Help With Picasso Problem!

February 22, 2014

Hello,

I am brand new to FPN and fairly new to using fountain pens, and I have just been faced with my first technical problem with one of my pens. Hopefully one of you experts will be able to help me out.

I recently purchased a Picasso 903 on Ebay from a seller in China. As soon as I got it, I flushed the converter/nib with water quite thoroughly and then filled it with Diamine ink. I tested it briefly right after filling it and it felt like it was writing well (very smooth), although the ink itself seemed to come out kind of thin and pale. (The ink is Kelly Green and in my other pens comes out in a very vibrant bright green, but in the Picasso it was pale and watery looking.) A couple of hours later, I pulled the pen out to take notes in a lecture and something happened, though I'm not sure what caused it. I uncapped it and started to write, then looked down and saw that there were splotches of ink all other the paper and ink coming up onto the grip area of the pen, and all over my hand. I wiped the ink off the pen and put it away, and came back to it today, a few days later. It hasn't spewed ink at my again yet, but it's writing very badly. I have to put pressure on the nib to get the ink to flow and the flow is very inconsistent. It's writing very dry and basically feels like a temperamental ballpoint that's running out of ink.

I'm hoping there's a way to fix this without getting the seller involved, since it's from China and took several weeks to arrive. This is such a shame because it is a beautiful pen and all the reviews that I have read have praised it so highly. What do you guys think I should do? Do you think it's a broken pen or is there something I can try that might fix it up?

February 23, 2014

Try flushing the pen again. This time the converter, feed, and nib. Let it dry completely before you ink it. See how that does. Iv'e had two Picasso's and bothe were fantastic.

Cheers,

Ed

Edited February 23, 2014 by Edwaroth

February 25, 2014

As suggested, flush again in lukewarm water. The Picasso converters are usually of a very good standard (compared to some of the other Chinese converters), but yours could of course be faulty - or not inserted deep enough. If the problem persists, try a cartridge or another converter. Picasso pens are usually on the dry side and prefer a wet ink. Diamine should be just fine.