Problem with Visconti Homo Sapiens

[MikaLa]

Just got my brand new HS in the mail from Italianpens (eBay). I ordered mine with a stub nib, and judging by a sticker in the box they had changed the nib from a F to 1,3mm stub. It looks like a stub to me, anyway. Filled it Diamine Prussian Blue, trying the power filler several times with the nib totally immersed in the ink, but alas: the pen does not write. What I mean by this is that the nib is so dry it barely leaves ink on the paper. When you apply moderate pressure you get a wet diagonal line of ink, but this is far far from feather touch.

 

Am I missing something, doing something wrong? Has anyone else had a problem like this?

 

Cheers,

 

Mika.

[CopyGuru]

Mike- I also have a HS. Maybe I can help. The pen's nib and feed neet to be entirely submerged in ink- about 2mm of the lava material should be in the ink. Pull out the end and push back in- wait 10 seconds and screw back on. These pens fill best with the Visconti Traveling Inkwell... but you should be able to get 30%-50% fill on its own. My mistake was not realizing how much of the pen needs to be submerged... Wipe it clean with a damp paper towel after filling.

[elderberry]

Hi Mika,

 

I've had flow issues as well with a homo sapiens I bought in January (I seem to attract pens with flow problems magically). The ink in mine would flow but only occasionally, making the text I produced look like it had been written with a dip pen and a poor one too. So it's not exactly the same problem you have but it could have the same origin. Had to send mine in and hopefully will get a replacement soon, for I truly like that pen and that stub nib is really nice.

 

Have you tried flushing it thoroughly or using another ink?

[Tumbleweedtoo]

Exact same pen, stub nib, exact same problem, exact same seller! Tried Visconti Blue first, almost impossible to write with. Washed pen thoroughly with soap and water. Filled with Everflo True Blue. Writes MUCH better now on most papers. Will not start without some pressure on the HP Premium Choice Laser Paper 32 lb, which may be too smooth (all of my other pens currently inked, including Sailor, Pilot, and Pelikan, write fine on this HP paper). It will now write almost dreamtouch sometimes on other papers of varying quality after the pen gets started. I am hoping that over time the pen will write better with other inks. In some sense, the Everflo True Blue ink may have saved me more frustration with this stub nib. Love the pen, however! :-)

 

All the best,

T

[s5blitzer]

Mike- I also have a HS. Maybe I can help. The pen's nib and feed neet to be entirely submerged in ink- about 2mm of the lava material should be in the ink. Pull out the end and push back in- wait 10 seconds and screw back on. These pens fill best with the Visconti Traveling Inkwell... but you should be able to get 30%-50% fill on its own. My mistake was not realizing how much of the pen needs to be submerged... Wipe it clean with a damp paper towel after filling.

 

 

Ditto here. Did not realized how much of the section part needs to be submerged to draw more of the Montblanc ink. Also wait for 10 seconds before pulling out the pen and wiping off excess ink. Hope this helps!

[MikaLa]

Well I flushed the pen and used a tiny bit of soap. Then I filled it with Noodler's BBH, making sure the whole section was submerged and the pen did slurp a visible amount of ink. The situation may have improved a tiny bit, but it still writes a line that is either 1) very very dry, or 2) invisible. You get a wet line when you really force the pen to paper, and it even skips every now and then when so doing. Tried different papers, but to no avail. I am 100% certain there is ink in the barrel, but it is not coming out in a manner one would expect from a Visconti Feather Touch. Does anyone have anything to help me out or someone to turn to?

 

Exact same pen, stub nib, exact same problem, exact same seller! Tried Visconti Blue first, almost impossible to write with. Washed pen thoroughly with soap and water. Filled with Everflo True Blue. Writes MUCH better now on most papers. Will not start without some pressure on the HP Premium Choice Laser Paper 32 lb, which may be too smooth (all of my other pens currently inked, including Sailor, Pilot, and Pelikan, write fine on this HP paper). It will now write almost dreamtouch sometimes on other papers of varying quality after the pen gets started. I am hoping that over time the pen will write better with other inks. In some sense, the Everflo True Blue ink may have saved me more frustration with this stub nib. Love the pen, however! :-)

 

All the best,

T

 

[edited English]

Edited March 17, 2011 by MikaLa

[elderberry]

I'm sure a nibmeister of your choice could fix it but as I read it from your post the pen is new so sending it back to the seller and/or to Visconti services might be the best option. The HS is not a cheap pen and it should the hell write out of the box. You having to waste money and efforts to make it work can't be right.

[eric47]

I'm sure a nibmeister of your choice could fix it but as I read it from your post the pen is new so sending it back to the seller and/or to Visconti services might be the best option. The HS is not a cheap pen and it should the hell write out of the box. You having to waste money and efforts to make it work can't be right.

 

You'd think given the cost that Visconti pens would write well out of the box, but I hate to say but the pen sounds like a classic Visconti non-starter (as opposed to the gushers). Writing out of the box I've found very uneven with Visconti. I tested a HS calligraphy kit with all the nibs, about a third were non-starters.

 

Some of the earlier comments addressed proper filling of the pen. But the pen still should write even if only dip testing.

 

Sounds to me that the nib needs to be opened up a bit to increase flow either by flossing with brass sheets, or via spreading the shoulders as explained here, point 5 at the very bottom. Of course, if one isn't comfortable with either flossing or spreading the shoulders, then by all means the pen should go to the local distributor (if purchased locally), Visconti or a nib specialist.

Edited March 17, 2011 by eric47

[Ghost Plane]

Send it to Visconti. The pen should be wet and luscious straight out of the box with NO pressure whatsoever required.

[rhr2010]

I just got myself a Visconti HS, after reading so much about it. The nib is pleasant and responsive, not really flexible. What I found disappointing is the filling system. I think their system is a modern plunger filler, like the Onoto pens or Wahl-Eversharp pens, or is this like the filler of an Omas Extra Lucens? Anyway, I tested it with water and it does not seem to load a lot of water. I filled it in the correct way, nib under water and plunge down. It seems that with the first plunge I get quite a bit of water, sequential plunges do not add any additional water. I then unload the pen and looked at the amount of water coming out. Way less than any of my Pelikans or Wahl-Eversharp or Omas. How much ink can you load in a HS? Trying to figure out if mine needs a tuning. The cap is also extremely heavy that makes uncomfortable to post the pen.

[Tumbleweedtoo]

Problem Solved???!!! This is/was my first time to use a stub nib. Perhaps not knowing how to write with a stub was my problem. After much research on stub nibs since my post reply, I read somewhere where someone said that the stub nib needs to be written with the pen at close to a 90 degree angle. When I tried that suggestion, my pen began to write fine in either cursive or printing. It never failed to start even. I am used to writing with the pen resting in the web between my thumb and finger. When I tried to write with this stub nib my usual way it would not start and sometimes needed pressure and would sometimes skip. When I wrote at the 90 degree angle, I had none of these problems. Could an experienced stub writer comment on this? I wonder how many pens we send away for repair just because certain pens or nibs need to be held differently? I wonder how many complain about the work done on their pen by a specialist, when the problem was not the work done but the way the pen was being held?

 

If someone could confirm or comment on my "lesson learned" and/or the way to write with the stub nib for greatest efficiency, that would help me know if I am on the right track.

 

All the Best,

T

[Zaarin]

If you're referring to angle of elevation, no, stubs most certainly should not need to be held near-vertically (nor should any type of nib to my knowledge, bar perhaps a Fude nib). I use a stub at a 30-35 degree elevation and it works perfectly, as does every other well-adjusted nib. If your nib only writes at an extremely high angle, you've got a faulty nib.

 

If you're referring to something like hand-angle (I don't know the proper term for this), how you hold the pen in relation to the flat surface on that flat 'axis', then, again, it shouldn't make any difference.

[MikaLa]

Sent it to Visconti repairs. They promised to sort it out, hopefully they will.

[opitzs]

My HS with Stub arrived today... The same problem, it writes if it is almost vertical, but that is no way to hold a pen. I'll contact the store, to send it back to Italy, so it can be repaired. This is very disappointing, but I stll like Visconti

[Ghost Plane]

I use stubs, BBs, and italic broads in assorted brands. Most of my Visconti are stubs. You should NOT have to hold them at a funky angle. They're designed to work the same as any other nib.

 

What you're all describing is feed issues. The ink is simply not making it out in sufficient quantities to support a nib that needs a firehose behind it to work properly. Send 'em in and get 'em serviced.

 

A properly behaved Visconti stub is wet, luscious, and generous.

[Tumbleweedtoo]

For me, fountain pens are becoming one lesson after another, and I am happy to say that they are good lessons, even with the frustrations sometimes! Pen, nib, feed, paper, ink, etc., so many variables worth learning about to enjoy fountain pens and solve problems! Thanks for the explanation, help, and the advice to send the pen off for repair; some problems are better left to the experts to solve!

 

All the Best,

T

[fabrimedeiros]

I also have a Visconti HS 1.3mm stub and it writes a really wet line without no pressure. You have done the right thing sending it to Visconti. Please, tell us when your lava pen come back!! Good luck!

[Tumbleweedtoo]

Well, I sent an e-mail today to send mine back for warranty work in the USA. I will report back what I hear. Thanks for all of the encouragement to send this pen back for servicing. I wrote with some of my other pens tonight, which wrote as they are supposed to, and realized that I was almost becoming disgusted with my Visconti, and that is not the way I wanted to feel about it ever. So, I am glad I got it ready to send back, and will do so as soon as I find out from Visconti how they want me to send it back. I am glad I found this thread and learned that I am not the only one with this stub nib problem. Also, I am now beginning to wonder where the Visconti nibs are made, if so many of us are having the same problem. :-(

 

All the Best,

T

[WendyNC]

My recollection is that a surprising number of the early Pd stubs had issues--the one on my Wall Street certainly did. I was very glad that I'd bought that one from Bryant as he took care of having it fixed and, in my case, the pen only had to go from North Carolina to Georgia (Michael Masuyama).

 

Once they're right, though, there really is nothing quite like them.

[bassplayrr]

For those that have or have had problems with their Vosconti pens, how is the warranty work handled, out of curiosity? I recently ordered a HS from Bryant, and although I don't anticipate any issues with the pen, I am wondering how issues with Visconti pens are handled. When I visit their site I see a few international phone numbers for some key personnel, but no customer service/warranty numbers or emails.

 

Are issues with Visconti pens handled through the dealer, or is there a method by which one can contact Visconti directly?

Edited March 20, 2011 by bassplayrr