AndyH wrote:

I thought that the ink might not suit the pen so I cleaned it
out, dried the pen and refilled with Mont Blanc black, an
ink that is not reknowned for being a good one in the
reviews.

Hi Andy---It seems to be in vogue to bash MB. There's nothing wrong with MB
inks. They tend to flow slower than some, but they're good inks. I've used
MB inks for years and have never gotten a bad bottle (e.g., mold, slime,
stuff precipitating out of solution). Can't say that about many other brands
including a couple that are really popular in some on-line pen communities.
BTW, MB's Blue-Black is fantastic in free-flowing vintage pens.

The review that I have read gave higher marks to the
Waterman than to Mont Blancs!

Again, it's in vogue to bash MBs. I don't have many of them (half a dozen or
so) , but those that I do own work well. I have several from the late 40s
that are truly fantastic pens. I also have a little Boehme here that's been
filled continuously since the day I bought it---something like 3 or 4 years
ago---and the thing works flawlessly. Great little writer. MBs aren't the
greatest, but they're not the worst either. The resin they're made of is
brittle, but it's a trade off. It resists scratching really well and retains
its shine, but it's less shock resistant than some other materials.

In response to your latest post, I think the company representative is
overstating the ink compatibility issue. I use Quink and Waterman in all of
my pens and it works great. Some inks are more gunky than others. These days
(now that Skrip's formula has changed), Quink is about the least gunky. Go
ahead and try that and see if it works. But really, a well-designed,
well-built, and properly adjusted pen ought to work well with any *good*
ink. If the standard recs other people have been giving you haven't worked,
I'd consider talking to someone who specializes in fixing nibs (John
Mottishaw, Richard Binder) to see if they'd be willing to look at it for
you for a few bucks. Unfortunately, to have one of these people fix it might
cost more than the pen is worth.

If you still had the receipt I'd recommend you send the pen back for a
refund and then get something like a Pelikan 200. Might not look as nice as
the Hemisphere, but at least it would write. -- Good luck, B