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It just needed that thorough flush. The air exchange isn't sufficient for the JOWO 1.5mm to just go on its own all the time, but that doesn't surprise me. It is the most ink thirsty standard nib there is. I've yet to use a pen that didn't require some manual breathing with heavy writing with one. It went from unusable to very good after the flush and I'm happy with the pen now. Like I said it just needs a little bit of air exchange help on the knob here and there. That is what my expectations were. It might even break in and get better over time. As a 1.5mm stub user I have been pumping all of my cartridge converters here and there for years. With the p36 it's right there on the back of the pen instead of having to unscrew the barrel with a million turns like on my cart converter pens. I think that if I were using a regular monline or smaller stub it would just go after that flush and not need that. I was never able to get the nib unit unscrewed, I opted for removing the piston instead and cleaning it from there. Other people have been successfully removing the nib unit though. It is not glued in, just super tight. I don't know exactly what to do to keep from breaking anything. I just know that it can be done as I have seen it in multiple videos(check some out and see what was said as I forgot). I was feeling like unscrewing it with the nib and feed in were going to damage something so I stopped. The best move to make things easy is to just move your nibs around by pulling them from their friction fit and leave the nib units in place. As long as everything is compatible. It is very easy to pull friction fit feeds and nibs. Watch some videos about the technique and stay off of the tines with your fingers. The P36 was a breeze to swap nibs on. The feed and nib unit have a flat spot that you need to align with reinserting. Pay attention to the way the nib and feed are lined up on the back before pulling so that you know how to align it. Hope that helps!

Question in the title. Just ordered a Makrolon 2K and was wondering if I’d be able to put a stainless cap on it if I got a replacement one eventually. Seems like it would look cool, but I can’t find any examples online.

"Now?" Back in the early 80's, I had a $500 budget for a new 35mm camera with lens. I pored over issues of Modern Photography and Popular Photography, found Leica, marveled at how compact the cameras were and how TINY the lenses were. Perfect! Then I saw the pricing. Awww, , my $500 could buy a used Leica camera body but no lens or a used Leica lens but no camera. So, in my opinion, Leica has had a different market segment for quite a long time. Their digital offerings are no different, when the M8 was announced nearly 20 years ago, not even full frame and it was a $7,000 entry. Just the body, no lens (deja vu!).

I don't think that's exactly write, but I don't have hard numbers to know. With cameras, sure, that's the way Leica went, but Fuji sells a LOT of instax. All I know about pens is when I was in college and grad school nobody else used a fountain pen, and it wasn't until I had been working for about 8 years that suddenly my junior colleagues had fountain pens (almost never did I meet a senior colleague who did).

Are there Japanese characters anywhere on the pen?

@HauntedMyst I have an Opus 88 in Picnic Green. I like it a lot. What ink did you put in yours?

So true

@Doug C when I was looking at the one I got, I checked reviews. One mentioned how good the Lilliput looked with the bronze clip.

@cat74 I think those pens were meant to be yours. You have the nibs to bring the pens back to being working pens.

I think part of the problem is that fountain pens are a dying tool. In order for Montblanc to stay in business, they have to both reduce quantity sold and raise prices. You can see this strategy in many dying products as they go upstream and increase prices to counteract the decreasing demand. Cameras for example went the same way. Leica cameras are now a very small market segment and very high price. I think Montblanc is paying the same game. They know that decreasing demand is inevitable so they reduce the number of outlets, tighten up supply to feign exclusivity and raise prices...it's the oldest trick in the book.

Yep, it's the CON-70 (since superseded by the CON-70N) that does not fit every Pilot pen model — it won't fit the Capless, resin-bodied variants of the Elabo (aka Falcon), Elite 95S, MR, Prera, 78G and 78G+, Parallel, etc. The discontinued CON-50 fit almost everything, except (if I recall correctly) the Elite 95S; but I haven't tried it in my Pilot Cavalier. The also discontinued CON-20 also fit almost everything. The CON-B fits everything, except it doesn't work well with Capless variants that uses a ‘knock’ (or push button) mechanism for nib deployment and retraction.

past closing time

@dms525 smart of you. It looks like a great writer.

but not drinking

gave up twinkling

While I wait for Pilot to offer the C823 with a <SU> or <MS> nib, I ordered one with a <B> and had it ground to CI. A satisfactory solution, if at an added cost. David

No clip, but I hadn't thought of getting one. You just put that thought in my head..

Shouldn't have bought these! Look like new old stock...no nibs and no traces of ink in the channel..and stickers/residue on the caps..great little Esterbrook M2...thankfully I have spare nibs!!!

Landed a nice Opus 88 Picnic in green. Waiting on two Nahvalur Classic Spring

I just ebay them. Mercari isn't a bad site either.

Tired of waiting for Pilot to sell a Custom 823 with a Stub or Music nib, I bought one with a Broad nib and had it ground to Cursive Italic. I'm happy with it. David

I picked this up from an online dealer a few weeks ago as part of a lot containing a pen I was interested in. It was described as a “pen case decorated in the traditional Chinese style." After it arrived I looked at it closely and discovered it was a pen that lost its section/nib/feed somewhere. The cap has an inner liner and the barrel is threaded to take a section with a cartridge/converter. I played around with it a bit and discovered that the section for a Sailor 1911L is a perfect fit. It measures 150 mm long with a barrel diameter of 15.5 mm. I am asking for help identifying the manufacturer and country of origin. Several hours of online searches showed me that the cat and reeds pattern is similar to the Namiki Chikrin cat pen but I seriously doubt that this pen is a Namiki. I have run into a dead end. Unfortunately, my ignorance on maki e and chikrin is profound so I can’t discern if the decoration is real, fake, or some cutting corners process in between. Under a 20X loupe I can see gouges in the barrel where the gold material has been attached. Here is a closeup of one of the cat's ears The cat's head If anyone can reduce my ignorance me on this pen I would be very grateful.

With a bit of cooperation by a Bohéme...

It’s so cute! 🥰