Suddenly Lousy Flow From Kaweco Fine Nib

[das323]

Hi. First post. Thanks in advance for any help.

I'm having trouble with a new Kaweco Sport fountain pen with fine nib.

I received it brand new this past weekend. It worked well at first and I enjoyed using it for a few days. I used it today for a few hours with no issues. However, it suddenly stopped writing well. (I was using the same paper, same conditions, etc. no changes. The pen hasn't been dropped or misused or anything. I'm the only one to have used it.) The flow, which until this point had been steady, is now very dry and often no ink comes out. This happens especially if I stop writing with the cap off, even just briefly, but it can happen in the middle of penning a word. At times the ink will flow as it used to, but most of the time it's scratchy, dry and sporadic (if flowing at all). Initially, I thought the pen was low on or out of ink, but the cartridge (Kaweco, came with pen; the first and only cartridge to go in the pen) was still 1/2 full. No trapped air or anything that I could see, but I swapped in another Kaweco cartridge just in case. But, still had the same problems. I can get it to start writing again by moistening the tip of the nib, but it doesn't last.

In short, the pen worked well for 4 days or so, and then the performance suddenly tanked.

I have other fountain pens (though this is my first Kaweco) but I've not experienced anything like this.

Any thoughts and/or suggestions?

Thanks very much.

 

[Jamerelbe]

The first thing to try is to remove the nib and feed from the grip section (they're friction fit, so they'll pull straight out) and give them a good rinse. Then dry off gently, align them carefully, and reinsert gently but firmly (the interior of the grip section is perfectly round, so positioning is not critical). That may be all it takes to fix your flow, if it's caused by some kind of gunk or crud in the ink channel. If that doesn't work, flossing the tines with a brass shim, and/or gently scraping the ink channel in the feed are fairly simple and non-aggression options. If *thar* doesn't work... I'll be a bit surprised! But check back at that point and see if anyone else has some suggestions...

[Mike 59]

Hi, I found my first/only Kaweco Sport to be a little dry at first try, so I took the nib and feed apart and gave them a scrub using an old toothbrush, with a couple of drops of dish detergent mixed into some warm water.

Also I thought that the tine gap was very minimal, so increased it to somewhere around 3 or 4 thou / inch, and all this has made it write as I expected it might.

The nib is very smooth, it's becoming a favourite very quickly !

[fly_us]

I will dip the nib into water and try again. If it start, pull the cartridge out and give the pen a good flush.

 

An ultrasonic cleaner also helps.

[beanbag]

Very thin and rigid plastic film - floss the tines

[graystranger]

The suggestions above should get your pen working again. Probably a piece of tiny trash left in the pen from manufacturing, or some dried ink. If it worked before, the pen will be just fine. Just clean it out. I had a pen once that stopped working, went dry and ink would not flow (after using it for several years). Turned out I had not seated the nib and feed back into the grip all the way.

 

The caps on Kaweco pens do not seal very well. If you leave them capped and unused for a week or two the nib and feed will dry out and need flushing. I use a Goulet Pens bulb syringe to flush my grip sections out before I pull the nib and feed out. Usually that is all that is needed.

 

Also, for any fountain pen, if you leave it uncapped for a while the ink in the nib and feed will dry out and cause startup and flow problems. I always re-cap my pens if I stop writing for a minute or so, and never put it down uncapped.

 

Let us know if you get the pen working again.

 

Edited September 25, 2015 by graystranger

[das323]

Thanks very much for the replies and suggestions. I'll get cleaning, then! In the off chance that I need to "floss the tines," where can I get brass shim or rigid plastic film?

Thanks again.

[cattar]

Probably you don't need to do nib flossing. I've used multiple fountain pens for decades, some of which dry out now and then, and have not had to floss a nib. If you're going to go that route, read a lot about nib adjustment first so you don't end up damaging your nib.

 

Cleaning the feed and nib should work.

[ENewton]

I have also used fountain pens for decades, and the Kaweco Sport I bought a few months ago is the first that required me to floss the nib. I would not call the nib a delight even now, but opening the tines has certainly improved its behavior.

 

To the original poster, try doing a search on FPN for "Kaweco flow" and "Kaweco problems." There are several threads in which people discuss how to improve flow in Kaweco Sport pens.

[das323]

After a good cleaning, the pen is writing well again.

Thanks again for all the great feedback. Very much appreciated.

[Jamerelbe]

After a good cleaning, the pen is writing well again.

Thanks again for all the great feedback. Very much appreciated.

Glad to hear it - they're great little pens, but I found mine needed a bit of attention before they would write smoothly.

[graystranger]

Thanks very much for the replies and suggestions. I'll get cleaning, then! In the off chance that I need to "floss the tines," where can I get brass shim or rigid plastic film?

Thanks again.

Goulet Pens sells the brass shim. Some people have used steel feeler gauges, but I think this risks damaging the nib.

 

Cattar is right, I've found it very rare that I need to floss my nibs, and I've got about 30 pens inked up and being used from time to time. Using fountain pens since 1997. I usually use the brass shim to clean out the feed slit, but only once in a while. If the pen is writing well and the way you want it to, leave it alone.

 

I use the bulb syringe much more often than the brass shim.

 

http://www.gouletpens.com/gpc-bulbsyringe/p/GPC-BulbSyringe

 

http://www.gouletpens.com/gpc-brasssheets/p/GPC-BrassSheets

Edited September 27, 2015 by graystranger