Help: Dry And Skippy Pelikan M200 Nib (Broad)

[Lady P]

Dear pen fans and experts,

I recently ordered yet another Pelikan (my fifth), and it arrived in the mail today. It's an M200 with a broad nib. I tried three different inks (Diamine Syrah, Green/Black, and Rustic Brown), and each of those inks looked much lighter in this pen than in the other pens that I have used these inks in. The pen also skipped a bit. I grabbed my loupe, took a look, and saw that the tines were misaligned (weird, because the pen didn't feel scratchy, just dry and a bit skippy). I aligned the tines with my nails (well, I don't think they are perfectly aligned now either, but it's certainly better than before). Result? The pen got much skippier! Apart from that Hero that I have long given up on, this is by far the skippiest pen in my collection.

So... Any thoughts/advice before I give up and just order an M400 nib for this pen? I'll buy a new nib if I need to, but then again, I'd kinda prefer saving my money...

BTW, I have another M200, only with an M nib. I like that pen very much, but for some purposes, I wanted a broader nib: something comparable to the M400 medium, which is quite a bit broader than the M200 medium. Hence, I ordered another M200, but with a broad nib; and at the moment, this pen isn't doing its job at all...

(Yes, I know, some of you will suggest contacting the seller. Well... The problem is that the seller is Amazon.de - the German Amazon - and I don't speak one word of German. Plus, the pen came without a warranty, just as the previous M2xx's that I ordered from Amazon did. So I'm not really sure how I'd go about returning the pen...)

[Lady P]

The pen skips both for vertical and horizontal lines (though it seems worse for vertical lines). I don't think the nib has a baby bottom, but as I said, the tines are a bit misaligned. I can get them aligned, but each time I do so, I'll write a couple of lines, then look again under a loupe, and they'll be misaligned again... But as I said, the pen doesn't feel scratchy, it just skips an awful lot, and I'm not sure what to do.

[Lady P]

I ran some brass shim between the tines, realigned the tines again, and changed ink (to Waterman Serenity Blue). It's better, but not good. For normal writing, it's okay but not great. If I try to draw some simple geometric figures (squares, circles), it skips quite a lot; my other Pelikans can draw figures of this sort quite successfully.

[Chettiar]

You can get it fixed by a nib technician too. What do you think about it?

[Pelikan Vera]

I would contact the seller. Most germans speak, read and write reasonable english as we get it taught at school. Ask for a new nib for the pen.

[Andyroo]

I've got an M200 with a B nib that is rubbish as well. My M215 (M) and M205 Duo (BB) are both great but the M200 is a little b****r.

[Lady P]

I flushed again (with soapy water) and changed ink one more time (to Diamine Sherwood Green). It's better, but I'm still not pleased. I think I'm going to try writing with this for a few days and see if it improves. I remember that when I got my previous M200, it skipped a little (not this much, but a little bit), and then after being used for a bit, it got better. Maybe it happens with this pen as well...?

I think it would be a bit too expensive to send the nib to an expert; I might as well buy a new nib! And I honestly have no idea how to contact the German Amazon... I'm just hoping the nib improves. Maybe I'll flush with soapy water again or something. Interestingly enough, the pen writes pretty well now if I apply some pressure, but unlike my other Pelikans, it misbehaves if I try to write with a very light hand. In that sense, it resembles some of my (5-10 times cheaper...) Jinhaos.

[Lady P]

I've got an M200 with a B nib that is rubbish as well. My M215 (M) and M205 Duo (BB) are both great but the M200 is a little b****r.

 

I remember reading somewhere that M200 broad nibs weren't the best (but I decided to take my chances anyway). My M200 with an M nib is very good, and as they say, I swear by my M215 with an F nib. This nib, however, has not been too great. We'll see. Maybe I'll just buy a new one.

I'm a bit reluctant to buy another M200 B nib, I'm worried it wouldn't be any better! If I end up buying a new nib, I'll probably go for an M400 nib. After all, this pen looks just like the all-black M400, only with a bit less gold, so an M400 nib wouldn't be out of place.

Edited February 6, 2014 by Lady P

[Andyroo]

I find mine works better in two positions...almost vertical and almost horizontal!

 

I think it is slightly improving with time, but trying to use it so that it gets better is frustrating.

[Lady P]

I think I may have diagnosed the problem: there is not enough space between the nib and the feed (they are pressed together too tightly). Is there any way to fix this?

 

ETA: If I twist the piston knob, the ink comes down to the tip from the sides, there is no ink coming from the center. If I do the same with my other M200 (the one that doesn't have any problems), the ink comes down the center (right between the tines).

Edited February 6, 2014 by Lady P

[sargetalon]

With a dry nib, I try to take a brass shim and add just a bit more gap between the tines with some very gentle pressure. Usually works pretty well after all the flushing and flossing doesn't work.

[Lady P]

With a dry nib, I try to take a brass shim and add just a bit more gap between the tines with some very gentle pressure. Usually works pretty well after all the flushing and flossing doesn't work.

 

I've already done that, though. It helped a bit, but the problem's still there...

[Koyote]

I think your best bet is to try to return it.

[Lady P]

I tinkered some more. Passed some brass shim between the nib and feed. Then I reinked it with Waterman Serenity Blue. It writes acceptably well now, it doesn't skip too much anymore (not even when I draw). Too bad it's still pretty dry (much drier than its flockmates).

Well... I think I'll keep this nib as is for the time being. I might upgrade to an M400 nib later, I'll see...

Edited February 6, 2014 by Lady P

[Lady P]

I changed inks again. (How many inks have I tried with this pen today? About half a dozen...?) Right now, the pen is inked up with Aurora Black. This is the same ink that I have in my Pelikan M400 with a medium nib, which means I could do a quick comparison! Well... The ink definitely looks darker when I write with the M400. However, since it's such a dark black, it looks okay with the M200 as well. I also find that the M400 M nib is thicker than the M200 B nib. Now, that's not necessarily due to the broadness of the tipping material; it's probably at least partly due to the fact that the M400 is wetter.

Well... The good news is that the pen is basically functional. The bad news is that it can't be used for the purpose that I intended. I actually bought this pen with a very specific purpose in mind: I wanted to ink it up with Diamine Syrah. I thought this ink would look gorgeous with a broad, wet nib. Alas, this pen makes Syrah look pink. So... Aurora Black it is for this pen.

I could, I suppose, try inking up my M400 with the Syrah. But... It's a White Tortoise, which makes me worry that a red-ish ink could stain it.

Edited February 6, 2014 by Lady P

[Andyroo]

You've got me trying to improve mine now.

 

The nib unit is in the ultrasonic cleaner right now.

[lahlahlaw]

I changed inks again. (How many inks have I tried with this pen today? About half a dozen...?) Right now, the pen is inked up with Aurora Black. This is the same ink that I have in my Pelikan M400 with a medium nib, which means I could do a quick comparison! Well... The ink definitely looks darker when I write with the M400. However, since it's such a dark black, it looks okay with the M200 as well. I also find that the M400 M nib is thicker than the M200 B nib. Now, that's not necessarily due to the broadness of the tipping material; it's probably at least partly due to the fact that the M400 is wetter.

 

Well... The good news is that the pen is basically functional. The bad news is that it can't be used for the purpose that I intended. I actually bought this pen with a very specific purpose in mind: I wanted to ink it up with Diamine Syrah. I thought this ink would look gorgeous with a broad, wet nib. Alas, this pen makes Syrah look pink. So... Aurora Black it is for this pen.

 

I could, I suppose, try inking up my M400 with the Syrah. But... It's a White Tortoise, which makes me worry that a red-ish ink could stain it.

One thing that I've done to adjust feeds is to heat it with a hairdryer for 15+ seconds and then very gently move it toward where I want it to be. I'm not sure if the pros do this the same way, but I'm not going any hotter than what I can handle barehanded to keep things safe. Maybe others can weigh in on this method?? If you do decide to use light heat, make sure the nib is out of the pen since these Pelikans are plastic.

[Koyote]

Lady P, if you are anything like me, you won't use it if it is simply "usable." I do think it is worth exploring a return. alternatively, Richard Binder does sell nib units for these at a reasonable price, and he guarantees that they will write well.

[Lady P]

 

Lady P, if you are anything like me, you won't use it if it is simply "usable." I do think it is worth exploring a return. alternatively, Richard Binder does sell nib units for these at a reasonable price, and he guarantees that they will write well.

 

Hi Koyote,

Thanks for your concern! At this point though, even if I spoke German and knew how to go about contacting the German Amazon, I wouldn't really have an argument for returning the pen. I've pretty much fixed the skipping, and it's as smooth as my other M200 now. The only problem is that it makes Aurora Black look dark gray rather than black, and it makes Diamine Syrah look pink. Actually, I don't particularly mind the dark gray look of my black ink, it's just that I really wanted to use Syrah in this pen, and that's simply not going to be possible unless I develop some fondness for pink.

 

I don't see myself ordering from Richard Binder simply because I'm in Europe. I suspect the shipping would be quite expensive, and I never really know what conversion rate to expect (euro-dollar), plus my bank charges me a fee every time I order from a non-euro web site (as I discovered when I ordered from the Writing Desk). If it weren't for that, well, I might just turn to Mr. Binder.

[Andyroo]

Interestingly mine came from amazon.co.uk, I suspect all the stock is held in one country or another though. Maybe amazon got a bad bunch?

 

I only bought it because I'd noticed the price had dropped to £41.