New Jinhao 750 Problem: Any Suggestions?

[Jorge]

I was so happy this morning when my new JINHAO 750 SNAKE SKIN arrived in the mail...

I removed the cap a couple of times, just to start familiarizing myself with it, and a work colleague appeared. I handled my new beauty to her and...Oooops! "There is something wrong here".

There she was with the cap in one hand and the body of the pen in the other, but... the nib had disappeared!!

When she returned both parts to me, I could inmediately see what the explanation was: The section/feeder/nib set was stuck inside the cap and had separated (unglued?) from the connector which remained attached to the body of the pen.

I tried to restore the situation back to normal, but without any success as the connector was not able to provide enough grip to extract the section/feeder/nib set from the cap. Quite strangely, they are not stuck tight inside the cap and seem to rotate freely but...will not come out by any means! I imagine that it has something to do with the golden retaining ring from the sectionand the inner cap, but I am not 100% sure.

I do not know whether to try pulling in a more firm way (there is very little room left for clamping)or see how to dismantle the cap from the top and see if pushing is a better option at all.

I would seriously appreciate any help/suggestion that you may offer, in case you have had a similar experience with this model of pen.

If not, I should not bother too much. After all, it is a $5.00 pen, but...I would prefer not to be left frustrated and defeated by not being able to repair this strange (I have not been able to find any similar problem in the forum with this model) situation. You know what I mean.

I attach some pictures which will hopefully better illustrate all the above.

All the best and thanks in advance.

[mhosea]

The ring works in concert with a molded plastic insert in the cap to hold the cap on. There's nothing for it but to pull the part out ( and then glue it into the grip section securely as the factory should have, though the problem might well have been that cap snaps too tight--seen many like that). The amount of force required will be the same as uncapping the pen. Your challenge is to grasp it with something that won't damage it, though a little marring should be of no consequence as long as you don't damage the nipple in the center. Don't slip with needle nose pliers.

[Jorge]

Thanks for your advice, Mike.

I will give it a try with some needle nose pliers I have at home as soon as get there, and will let you know if I succeeded.

[Jorge]

Bingo!

Problem solved. I have now (super)glued together the outer and inner parts of the section and everything seems to be in order, so ...next is simply inking it and see how it writes!

Thanks again for your interest.

 

[KBeezie]

I guess the section housing came out of the grip. The Jinhao X750 is just a friction fit on the Nib/Feed (you can actually wiggle it out of the section pretty easily for nib swapping or cleaning).

 

Of the 8 X750s I have, none of them has ever detached from the section housing like that, and that 'chessboard' (what Jinhao Calls it) one is one of the ones I sold to a classmate with a Nemosine Stub nib.

 

The X450 is almost identical, and the 159 uses the same friction fitting (but a screw cap).

 

I'm actually kind of surprised it hasn't happened to one of my X750s yet, seeing as the cap uses the trim around the top of the grip to 'snap on'.

 

PS: Make sure you didn't super-glue the nib and feed portion as that's supposed to come out if you wiggle it out. The way I would have done it was remove the nib and feed, then re-attach the inner portion of the section to the rest of the grip, and make sure it dries and such before re-inserting the feed and nib.

 

PS#2 : there are 'safer' sealants to use than super-glue.

Edited April 24, 2014 by KBeezie

[Scribblesoften]

This same thing happened with my 159. It is a definite design flaw.

[KBeezie]

This same thing happened with my 159. It is a definite design flaw.

Least it won't get stuck in a 159 cap being a screw type and all.

[Dickkooty2]

Is the fun of a $5 Chinese pen fixing it up until it approaches a $20 pen with a better nib and superior design?

 

Why not pass on 4 potential problems and buy a better example of pen making? Or is there a collectors desire to have a complete run of a brand no matter what?

 

My feeling is if I buy the $5 Chinese pen, half an hour later I'm hungry for a real pen.

[Jorge]

Yes, KBeezie, that is exactly how I did it: I carefully put a minimum amount of (super)glue in the silvery cylinder at the end of the inner part of the section (obviously not at the ring that remains visible and does the grip job with the inner cap)and put it back into the black, metallic, section housing where it should have never come out from. It is certainly true that cyanocrylate based adhesives are not generally good travel companions around pen repair activities, but, in my case, I did not have a better alternative around, so I decided to give it a try (again, considering it is a $5.00 pen, etc...)

 

Anyway, it all seems to be OK now.

 

I must admit, though, that I was a bit scared in the beginning as I did not know how easy it was going to be to take the nib+ out of the cap without further damage, and by the fact that I had not read about a similar problem in any of the several reportings around the Jinhao 750. It appears to be an exception caused by a manufacturing/QC flaw.

 

@Dickkooty2, in my case, in terms of the appeal of cheap pens, I feel just curious around the idea of how can someone produce a somewhat complex and fully functional item at such prices (delivered thousands of miles from the manufacturing location).

By the way, let me add that my previous purchase had been a set of Jinhao 599s at even a lower price ($4.00)and I find them absolutely astonishing, in every aspect, in terms of what you get for the money. I own several pens for which I paid 50-100 times more than that and, in some cases, it is not easy to justify such a difference.

[mhosea]

My only concern here would have existed before the bonding, which is that ink might be drawn into that joint by capillary action when the nib is immersed up to the grip section for filling with the converter. This could lead to inky finger. <gasp> You'll be safe if you refill cartridges or <gasp again> fill the converter directly. Of course if the superglue ever lets go, you'll have another shot at it. Epoxy is probably the best choice, and a better sealant, but unless you have some left over from another job, your glue will cost more than your pen.

[KBeezie]

My only concern here would have existed before the bonding, which is that ink might be drawn into that joint by capillary action when the nib is immersed up to the grip section for filling with the converter. This could lead to inky finger. <gasp> You'll be safe if you refill cartridges or <gasp again> fill the converter directly. Of course if the superglue ever lets go, you'll have another shot at it. Epoxy is probably the best choice, and a better sealant, but unless you have some left over from another job, your glue will cost more than your pen.

 

Well the 'nipple' is in the inner housing, and the nipple hole itself is at the base of the nipple. So it should be safe from that seeing as if ink could make it past the edge of the nipple, then it's not a problem with the housing but with the nipple or with the cartridge/converter.

 

So I think he's pretty safe as long as the inner housing stays in and is not popped off by the cap.

 

But yea I would have went with an epoxy, or better yet maybe some barrel sealant (the kind used for pen repairs so that you can 'soften' it up for removal after a long soaking).

[mhosea]

 

Well the 'nipple' is in the inner housing, and the nipple hole itself is at the base of the nipple. So it should be safe from that seeing as if ink could make it past the edge of the nipple, then it's not a problem with the housing but with the nipple or with the cartridge/converter.

 

 

Wrong end, wrong ink supply. There's no issue with ink from the converter or cartridge. However, if you use the converter to fill the pen in the usual way by inserting the nib into the ink up to the grip section and then draw it into the converter, then the joint between the grip itself and the insert with the nib and feed assembly will almost certainly be exposed to the ink in the bottle. Since superglue is not a great sealant in most cases, capillary action may then draw the ink into any unsealed gaps between these two metal pieces, leading to subsequent seepage at the very end of the grip section just behind the retaining ring.

[KBeezie]

Wrong end, wrong ink supply. There's no issue with ink from the converter or cartridge. However, if you use the converter to fill the pen in the usual way by inserting the nib into the ink up to the grip section and then draw it into the converter, then the joint between the grip itself and the insert with the nib and feed assembly will almost certainly be exposed to the ink in the bottle. Since superglue is not a great sealant in most cases, capillary action may then draw the ink into any unsealed gaps between these two metal pieces, leading to subsequent seepage at the very end of the grip section just behind the retaining ring.

oh that's what you meant, I usually try not to dip the section into the ink as it is (usually close to the base but not completely).

 

but that is something that would be prevented by a proper sealant (where as super glue is made to hold but not necessarily seal)

[The Pensmith]

I hate to be uncharitable to any brand of pen but, I have seen so many of these literally fall apart. Sadly, purchasers of these pens send them for repair. Any form of repair will cost many times the purchase price of the pen.

 

The thread started with "Any suggestions?".

 

Yes, throw it in the rubbish bin!

[KBeezie]

I hate to be uncharitable to any brand of pen but, I have seen so many of these literally fall apart. Sadly, purchasers of these pens send them for repair. Any form of repair will cost many times the purchase price of the pen.

 

The thread started with "Any suggestions?".

 

Yes, throw it in the rubbish bin!

 

*shrug* I haven't had to chuck any of my Jinhaos yet. What's odd is I actually have a $45 Faber-Castell BASIC right now that's got a crack going down the center of the grip section just from normal usage (not even 30 days since purchase yet). But my Jinhao X750 (which I currently use 2), Jinhao X450, and Jinhao 159 don't seem to be developing any defects and I've had them longer than the Faber-Castell. Though the FC is much smoother and writes immediately every time, that doesn't amount to much if the pen falls apart on me.

Edited April 25, 2014 by KBeezie

[highlander1307]

I have a substantial pen collection spanning over 40 years ranging from $0.01 to over $5,000.00 each and don't see much difference in quality other than the prestige factor. Without custom work it can be hit or miss. Six months ago started buying the "cheap" Chinese pens not spending over $1.00 each (including shipping) and I am amazed at how the Chinese manufacturers can do what they do at any reasonable price in the market. I am reveling in the reverse snob appeal of comparing my "one penny" Chinese pen to $900.00 Montblancs. (Of course, still pull out the prestige pen for signing.)

[mhosea]

Well, at 6 months my Jinhao 159 cap would still screw on, my Hero 110 hadn't cracked yet, and the enamel still adhered to my Zhenjue (Jinhao brand) 930 and x450. However, it didn't take 6 months to figure out that 90% of the snap caps on cheap Chinese pens were simultaneously too tight and didn't seal properly so that nib dryout was accelerated versus my better pens of all prices. Far from promoting snobbery, I humbly suggest that a Sheaffer No-Nonsense is a much higher quality pen, generally, than 90% of the few dozen or so inexpensive Chinese pens I have owned. YMMV, and good luck. I prefer to focus on solving problems rather than on counseling people to toss pens in the trash because you never know which ones are going to work out well. Some do. My Hero 9300 and Haolilai 601F are quite nice after my nib adjustments and,for the Hero, work on the air tightness of the cap. OTOH, when somebody says a low-end Jinhao pen is junk, I can't help but silently nod my head in agreement.

[KBeezie]

Well, at 6 months my Jinhao 159 cap would still screw on, my Hero 110 hadn't cracked yet, and the enamel still adhered to my Zhenjue (Jinhao brand) 930 and x450. However, it didn't take 6 months to figure out that 90% of the snap caps on cheap Chinese pens were simultaneously too tight and didn't seal properly so that nib dryout was accelerated versus my better pens of all prices. Far from promoting snobbery, I humbly suggest that a Sheaffer No-Nonsense is a much higher quality pen, generally, than 90% of the few dozen or so inexpensive Chinese pens I have owned. YMMV, and good luck. I prefer to focus on solving problems rather than on counseling people to toss pens in the trash because you never know which ones are going to work out well. Some do. My Hero 9300 and Haolilai 601F are quite nice after my nib adjustments and,for the Hero, work on the air tightness of the cap. OTOH, when somebody says a low-end Jinhao pen is junk, I can't help but silently nod my head in agreement.

 

While it's kind of a crappy comparison. It's sort of like getting a large land yacht of a car that bleeds oil, but is hefty and well built. Versus a smaller, yet more expensive car that uses gas and oil efficiently, but doesn't exactly have any aesthetic frills. But at the same time, Chinese brands aren't the only ones suffering from the Junk impression in the same price range, some western brands do too. But if I had less than $10 to spend, I'm probably going to go with the junk that looks and feels nicer that seems to stay solid versus the junk that can't handle much abuse (but conserves ink better).

 

The air-tightness in my opinion isn't quite as important if you're constantly using the pen. But yes, add about 20-30 to the price and go vintage and you may find something far more efficient that has lasted years already. (and if you already have 4 or 5 Chinese pens, there's really not much excuse why you couldn't just go with the one vintage one if you end up complaining bout the half a dozen or fewer cheaper ones).

[WirsPlm]

Is the fun of a $5 Chinese pen fixing it up until it approaches a $20 pen with a better nib and superior design?

 

Why not pass on 4 potential problems and buy a better example of pen making? Or is there a collectors desire to have a complete run of a brand no matter what?

 

My feeling is if I buy the $5 Chinese pen, half an hour later I'm hungry for a real pen.

I think tinkering is fun and would much rather have a pen that I need to fix than one I'm wary of damaging because of the cost (and being able to make or repair pens is part of what attracted me to fountain pens) and I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in thinking that way, for many people tinkering is its own reward.

[Scribblesoften]

I think tinkering is fun and would much rather have a pen that I need to fix than one I'm wary of damaging because of the cost (and being able to make or repair pens is part of what attracted me to fountain pens) and I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in thinking that way, for many people tinkering is its own reward.

Ah a Noodler's fan. Me too.