Is My Platinum 3776 Faulty Or It Is Expected?

[A Smug Dill]

I went to test all three of my/our Platinum #3776 SF-nibbed pens earlier today:

 

 

 

and it seemed to me that the blue one is capable of the widest range – in my hands, anyway – whereas the red one's range is disappointingly narrow, although that may be (at least partly) attributable to the different inks.

 

However, it turned out that there must have been something stuck between the tines of the nib on my Bourgogne pen. I didn't see what it was, but when I decided to write with that nib upside-down for a bit, something went pop and caused ink to splatter onto the page. After that, I was able to get a significantly wider range out of it:

 

 

and I'm happier with the pen for it.

 

For comparison, this is the range of stroke widths I can cajole out of my favourite ‘EDC’, with which I have spent the most time writing and should have developed the highest level of familiarity and control:

 

 

 

What you refer to as "raw" is what many people call feedback. it is indeed a question of personal taste - some like it, some don't. None of my 3776s are dry but I did open the tines a bit on all of them.

 

 

Indeed. Without adequate feedback from the nib, I cannot give the correct or desired form of the strokes in Chinese characters properly. For example, to obtain the narrowing of the final fifth of the nà stroke, I rely on sensing the amount of feedback reduce as I ease the pressure, without allowing it to drop to nil in which case the nib would have left the surface of the paper. When a nib just glides, my handwriting goes from bad to worse, and it frustrates me no end; the line that is laid down is also invariably too broad for my tastes.

 

 

You may not believe it, but it's possible to change your writing habits so that you don't press down so much. This actually produces less hand fatigue over long writing sessions. And I believe that if the pen doesn't lay down a good line without a bit of pressure, it's not set up properly.

 

 

I agree, but then to me a good line is an unbroken line, and not necessarily one that laid down so much ink such that shading and/or sheen is observable.

Edited August 20, 2018 by A Smug Dill

[Arielle Finberg]

I just got a 3776 M a week and a half ago. It wrote, for me, perfectly right out of the box. I find it very smooth and wet. I bought it online from CultPens, thousands of miles away from where I live, so I did not try it first. I could not be more pleased with this beautiful pen.

I am extremely sensitive to scratchy nibs which is why I never wrote regularly with fountain pens in the first place (I confess that I used to say that I actually hated fountain pens ever since I owned my first one, a new scratchy, leaky Schaffer in the 1970s. And then I swore I would never write with a fountain pen ever again. LOL famous last words! And I didnt until around 2014.)

I started writing with 0.5 or bigger tipped gels when they came out because I only want a smooth writing experience. But, In the past few years I started using fountain pens again. But I am still super picky about smoothness. I actually own some pens with ebonite feeds (not Platinum) which I cannot write with at all they are so dreadful to me, personally. I am sure not all ebonite feeds are bad, but the pens just did not suite my writing style.

As an artist, I have seen that tools and materials used for writing and drawing are highly personal. I remember when I could go into any art supply store and ask for a glass of water and try every single high-end kolinsky sable watercolor brush until I found the exact one I liked. Even the best brushes from the best companies made by the best craftsmen with years, or decades, of experience showed quite a bit of variation and thats why artists chose the individual brushes that worked best for our own individual ways of working.

I was really worried when I bought the 3776 online from so far away and maybe I just got lucky, but, frankly, I have never been unhappy with the quality of any Platinum pen. That said, I am unhappy that I can no longer try out all the tools I buy before I buy them. My understanding is that shoppers in Japan can still try out pens before they buy one the like best.

I have never been able to attend a pen show. Are attendees allowed to try out pens there?

 

(edited to add a pic of my writing with the M nib right out of the box. It is finer than my European M nibs, more like my F nibs. It dumped quite a bit of Herbin ink into the strokes (Clairfontaine Essentials notebook), making the ink appear darker than I have seen elsewhere. Hope this helps others shopping for such pens.)

 

(LOL. Just noticed I got the date wrong on my bullet journal entry. It was supposed to be Monday the 13th, not 12.)

Edited August 20, 2018 by AriQuiteContrary

[Joe in Seattle]

That was my experience with the SF as well. Scratchy and a bit dry.

[minddance]

Poussiere de Lune, of course, flows very well. If you feed this pen with some Diamine Florida Blue, Mediterranean Blue, Sepia, Autumn Oak, Pilot Blue, it will be very very pale.

 

I suspect Herbin Grenat Rouge will perform well in this pen too, as it does in my very dry Pilot 74ef.

 

I won't be getting another Platinum 3776. Bad feed and nib. Unless they do something to improve them, I won't be getting. I have a medium and broad.

 

Terrible feedback and scratch on the medium. And a very dry broad. They do not repond to opening tines, how weird. Ink just doesn't want to flow.

 

Of course, fill it with Diamine Midnight and flow will be good. But that feedback is blatant and terrible.

[wildblueroan]

I've had a Platinum F tortoise 3776 for 10 years and its a wonderful pen-no hesitation, perfect flow, very responsive, etc. I also have many modern "flex" pens and many more vintage flex pens. I've written with FPs for my entire life.

 

I recently purchased a 3776 SF in the beautiful blue. It writes like an XF if not an XXF, even compared with my other Japanese pens (Pilot Namiki, Sailor, Platinum). It is well behaved and pleasant to use, but is dry and a tad scratchy. It is responsive, but line variation is minimal at best.

 

What I don't understand is the difference in the nib widths. Why call it "SF" when it is an XF needlepoint?

[A Smug Dill]

Why call it "SF" when it is an XF needlepoint?

 

 

Because it is:

1. softer than a Platinum #3776 Fine nib (and I have one of those, too, so yes, I have compared them myself); and
2. as you can see in the writing samples I posted above, the Soft Fine nib is in fact capable of producing significantly broader lines/strokes than the Fine nib.

[Says]

My SF just arrived, and seems like this "dry" problem is quite pervasive. My Pen came through the mail, and its simply too much work to send it back (Not to mention I got it at a really really good price!)

 

Can someone advice the best way to open the tines just a little bit? Use Brass sheets?

[biancitwo]

My SF just arrived, and seems like this "dry" problem is quite pervasive. My Pen came through the mail, and its simply too much work to send it back (Not to mention I got it at a really really good price!)

 

Can someone advice the best way to open the tines just a little bit? Use Brass sheets?

I have three Platinum 3776s. Two have broad nibs and were wonderful from the moment I received them. The first, a Chartres Blue, was so good I didn't send it to Pendleton Brown for a CI modification. The second, a Bourgogne was purchased just to go to Pendleton Brown. That way I have a perfect unmodified 3776 with broad nib, and will have a perfect one modified to CI. I also have a 3776 Chartres Blue, with a SF nib. It is incredibly fine, finer than my Pelikan EF, my Sailor EF, which write like twins. While the Sailor and Pelikan EFs are smooth, the 3776 is not. It is dry and modestly scratchy. I am alternating inks in hope of finding one that smoothes and lubricates it. I'm still hopeful.

[Says]

I have three Platinum 3776s. Two have broad nibs and were wonderful from the moment I received them. The first, a Chartres Blue, was so good I didn't send it to Pendleton Brown for a CI modification. The second, a Bourgogne was purchased just to go to Pendleton Brown. That way I have a perfect unmodified 3776 with broad nib, and will have a perfect one modified to CI. I also have a 3776 Chartres Blue, with a SF nib. It is incredibly fine, finer than my Pelikan EF, my Sailor EF, which write like twins. While the Sailor and Pelikan EFs are smooth, the 3776 is not. It is dry and modestly scratchy. I am alternating inks in hope of finding one that smoothes and lubricates it. I'm still hopeful.

I tried asa gao and Noodler’s african violet... wanted to try kiwaguro, but i saw in the posts that, that doesn’t work very well too.. anyone has any blue ink to recommend?

[A Smug Dill]

anyone has any blue ink to recommend?

Diamine Skull & Roses? Sailor Shikiori yonaga?

 

p.s. I like Iroshizuku asa-gao in my Platinum #3776 Century pen with a SF nib.

Edited December 20, 2018 by A Smug Dill

[biancitwo]

An additional thought on the difference between my SF 3776 and my EF Sailor Pro Slim and EF Pelikan M600: the two EF nibs are stiff and heavier than the SF. The SF is delicately constructed. Any variation in the paper's surface will affect the SF. Minor variations would not affect these EFs.

[biancitwo]

Accord To my ink journal, my 3776 SF has had Diamine Blood Orange, which appeared slightly anemic, Iroshizuku Kon-peki, which was ok, and Pelikan Aventurine, which looked good, but did nothing for the scratchiness. I cleaned out the Aventurine today, and filled it with Sailor Souten. It does not do well on Tomoe River. It writes beautifully and smooth on a nice junk mail envelope. Some things are inexplicable.

[Dr.Grace]

Sounds like the nib tines are too tight and possibly misaligned. I believe it could be adjusted to write much more smoothly. You could send it to a nib expert.

[Says]

Accord To my ink journal, my 3776 SF has had Diamine Blood Orange, which appeared slightly anemic, Iroshizuku Kon-peki, which was ok, and Pelikan Aventurine, which looked good, but did nothing for the scratchiness. I cleaned out the Aventurine today, and filled it with Sailor Souten. It does not do well on Tomoe River. It writes beautifully and smooth on a nice junk mail envelope. Some things are inexplicable.

Me too! I realise it writes much better on some junk mail papers! What the....

[biancitwo]

Sounds like the nib tines are too tight and possibly misaligned. I believe it could be adjusted to write much more smoothly. You could send it to a nib expert.

Unfortunately, my 10x loupe is not as useful as it used to be. You suggested misalignment. So I got the best light I had available and examined my nib. This time, it appeared slightly out of alignment. I had missed that before. I worked on it a few minutes and improved its performance. I doubt I will get it right, so soon it will be off to Pendleton Brown. When I first obtained this pen, I expected it to be slightly scratchy, so it was. Due to your suggestion, I seriously considered misalignment. I examined it under better conditions, and it is indeed misaligned. Thank you. I will have this remedied.

[Pete of Killeen]

Issue persists in 2024; well to be fair I think the pen is a 2019 model.  Hopefully it won't write as "dry/faint" with some use. I am using the anniversary bottled ink that was shipped with the pen.

Medium nib. 

Edited October 17 by Pete of Killeen

[senzen]

My one F 3776 Century writes nicely wet, if very pencil like.

 

My one SFM Pilot 91 always missed the first part of any letter; I write with a very light hand.

 

I eventually bit the bullet and made the 91 wetter by very gently pressing on a hard surface in an outward motion several times. No more problems since, writes with a lot more saturation, I would guess Platinums would respond the same. It's easy to misalign the tines with this method though.