Question About The Parker Sonnet

[Telebooger]

I am new to fountain pens, so now that's out of the way. I have a new Parker Sonnet, and having problems. I can fill it with ink and get it writing just fine, then when I pick it up the next day, I cannot get it writing. I even take it over to the sink and push the plunger down and spew ink out of the nib, and then it will begin writing, but with heavy skipping. I have speedball blue ink as well as Waterman serenity blue ink. Do I have to empty and fill this pen every time I want to use it? I really want to experience writing with fountain pens and I have to break through this issue first.

Bruce

[torstar]

some on here proclaim the Sonnet to be the greatest pen they ever owned

 

others feel quite the opposite

 

(i'm in the latter camp and threw the thing out)

 

at least in the old days they cut holes in the cap so you could have a whistle toy

[Telebooger]

Thanks torstar for the swift response, but not much help. I'll see if I can remember the whistle thing.

[Alex2014]

Sonnet is known to have starting problems, there are some topics on FPN about. Some people made the end of its cap air-tight with wax. I do not know if so you could solve the problem. If the FP is new and in warranty, I'd send it to be serviced.

[cambookpro]

Did you buy it new? You should be able to get it repaired under warranty, as that's not normal behaviour.

 

My Sonnet starts up fine each time I use it.

[Telebooger]

Yes it is new and I believe I will have it serviced. Thanks!

[deepak23]

My Sonnet was well behaved (now resting as part of rotation). Do you by any chance live someplace where the humidity is very low? The pens could be drying up. Try keeping it in the box overnight and see if that helps. Another try can be to flush the pen thoroughly forcing water through the section using the convertor. This can clean up any manufacturing gunk present (unlikely). If these fail, take it back. Your first FP should be a good one for you to stick on to the habit...

[owend]

I've got one, and it's always a first-time starter, no skipping.

 

Many members flush new pens before use to clear out any manufacturing oils etc. You could try that, empty the ink (throw it away, I think, as it might be dirty), then flush it by filling and emptying a few times with a dilute solution of two drops dish-washer liquid in a cup of water, then several flushes in clean water, to remove any trace of the soap.

 

If it's any consolation, lots of people rate the Sonnt highly - check out the Parker forum!

[kestrel]

The problem could be the ink if you are using Speedball blue in a fountain pen. That's a pigment-based ink and can clog fountain pens.

[maksim]

My sonnet is the smoothest, and always starts easy.

 

The only issue I can think of, as another poster has, the ink.

 

For instance the only ink I have issues with in my other pens, and the sonnet from time to time is the diamine inks. Very dry, and tough to start.

[Tom Traubert]

My Sonnet is picky. They definitely need a good flush before they'll work properly - luckily the nib unscrews so you can do a really good job.

 

It needs wet, well behaved inks. Not all Diamines work with it. Soggier ones like Oxblood and Sherwood Green seem fine. Others, like Onyx Black and Ancient Copper are a pain in the bum.

 

That said, it's now one of the best pens I own. It's weighty, refined, lays down a nice medium-broad line and is a doddle to clean. That puts it up there with my trusty TWSBI Diamond 580 and I didn't think I'd say that about another pen in that price range!

Edited October 30, 2014 by Tom Traubert

[zuhandensein]

I used a Sonnet when I was a student, during the years of my first degree. It was always a reliable pen. A real favourite: perfect weight & size, perfect grip section with no threads or other annoying parts. I used it in the quite dry water of a Spanish city. In the rare occasions that it was not starting well I just used the converter to carefully move the ink towards the nib. I never felt is as an issue. I actually quite enjoyed doing so.

 

 

I lost that pen. Now I have another Sonnet with a gold nib inherited from my grandfather. This pen had/has some issues, as I think the nib was slightly damaged. After a bit of tuning it has improved a lot. It was still skipping and flushing really did help. Now is just not as smooth as my first Sonnet and slightly broad for a fine nib, but still an excellent pen.

[Tanzanite]

I have a Sonnet that can be a hard starter and skips if I do not use very wet ink. The pen is not dry. It has a wet nib but it has the worst case of babys bottom that I have ever seen.

[Yehenara]

You really shouldn't be using any ink that isn't made for fountain pen use in a fountain pen. Speedball ink shouldn't be used in a fountain pen. This might be the cause of your problems.

[wspohn]

I tried the Sonnets and gave up - poor quality control and questionable design.

 

I find the Parker 75 to be better in all ways, and they are plentiful.

[ac12]

If you put the Speedball ink into the Sonnet, now the problem is cleaning that stuff out.

Speedball ink is acrylic ink, and is a PIA to clean, because it cakes and will not dissolve in water.

- You will need to get the Speedball cleaner, or see if any of the commercial pen cleaners will clean that stuff.

- After that, the only other option is to send it to a pen tech, to disassemble and clean the Speedball ink out of the pen.

- - If you send it back to Parker to service, IMHO the Speedball acrylic ink in the pen would void any warranty work to clean out the pen.

 

I would stick to Waterman ink for now.

I used Waterman in my Sonnet and it worked just fine, no problems at all.

[torstar]

Thanks torstar for the swift response, but not much help. I'll see if I can remember the whistle thing.

 

it is of huge help, the Sonnet dries out all the time, often within seconds of non-use

 

sent it back twice, didn't help matters

 

the cap had holes in the top so you wouldn't suffocate if you swallowed it, made me think this was aiding the drying out in picoseconds, probably not

 

i resolved it was a total lemon and the biggest ripoff of my pen collecting and tossed it and went to the pens i could rely on

 

and i will state that many on here have had nothing but the best success and enjoyment from their Sonnet

[torstar]

it is a pen that costs hundreds of dollars

 

there is no reason on earth to have to spend a lot of time and $$$ trying to find an ink that works (even barely passibly) with a pen you spent hundreds of dollars on

 

 

 

 

[Yehenara]

it is a pen that costs hundreds of dollars

 

there is no reason on earth to have to spend a lot of time and $$$ trying to find an ink that works (even barely passibly) with a pen you spent hundreds of dollars on

 

 

 

 

Even so, one shouldn't be filling their pens with any old ink they have.

[rwilsonedn]

it is a pen that costs hundreds of dollars

 

there is no reason on earth to have to spend a lot of time and $$$ trying to find an ink that works (even barely passibly) with a pen you spent hundreds of dollars on

 

 

 

 

 

On the contrary, there is every reason to keep your expensive pen away from inks that are certain to damage it. Not every ink that works with dip pens is acceptable for fountain pens.

ron