Ink Not Coming Down The Slit

[shuuemura]

I have a Conway Stewart Churchill which writes very well. There is only one feature which bugs me. Specifically, after refilling and wiping down the nib, I find that the ink stays at the feed and refuses to make it down the slit to the nib tip. I have to shake the pen or lift the lever to establish ink flow. Subsequently, the pen will continue to write as long as there is ink in the pen.

 

Does anyone have any ideas? The width of the slit seems fine. The tines don't touch at the tip - should they? I know that the slit should gradually narrow from the top of the slit down to the tip.

 

Here is a diagram to demonstrate my problem:

 

 

 

[FedericoMedina]

No the tines do not have to touch at the tip.

 

Maybe cleaning it and letting the feed soak for a while will help.

[Oldane]

Check if the feed is lying snugly against the nib. If not, there can be flow problems. If the feed is ebonite, it can be heated in boiling hot water - which softens it - and bent slightly up towards the nib to close the gap. Keep the pressure untill the feed has cooled. This doens't work for plastic feeds which may be permanently deformed by the hot water. I'm not shure wheteher your CS's feed is made from ebonite or plastic, but maybe others here know.

[proton007]

I believe the feed isn't making enough contact with the nib to allow the ink to be carried by capillary action.

[Chiyoko]

The other members are right when they say the feed must not be touching the nib. See if it is. If not, see if you can do something to fix it, if not, have it repaired. Is the pen new? If so, I would send it back and tell the seller it's faulty. If not, find a local repairman or if there isn't one locally, send it to one.

Good luck!

Best regards,

櫻子 櫻 (Sakurako ''Sakura'')

 

Edit: does this problem cause writing problems/does it occur often?

Edited November 3, 2014 by Yuzuki

[wastelanded]

I have a couple of pens that do this after filling, no matter what ink is used. I run the corner of a post it note down the slit, and that gets the ink going.

[shuuemura]

I sent it back to the nibmeister, and she fixed it! It now writes fantastic. Thanks to all for the advice!

[Chiyoko]

That's great, good for you! Enjoy your pen!