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#1
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Initial ink flow low.
I have a couple of pens that behave badly in the same way.
When I begin writing there is no ink flow. If I depress the nib to fles it, ink does not flow in between the tines, even though I can see ink on the upper part ( when held in a writing position ) of the feed. Either putting a small drop of water on the nib, or opening the pen and forcing a bit of ink out using the convertor I get it going. Another way to keep the pen going is to store it nib down. Then it writes immediately. Once I get the ink going, it works OK, no matter how long I write ( well OK I never write for more than a couple hours ). The ink I use in both pens is Private Reserve and I've used it in other pens with no problem. Any suggestions? |
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#2
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#3
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Strider wrote:
I have a couple of pens that behave badly in the same way. When I begin writing there is no ink flow. If I depress the nib to fles it, ink does not flow in between the tines, even though I can see ink on the upper part ( when held in a writing position ) of the feed. Either putting a small drop of water on the nib, or opening the pen and forcing a bit of ink out using the convertor I get it going. Another way to keep the pen going is to store it nib down. Then it writes immediately. Once I get the ink going, it works OK, no matter how long I write ( well OK I never write for more than a couple hours ). The ink I use in both pens is Private Reserve and I've used it in other pens with no problem. Any suggestions? There are many possible reasons for your problem, hence many possible solutions. For instance, what type of PR are you using? Some flow better than others. If you have any Tanzanite, try that in the pen. It's been known to work wonders for hard starting pens. You could also try one of the standards in ink, Parker Quink or Sheaffer Skrip. It could also be that the feed does not fit properly against the underside of the nib. That might explain why the ink is visible but doesn't flow to the tip. Repair of this involves reforming the feed through application of heat and can ruin the feed, if not the pen, if done improperly. You mention the problem exists with more than one pen. Are they the same model? Same manufacturer? It could be you got lucky and the pens suffer from equifinality, i.e., different paths to the same result, which means different solutions for each pen are called for. Hope this helps, Mark Z. |
#4
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"Strider" wrote in message ... I have a couple of pens that behave badly in the same way. When I begin writing there is no ink flow. If I depress the nib to fles it, ink does not flow in between the tines, even though I can see ink on the upper part ( when held in a writing position ) of the feed. Either putting a small drop of water on the nib, or opening the pen and forcing a bit of ink out using the convertor I get it going. Another way to keep the pen going is to store it nib down. Then it writes immediately. Once I get the ink going, it works OK, no matter how long I write ( well OK I never write for more than a couple hours ). The ink I use in both pens is Private Reserve and I've used it in other pens with no problem. Any suggestions? I would suggest you first try these solutions before taking the drastic measure of grinding your nib: 1. Flush your pen with water; then soak the nib & feed in a water and ammonia solution - roughly 15% ammonia - for several hours; then flush well with water and then flush your pen with a water and a liquid dish soap solution. One drop of soap to a cup of water is plenty. Flush well with water and give it a try. 2. Try a different brand of ink. I would suggest Quink or Skrip. Most pens will write with different flow characteristics with different ink. If you find the pens write well enough with Quink or Skrip and you don't particularly like the ink, at least you will know it's not the pen and you can then begin finding the right ink/pen combination. 3. Floss the tines of the nib with a very thin metal shim. Fr. Terry used to sell a .002" steel shim that works great. Don't use a razor blade as it's too thick and can damage your nib. 4. Check nib alignment with a 20x loupe. If your tines aren't properly aligned this could cause a problem. 5. There can be a myriad of other issues that will cause poor ink flow. Most are simple to fix, IF you know how. If you don't know how and the pens have value to you, send them to one of the pro's for evaluation & repair. Or, you could just store them lying down. I wouldn't suggest grinding on the nibs until you practice first on some inexpensive or junk nibs. You can ruin a nib in a very short time if you don't know what you're doing. Kelly G. |
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