Loose Cap

I recently received a pen that was described as troublesome. The ink
flowed poorly and it wrote scratchy and dry. I cleaned and flushed
it, and replaced the ink. It writes very well now despite having a
mediocre German Iridium nib. However, I believe the reason it gummed up
was the poorly seating cap. The pen body is made of a nice hardwood, and
where the cap fits on the body, the body has a gold ring that friction
fits into the cap. The cap has no such ring or fitting, being made out
of wood. The cap still has a bit of snap when it fits, however it is
very loose, being easily wiggled back and forth. I think the nib and
feed are drying, as it does not write after being left a while unless
you give it a bit of moisture (the old "tongue touch") then it writes
very well.

I would like to tighten this cap up a bit. Since the cap is made of
wood, I am wondering if a bit of a soak in water would swell it
slightly, allowing for a tighter fit. Or, if the problem has an easy
fix, any advice would be appreciated greatly.

The pen is unmarked, and I do not know the make. I do not think it is a
very expensive pen, however it has nice heft and balance, and would
make a good knocking around pen if I can snug the cap up to stop it from
drying.

Thanks for any assistance.

C.

If a look at the pen is required, I put a couple terrible photos of it
he

http://ca.msnusers.com/OldThings/css...nw?albumlist=2

Sorry for the quality. Crappy camera. Crappy photographer.

C.

"C." wrote in message news:8q3qd.354239$Pl.208334@pd7tw1no...
I recently received a pen that was described as troublesome. The ink flowed poorly and it wrote
scratchy and dry. I cleaned and flushed it, and replaced the ink. It writes very well now despite
having a mediocre German Iridium nib. However, I believe the reason it gummed up was the poorly
seating cap. The pen body is made of a nice hardwood, and where the cap fits on the body, the body
has a gold ring that friction fits into the cap. The cap has no such ring or fitting, being made
out of wood. The cap still has a bit of snap when it fits, however it is very loose, being easily
wiggled back and forth. I think the nib and feed are drying, as it does not write after being left
a while unless you give it a bit of moisture (the old "tongue touch") then it writes very well.

I would like to tighten this cap up a bit. Since the cap is made of wood, I am wondering if a bit
of a soak in water would swell it slightly, allowing for a tighter fit. Or, if the problem has an
easy fix, any advice would be appreciated greatly.

The pen is unmarked, and I do not know the make. I do not think it is a very expensive pen,
however it has nice heft and balance, and would make a good knocking around pen if I can snug
the cap up to stop it from drying.

Thanks for any assistance.

C.

It sounds like a handmade body from a kit. If you go to a woodworking
shop, they sell many of these kits, and you can actually buy it with the
Iridium tip and all other appointments for about 15 bucks. I did that with
a pen given to me as a gift, where nib was in poor shape.

Mike