So, Has Anyone's Twsbi Not Broken?

[jabberwock11]

I was extremely reluctant to purchase any TWSBI pens due to the number of folks who have had issues, even with good customer service the number of issues reported does not bode well for the longevity of these pens. In spite of all of this, I sill found myself eyeing various TWSBIs and wondering. In the end the draw of a piston filler, with a readily available 1.1 nib, at a reasonable price point was too much for me to ignore.

 

I stepped a toe into the TWSBI waters with the relatively safe Eco, and had a problem right away...I received it with broken fins on the feed. This issue had absolutely nothing to do with the cracking problem that most folks encounter, and it was replaced right away, but it still made me worry. After some time with the Eco, I decided to take a bigger leap and ordered a Mini Classic. The Mini arrived in perfect condition, but I still had my doubts. I have used both pens quite a bit with zero issues, but still treat them as if they are made of delicate porcelain. Today, while reading posts about TWSBI cracking problems, I finally realized that I am just psyching myself out. My pens show no signs of cracking, no problems with material stress, and both write well. Why am I taking other people's experiences and using them to contradict my own? Sure, it's possible that either one of my TWSBIs may break or fail in the future, but that's true of any pen. I've decided to stop reading TWSBI breakage threads, stop examining every facet of my perfectly functioning pens, and just treat them as what they are: good pens.

[EBUCKTHORN]

jabberwok11 Congratulations on coming to a very reasonable conclusion regarding the TWSBIs. The last half dozen or so sentences of your post are most cogent and will lead to your being able to enjoy using these pens.

[JefferyS]

Today, a year later than my last post, most of mine have visible cracks in them. None are leaking. I'm wondering if there is some internal stress in the plastic that eventually causes the crack, or if dropping them as little as a height of a few inches on the desk would cause it.

 

Whatever the case, I still have 6 on my desk at work, each with a different ink.

[Icywolfe]

Today, a year later than my last post, most of mine have visible cracks in them. None are leaking. I'm wondering if there is some internal stress in the plastic that eventually causes the crack, or if dropping them as little as a height of a few inches on the desk would cause it.

 

Whatever the case, I still have 6 on my desk at work, each with a different ink.

Pressure can cause plastics to crack. Overtighthening can be a cause also.

[Legal Eagle]

Today, a year later than my last post, most of mine have visible cracks in them. None are leaking. I'm wondering if there is some internal stress in the plastic that eventually causes the crack, or if dropping them as little as a height of a few inches on the desk would cause it.

 

Whatever the case, I still have 6 on my desk at work, each with a different ink.

 

My two are still going strong. I honestly thought TWSBI had solved the cracking issues, but after reading this I wonder about their longevity.

[JonSzanto]

Pressure can cause plastics to crack.

 

Pressure can cause people to crack. All kinds of things happen to pens. I wonder if people were peeved off at Parker when they would get a dent in the cap of a beloved 51?

[haruka337]

580 Diamond began to leak last month under the grip, where the nib section screws into the body of the pen. The pen is also begining to leak from the nib.

Nothing is out of place, everything is where it should be, threaded in appropriately, however, it continues to leak erratically.

Today, the pen began leaking again and caused a mess. I emptied the pen [sigh], disassembled it, cleaned all the parts, let it dry, applied silicone grease to the inner barrel and where the nib unit threads into the body, reassembled the pen, applied ink and am now hoping for the best.

I've had this pen a little over a year, me thinks.

Oh, a curious thing happen when I rinsed the opaque parts of the pen (cap, grip and nob), it became tacky. When I pressed a clean finger to the noted parts, it left a clear, sticky print, but it dissolved within a few seconds, back to its glossy appearance. If I rubbed it, it looked and felt as if a bit of glue from a glue stick had been smeared on it. This also reverted back to a glossy finish. This continued for an hour or so.

I do not know what caused this odd reaction. Other than room temperature water, nothing else touched the parts in question. The ink that drenched the pen has not ever caused stickiness. I guess it doesn't bother me since the pen is fine now. It's just pretty ::bleeping:: weird.

[Icywolfe]

580 Diamond began to leak last month under the grip, where the nib section screws into the body of the pen. The pen is also begining to leak from the nib.

 

Nothing is out of place, everything is where it should be, threaded in appropriately, however, it continues to leak erratically.

 

Today, the pen began leaking again and caused a mess. I emptied the pen [sigh], disassembled it, cleaned all the parts, let it dry, applied silicone grease to the inner barrel and where the nib unit threads into the body, reassembled the pen, applied ink and am now hoping for the best.

 

I've had this pen a little over a year, me thinks.

 

Oh, a curious thing happen when I rinsed the opaque parts of the pen (cap, grip and nob), it became tacky. When I pressed a clean finger to the noted parts, it left a clear, sticky print, but it dissolved within a few seconds, back to its glossy appearance. If I rubbed it, it looked and felt as if a bit of glue from a glue stick had been smeared on it. This also reverted back to a glossy finish. This continued for an hour or so.

 

I do not know what caused this odd reaction. Other than room temperature water, nothing else touched the parts in question. The ink that drenched the pen has not ever caused stickiness. I guess it doesn't bother me since the pen is fine now. It's just pretty ::bleeping:: weird.

ITS THE ALIENS! THE MARTIANS ARE LANDING!

 

Possibly melted the surface. Maybe chemical reaction with the plastic when cleaning?

[Jamerelbe]

I recently had leaking under the grip of my Diamond Mini - careful inspection with a loupe revealed a crack in the nib assembly. May not be your problem, but it's worth checking it out!

 

Edited to add: TWSBI have already shipped a replacement, as soon as I sent an email with attached photo.

Edited January 3, 2016 by Jamerelbe

[haruka337]

Jamerelbe, I'll have to look into buying a loupe to check for potential thread cracks--hope it's not anything of that sort. :/

 

While I'm glad that TWSBI has a sterling warranty, I simply want the pen I already have to remain functional--like all of my other pens--without having to send it off or wait for parts.

 

Yes Lcywolfe, I've narrowed down the possible causes to extra terrestrials or my cat.

 

What ever the case, I'll record the cleaning process next time. Though, I'd like to state that I only rinsed the opaque parts in water, using no soap nor cleaning products. The clear barrel, inner piston parts, nib and nib secton were unaffected by this tacky phenomenon.

[Icywolfe]

Jamerelbe, I'll have to look into buying a loupe to check for potential thread cracks--hope it's not anything of that sort. :/

 

While I'm glad that TWSBI has a sterling warranty, I simply want the pen I already have to remain functional--like all of my other pens--without having to send it off or wait for parts.

 

Yes Lcywolfe, I've narrowed down the possible causes to extra terrestrials or my cat.

 

What ever the case, I'll record the cleaning process next time. Though, I'd like to state that I only rinsed the opaque parts in water, using no soap nor cleaning products. The clear barrel, inner piston parts, nib and nib secton were unaffected by this tacky phenomenon.

Could've you accidentally lubricated up the pen's cap? As I put some of the GPC piston grease or lucubration on a clear folder. It can feel a bit sticky/tacky.

 

Use a microscope to check for cracks. My Vac700 has very very microcracks at the top. It looks like it was beginning to form something bigger.

[haruka337]

The stickiness occured prior to the application of silicone and before I fully disassembled the pen. I rinsed the cap before I took the pen apart and that's when it began.

 

I'll order a loupe tomorrow!

[Icywolfe]

The stickiness occured prior to the application of silicone and before I fully disassembled the pen. I rinsed the cap before I took the pen apart and that's when it begain.

 

I'll order a loupe tomorrow!

Could be some type of food matter? Maybe you split some sugary drink on it in the past which gave it the sticky/tackiness?

 

I actually use this: http://www.amazon.com/Celestron-44302-Handheld-Digital-Microscope/dp/B001UQ6E4E

[haruka337]

I don't eat around my pens and I only drink water, unsweetened ice tea, unsweetened black coffee and Scotch whisky. However, while writing, I drink only water when parched.

Fancy looking loupe ya linked into your post, but I'm looking for something smaller. I think I'll get a BelOMO 10x Triplet Loupe.

[JonSzanto]

You know, part of the problem is that pen users today have gotten monumentally OCD about taking apart pens down to the very last part for cleaning. It has become an absurd epidemic. Think of the decades when pens went for months and years between being serviced. I'm more than willing to bet that a more-than-insignificant amount of the problems reported result from user error, and amateur pen repairpersons. But that's life in the new century, I suppose.

[Icywolfe]

I don't eat around my pens and I only drink water, unsweetened ice tea, unsweetened black coffee and Scotch whisky. However, while writing, I drink only water when parched.

 

Fancy looking loupe ya linked into your post, but I'm looking for something smaller. I think I'll get a BelOMO 10x Triplet Loupe.

Scotch has sugars. Or maybe the stickyness/tackyness was already on your hand or fingers and that rubbed off on the pen.

 

I went from a magnifying glass to a loupe to that electronic microscope. Just to make sure tiny cracks aren't there. It so great.... well its only 2 megapixels.... but it just shown me my Pilot MU nib has a flat top of the nib.(many here thought I was crazy or lying when I said the top of MU nib is smoother than the side.) And the ink deposites on feed channel for using pigment ink on the PO nibbed pen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You know, part of the problem is that pen users today have gotten monumentally OCD about taking apart pens down to the very last part for cleaning. It has become an absurd epidemic. Think of the decades when pens went for months and years between being serviced. I'm more than willing to bet that a more-than-insignificant amount of the problems reported result from user error, and amateur pen repairpersons. But that's life in the new century, I suppose.

And the idea of: How tight is tight enough. On piston filling pens pen are worried that it might unscrew so they screw on very tightly. Same for vac pens. This is why I like pens that prevents you disassemble it to tiny parts as its often able to be disassembled enough to clean but not tiny parts.

 

I'll blame GPC's ytube videos for that sort of. They sort of say you need to disassemble to clean all the parts.

[NewPenMan]

If this topic were about not fountain pens but about airlines or cars and the question was, "Has anyone NOT crashed and died in a ball of fire?" the tone would be a lot different. For one, those who didn't survive wouldn't be here to testify.

 

Cracking/leaky fountain pens are extremely unlikely to cause deaths, but I'm drawing a point on the deal-breaker nature of cracking in a device which contains a potentially very messy fluid and which must NOT crack, as one of its mission-critical attributes. Kinda like, airplane wings really need to stay bolted onto the airplanes, car wheels really need to stay attached to the car.

 

While it's nice that the twsbi company will replace parts or pens, that should not be a feature of a brand: resignation that to use twsbi is to have a shipping box with return label at the ready.

 

the twsbi company ought to sit up straight right now, stop fooling around, get on top of their materials problem, and start earning a reputation as a company that makes reliable pens, and erasing their reputation for making pens that crack, often mysteriously and "by themselves."

 

I hope they succeed for their own sake and for the sake of people who are putting faith in their pens.

Edited January 4, 2016 by NewPenMan

[Icywolfe]

If this topic were about not fountain pens but about airlines or cars and the question was, "Has anyone NOT crashed and died in a ball of fire?" the tone would be a lot different. For one, those who didn't survive wouldn't be here to testify.

 

Cracking/leaky fountain pens are extremely unlikely to cause deaths, but I'm drawing a point on the deal-breaker nature of leaking in a device which must NOT crack, as one of its mission-critical attributes. Kinda like, airplane wings really need to stay bolted onto the airplanes, car wheels really need to stay attached to the car.

 

While it's nice that the twsbi company will replace parts or pens, that should not be a feature of a brand: resignation that to use twsbi is to have a shipping box with return label at the ready.

 

the twsbi company ought to sit up straight right now, stop fooling around, get on top of their materials problem, and start earning a reputation as a company that makes reliable pens, and erasing their reputation for making pens that crack.

 

I hope they succeed for their own sake and for the sake of people who are putting faith in their pens.

Well people call Japanese pens boring because they just work right of the box. And they continue to serve you as long you don't try to forcefully try to disassemble them. I guess that is where TWSBI comes in where it kinda works but slowly gains deadly battle scars. That is why some call JP pens "soulless"

 

Well I don't fully blame it on TWSBI as it there some over zealous pen owners who disassemble everything like every other week and screw every bolt back in tightly. But TWSBI does give the wrench to allow for that.

[NewPenMan]

That's interesting. I'll have to own not being enough experienced with enough pens to weigh in on that. My pen collection is overwhelmingly Japanese, save the Lamy Safari, Kawecos, and Waterman Phileas.

 

My focus is to use my pens, for both drawing and writing, and what I like is to grab a pen and have it work whenever I need it without futzing or diddling with anything.

 

If that's a soulless pen experience, OK..So be it. I'll put the soul in my writing and drawing.

 

I fully respect those for whom tinkering and dealing with surprises is part of the fun of using a fountain pen. The fountain pen tent is *huge*...sumpin' in here for everybody!

 

;-)

Edited January 4, 2016 by NewPenMan

[haruka337]

Scotch has sugars. Or maybe the stickyness/tackyness was already on your hand or fingers and that rubbed off on the pen.

I went from a magnifying glass to a loupe to that electronic microscope. Just to make sure tiny cracks aren't there. It so great.... well its only 2 megapixels.... but it just shown me my Pilot MU nib has a flat top of the nib.(many here thought I was crazy or lying when I said the top of MU nib is smoother than the side.) And the ink deposites on feed channel for using pigment ink on the PO nibbed pen

 

I swear, my hands were clean and always are. I always wash my hands before doing any prolonged writing or before I sit at my desk. I never eat around pens, paper, inks or my desk. Before and after pen use, I wipe down all pens (once) with glass polishing clothes.

 

When the pen leaked out and onto my hands, I washed it with grease stripping, non-moisturizing dish soap. Dried my hands and proceeded to rinse the cap of the pen. That's when the sticky began. Prior to that, it has never happened before, but I've also never had cause to rinse the entire pen before. Also, I haven't had Scotch whisky in a month or two--stressful times right now, but all should be resolved later this week. I won't drink if I cannot enjoy it.

 

The magnifying glass you recommended is neat (thanks for the images!), but requires that I hook it up to a laptop or computer. At this point, if I'm not at work, I typically do not go beyond using my phone and it's only to check out FPN, and that's roughly it--I can't stand staring at a screen outside of work.

 

I'm happy to report that my leaky and nib drippy 580 Diamond has ceased to be so. It's been working hard today and, for the time being, is doing well. I think, if there are any cracks, the silicon (provided with the pen) has sealed any potential cracks, but I can't be certain until my loupe arrives.