My First Pelikan, M250 W/ 14K Medium

[KBeezie]

Just got this Pelikan M250 (Pre-89 I'm guessing due to logo and because it's Pelikan AG W.-Germany) with a 14K Medium nib (which I'm told was cleaned/polished by Richard Binder to get rid of the Patina). Got it in trade for my Platinum Century 3776 w/ 14K Soft Fine.

 

I was told it'd be small, but I actually find it kind of comfortable, reminds me somewhat of a 80s German Ero piston filling pen I had, just better made.

 

The nib is ever so smooth, seems like everytime I get one that I think is smooth, I end up with one that's even smoother than that.

 

My only issue is that it seems like a hard-starter even though I cleaned it out good even did a diluted ammonia flush. Since I could go several lines and have no flow after just 10 minutes.

 

Course I don't think it's a hard-starting issue but maybe a nib/feed connection issue because I noticed that if I try to write and it doesn't flow at all and if I keep going it still won't flow. But if I simply flip the pen over and just touch lightly the back of the nib to the paper (ie: as if you were going to try writing upside down), and then flip it back over. Instant flow. This tells me that the nib may not be seated in such a way to promote the flow of ink down to the tipping without a little help (ie: the opposite pressing towards the feed). My only issue is, I'm not sure how to correct that in a Pelikan since I'm not sure how the nib is seated in the silver collar in the combined unit, and I don't want to try to press the tip towards the feed without being sure it'd help.

 

Otherwise it seems like a lovely pen with a decent balance to it and posts very nicely.

 

Originally had Akkerman #6 (Binnenhof Blues) in it, but switched to Pelikan Edelstein Aventurine when I thought the ink was causing hard-starting, and now I just think it's a nib seating issue, because touching the back of the tipping and then flipping back over starts it up right away.

 

(Edit, I do think I have corrected the problem though, will know for sure later on as I let the pen sit upright for a while).

 

Some pretty pictures and a write sample:

 

http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/M250/uncapped.jpg

 

http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/M250/nib.jpg

 

http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/M250/cap.jpg

 

http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/M250/adventurine.jpg

 

After adjusting the nib (so that it writes right away even after sitting upright for 45 minutes to an hour, which was previously impossible without first pressing the back of the nib).

 

http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/M250/adventurine_fix.jpg

Edited August 30, 2014 by KBeezie

[fljones3]

Nice pen!

[KBeezie]

Nice pen!

Thanks, and I may have corrected the flow issue. Based on both pens he sent me (a VP with a Medium 18K was the other), I noticed that on the VP nib the tipping had a wide separation between them which caused the medium to write like a japanese broad, he also called it springy.

 

I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that maybe has a habit of over-springing

the nibs.

Edited August 30, 2014 by KBeezie

[ziptrickhead]

Very nice. The monotone 14C nibs are glorious writers and I kind of went on a rampage to find a few. I always thought my black M600 would look so much better with a monotone nib and my friend gave me one and it was like a perfect match.

 

[KBeezie]

Very nice. The monotone 14C nibs are glorious writers and I kind of went on a rampage to find a few. I always thought my black M600 would look so much better with a monotone nib and my friend gave me one and it was like a perfect match.

 

The monotone certainly does work better for a classic gold trimmed black pen.

[DrCodfish]

Great pics!

[KBeezie]

Thanks again for the compliment.

 

I went ahead and soaked the nib unit again (with an Ammonia diluted solution) and rinsed down since I was having some starter issue (better now but figured might as well give it a longer soak).

 

 

Some pictures of the nib unit for reference, click for larger 1920px size. Visually asides from some dust, I'm not seeing anything wrong with it.

 

http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/M250/nib1_800.jpg

http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/M250/nib2_800.jpg

http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/M250/nib3_800.jpg

http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/M250/nib4_800.jpg

http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/M250/nib5_800.jpg

Edited August 31, 2014 by KBeezie

[Keyless Works]

Are you happy with the trade?

[KBeezie]

Are you happy with the trade?

So far yea, I think I managed to get somewhere with the M250 so far with my little 'project' (will know in about half an hour after leaving the pen upright). Some test sentences and such showing line thickness and consistency vey similar to my Kaweco Medium on the AL Sport I have. It has a nice balance and feel to it, and it's something I probably would not have been able to get easily for just a straight cash buy.

 

The Vanishing Point I got with the sprung 18K medium (ie: tipping weren't even touching each other), is now working like a charm, instant start up, smooth, not dry, but not too wet (thus allowing for shading, since before it was a firehose putting down a Japanese B/BB), and has a consistent medium thickness line.

 

(3 vials of inks were also part of the trade for my Pilot 78G).

 

What he got for the two above plus some inks:

- Platinum Century 3776 w/ 14K Soft Fine

- Pilot Metropolitan (Bronze Lizard), Medium

- Pilot Metropolitan (Black Crocodile), Fine (which I adjusted and smoothed while keeping the line thickness fine)

- Jinhao X750 "Shimmering Sands" with a black-coated Monteverde Fine (never really cared for it, thats why I have a Goulet EF on my Monteverde Invincia Deluxe).

- Pilot 78G (Green) w/ the Broad/Stub nib

 

Most of the above were not getting used (and my Pilot Petit1 pretty much removed my whole purpose of even having the metros or 78g, and the X750 just wasn't getting any love [didn't care for the MV nib nor Jinhao nibs]) So got two pens that I would quite possibly use more often in exchange for 5 I hardly gave much use to.

 

That being said, I won't be without a Platinum Century 3776 for too long as Rakuten gave me 2,000 bonus points (on top of the 79 I earned from buying the black 3776 with soft fine in the first place), thus $20/JPY2,000 off my order. So about $72 shipped for another Platinum Century 3776 in Bourgogne (Burgundy) translucent body and a 14K Medium which should be here maybe tuesday (it already made it thru customs in Chicago and I paid for the order about day and a half ago).

 

But I think I'm going to like the M250 for an everyday carry if I got the nib just right, it's smaller but it feels solid, and it posts very well.

 

Edit:

 

Write sample with some Akkerman #9 as I was checking flow and so forth. Seems like the main problem I was having is correct but will know for sure in the morning. (the main problem being, flow not occurring after uncapping, or that it did lightly then dried up after 1 line until I could get it started up again).

 

http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/M250/akkerman9.jpg

Edited August 31, 2014 by KBeezie

[KBeezie]

And SUCCESS

 

After consistent results following adjustments with the Laan Van Nieuw Oost-Indigo and without any signs of drying out or starting up problems, I switched over to Noodler's Blue Steel (one of my favorite blue inks, which tends to be a bit too wet for certain pens I'd like to use it in), and find it to be very pleasing now.

 

Nib is very smooth with just a touch of smooth graphite feel to it that just glides without being too slick. Leans a tad towards wet but not too wet and dries decently on something like Rhodia 80g. The overall balance and experience with the pen was much better once it stopped giving me the drying out issue or inconsistent flow.

 

This will most likely become my daily writer for the medium width (My Montblanc 225 is the main writer for something bout as small as a Platinum EF).

 

 

http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/M250/bluesteel.jpg

[Matlock]

I have a M250 with HM 12K nib. Great writer.

[KBeezie]

I have a M250 with HM 12K nib. Great writer.

HM?

[Matlock]

HM?

Hard Medium, quite a popular nib (in 12k gold) at one time. I believe more sold in Asia than Europe.

[KBeezie]

Hard Medium, quite a popular nib (in 12k gold) at one time. I believe more sold in Asia than Europe.

 

Sounds like something they would have used as a posting/manifold nib.

 

At the current thickness of the medium I have on the M250, that's usually my limit I can't really go much bigger than that except for special purposes (ie: like my 1.5 stub for addressing).

[Matlock]

 

Sounds like something they would have used as a posting/manifold nib.

 

At the current thickness of the medium I have on the M250, that's usually my limit I can't really go much bigger than that except for special purposes (ie: like my 1.5 stub for addressing).

 

Pelikan HEF, HF and HM nibs are available in 12k and 14k from The Pen Museum for the M200,400,600 series. I also have a Pelikan 140 14k HF which is a great writer. Hard nibs are very popular in Japan, and Sailor for one have a good range. I have a Sailor 1911 with a H-MF nib in 21k which is a wonderful pen.

[inkstainedruth]

Hmm. Wonder if your issue was with the ink, rather than with the pen. I have Akkerman #9 in a Noodler's FPC, and it seems to have some flow issues. I keep having to adjust the piston because the ink seems to just stop flowing. I don't think there's anything wrong with the pen, because I've used other inks in it. And I like the ink a lot otherwise -- it's a pretty color.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[KBeezie]

Hmm. Wonder if your issue was with the ink, rather than with the pen. I have Akkerman #9 in a Noodler's FPC, and it seems to have some flow issues. I keep having to adjust the piston because the ink seems to just stop flowing. I don't think there's anything wrong with the pen, because I've used other inks in it. And I like the ink a lot otherwise -- it's a pretty color.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

No because I kept adjusting until it was right and didn't change til after, and I was getting the same issue with Akkerman binnenhof blues, then Pelikan Edelstein aventurine then the #9 and didn'tcchange it until I finally got it good flowing without being too wet and without drying up.

 

It would immediately flow if I touched the back of the tipping to the paper which suggested to me there was a contact issue between the front of the feed and nib (ie: pooling just before the tines would promote capillary action) usually that happens if someone kept springing the nib, and the pen that came with it was definitely sprung as well.

Edited September 2, 2014 by KBeezie