Badly Skipping Kaweco

[Djehuty]

I've finally inked the Kaweco Al-Sport I bought a while back, and it's giving me fits. It skips horribly, and not with a regular pattern, so I know that it isn't a resurgence of my old problem with turning the nib. I flushed the nib with slightly soapy water, and rinsed it thoroughly, when I bought the pen. It should be clean, and it should theoretically work, but it doesn't. It frequently stops writing (practically every time I lift the pen), and then I have to urge it along with a little shake or leaving it in contact with the page for a few seconds in order to get it to write again. It also dries out and stops writing if I pause for as little as ten seconds.

 

Is this a characteristic of the brand? It was bloody difficult to get it started in the first place, even after gently squeezing the cartridge until a big blob of ink dropped from it. Even then, the ink was all in the feed, and didn't reach the bits of the nib that actually write until much later. Even after wrapping it in a paper towel and shaking it as if trying to get the last bits of water out after flushing, all I got was an ink-stained finger. I'm beginning to wonder whether it might be an intentional hard-starter, in order to keep it from leaking whilst being battered about. Is there any hope for getting it to write a bit more evenly? I don't mind if it takes a moment to get started, but I'd rather not have to re-start it every third line.

 

Also, how does one pronounce "Kaweco"? I want to say "Ka-WEE-ko," but I know it's a German company, so should it be "Ka-VEH-ko" or something of the sort? It doesn't help that the official website double-hyphenates the name, Ka-We-Co, which makes it seem an amalgam of several words, which I'd have to know in order to know how to pronounce it properly.

Edited July 3, 2007 by Djehuty

[BillTheEditor]

I've finally inked the Kaweco Al-Sport I bought a while back, and it's giving me fits. It skips horribly, and not with a regular pattern, so I know that it isn't a resurgence of my old problem with turning the nib. I flushed the nib with slightly soapy water, and rinsed it thoroughly, when I bought the pen. It should be clean, and it should theoretically work, but it doesn't. It frequently stops writing (practically every time I lift the pen), and then I have to urge it along with a little shake or leaving it in contact with the page for a few seconds in order to get it to write again. It also dries out and stops writing if I pause for as little as ten seconds.

 

Is this a characteristic of the brand? It was bloody difficult to get it started in the first place, even after gently squeezing the cartridge until a big blob of ink dropped from it. Even then, the ink was all in the feed, and didn't reach the bits of the nib that actually write until much later. Even after wrapping it in a paper towel and shaking it as if trying to get the last bits of water out after flushing, all I got was an ink-stained finger. I'm beginning to wonder whether it might be an intentional hard-starter, in order to keep it from leaking whilst being battered about. Is there any hope for getting it to write a bit more evenly? I don't mind if it takes a moment to get started, but I'd rather not have to re-start it every third line.

 

Also, how does one pronounce "Kaweco"? I want to say "Ka-WEE-ko," but I know it's a German company, so should it be "Ka-VEH-ko" or something of the sort? It doesn't help that the official website double-hyphenates the name, Ka-We-Co, which makes it seem an amalgam of several words, which I'd have to know in order to know how to pronounce it properly.

I have an AL-Sport with a medium nib and it writes smoothly and without any trouble in starting. I use PR Midnight Blues or Sonic Blue in it. I'm not sure why you are having problems with yours. Does the nib look ok? Feed not pushed away from the nib? Slit looks all right? If you have some 35mm film (exposed negatives) handy, you might try flossing the nib to see if that helps.

 

I avoid saying Ka-We-Co, for fear of embarassing myself (after having someone laugh out loud at my mispronunciation of "Lamy" :embarrassed_smile: ). You're probably right about "ka-VEH-ko" but you couldn't prove it by me.

 

Bill

[Djehuty]

Everything looks fine, and the ink I'm using (Waterman Florida Blue) shouldn't cause any problems. I'm going to let it sit quietly in the corner for a while, then give it another try. Maybe I forced the ink through too quickly, and something in there isn't properly inked. Also, I have errands to run, and driving while trying to get a pen to write properly would be ill-advised.

 

[1cockycop]

 

I avoid saying Ka-We-Co, for fear of embarassing myself (after having someone laugh out loud at my mispronunciation of "Lamy" :embarrassed_smile: ). You're probably right about "ka-VEH-ko" but you couldn't prove it by me.

 

Bill

 

Hmmm... Lamy= "lamm-ee"? Never thought about any other ways of pronunciation...

 

[jmkeuning]

Lamy = Lom-ee

 

I only know that because I was saying it wrong in a store one day and I was corrected.

[Nihontochicken]

My Kaweco AL-Sport is very smooth and flows like Niagra, but for some reason it came with a broad nib that is too wide for my normal handwriting. I got a replacement medium nib, but haven't as yet made the switch. My Kaweco Sport has a medium nib, skips just a smidge on the first stroke when unused for a few days, otherwise flows well, but isn't as smooth as the broad nib, not bad, but noticeably more scratchy/draggy. Given its light weight and quicker twist cap, I prefer it to the AL-Sport, not as nice looking, but much cheaper and no big tears if perhaps dropped on the pavement. I suspect your pen has a manufacturing error somewhere, FWIW. Good fortune in getting it cured!

[kudzu]

I actually had problems seating my cartridge correctly. I had to REALLY push to get it on, to get it to fully puncture the cartridge, and once it punched on, I could tell the difference immediately and it wrote great. But I struggled, like you, quite a while trying to figure out what the problem was. And just screwing the body on was not sufficient to get the cartridge pierced. I don't know if that sounds like something you may want to fiddle with, but I had exactly the same symptoms as you in my Kaweco Sport (two wks ago). Now I love it.

[Dillo]

Hi,

 

Lamy is pronounced like "lam ee" The name is French. Mr. Lamy was a Frenchman in Germany.

 

Dillon

[MYU]

Lamy = lah-MEE. The accent is on the 2nd syllable. Makes a world of difference.

 

Anyway, sorry for the OT. Back to the Kaweco--how about filling it with a semi-ammonia solution and leaving it sit overnight?

[SheafferPhan]

How to pronounce KAWECO:

 

OK, so I know this is a REALLY late responce, but I ran across this thread while searching for the correct pronunciation of Kaweco. I'm hoping my responce will help some lost soul in the future. I am a native English speaker that also knows a fair amount of German thanks to my university. In my search for the correct pronunciation, I found this on the German Kaweco Wikipedia page:

"Die KaWeCo - Federhalter-Fabrik Koch, Weber & Co war ein Schreibgerätehersteller in Heidelberg."

 

So, the name "Kaweco" is actually an onomatopoeia taken from the aloud German pronunciation of "K.W. Co." which is short for "Koch, Weber, and Company." (The analogous English pronunciation would be "Kay Double-U Co.") Therefore, the best English pronunciation I can give for the name of the company without using IPA is "Kah-Veh-Co." (They would pronounce "Co." in much the same way we do.)

 

I know this is the exact same answer that someone gave earlier, but I am giving it with confidence and an explanation, so that future speakers may be more sure of their utterances.

[wastelanded]

I had the same problem with my Dia 2, same nib as the AL Sport. Nothing would make it write. Turned out to be a bad nib, which amazed me from Kaweco/Bock. The shop arranged for a replacement nib from Germany, and it's luscious.

 

Check with the vendor and see about a replacement. This happened four months after purchase, so it may not be too late.

[florg]

I've recently purchased a Kaweco Sport with a broad nib for writing my travel journal on a longer trip. I appreciated its compactness and the international cartridges for that purpose. Unfortunately I've the same problem described here: at the beginning I was surprised about the smootheness of the nib. But after a page of writing it started skipping heavily. It seems to be a very dry writer - too dry, especially for a broad nib. Now, as my trip is approaching I'm getting into panics since I can't take a pen with me in that condition. My other pens are all piston fillers or have special cartridges. What can I do? Can nibs be easily replaced on Kaweco?

[Gloucesterman]

Being born in Boston, should I pronounce Parker as "Pahhka"?

And there is also the "Whhaatamen" brand

 

Hey, what do you want from me? I live in Gloucester, which is generally pronounced "Gloster" by people who know how to pronounce it. If you were born here it might sound like, "Glasta or Glosta", and when I spell it over the phone, the usual response sound like "Glow Sester or Glow chester".

 

And if you think you are smart, how do you pronounce "Puyallup"?

 

Just wanted to lighten things up a bit. It's Saturday and the unofficial beginning of summer is here.

 

Regardless of how you pronounce the names of the pens, it's that writing that really matters to us.

[sammyl]

I've recently purchased a Kaweco Sport with a broad nib for writing my travel journal on a longer trip. I appreciated its compactness and the international cartridges for that purpose. Unfortunately I've the same problem described here: at the beginning I was surprised about the smootheness of the nib. But after a page of writing it started skipping heavily. It seems to be a very dry writer - too dry, especially for a broad nib. Now, as my trip is approaching I'm getting into panics since I can't take a pen with me in that condition. My other pens are all piston fillers or have special cartridges. What can I do? Can nibs be easily replaced on Kaweco?

 

I also had this problem, with a Kaweco Liliput pen, "M" nib. I tested it before purchase in the store where the pen several times refused to write at all. But I took it home anyway, thinking I could fix the problem. The feed is slow and not generous compared to other pens, and the nib is fairly stiff. I unscrewed the feed/nib assembly from the pen. I soaked it in a mix of ordinary kitchen detergent and water overnight. Also gave it a few seconds in the microwave oven. Blew air and water through the feed, in both directions, to clear any loose obstructing material. Filed the nib to adapt it for Italic writing. Works much better now, but still sometimes fails to lay down a line of ink when writing fast letter strokes. I store the pen point down to encourage the ink to fill the feed. The pen nib and feed seem designed for someone who writes with heavier pressure than I do. This is especially a problem with such a small pen. Otherwise the hardware and execution are high quality.

[Newjelan]

1338050714[/url]' post='2357261']

I've recently purchased a Kaweco Sport with a broad nib for writing my travel journal on a longer trip. I appreciated its compactness and the international cartridges for that purpose. Unfortunately I've the same problem described here: at the beginning I was surprised about the smootheness of the nib. But after a page of writing it started skipping heavily. It seems to be a very dry writer - too dry, especially for a broad nib. Now, as my trip is approaching I'm getting into panics since I can't take a pen with me in that condition. My other pens are all piston fillers or have special cartridges. What can I do? Can nibs be easily replaced on Kaweco?

 

I've noticed the same problem depending on the ink. I've found some cartridges work better than others - it doesn't like my Visconit cartridges but seems fine with MB or J Herbin ones. I haven't tried others yet.

[BillZ]

I had the same problem with the FP and Fine nib using Kaweko cartridges. I've had good luck with Private Reserve Velvet Black and,believe it or not,some cartridges made for calligraphy pens at Hobby Lobby.

[chelsa]

I had the same problem, but only after the pen had been writing smoothly for several fills. It actually stopped writing altogether. I soaked it in ammonia solution, it seemed fine at first then the problem recurred. I eventually returned it. The replacement is writing nicely so far.

[mik86]

Mine was working great, then I switched to diamine red dragon. Skippy and dry. Maybe the ink you are using is just not a good combination with this nib.