Desiderata Daedalus

October 28, 2017

I've got one of these as well. I was pleasantly surprised at how well the feed on mine keeps up with a flexed nib for extended periods of time, and it is nice to have a good option for travel without having to carry a container of ink.

October 29, 2017

...exception being the Noodler's Ahab which took several months of tweaking...but I did finally get it right to where it was perfect...

I thought you might be a flake but this part of your post suggests you have a legitimate issue.

One time I did send a pen into the wall at about 100 mph after an intolerable amount of frustration.

I'm glad that I killed it and I spit, pee & dance on its grave.

(it was a however a $20 pen)

It sounds like you have a bad feed.

All the Desiderata pens have custom made feeds.

You can't order a replacement feed for one because they are all hand fitted.

You have to send the pen back and get one .2 mm or more larger in diameter.

Dig it out of the trash

Edited October 29, 2017 by Bordeaux146

October 30, 2017

I thought you might be a flake but this part of your post suggests you have a legitimate issue.

One time I did send a pen into the wall at about 100 mph after an intolerable amount of frustration.
I'm glad that I killed it and I spit, pee & dance on its grave.
(it was a however a $20 pen)

It sounds like you have a bad feed.
All the Desiderata pens have custom made feeds.
You can't order a replacement feed for one because they are all hand fitted.
You have to send the pen back and get one .2 mm or more larger in diameter.

Dig it out of the trash

A flake? Why? Because I received a faulty pen? LOL! OK.

Anyway,...I will have to dig it out of the trash. Sure wish it was tested thoroughly before I received it in the first place. But I guess these things happen.

October 30, 2017

A flake? Why? Because I received a faulty pen? LOL! OK.

I listened to a person here having a total meltdown over nib creep.

Another guy sprung two vintage gold nibs and seemed to think a 3rd one might tolerate his "writing style".

Ya never know about who is on the other end of this here internet.

Anyway, both my Desiderata pens require a fairly firm push to slide the nib/feed unit into place.

If the nib is sliding into the section under flexing pressure, it is way too loose.

I had a long battle with a Neponset early on in my fountain pen education.

It taught me a lot of things about the idiosyncrasies of flex pens.

October 31, 2017

Bordeaux,

I totally understand. On a side note,...do you ever feel safe leaving Pierre's Pens in your pen case or holder.... nib face down?

I pulled mine back out of the trash and will leave it nib side up in my glass jar until I can get back to it. Granted,...I usually keep all of my fountain pens nib side up and if I travel I empty them before the trip. (I won't even tell you how I learned that lesson the hard way about 10 years ago. Boy what a mess and boy was I stupid and deserving of that one. LOL)

Oh the mighty Ahab! I actually opened up (deepened) the feed channel on mine to make it more free flowing. It worked on one and not on the other.

You may be on to something though with the feed and nib of the Desiderata pen. I can basically shove the nib and feed just about all the way in the darn pen body. Yeah,...its that crazy.

For example....Right now I have it (nib and feed) all the way in to the pen to where the "G" barely shows on the nib. (using the Titanium coated G)

I know I could go in even further without much difficulty. I've had it out further as well and it still leaked.

One thing I can at least say is that I have never sprung a nib's tines. I have a heavy hand but I have always known that therefore I have always babied my nibs and only flexed it to where it offered some variation. I also have a $150 pen (the most I have ever spent) from Italy that I just love to look at but sadly it is like writing with a nail. (An old rusty nail at that) I'm too scared to try and smooth it although I have seen it done countless times on the Tube. I may wait for a pen show to come near me so that I can get that done professionally.

Edited October 31, 2017 by TDolce

April 9, 2018

Sciumbasci, the nibs are dip pen nibs, without any tipping on them So, they will have to get replaced fairly often (and may take a bit of getting used to if you don't have experience with non-tipped nibs). I have one of Pierre's prototype Daedalus from a few years ago when he was looking for people here to beta-test them and give him feedback on the pens. I had a Zebra G nib on mine and it was terrible -- it tore into even good paper like Rhodia. But it turned out I just had a bad nib: I've since tried some others (including somebody's Icarus a couple of weeks ago at a SCN meeting) and they were lovely to write with. One of these days I will see about getting a package of Zebra G nibs (maybe the titanium ones) and give the pen another shot (mine was a blow filler and I couldn't get it to work to fill that way -- so I just used mine as an eyedropper).
Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

Hey Ruth,

How's it going? That prototype (not a blow filler) I sent you is waaay too old to be comparing to what people would get now. Not even close. If you buy a Desiderata pen now, you'll get a high quality handmade feed, very nice fits, highly designed and considered ergonomics and the best customer support I can give.

Pierre

April 9, 2018

A flake? Why? Because I received a faulty pen? LOL! OK.

Anyway,...I will have to dig it out of the trash. Sure wish it was tested thoroughly before I received it in the first place. But I guess these things happen.

Hey Todd,

We corresponded in November 2017 about this and I replied to try and help you out, but we haven't been able to connect. Then I found this thread. I had no idea you were having trouble before this. No idea.

I would love to clean and test out every single pen before shipping, but it's just not feasible for a $65 handmade pen with a custom feed and a proprietary nib requiring user cleaning for adequate function. I'd love to hire a nib-cleaning guy to clean and check every nib that goes out, but it's just not feasible. I test some, but I can't test them all.

Anyway, a lot's happened since the pen you bought, and things are much better all around. Supply isn't always fantastic, but the build quality is much improved. Don't take my word for it, though. I don't know where you're located, but if you can get to the Atlanta, Chicago, Ohio, Michigan or DC Pen Shows this year, bring your troublesome pen, and I'll see if I can't turn this around. You gotta give me a chance, man!

Pierre

April 9, 2018

If you buy a Desiderata pen now, you'll get a high quality handmade feed, very nice fits, highly designed and considered ergonomics and the best customer support I can give.

~ PrestoTenebroso:

I like your attitude, and your style.

If I lived in Chicago, I'd volunteer as an unpaid helper for stuff that's gotta be done while the art is being conjured up.

Maybe paid by a live concerto movement every few months.

However, as I'm teaching on a university campus in out-of-the-way Central China, I'll send my very best.

All that you've eloquently expressed sounds just right.

Hope that your Desiderata pens will continue to be well received, so that the music will continue to flow.

Tom K.

April 23, 2018

~ PrestoTenebroso:

I like your attitude, and your style.

If I lived in Chicago, I'd volunteer as an unpaid helper for stuff that's gotta be done while the art is being conjured up.

Maybe paid by a live concerto movement every few months.

However, as I'm teaching on a university campus in out-of-the-way Central China, I'll send my very best.

All that you've eloquently expressed sounds just right.

Hope that your Desiderata pens will continue to be well received, so that the music will continue to flow.

Tom K.