Annoyed With Twsbi Mini

[Ignatian]

I love my TWSBI Mini, except that it has an annoying habit. The ink flow sometimes slows and then stops. The only way to get it going again is to twist the filler a bit so as to force ink into the feed. It can get messy, especially when I'm in a meeting and I end up with ink all over my fingers. Not a good look....

 

I mentioned this to TWSBI and they asked me to return the pen so they could adjust it. They did, but the problem remains.

 

Any advice? I could just send it back again.....

 

Thanks!

 

Oh BTW, it does it with every ink I've tried, including Herbin, which tends to be pretty free flowing stuff.

[amberleadavis]

Before you fiddle with it, see if a gentle shake fixes the problem...if so the problem is ink surface tension. It happens with many pens, but I think it happens more often with TWSBIs because they hold so much ink. If you have a super lubricating ink like a Noodler's ink, you can use that for one fill and the next fill, the problem will disappear.

[yannori]

Have you tried adding a small drop of liquid soap to the ink? It can help lubricate it and won't hurt the internal pen workings.

[Just I]

I have had the same problem with my TWSBI mini. I actually thought it was out of ink. I ended up taking apart, cleaning it and that seems to have solved the problem for me.

[ac12]

1 - First, I would give the feed a good cleaning. Do the easy stuff first.

2 - Then if it still happens, look at the ink. What ink are you using now? I would try a wet ink (Waterman) to see if it flows better.

3 - Then it is adjusting the nib to increase the ink flow.

[Ignatian]

Thanks everyone for the tips. I will clean things out and then go with a lubricated Noodler's ink. I have many of their inks.. Does it matter which one? I will stay away from Baystate Blue and Kung Te Cheng! Navajo Turquoise perhaps?

 

Thanks again.

[ac12]

Use a WET ink (like Waterman).

A lubricated ink is not necessarily a wet ink.

[Surei]

OP, I've seen this kind of behavior from my TWSBI with certain ink & paper combinations. Then I switch papers and it works fine again. I'm not sure why it behaves this way but... worth experimenting with.

[Ignatian]

I have Waterman ink. I'll give it a try.

 

It does seem to vary with the type of paper too. It's altogether frustrating because the pen is an excellent EDC for me. It's lightweight, compact, comfortable in the pocket and gets lots of comments. Plus it writes well when it writes.

[Surei]

Yes, my mini in rose gold is my EDC. So far I've probably tested around 10 paper and ink combinations and only 1 has lead to the behavior you described. So I switched ink and it goes back to being my favorite pen

 

Let us know if you crack this mystery...

Edited October 17, 2014 by Surei

[amberleadavis]

I"d bet 2 donuts it's surface tension of the ink.

[Algester]

What is the tipping size i found the original nib the number 4 to be dry and can be quite hard to disassemble but soon made the decision to get a 580 nib assembly easier to disassemble and better at performing I should also note I used ef on my mini

Edited October 20, 2014 by Algester

[amberleadavis]

The 580 nib assembly in my experience is more friendly.

[Ignatian]

Well, I cleaned out the feed and filled it with Herbin Bleu Nuit. I have lots of notes to write today, so let me give it a go and see what happens. If it happens again I'll give Noodler's a try. The problem occurs on all sorts of papers.