One Happy Customer: Thanks Dan Smith (Of Fp Geeks)!

[NomadSteve]

First things first: mods, if this is in the wrong place, please pardon the mistake and move it as necessary.

 

I'm writing to gush some praise at Dan Smith (of FP Geeks fame) and his nib services.

 

About six months ago, I bought a Visconti Homo Sapiens 25th Anniversary (variant on the steel age oversize), with the 1.3mm stub nib, from somebody here on the forums. I got a great deal on one of my grails, and the pen was in beautiful condition when it arrived. This was a huge investment for me as a new hobbyist, far and away my most high-end pen.

 

I was nervous about it given the legendarily unreliable Visconti QC, and boy, this nib sure was true to Visconti form. It was like ticking off a checklist of all the problems I'd read about with the Dreamtouch nibs. Hard starts, check; skipping, check; crazy flow issues, check. I mean I like a wet line, but this thing was pouring ink. None of the typical quick remedies helped (flushes, try a different ink, etc - not even good ol' Waterman Blue helped any). I could never use it for more than a few seconds without wanting to fling it across the room.

 

Well, I finally decided to send it off to somebody who knew what they were doing. I chose Dan, and, wow, am I glad I did. I asked him to do what he could about the skips and starts, reverse a bit of tine spread (don't ask), try and get the flow under control if he could, and narrow it from a 1.3 to a 1.1mm.

 

I got the pen back earlier today and all I can say is *wordless noise of delight*. I finally, finally get what all the fuss is about with these pens. I inked up some Iroshizuku kon-peki (an ink I know very well and trust to be a stellar performer), put nib to page, and hoooo boy. It's still a nice wet writer but the flow is dialed in to "manageable"; the slightly narrower line makes it much more versatile (to me anyway); the nib looks sensational and writes even better. This pen simply dances now. What a treat.

 

Best of all, Dan was a pleasure to work with - great communication, super fast turnaround, excellent customer service all around. I could not be more pleased...and, for the first time ever, I actually have a Visconti Homo Sapiens to write with instead of just stare at glumly!

 

Any nib work I need in the future, Dan's my man. You can find his nib services list and contact info here on FP Geeks. Highly highly highly recommended.

 

 

(sorry for the mediocre photo quality; just a quick scribble-and-snap with my phone. Mulling doing a longer video review of my experiences with this pen - and Dan's repair job - so stay tuned!)

[Wolverine1]

Seconding this. Dan does good, no excellent work. Plus his charges are very reasonable

[shedberg]

I just got my Sailor 1911L ( back from Dan today. Wow, what a difference! It was scratchy and dry when I bought it, I attempted to fix the issues but had no luck. I had completely given up on this pen. Dan fixed my issues quickly, it's exactly how I hoped it would be when I bought it.

[Jamerelbe]

It's probably worth mentioning, Dan's services are no longer available through FP Geeks - but has his own website, with a blog (I'm watching eagerly for more content!) and with with details on the various nib services he provides. You can check it out at http://nibsmith.com/

[nibbling]

It's probably worth mentioning, Dan's services are no longer available through FP Geeks - but has his own website, with a blog (I'm watching eagerly for more content!) and with with details on the various nib services he provides. You can check it out at http://nibsmith.com/

Thanks for the head's up! I've certainly missed Dan's reviews.

[Jamerelbe]

Thanks for the head's up! I've certainly missed Dan's reviews.

 

Yep, me too - it's only being added to very slowly at present (I guess he's busy with other stuff - like the rest of his life??), but hopefully he'll have time to add new stuff over time, and/or re-publish some of his older reviews, too...

[nibbling]

 

Yep, me too - it's only being added to very slowly at present (I guess he's busy with other stuff - like the rest of his life??), but hopefully he'll have time to add new stuff over time, and/or re-publish some of his older reviews, too...

Yes I was pleased to note some of the older reviews, and even more pleased to find a review on the Omas 90th Anniversary Ogiva! I'm sure it'll be a slow process but I'm certainly hopeful it'll come together eventually.

[BlueJ]

Thread bump with more praise of Dan Smith's work: I just got a Sailor 1911L Realo M nib pen back from nibsmith.com. Like shedberg's pen above, mine was writing too dry and toothy. Now it is smooth and generously flowing, as I requested. Dan said that he just had to spread the tines a little, and smooth the inside edges. It sounds simple, but I wouldn't have dared try to do it on a non-bargain-basement pen myself, for fear of doing the wrong thing, slipping up or going too far. Excellent, quick service and reasonable fees from Dan. Highly recommended!