Five Bad Things That Happen With New Pens

[dzahn215]

Thank you for the information, that is very informative.

[troglokev]

A further point to consider is that maybe the problem is not with the pen, but with the writer. A scratchy nib may well be the result of applying too much force on the pen. Try reducing your writing force before reaching for the abrasives.

 

The thing to remember is that writing pressure is not the same as writing force. Writing force is the force you apply to the page, but writing pressure is that force divided by the contact area. It's writing pressure that determines how much the pen digs into the paper.

 

The samples below were written with a range of pens, from extremely fine to a broad italic.

 

The Saibi Togi nib was particularly hard to get on with at first. It requires me to consciously reduce my writing force, but is quite smooth when I do.

 

The Sailor fine is a case in point. It's very smooth with my normal writing force, but if I bear down like a ballpoint user, the tines spread and the pen feels scratchy on cross strokes, as the inside edges catch on the paper. This is less of an issue with the Pilot and the Montblanc, both of which are stiffer nibs.

 

Once a nib is getting up to a western medium, (Graf von Faber Castell classic) the nib is quite smooth, even with ballpoint-user writing force.

 

At the other end of the scale, the Simpole pen is a broad italic, which brings up another issue of writing style that may affect smoothness with broader nibs. An italic has to be held so that the nib stays in full contact with the paper. Rotating the pen in your hand can bring the slit of the nib off the page, causing a skip.

 

[Justjcez]

I was just staring at my pen this afternoon thinking that the tines were misaligned...How timely! Thanks for the post!

[hoche]

great, very useful. thanks a lot.

[Bo Bo Olson]

I find a 10 X loupe not quite strong enough. I read where some one said 20 X is too powerful. I think a 15 X loupe would be best.

 

If I was to run into some slow money. I'd buy a 15 X loupe and sell my 10 X.

 

Remember do not buy the cheap ones...there are coatings that go on good glass, that cheap ones don't have. Buy cheap get cheap...is not a good idea with a loupe...if you want it to really do it's work.

 

It's a once in a life time buy, and you can look at gold and silver hallmarks too.

[Markk]

I find a 10 X loupe not quite strong enough. I read where some one said 20 X is too powerful. I think a 15 X loupe would be best.

 

If I was to run into some slow money. I'd buy a 15 X loupe and sell my 10 X.

 

Remember do not buy the cheap ones...there are coatings that go on good glass, that cheap ones don't have. Buy cheap get cheap...is not a good idea with a loupe...if you want it to really do it's work.

 

It's a once in a life time buy, and you can look at gold and silver hallmarks too.

 

True. Always go for the better quality on items like this and you'll never end up with regrets (at least with quality and durability)

[Brian]

This is a great post. Thanks for sharing.

[Brian]

This is a great post. Thanks for sharing.

[mjchuang9]

Hi troglokev,

I annoyed my Churchill about the misaligned tines for nearly a month. I do not have an idea of t he misalignment may be due to the nib being off centre on the feed. I screwed off the nib and slightly moved the feed to right side. It did work, now the tines are perfectly aligned. Thank you.

[EMM]

Great tips!

[FloridaMike]

This was an excellent and helpful post Thanks!

[troglokev]

[jslallar]

Misaligned tines

Through a loupe, the tipping looks like this.

Pen feels scratchy, may skip in a particular direction.

The cure is to bring the tines into alignment (carefully!)

 

How do u exactly align the tines?

How powerful of a loupe do you need to fix a pelikan m600?

My nib got scratchy and I still dont know how to align

 

1. Let your fingernails grow (you need nails to do this).

 

2. Pinch each tine between a pair of nails and pull or pinch accordingly, until the nib has been bent into the appropriate shape. Keep in mind that your WILL get ink on your hands. Sadly this is necessary. If you don't have ink in the pen, you'll never know if it writes smoothly when you test it. I've straightened out several nibs and it's not that hard. Frustrating and messy it may be, but it's not hard.

 

 

Hello all

 

Great post. Add my vote for pinning it.

 

Two things I do with my new 'scratchies' in addition to the above.

 

First I look them up with a loupe, and ONLY attempt a repair if the tines are bent down or up (single bend and smooth surface) . If there are more than one bends in the tines which appear like a wave (usually caused by attempts at pulling out the nib with a pair of pliers), or if the bend has a visible angle to it, you need an expert to set the nib right, both a steel nib as it is harder and less amenable to home tretament and the gold nibs simply due to thier cost if destroyed by amateur manipulations. Another way I detect a mishappen nib is by seeing the reflection of light (bulb eg) on the back suface, and at a certain angle you should be able to see the whole of the cut from the hole to the tip with one smooth shiny light reflection. Bent nibs would bend the light in different directoins and you wil never be able to see one straight line of reflection on them. This too with a loupe.

 

Second after setting the tines as best as I can I first move my index finger pulp gently over the back side (the side that we see, not the one in contact with the feed) tines especially feeling for the cut between the tines. If the tines are not aligned you will get a scratchy feel, whereas aligned tines will let your finger pass over them smoothly. As the pen is inked for the writing test which comes next it is even more messy, inking your hand more than the simple pocess of holding the tines and bending them to align, but saves me time and always gets me better results.

Edited July 30, 2011 by jslallar

[Phantomll]

As someone who is new to fountain pens these tips are fantastic!

[mizcutiepielivzi]

so helpful! )

[georges zaslavsky]

good thread indeed Also with some brands like visconti, the finickyness of the filling system, bad ink flow or badly centered nib (also to be considered for other brands) can be a problem.

[saketb]

A very good topic in this forum. Well explained and very informative.

 

A must for people checking with problems prior to visiting a pen doctor.

[Dimitrios_P]

Very nice!

 

Thank you.

[Dimitrios_P]

Very useful.

 

Thank you!

[krandallkraus]

Hey everyone! Before you start Max Factoring your nibs to death, maybe take a breath and either Google or go to a local art supply store and look for some "Flex-i-Grit" Sanding Film. Made by K&S it's great micro sanding material. Comes in sheets. Each package has 1 sheet each of Chrome oxide .5 micron; Cerium Oxide 1.5 micron; Silicon Carbide 8 micron; Silicon Carbide 23 micron; Aluminum oxide 23 micron. This is the ONLY thing I would recommend you put to your nibs, ESPECIALLY those gold nibs you paid so much for. REALLY! This stuff has been a lifesaver for me because it allows you to start at the very lowest/safest roughness and then smooth it out gradually down to the smoothest polishing .5 micron texture.

 

Short of this, or if I find I can't make any headway, I send mine off to a nibmeister. These are my babies; I'm not going to put them in harm's way. I've heard way too many horror stories from folks trying to smooth their nibs only to eliminate the sweet spot all together and having to replace the entire nib or replace the sweet spot of iridium. Please take care.

Edited September 14, 2011 by krandallkraus