Cross Fountain Pen Problem - Advice Request

[mercurius]

Hi,

 

I would be grateful for your advice with a problem with one of my Cross fountain pens.

 

I was given a Cross silver-coloured fountain pen and ballpoint set as a retirement present when I left the company I worked for back in December.

 

I have a couple of issues with the fountain pen. The M nib is quite scratchy. Will it break in over time or is there anything I can do to make it write more smoothly? Also I have noticed a couple of times that the nib unit has come unscrewed and I have no idea how this has happened. Do you think this is a fault with the nib or is there something that I need to know about how the nib unity fits in.

 

Thank you in advance for your advice.

Edited May 4, 2012 by mercurius

[davidw]

welcome to the forum.

 

If you are new to fountain pen. There may be many reason why the nib feel sratchy .

it could be:

 

paper

nib out of alignment

insufficient ink flow

the type of ink used.

many other reason these are just few examples.

 

 

but it really needs to investigated properly before doing anything drastic

otherwise the nib material may be damage. But neverhteless you have come

to the right place and I am sure you will find the answer you need.

 

worst case scenario. Cross has life time warranty. So you will be well taken care of.

 

Easiest thing to do first is to try different type of paper. Preferably not the

office photocopy paper. See whether the pen write better or feel smoother wtih

different paper.

 

Also let us know what model of pen it is by looking on the web seeing pictures

of your pen .

[Mike 59]

Hi, For a start, all Cross pens and pencils have a lifetime warranty, very unusual these days, and is used by many people that read this forum.

They (Cross) will do any work that needs doing, but I believe the owner has to pay the postage.

The details are on the paperwork included in the box.

Regarding a scratchy nib, this can be due to not enough ink flowing through.

Another test you can do, is does the nib seem scratchy when writing to the left or right only?

This would indicate that a small tweak is needed to one side of the nib.

Fountain pen nibs do get smoother with use, but Cross pens are usually better than most from new.

Can you say what model pen you have, and if using cartridge or converter.

Hope that is of some help.

[mercurius]

Thank you for your helpful responses.

 

Easiest thing to do first is to try different type of paper.

 

davidw: yes it does seem to be better on some types of paper than others. Trouble is most of the time I am using company stationery which is not the best quality paper to be writing on. Having said that it's not always consistent on good quality paper.

 

Can you say what model pen you have, and if using cartridge or converter.

 

Mike 59: As for the model, I've looked online and the closest to it I can find is the Cross Century II Chrome Ballpoint & Fountain Pen Gift Set. I use it with cartridges.

 

What about the fact that it keeps coming unscrewed, that surely shouldn't happen, should it?

 

Would my best next step be to contact Cross or return it to Cross and ask them to take a look at it?

[Mike 59]

Hi, As for the the nib unit becoming unscrewed, well no it shouldn't, but if you give it a careful tweak in the clockwise direction it should hold. Almost all nib units ( sections ) are designed to dismantle for cleaning, it's not a fault as such.

With almost all new fountain pens, a small amount of oilyness is on and around the feeder mouldings, and the pen really won't write well until this has been washed off.

The standard advice to clear this is, remove ink cartridge, then to flush the nib unit through with dish washing up liquid, diluted in water, then followed by plenty of water. Then to shake the nib unit and stand it on a folded up paper towel. Leave overnight to dry out if possible.

In fact I think it's better to leave the nib unit in the solution overnight, then flush it through, and it can take several repeats of this to clear the oilyness. Also when fitting a new cartridge, it can take some time for the ink to saturate the gap between the nib and the feeder, and an easy way to speed this up, is to dip the nib, all of it, into a bottle of ink.

If all else fails, you can return it to Cross, they are one of the most reliable after market services known, in the pen world.

You will find information in the box, and/or at;

http://www.cross.com/customerservice/customerservice.aspx?cat_name=Customer_Service

[mercurius]

Gentlemen,

 

I have followed Mike 59's advice here:

 

With almost all new fountain pens, a small amount of oilyness is on and around the feeder mouldings, and the pen really won't write well until this has been washed off.

The standard advice to clear this is, remove ink cartridge, then to flush the nib unit through with dish washing up liquid, diluted in water, then followed by plenty of water. Then to shake the nib unit and stand it on a folded up paper towel. Leave overnight to dry out if possible.

In fact I think it's better to leave the nib unit in the solution overnight, then flush it through, and it can take several repeats of this to clear the oilyness. Also when fitting a new cartridge, it can take some time for the ink to saturate the gap between the nib and the feeder, and an easy way to speed this up, is to dip the nib, all of it, into a bottle of ink.

 

A couple of further questions. I hadn't realised before I disassembled the nib unit that the nib is separate from the plastic unit. Should I soak the nib as well as the plastic unit or not? Also when I re-assemble the nib unit, how do I ensure that the nib is correctly house in the unit when I screw it back in?

 

Who knew pens could be so complicated?!

[Mike 59]

Hi, I took mine apart to take some photo's, and I see there is no obvious location point to align the nib to, so if you aim for a 2.5 mm overhang of the nib, from the front edge of feeder, that is fine.

When fitting back together, hold the nib in the correct place on top of the feeder, pinch between finger and thumb, you will see a flat underneath the feeder which can only go back into the nib section one way, so just slowly turn till it finds the correct place.

With mine the nib and feeder push straight in, but if threaded just gently threading it back in will be correct.

You can flush the nib unit through without taking the nib out, not so effective of course.

It's worth buying a 'budget' quality toothbrush to keep just for pen work, it can get into all the grooves in the feeder.

Yes you can clean the nib, a slosh around in a small pot of washing up detergent in water is normally enough.

Nib feeders can be either push fit or threaded, my collection of pens is about 50/50.

I do most of my work under a 8x magnifier bought from a Photographic shop, it's by a company in Spain named 'AP' and cost me (in $US) 11.00.

Edited May 7, 2012 by Mike 59

[mercurius]

Hi Mike 59,

 

Very many thanks for going to such great lengths with the photographs to help me out on this.

 

I have cleaned down my nib unit and re-fitted it in the pen. I don't seem to have a flat bit on the nib housing as illustrated in your picture , it's just round.

 

Now I have re-fitted it though, it still doesn't feel right and if anything seems a bit more scratchy. Perhaps I need to play around with the seating of the nib back in the unit. My concern is though is that by doing this, it will make it looser in future.

[Mike 59]

Hi, I take a fair few photo's as it shows more clearly the details I'm trying to get across, but I know your pen is not exactly the same model as mine.

The flat on the underside is for feeders that slide straight in and hit a stop inside the section. But the nib does not seem to have any special notches or locations, the small hole on the top at the back does not fit over a pin, as you might think.

It's a case of holding the nib roughly in the correct position then getting the 2.5mm overhang, pinch the two together and thread or push into the section. Don't think there are any tricks to know about, just trial and error.

Points to check are the nib is centered on the feeder, and nib is 2mm to 3mm advanced from the front edge of feeder.

Be sure that ink is flowing well through the nib, you should then get a decent line on the paper.

 

The most common fault is one half (tine) lower than the other, in that case you would find the pen smooth writing one way, (sideways) but catching the opposite way. It's the work of a minute to sort it out, but it's an easy thing to say, not so easy to do.

 

Of course if you think the nib is not right then a 'return' is an answer.

Edited May 7, 2012 by Mike 59

[Chrissy]

As you're in the UK I would recommend that you send it to Cross. They have recently fixed a Cross Townsend for me. They were very quick and professional.

 

They do usually charge £5.99 for return postage.

[mercurius]

Hi Mike 59 and Chrissy,

 

Thanks for your thoughts. I think I may have to return the pen to Cross to sort it out. I don't want to damage it if I can help it.

[hazcat]

I've sent two Cross pens in for nib adjustments and had no improvement when I got them back. Quite vexing, especially since most folks have good luck with Cross service. Both got their nibs tuned by Pendleton Brown, and they write splendidly now. He is very reasonably priced, so you might consider that instead of Cross service.

 

BTW, customers in some states in the US have to pay the $10 fee per pen, while others do not. Hope you are in a "freebie" state.

[mercurius]

Hi hazcat,

 

Thanks for your response and sorry that you didn't get a good service from Cross. I sent mine off for a service last Tuesday and was told on the phone it could take 10-15 days.

 

I am based in the UK so assume there's no easy access to Pendleton Brown, if they are a stateside only operation.

 

Anyone know of a similar service in the UK they would recommend using, if Cross don't come up to scratch (sorry for the pun!) with my FP?

[mercurius]

Well, just to let you know that Cross returned my pen with a new nib.

 

I wish I could say that I am totally happy with it, but it stll sees to be a bit scratchy, even writing on Oxford Optik paper. I could send it back I suppose, but am not convinced I am going to get anything better than what they have sent me back.

 

I do like smooth writing pens, but this is worse than my cheaper Parker Rialtos.

 

Any thoughts on how to improve it? Or am I just saddled with an inferior FP?

[Mike 59]

Hi, Pleased to hear that you got your pen back, serviced.

I have thought for some time that fountain pen nibs really need to be 'run-in' or 'written-in' before they start to get smooth.

I don't own a Cross FP but I did buy a middle range european made FP, where it was printed in the instructions that it had been tested and 'run-in', and therefore would have some ink in it.

I hoped for a smooth writer, but no, it was 'toothy' on the paper, and I spent some time running it in on brown paper, and plate glass.

It's fine now, but it took some work to get there.

The plate glass method seems effective, and I used an old 6x4" photo frame, with a puddle of water in the middle.

I removed the ink cartridge first.

Then drew circles, squares and eights, over an area of about 2 inches square.

Then dried the nib on a paper towel, refitted the catridge and tested.

I did 5 minutes, tested then another 5 minutes. It worked for me.

Also I have tried Oxford Optik, and I found it not to suit my pens very much, inks being Waterman and Sheaffer Skrip. I thought it was too coated.

Best results lately have been with this....

Edited May 21, 2012 by Mike 59

[mercurius]

Hi Mike 59,

 

Thanks for your swift reply. Sounds like an interesting technique for running the pen in.

 

A couple or three questions:

1. 
   1 Why do you need the puddle of water on the glass?
   2 Does it damage the glass?
   3 Did you only need to do it a couple of times?
   

 

Thanks also for your comment about Oxford Optik. I haven't tried Pukka paper, so I'l give it a go. I note that they do seem easier to get hold of than Oxford Optik.

Edited May 21, 2012 by mercurius

[Mike 59]

Hi, Regarding the Optik paper, I thought it would be fine with fountain pen, but was surprised that it made all my FP's write very narrow, that is was not absorbing ink well. I don't doubt it's high quality paper, it just seems to not suit my very ordinary inks.

I don't use anything unusual, so it can't be that. Just Quink, Skrip and Waterman.

I bought the Pukka Pad from a supermarket, not expecting much, and it's very good, with a matte surface which works well for me.

 

With the nib running-in, I called it plate glass, but in a cheap photo frame, it won't be plate!

The puddle of water is to keep everything smooth, and it will creep up the nib slightly, but of course is totally fine with any ink.

I used a photo frame that has no value to me any more so any scratches won't matter.

I don't know what the 'wear rate' on the nib is, very little, but I wouldn't do more than a few minutes at any time.

My method was to keep the pen moving, and at the same time changing the angle from near upright down to 10 degrees or so.

Also tilting the pen left and right, say 10 degrees from the normal writing position.

In fact I have done the same with other pens, just using the ink in the pen, and seemed fine to me.

 

I did two, 5 minute 'bursts' on the glass, then tried it on paper. I pressed on the glass slightly more than I would on paper, but not enough to bend anything. I don't see why more work could not be done, but keep testing with ink on paper.

 

I suppose all it is doing is speeding up what would happen on paper, over many months.

I have noticed that the smoothness has much to do with the width of the nib, and it's slightly annoying to admit that an old '92 Vector (medium) is my smoothest nib. But a 2011 nib I have in Fine, (half the surface area, I guess), is fairly rough on the paper.

Edited May 21, 2012 by Mike 59

[mercurius]

Hi Mike 59,

 

Thanks for the advice. I've done 3 lots of 'grinding on glass' now in 5 min bursts. It seems a bit better but I can still feel where it's not quite right on one side, so may have to give it another burst.

 

I'm going to track down some Pukka paper. I have a feeling that it may partly be the Optik paper that is not absorbing enough ink as the line looks very thin, more like a fine than a medium nib.

 

Once again many thanks for the detailed advice.

[subbes]

Mercurius;

 

I've really enjoyed reading this thread. It's nice to see a new pen user.

 

If you find that the "glass smoothing" method doesn't quite give you the results you need, you can try the same operation with a brown paper bag or the inside of a cardstock envelope (the example used here in the USA would be the inside of a FedEx envelope). Make sure the pen has ink in it to keep the nib's surface lubricated while you're doing this. Doodle figure eights and circles for a while, and test the nib regularly to see if you're getting any change.

 

 

Additionally, I know of two "nib workers" based in the UK, who are on the Fountain Pen Network: Oxonian and Eckiethump. I don't think Oxonian has a web site so you would need to find him on the forum and send him a private message, but Eckiethump's web site is eckiethump.webs.com. I see lots of praise for the work done by both gentlemen.

[Mike 59]

Hi all, Yes I have also used the 'brown paper bag' smoothing method, and I am not sure if it is like a fine grinding effect, or it adds a coating onto the nib surface, but it does make some difference.

The main problem being wearing through the paper bag every minute or so !

But one point to look out for after using card or brown/white paper bag methods, is that the nib gap can have paper fibres packed in there, and is not easy to tell without a magnifier of x10 or so.

I use a x20 Triplett loupe which is vital (for me) for this kind of work.

My new Cross Century 2 was improved greatly using the nib smoothing methods, (see photo)

(I wrote I was using inkjet paper, in fact it was a W.H.Smith brand A5 notepad, but the paper is very much like inkjet paper.)

Edited June 15, 2012 by Mike 59