I am trying to diagnose a reluctant flow of ink in an early Pelikan 140 with OM nib. This is a black model, not green-stripe.

When the pen has rested briefly, flow is generous enough to permit writing with nearly no pressure. As it should be. Yet this lasts only a few brief lines. Then flow becomes reluctant. Heavier pressure, forcing the nibs to flex and exercise, allows ink to drop down into the nib ... yet such intentional flexing (usually on downstrokes of b's, l's, p's, etc.) is continuously required to prevent skipping.

The pen has been flushed with soap and water repeatedly. A previous owner reportedly had it cleaned ultrasonically.

Pelikan Royal Blue writes very dry. Waterman Florida Blue offered some improvement. Yet I know the pen will do better.

Can anyone offer help with diagnosis and / or with suggestions for action?

This is a nice, clean, unscratched pen. It needs to work at its design potential.

Thanks in advance.

Have you tried removing the nib/feed unit and running a thin wire through the slits on the feeds upper side? It almost sounds as if the pen isn't "breathing" correctly.

I'm nearly convinced that there's dried ink or other sediment in the feed. But I don't know how to remove the feed. There are indentations on the feed which would be perfect for a specialized tool to use as an anchor during removal. But I'm reluctant to work beyond my limits. I may just send the pen to a nibmeister for professional care.

Don't try to pull the feed by the "fins". You might try some KOH-I-NOOR RAPIDOEZE PEN CLEANER. If someone used some India Ink in the pen, water won't touch it. http://www.hyatts.com/art/Pen-Cleaners-1.4275 I've never bought from this vendor, but it's what came up on google.

You also can use a steel guitar string or some other very thin stiff wire to clean out the slits from the back side of the feed.

Agree 100% Kelly. I use the stuff myself (although it is a little pricy) but since it was designed to deal with India ink, it does a great job (it was intended to be used for cleaning drafting pens using India ink originally).

But I don't know why we're asuming that there's an India ink clog that is restricting flow in your pen...

From your description, the problem seems to be the feed/nib fit. If the flow improves when you're pressing down on the nib, then I suspect that the feed is too snug against the nib, interfering with the capillary flow down the nib (although it also could be that the two tines are too tightly pressing together).

I'd first floss the tines with a thin plastic film - 35 mm film is good, as is overhead transparency sheeting. Make sure the tines are touching, but not too firmly. If that doesn't help, then try to increase the nib/feed spacing so that they aren't pressing too tightly together. The feed can be adjusted if heated in hot water and bent to reduce the pressure on the nib.

I'd guess that one or the other of those adjustments might help improve the ink flow of your pen.

Regards,

Gerry

I really appreciate the advice you have shared.

I flossed the nib using a thin, stiff bookmark. This increased flow temporarily.

When rinsed with water and dried, the tines show spacing between them yet they touch at their tips. Neither left nor right tine click when moved up.

I unscrewed the nib from the barrel. The visible portion of the feed channels look clean and dry.

From the rear of the feed, I removed a tiny speck of white from a very narrow feed channel. I also inserted the tiniest wire of an acetylene tip cleaning set. The wire went in very easily, and soon emerged visible under the breather hole on top of the nib. I felt no resistance indicative of debris.

So everything look clean and feels clean.

I'm now inclined to agree with Gerry that the feed is set too tightly up against the nib. However, I've never been into a pen this far before, much less dropping the feed into a pan of hot water.

I've read posts about resetting feeds. Correct me if I'm wrong: Once the water and feed reach a certain temperature, one slides a thickness of material between nib and feed? This should put a little pressure downward on the feed. When it cools, the feed will hold that distance from the underside of the nib.

What thickness / clearance between feed and nib is customary?

Thanks for your help this far, friends. I'll keep working online and learning before I take action.

Russ

I am tentatively optimistic that success is at hand.

For a final test before attempting an ammonia soak or a hot feed adjustment, I threaded the nib into the feed and, before filling, ran a stiff but thin bookmark between the feed and nib. First one side, sliding in from the side and rear then out the front. Then the other side.

Filled with Waterman Florida Blue, the pen wrote for nearly an hour without skipping. Flow was better than before. Rich and generous, never thin and dry.

Such a small adjustment made such a nice change!

Now I know what fix to attempt if the problem recurs. And, I have the wonderful feeling of having fixed it myself!

I appreciate the contribution made by Gerry and Kelly G. Thanks, guys!

You're welcome! And isn't the 140 a great pen? A 140 was either my second or third vintage pen buy a couple of hundred pens ago.

Of course, you're now headed down the highly addictive slippery slope of do-it-yourself pen repair. Just remember, it's cheaper than therapy.

The 140 IS a great pen. It has a wonderful feel in hand, and the nib is truly the softest I have used. There's no pens like vintage pens. Even my Lamy 2000 EF feels firm and business-like compared to the soft 140.

You're right - - fixing your own pens is a rush. And the logic is fun too: "Since I saved money by fixing it myself, I can buy more pen stuff and it won't really cost anything!"

Slippery slope is right.