Is The Pelikan M605 Nib More Consistent Than Steel M205 Nib?

[xwingrox]

I have a M605 with a steel M205 fine nib.

I absolutely love it and hate it at the same time. When it has no issues, it is the smoothest, bounciest nib I have. When it doesn't behave, which is quite frequently, it skips often and even manages to nib-creep so much that visible ink droplets form on the side of the nib (SEE PICTURES). Sometimes the nib comb floods with ink and the pen starts to write like a fire hose. Other times it writes with a 5/10 dryness and is perfect.

 

I bought this fine steel nib from Nibs.com and had it tuned for light to medium flow and medium to heavy pressure.

 

My question: Is the gold M605 fine more consistent/reliable than the steel M205 nib? I want this nib to write on the dry side with Noodler's 54th without any skipping or dripping issues.

I really like the form factor of the M605 but am not amused by the nib problems I've been having.

 

I'm trying to decide if a new M605 nib is worth 3 new M205 nibs or a whole new pen (~$140 from Nibs.com could get me any Pilot 74/91/92 or a Sailor 1911 variant)

 

I'm also thinking of ordering another steel M205 nib tuned to light ink flow and light pressure...

 

Thoughts?

 

For reference, I have other M205 fine and medium steel nibs and they both suffer from skipping, hard starting, and too much ink flow. I have a medium M605 nib that writes like a bold and literally leaves ink glistening on the page. I am planning on selling the M605 medium that came with the pen.

 

(If you can't tell, I'm up to my limit on these modern Pelikans.... I might just sell them all and settle for a reliable Sailor or Pilot...)

 

Pictures of severe nib creep: I'm not even shaking the pen! Just writing normally for 10+ minutes and this happens...

 

 

[Azura]

Maybe you should consider to change the ink first, m600's nib is not cheap after all.

[xwingrox]

Maybe you should consider to change the ink first, m600's nib is not cheap after all.

 

But why should I have to change the ink to fit the nib?!?! I love the fact that 54th is totally waterproof - no dye lifts from the page when touched by water. No other ink that I know does this besides Noodler's Black/other black variants, the Sailor Pigmented inks, and iron gall inks. I dislike IG inks because the color is watery and pale. Pigmented inks are a no go because they write too dry / tend to clog feeds. Noodler's black/black variants are great - but the color is boring....

 

/end justifying rant

[RLTodd]

My M605 EF nib, that I bought several years ago on a close out, was very bad.

If the situation had been different at the time I would have sent it in for a nib exchange.

I was so disapointed with it that I use it with a M200 nib.

[fledermaus89]

It looks as if the nib unit's loose or broken somewhere. Could also be due to expanding air in the barrel and the smaller capacity of the M200 feed (is it actually smaller? I don't know) not being able to handle the burping ink.

[Bo Bo Olson]

605 is a semi-nail.

I don't have any 200 nibs, 5 went though my hands trans-mailing. 2 were as good as my fine 120, 3 as good as my better '90's 400 & gold&Steel '90's Celebry pens.

 

I have a 400n's semi-flex B on my 605....very happy with.

Eventually my 605's fat blobby semi-nail is going to end up a stub or a CI.

 

There is something wrong with your 200 nib, get a Binderized nib... for not too much more than a regular non tuned which costs @$25-27???

An inferior 605 is going to cost well over a hundred.

The 605 is a butter smooth semi-nail.....so what. I like a bit of spring to my nib...I was so pleased with the 200 nibs I re-mailed buying a 215 is on my list.

Great looking pens the 600....can think of buying some now I got that 400n's better nib for it.

 

Don't think the feed size has anything to do with it. A piston filler with 1.27ml like a 200/400 is not going to be overwhelmed by a slightly thicker 1.37ml volume.

Could be cracked in the ring that holds the nib on.

Edited August 26, 2014 by Bo Bo Olson

[Moshe ben David]

I have a M205 and a M215, both with steel M nibs. I've not experienced the nib creep you have; I've been running them with Waterman inks, which are pretty free flowing. Neither pen has started gushing as you describe either.

 

Have you tried a Pelikan ink just as a test? These do tend to write drier. Not saying that is the fix; you may need to have the nib unit looked at by a nibmeister or maybe just replace the nib unit as has been suggested with say a 'Binderized' nib unit?

[Kimo]

^{What do you mean by 'heavy pressure"? Are you trying to write with a fountain pen like you would with a ballpoint, pressing down hard enough to get the ballpoint ball rolling along? A fountain pen does not need any more pressure than what it takes to keep the tip on the paper, a good fountain pen that is well designed for your particular hand will naturally balance in your hand to keep its tip on the paper and all you are doing with your fingers is guiding it into the shape of forming letters and lines. Pressing down too hard can wind up moving the nib around a bit, or even lifting it slightly from the feed which makes the ink flow too fast. I have a Pelikan M450 with the two color gold nib that is butter smooth, lays down a perfect line with perfect consistent ink flow, and instant startup every time. I have never taken it to a nib doctgr as they come from the factory about as perfect as you would ever like. It has been my experience not only with this M450 but also with other high quality Pelikan fountain pens with gold nibs that they do not ship them with nibs that need to be repaired on their first day.}

Edited August 26, 2014 by Kimo

[Bo Bo Olson]

Skipping. especially other Pelikan nibs also, leads me to suspect you are holding the fountain pen like a ball point; before the big knuckle, instead of like a fountain pen behind the big knuckle at 45 degrees, at the start of the web of the thumb at 40 degrees or in the pit of the web of the thumb at 35 degrees.

Try the latter for a page or two.

 

I had missed the writing with heavy pressure also.

There is as stated no need for pressure with a fountain pen.

Edited August 26, 2014 by Bo Bo Olson

[ziptrickhead]

See if the nib is properly screwed into the body. I have several M200 nibs that I will switch into my M600 body with no issues. I recently bought a cheap body that accepts M200 nibs and if I leave the pen nib down the fins fill up so fast that after a short period of time ink will start dripping into the cap. I have a sneaking suspicion that the air seal between the section and the nib unit isn't that good and with too much air getting into the chamber (and not being regulated by the breather hole), ink is flowing too freely into the feed. I haven't had the time to tinker with it though and I just put it to the side. I doubt anything about the nib unit itself is broken since you say that it will write well sometimes.

 

I do find that M600 nibs will write wetter than M200 nibs especially if you have a heavy hand. In all honestly I haven't seen a Pelikan nib to write dry at all, although I've never had the urge to tune one to be dryer writing. 54th Mass also seems to by a wet writing ink to me and takes a little more time to really absorb into the paper, giving it that wet look after you first put the ink down onto the paper.

Edited August 26, 2014 by ziptrickhead