Defective Nib -- Worth Returning?

[Mysterious Mose]

I bought a Sheaffer Prelude Silver Brush “M” Fountain Pen on the Bay (item no. 223837617036) and received it Friday, 3 days ago. This is the made-in-China model, but it seems to have gone to Sheaffer Mexico. The selling price was $38.00. The listing specifies "

Condition:

New: A brand-new, unused, unopened, undamaged item (including handmade items). See the seller's listing for full details."

and "Sheaffer Prelude Silver Brush “M” Fountain Pen. Beautiful and comfortable! Comes in a great Sheaffer gift box, Black as well as a blue ink cartridges and a converter. Condition is New. What a great gift or keep it for yourself! Shipped with USPS First Class Package." The seller has a few dozen fountain pens listed on the Bay.

 

I cleaned and flushed the pen and discovered that it had been dipped in ink. I wrote to the seller on Friday pointing this out and suggested that he be more accurate in his listings or that he flush pens before shipping them. I haven't received a response yet. Nevertheless, I left positive feedback.

 

On Sunday, I examined the nib with a magnifying glass and discovered a defect. On the underside, the black plastic part (the feed?) isn't aligned with the metal part. We're talking about the metal part and the plastic part being an inverted V, with the end of the feed being cut short. In other words, it's more like an inverted U. The straight part of the feed, which goes from right to left, is about 1.5mm wide. The black part is off to the side, about 0.5mm off. It is so badly misaligned that the left hand side (facing up) of the black part extends beyond the metal part. On the right hand side, the metal is exposed.

 

As far as I can tell, the pen writes fine. But, what do I know? With usage, might the nib get distorted?

 

This is a defect, but Is this defect significant enough to return the pen? Would it qualify for Sheaffer's warranty? I haven't written to the seller yet.

 

 

[Intensity]

A photograph of the underside of the nib showing the feed would be very helpful. A slight misalignment of the feed with respect to the nib is generally not uncommon, and can be just a cosmetic issue. If it bothers you, you can often rotate the nib gently around the feed until the two align, as usually there's a bit of a wiggle room for the nib around its long axis.

Edited August 10, 2020 by Intensity

[Karmachanic]

A photograph of the underside of the nib showing the feed would be very helpful. A slight misalignment of the feed with respect to the nib is generally not uncommon, and can be just a cosmetic issue. If it bothers you, you can often rotate the nib gently around the feed until the two align, as usually there's a bit of a wiggle room for the nib around its long axis.

Agreed.

[Newton Pens]

As far as I can tell, the pen writes fine. But, what do I know? With usage, might the nib get distorted?

 

 

 

If it writes fine, enjoy using it. There's nothing wrong with it.

[langere]

As @Intensity said, you can fix this yourself. Just straighten the feed - you should be able to do this easily with a little pressure from your finger.

 

This can happen during the mailing process, when packages can get thrown around. It's not a problem and possibly not the fault of the seller.

 

Erick

[Mysterious Mose]

Here's picture of the underside of the nib. (I had to use 3 closeup lenses, total 8.5 diopters, to get this close.) Anything interesting about the nib?

 

Do You still think it's not a serious enough defect to return it?

 

If so, I'll try adjusting it when the pen runs out of ink.

[jleeper]

Don't send it back, adjust it yourself.

[AL01]

If you "twist" the nib with your thumb and another finger and align the tines afterwards, you should be A O.K.!

[Mysterious Mose]

If you "twist" the nib with your thumb and another finger and align the tines afterwards, you should be A O.K.!

I understand twisting the nib but what is aligning the tines? What does that mean? How do I do it?

 

I'm sorry, but I've never worked on nibs before.

[Intensity]

I understand twisting the nib but what is aligning the tines? What does that mean? How do I do it?

 

I'm sorry, but I've never worked on nibs before.

 

Literally rotate the nib around the feed. You are saying the nib is shifted with respect to the feed. Rotate the nib in the direction of aligning the two. Put your thumb over the surface of the nib and hold the nib down, using the index finger to help keep it in place, rotate the pen with the other hand. Or any variation of holding combinations, however it's comfortable for your hand size and grip style. It's a very small misalignment based on your photograph.

Edited August 10, 2020 by Intensity