Have one of those rare Classic FP with a fine nib. When it writes it is great. Just perfect for editing material and making notes on the margins. However I have to write with it everyday and often during the day. If I go a couple of days without using it the pen skips and gradually stops writing all together although it has plenty of ink. I have to give it a good cleaning and it starts to work fine again. Any suggestions?

Hi Louis --

I have a Solo Classic (which Classic is yours?) that acted something like that when it was new. There was apparently manufacturing residue in the feed -- I soaked the section & point assembly for a few hours in ammonia solution, gave it a good flush, and the flow was great from then on.

-- Brian

It is a Cross Classic Century fountain pen, 14K fine nib, flat black exterior with gold trim. Sweet little pen.

Sounds nice -- I'd like to get a Century I someday.

How's the ink flow -- had you already tried ammonia?

-- Brian

Not sure if it was the best way to do it. Soaked the nib in cold water and cleaned as good as I could. Then I took a can of air and gave it a good blast from the front. All sorts of stuff flew out. Seems to write fine now. Let's see if it holds up.

It's a good idea to give the pen a good cleaning every couple of months. It's easy to forget to do it if it is being used constantly. Had a similar problem with a Parker 75.

The blast of air I gave it from the front end seems to have done the trick. No more clogging after one day of not using. Writes first time, every time, with no skipping. Nice little pen for editing and making notes in margins. And on editing let me just say that there is no passion like the passion to edit someone elses words, hahaha...