something Chinese.

TWSBI FRANKENPEN Flex Hi all I've been in search of a twsbi with a flex nib and with some work I was able to tinker with a TWSBI Eco and an FPR Ultraflex to create a flexy TWSBI Eco and I wanted to share what I did and how it turned out. I have heard of Fountain pen revolution and recently I have had the pleasure of purchasing a few of their pens. Great pens and seamless experience. One of the pens that I purchased from FPR was the Indus pen. Comparing the feeds of the TWSBI Eco and the Indus, the feeds looked to be the same size. 1. The first thing I tried was straight swapping the nib/feed from the Indus pen into the TWSBI Eco. This wasn't successful because the feed while of a similar size was not exactly the same and didn't seat well into the Eco. 2. My next attempt was to take the feed from the Eco and put the FPR nib on it. At first glance there was a gap between the nib and the feed. When searching through fpn history I found that there were two possible solutions. Either to bend the nib to meet the feed or to somehow bend the feed to meet the nib. The recommendation was to whenever possible bend the feed. Bending the nib may result in tines too close together. 3. The solution is not recommended and not for the faint of heart but did work YMMV. Its common knowledge that you can heat set an ebonite feed, however the TWSBI feed is plastic. Per suggestions I boiled a cup of water and held part of the feed under water for 10 seconds. Then I slowly and little by little pressed the feed against a solid counter to force the feed to bend upwards (repeat as necessary, better safe than sorry). 4. At this point I put the FPR Nib + TWSBI feed and section together and ended up with a pen that wrote. Another problem arose while I fiddled with the nib. It was super loose ( no effort to remove the nib ). Back to FPN I went for suggestions. I found a few solutions, either to use shellac to create a wedging effect or to bend the nib at the base (furthest part of the nib away from the writing tip) by flattening it a bit. Also risky and not recommended for the faint of heart. Little by little I got the feed nib and section to play well together. I've attached some shots of the writing (first image I was running low on ink which caused the railroading)

I was browsing FPGeeks and saw the rendering of the Vac Mini TWSBI is currently developing. I love the look of the red O-rings and am wondering if it would be possible to replace the O-rings on existing TWSBI pens with colored ones. I googled around a bit and it seems they come in all sorts of colors, but also many different sizes. Does anyone know what size is appropriate for their pens? And has anyone tried to replace the O-rings? If so how did you fare?

A little backstory so you could understand: My first pen is a Pilot mr and now I'm currently looking for a step up. I have been looking for Pelikan and sailor pens, but also TWSBI (for it's relatively low price). The pen I'll get will be my workhorse pen and for Twsbi I'm between the 580 and the vac700r. I want to hear the experience of people who have used these pens for prolonged writing, if they recommend TWSBI and if yes, which one of them. Note: I know the difference between european and japanese nibs

Pen Pit Stop : TWSBI VAC Mini Welcome to the Pen Pit Stop. Here you will find reviews of pens that already have some mileage on them. More specifically, these reviews are of pens that are in my personal collection, and that have been in use for at least a year. I thought it would be fun to do it this way – no new & shiny pens here, but battered vehicles that have been put to work for at least a year. Let’s find out how they have withstood the ravages of time. The fountain pen that arrives at the pit stop today is the “TWSBI VAC Mini” demonstrator (clear version). This is the only vacuum filler pen in my collection, and for that reason alone precious to me. Fortunately, it’s also a really good writer with an excellent nib that wrote smoothly right out of the box. I bought this pen in April 2016, and it has been in use for almost 6 years now. This pen is in my regular rotation, typically filled with a colourful ink that brings life to the transparent barrel. Let’s have a closer look at it. Pen Look & Feel My TWSBI VAC Mini is the clear version demonstrator. I love the minimalistic looks of the pen – it’s just transparent plastic with silver accents. I find it quite an elegant and aesthetically beautiful pen – in contrast with the more garish-looking coloured demonstrators that TWSIB has heaps of (not a fan of those 😉 This is a fairly minimalistic pen without much in the way of ornamentation. Some subtle branding is present, with the TWSBI logo on the finial, and a faint engraving on the cap spelling “TWSBI” and “VAC mini Taiwan”. The pen has a screw-on cap that unscrews with 1.5 rotations. It can be posted by screwing the cap on the threads at the end of the barrel. One thing I noticed: when posting the cap, it sometimes misaligns on the threads, resulting in a crooked post (to show this, take a look at the picture with the posted pen in the Safari comparison below). Just something to be aware of. I typically use the pen unposted, so it’s not an issue for me. The silver-coloured M-nib on my pen writes really smooth, and is a true pleasure to use. The VAC Mini is a vacuum filler – which is a really cool way to fill up a pen with ink. You unscrew the end cap, and pull out the piston rod. Next, put the nib in the ink bottle and push down the plunger – this creates a vacuum in the top part of the barrel. Near the nib unit, the ink reservoir flares out (indicated by the arrow). When the piston passes this point, there is a direct connection between the top and bottom parts. Now air pressure pushes the ink inside the barrel, equalizing pressure on both sides. Really neat! With the end cap screwed down, the plunger seals off the nib unit. In this position, no ink can flow to the nib. To use the pen, you need to unscrew the end cap a bit, allowing ink to flow from barrel to nib unit. You have to be aware of this – it happens more often than not that you’re writing with the pen, only to have it stop after a few lines. Darn… forgot to unscrew that end cap! The pictures above illustrate the size of the VAC mini in comparison with a standard Lamy Safari. The VAC mini is certainly not a large pen, but it’s not too small and can easily be used unposted. Pen Characteristics Build Quality : the pen is well build, and still looks great after almost 6 years of use. The plastic used for the transparent parts is still shiny and unscratched. Mind you – I treat my pens with respect, and always use a pen pouch when carrying them around. But still, the pen has aged gracefully. Weight & Dimensions : the pen is on the small side, comparable with a Pelikan M200/M400. It feels a bit heavier though, probably due to the metal used for the piston rod. For me, the pen is comfortable to use unposted (where it is a little bit smaller than a Pelikan M200/M400). But if you have larger hands, it’s probably best to use it posted. When posted, it’s exactly the same size as a posted Pelikan M200/M400. Filling System : this is a vacuum-filler pen, that can only be used with bottled ink. A rather unique filling system – I’m glad to have a pen of this type in my collection. Nib & Performance : the silver-coloured steel nib is well-proportioned for the size of this pen. The M-nib on my unit writes like a dream, and produces a wet and well-saturated line. I also appreciate the fact that replacement nib units are readily available. Price : I paid 69 EUR for the new pen (including taxes). Given the build quality of the pen, and the cool vacuum-filler mechanism, I’d say this is very good value for money. Conclusion The TWSBI VAC mini Demonstrator is a really nice-looking minimalistic pen, that beautifully showcases the inks you fill it with. I love the smooth nib on my unit that worked perfectly out-of-the-box. For me, size and weight are just perfect - a very comfortable pen for longer writing sessions. The crucial question is: would I buy this pen again? To this, my answer is a resounding YES. This pen totally fits my taste, and is also a very smooth writer. And that vacuum-filler mechanism is just so cool !

Here are 10 blue-black(ish) inks and two “true” blue inks as a comparison. Just for the fun of it. I scanned the sheet and with that most of the inks don’t show their sheen (or it’s not that obvious in the scan) so here are some photos of the inks to showoff some sheen: And for those of you who care about water resistance of inks, here are the inks after 15 seconds water bath: