Five Bad Things That Happen With New Pens

[rjcm]

Misaligned tines

Through a loupe, the tipping looks like this.

The pen feels scratchy, and may skip in a particular direction.

The cure is to bring the tines into alignment (carefully!) using your fingers to (gently!) bend them.

Note that the misalignment may be due to the nib being off centre on the feed. Again, tweak the nib or feed (judiciously!) to bring it into alignment.

 

Poor gap set

Tines are squeezed together or too far apart. Pen has poor ink flow (too little, too much), may skip if the tines are too far apart.

The cure for too narrow a gap is to spread the tines of the nib. (see point 5 in John Mottishaw's excellent article).

Passing a thin (10 micron) brass shim between the tines can help with this problem.

Narrowing the gap requires removing the nib from the pen, squeezing the tines past each other so that they spring back to the correct position, and re-adjusting the alignment. Professional help is preferable, here.

 

Badly set feed

There is a gap between nib and feed.

Pen alternately skips and floods.

Cure is to reset the feed. Feeds are made of thermoplastics or hard rubber, and become flexible with gentle heat. Use hot water to soften the feed and set it up against the nib.

 

Manufacturing gunk in the ink system

Pen skips or doesn't flow at all because oil in the ink channels in the feed or in the slit of the nib prevents the flow of water.

I always assume this is there, and flush a new pen with water before use. Sometimes standing the pen in ink overnight helps.

 

Baby bottom

The shape of the nib keeps the ink away from the paper.

Pen is a "hard starter". It writes well, but needs a bit of a push down on the nib to get it going. May skip a bit.

The cure is to grind away some of the tipping, to get a better shape. If you are at all unsure about doing this, seek a professional. I use a nail buffer, available for a small amount of money and a large sacrifice of dignity from the health and beauty section of the pharmacist. The finest grade buffer only!

 

Notes:

It is best to work out what your problem is, before trying to fix it. Many of the symptoms are similar, and fixing the wrong problem may damage your pen.

 

A 10x loupe is sufficent to see these problems, though some prefer to use magnifications as high as 20x.

 

A nail buffer is not an emery board. It is a thick thing with three or four grades of grit, the finest being gray, and smooth to the touch. Women apparently use it to bring their nails to a high degree of polish.

 

Grinding the nib is a last, not a first resort.

 

Further reading

It's also worth reading John Mottishaw's excellent article, Ludwig Tan's article on grinding italic nibs, and the articles in Richard Binder's reference page.

Arthur Twydle's article describes some of the more drastic measures taken in the past. I'm not a fan of spirit lamps and the like.

 

Edit: Added a notes section in response to some of the questions below

Very helpful and interesting article. Thanks

[sotto2]

After experimenting, starting with an Arkansas stone for heavy shaping and ending with jeweller's rouge smeared on paper for a final polish...

I think I'd hold off on using anything waxy or oily on a nib to polish it, but I certainly understand the rationale.

[KBeezie]

Nice Post, fortunately I haven't run into this problem too much yet, and most of it I had to get info from a friend. I've actually had the opposite problem with one of my Baoer 507 chinese pens where there was like next to no flow and I had to make it 'wetter'... It's now my "broad" pen lol, but least it doesn't leak all over the place (could have been worse adjusting it against my thumbnail).

[yamaha_no_46]

Thanks for the great information. It is now better understood why a pen feels scratchy or won't start easily. Tried to align the tines on a steel German nib, managed to get them into proper position. The pen writes better than ever. Thanks again.

[D.C. in PA]

Very useful information.

For those who wish to develop or sharpen skill in this area, Richard Binder's nib workshop, given at several pen shows, is a great opportunity. The cost is just enough to cover the materials provided, which include shaping paper/sticks and a slit cleaning shim, along with two cheapie pens on which to practice during the workshop. The two pens are set up with problems like those displayed in the OP's great description so they can be identified and then corrected with Richard's oversight. If you can get to a show where this is offered, it is well worth the modest price. Entertaining, too!

No affiliation, just a 'graduate' of the workshop that appreciates the info.

I admit that I have not read every entry in this thread and apologize if this has been shared earlier.

Cheers,

D.C.

[zzbr76]

Happened to me...

 

1. Skipping all the time

2. Dropping the pen in the nib, especially with a 18k nib

3. Trying to pull the nib and breaking it

4. Buying a new pen with ef nib, and writing like broad (with a m600)

5. Buying a new pen, then discovering it is nos from like 20-30 years ago. You feel duped

[theverdictis]

Great topic and nice drawings. Very informative, thanks for sharing!

 

Ben

[FountainPenC]

i'm so glad i found this forum, right of the bat i learned something new =) awesome !!

[william2001]

Thank you!

[pensive1]

Great info!

[new2writing]

Very useful information. Thank you.

[fountainpenman]

This is great. Thanks for the illustrations. Loving the 'baby bottom'! hahaha

 

Very good pointers here.

[vintagino]

Very helpful post! Thank you for the simple explanantions.

[aussielondon]

Realising that you bought a ballpoint?

[six3oo]

That literally just happened to me *sheds a single tear*

[Zookie]

I just bought a Huahong and was amazed by how nice the nib is, and it only cost me a buck! So of course, after a couple days, I dropped it

The feed snapped in two, but the nib is ok. Luckily I have a replacement feed.

[BlakeNole]

Very well done. I wish I had seen this in my FP infancy. I do have several friends I am getting into the hobby. I will share this post with them. Very clear and succinct. Thanks!

[Alexcat]

Misaligned tines Through a loupe, the tipping looks like this. The pen feels scratchy, and may skip in a particular direction. The cure is to bring the tines into alignment (carefully!) using your fingers to (gently!) bend them. Note that the misalignment may be due to the nib being off centre on the feed. Again, tweak the nib or feed (judiciously!) to bring it into alignment.Poor gap setTines are squeezed together or too far apart. Pen has poor ink flow (too little, too much), may skip if the tines are too far apart.The cure for too narrow a gap is to spread the tines of the nib. (see point 5 in John Mottishaw's excellent article). Passing a thin (10 micron) brass shim between the tines can help with this problem.Narrowing the gap requires removing the nib from the pen, squeezing the tines past each other so that they spring back to the correct position, and re-adjusting the alignment. Professional help is preferable, here.Badly set feed There is a gap between nib and feed.Pen alternately skips and floods. Cure is to reset the feed. Feeds are made of thermoplastics or hard rubber, and become flexible with gentle heat. Use hot water to soften the feed and set it up against the nib.Manufacturing gunk in the ink systemPen skips or doesn't flow at all because oil in the ink channels in the feed or in the slit of the nib prevents the flow of water.I always assume this is there, and flush a new pen with water before use. Sometimes standing the pen in ink overnight helps.Baby bottom The shape of the nib keeps the ink away from the paper.Pen is a "hard starter". It writes well, but needs a bit of a push down on the nib to get it going. May skip a bit. The cure is to grind away some of the tipping, to get a better shape. If you are at all unsure about doing this, seek a professional. I use a nail buffer, available for a small amount of money and a large sacrifice of dignity from the health and beauty section of the pharmacist. The finest grade buffer only!Notes:It is best to work out what your problem is, before trying to fix it. Many of the symptoms are similar, and fixing the wrong problem may damage your pen.A 10x loupe is sufficent to see these problems, though some prefer to use magnifications as high as 20x.A nail buffer is not an emery board. It is a thick thing with three or four grades of grit, the finest being gray, and smooth to the touch. Women apparently use it to bring their nails to a high degree of polish.Grinding the nib is a last, not a first resort.Further readingIt's also worth reading John Mottishaw's excellent article, Ludwig Tan's article on grinding italic nibs, and the articles in Richard Binder's reference page.Arthur Twydle's article describes some of the more drastic measures taken in the past. I'm not a fan of spirit lamps and the like.Edit: Added a notes section in response to some of the questions below

 

Browsing and saw this....I remember, any years ago, when I had long nails( real ones) and lived pretty coloured bill varnish; in between, I used a buffer, ad it was made of chamois leather.

 

Do t knw f that's if any interest/help. Just thought Idmention it.

Alex

[Hadders]

I feel like most of my pens have misaligned tines... That or they all need a lot of smoothing

 

[Alexcat]

I feel like most of my pens have misaligned tines... That or they all need a lot of smoothing

 

Making me smile...."misaligned tines" sounds like a very good name for a punk/goth/heavy metal band.....

 

Alex