Five Bad Things That Happen With New Pens

[troglokev]

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.

The approach I'm advocating here is to check all the other options before even thinking about attacking the nib with any form of abrasive. A loupe is a better investment than a nib smoothing kit, in my experience.

 

As far as the nail buffers are concerned, the gray part of the nail buffers is 12000 grit (2 micron) micro-mesh. The gray part is the only bit anyone has suggested that anyone use on a pen. Used with due care, it isn't going to Max Factor any nib to death. The other parts will, undoubtedly.

 

Of course, even the .5 micron chrome oxide films will wear away the tipping of a nib, given sufficient determination.

 

While I'm at it, the TWSBI facebook site has some good pictures of nib adjustments. Well worth checking, even if you aren't a TWSBI owner.

Edited September 15, 2011 by troglokev

[Bassplayer]

For the complete novice (read: Me) this is invaluable information for the future. Many thanks to the OP and later contributors for their time and expertise, it's very much appreciated.

[Mikale]

I want to thank the author of this thread that provided all the helpful solutions! I purchased a MB Meisterstuck 144 (circa 1980) from an auction site and after soaking and cleaning my fp, I still had a scratchy nib problem. Using the tips in this thread I was able to make fast work in correcting my fp problem . When I wrote with my readjusted fountain pen it was night and day! I learned a nib with a correctly aligned tip with the tines having the just right amount of separation will allow the ink to flow smoothly and require the least amount of pressure.

Edited September 28, 2011 by Mikale

[Mikale]

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Edited September 28, 2011 by Mikale

[Mikale]

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Edited September 28, 2011 by Mikale

[Darius Widjaja]

ugh i love this thread

[Darius Widjaja]

and oh yeah, how much pressure can the nib stand before it bends? because i have this paranoia of having a fountain pen that becomes scratchy easily due to pressure exerted when using the pen...

[troglokev]

That all depends on the nib. Some are designed to flex for calligrapic styles that need it, while others are designed to withstand ham-fisted ballpoint users. Most nibs will cope with normal writing pressures. The problems tend to occur with flex nibs, pushed that little bit to far in the quest for a slightly wider swell, then twanggggggg!

 

For normal writing, if it hasn't happened by now, it won't, but in any case, backing off the pressure a bit is a good thing. It allows better control, and your arm doesn't get as tired fro writing.

[dannzeman]

Great thread! It never seems to fail that the more expensive the pen, the more problems I run into. My $40 Levenger Plumpster, one of the smoothest nibs I've ever had. My $600 Delta? A baby's bottom that needed reworked. Go figure.

[Best Executive Pens]

Thanks for great info and a great thread!

[Dimitrios_P]

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.

 

 

Very true

 

 

 

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.

 

[Alicae]

Thanks for great tips!

[Phormula]

Need to thank for this valuable post.

 

I was given a Rotring FP that had nib issues. Unfortunately spare parts (nib and feed sections) are no longer available, however after reading this post, I took out the loupe, had a look and recognized misaligned and too far apart tines. A little tweaking and the pen is back into regular use.

[250125887]

thanks for the tips.

[mikkolopez]

this is good stuff, some of these are problems i have gone through but never knew how to fix it. thanks, time to bring out the "archive" pens and see what can be done.

 

thanks a lot.

[fhhcpen]

That is VERY helpful and informative to newbie like me. Thank you troglokev!

[edbsbc]

Just want to say thanks for sharing!

very helpful...

[playtime]

thx for sharing:)

 

J

[David H 1960]

I'm a rank beginner in Fountain Pens and I heartily Thank You for this most thought provoking post!!!

[Earl Pitts]

Great information. It is very helpful and understandable. Thanks.