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Twsbi Mini Cracking

K. Cakes

By K. Cakes
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K. Cakes Extremely Rare

K. Cakes

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Posted (edited)

I received my TWSBI Mini, ordered direct from TWSBI about two weeks ago. I haven't used it much because the nib was unbearably scratchy out of the box. I sent TWSBI an e-mail about exchanging the nib, and they told me I'd have to send it to California for repair. I decided to try smoothing the nib out myself so I didn't have to pay for shipping an item I had just purchased. The good part is it worked! The nib is now useable, though not what I'd call butter smooth. The bad news is that as I was filling it I noticed cracking around the threads used to post the cap. So far only two. Obviously I've only had it for a short time and have barely used it so I doubt its due to my error. Has anyone else experienced this?

 

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8070/8262076771_e67a4c17e5_n.jpg

 

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8080/8263145972_2157f173f8_n.jpg

 

Sorry for the poor iPhone photos!

Edited by K. Cakes

Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.

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XiaoMG Vintage

XiaoMG

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Sigh...I was afraid of this. I will have to keep a close eye on mine. If it cracks, I think I'll be done with TWSBI.

Robert.

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Pen2009 Collectors Item

Pen2009

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Another cracking with TWSBIs? :yikes: I hope this does not follow the same path the 540 had to go through with its own cracking issues.

My collection: 149 EF/F/B/OBB, Collodi B/Twain F/Mann F, 146 M, Silver Barley F, M1000/M800 B'o'B/M800 Tortoise/Sahara/415 BT/215/205 Blue Demo, Optima Demo Red M/88 EF & Italic/Europa, Emotica, 2K/Safaris/Al-Stars/Vista, Edson DB/Carene BS, Pilot 845/823/742/743/Silvern/M90/Makies, Sailor Profit Realo M/KOP Makies/Profit Makies/Profit 21 Naginata MF&M/KOP/KOP Mosaiques/Sterling Silvers,Platinum #3776 Celluloids/Izumos/Wood pens/Sterling Silvers,YoL Grand Victorian, and more (I lost counting)

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K. Cakes Extremely Rare

K. Cakes

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To update, I sent TWSBI an e-mail and they are sending me a replacement which is fantastic. But I do hope this isn't going to be a continuous problem!

Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.

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Joshua J. Extremely Rare

Joshua J.

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Do they only have access to one type of plastic?

With all the millions upon millions of plastic snap on caps that have been in use for decades it seems really strange that this is still happening.

Maybe it's the plastics industry equivalent of making a cure for the common cold.

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EKE Extremely Rare

EKE

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Yep- Same thing happened to me yesterday, but I kind of caused it myself by turning the wrench the wrong way when removing the knob for cleaning. I got the same crack in the same place. This is a big problem for them, and one that they will need to solve in the next-generation pens.

 

I did email TWISBI, and they very quickly agreed to send me a replacement barrel, no questions asked. Nice service from them, but it also suggests that they know that there is a design flaw. :blink:

Learning from the past does not mean living in the past.

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wastelanded Collectors Item

wastelanded

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Could all this cracking be from over-tightening when re-assembling the pen? Just wond'ring.

"I was cut off from the world. There was no one to confuse or torment me, and I was forced to become original." - Franz Joseph Haydn 1732 - 1809
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EKE Extremely Rare

EKE

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Could all this cracking be from over-tightening when re-assembling the pen? Just wond'ring.

 

Very possible, IMO. That's essentially what I did when I turned the wrench clockwise when trying to remove the piston.

Learning from the past does not mean living in the past.

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wastelanded Collectors Item

wastelanded

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I'd like to know how many TWSBIs that have never been disassembled have cracked? As Joshua said, of all the plastics in all the world...

"I was cut off from the world. There was no one to confuse or torment me, and I was forced to become original." - Franz Joseph Haydn 1732 - 1809
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EKE Extremely Rare

EKE

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Having carefully compared by Mini to my 540, I can say that I think that the Mini is particularly prone to this cracking, because the back end of the barrel is threaded to receive the posted cap. This makes the wall thickness at the threads very thin, at exactly the place where thickness is needed to resist the stress of screwing in and tightening the piston housing into the barrel.

Learning from the past does not mean living in the past.

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RuffRydas NOS (New Old Stock)

RuffRydas

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This is absolutely horrible news... I love my TWSBI 540 but have already had the plastic part of the cap snap off its metal base... I was hoping the cracking issues was isolated to the Diamond variants (530/540) but looks like I might have to hold back on my VAC700/Mini purchases and observe if this is a common problem...

Edited by RuffRydas
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imahawki Rare

imahawki

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My Diamond 540 clear has never been disassembled, never even took the wrench out of the box. This week I noticed cracks forming where the barrel meets the piston knob. I emailed, they sent me a new body, fine. But I have two other 540s. I certainly hope they don't all crack with limited use and no disassembly by me.

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myn Collectors Item

myn

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I am very glad I waited and did not rush to purchase the TWSBI mini. Because of all the cracking issues I've put my TWSBI 540 into storage. $50.00 isn't chump change to a lot of people and to have a product last only two weeks out of the box is not a good sign for TWSBI or future purchasers.

"Minds are like parachutes. They only function when open." James Dewar

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K. Cakes Extremely Rare

K. Cakes

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Could all this cracking be from over-tightening when re-assembling the pen? Just wond'ring.

 

They seem pretty delicate, so that's definitely possible, but in my case I have yet to take it apart. I bought it, flushed it, inked it, rinsed it and let it sit a while, then re-inked it to try and smooth out the nib. I also haven't tightened the cap very much because if you tighten it all the way it doesn't line up with the nib, so that can't be the reason either. I suppose I could be twisting the piston knob too far if that's possible. Its a shame you have to be so delicate with these pens though, I bought it to carry around with me but that doesn't seem like a possibility.

Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.

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XiaoMG Vintage

XiaoMG

Posted
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Jeez, what are they using, the same plastic Platinum makes to use the Preppy?

If I recall, they are supposed to be using polycarbonate, which ought to be quite durable. That's one reason the cracking is such a frustrating issue for me...I was attracted to the prospect of a very durable pen, and it turned out to be one of my most fragile.

Robert.

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Joshua J. Extremely Rare

Joshua J.

Posted
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This is absolutely horrible news... I love my TWSBI 540 but have already had the plastic part of the cap snap off its metal base... I was hoping the cracking issues was isolated to the Diamond variants (530/540) but looks like I might have to hold back on my VAC700/Mini purchases and observe if this is a common problem...

 

 

I wouldn't worry about the Vac 700 so much (I was going to say that this shouldn't be an issue with the Vac 700 because it has metal bands on both ends of the barrel, but then I see the Mini also has metal at the end. Still). Unless someone else has or has seen complaints about that model, it looks like the Vac and Micarta are probably their sturdiest/best designed products.

Edited by Joshua J.
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Chi Town Collectors Item

Chi Town

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I don't see anyone giving TWSBI any thumbup.gif for Great customer service ! No affiliation with this company, and yes I have 4 units and I'm hoping I don't have the problems experienced here. But this company does appear to me, to stand right up, when there is a problem and jumps in to take care of it. And in record time! I could name a company who has had one of my F/P's since Early August and I have yet to see it back and I will challenge you that I will still get a bill for it's repair!crybaby.gif

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XiaoMG Vintage

XiaoMG

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I don't see anyone giving TWSBI any thumbup.gif for Great customer service ! No affiliation with this company, and yes I have 4 units and I'm hoping I don't have the problems experienced here. But this company does appear to me, to stand right up, when there is a problem and jumps in to take care of it. And in record time! I could name a company who has had one of my F/P's since Early August and I have yet to see it back and I will challenge you that I will still get a bill for it's repair!crybaby.gif

I'll agree when the replacement parts prove to be more durable than the ones that needed replacing.

Robert.

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