Greetings All,

I have concerns about ink flow in my modern Conway Stewart Dandy's, 58's and Duro's.

Here is my concern. All of these pens have absolutely no ink flow if left capped and unused for more than 12 hours. I can take any one of these pens, open and post the cap, put the pen to paper, and nothing - dry nibs - not even a hint of ink or a sporadic start.

Now I take very good care of all of my pens. I use them for one or two complete charges of ink, typically Aurora Blue, and completely wash with room temperature water and air dry the nib assembly and the ink converter before I put the pen back into a felt lined storage case. This happens with all of my modern CS pens. I have two Dandy's, two 58's, and three or four Duro's. I also have a Churchill, but I have not inked that pen yet.

I don't understand why they won't start. My Pelikans and Waterman fountain pens never miss a beat. They can be close for 3 or 5 days and as soon as I open the cap, they write. The Conway Stewart fountain pens write nicely after I've put the nib into water - just a quick dunk - but that shouldn't have to be.

Is there something I can do to solve this problem? I would love to feel confident that I can go into a meeting, open my pen, and start taking notes without having to dunk the nib into water. It just doesn't inspire confidence in folks that I know what I'm doing. (Maybe I don't, but that's another story.)

I would appreciate any suggestions.

Peace,

Phroneo

I had a similar problem on a modern Dandy (now sold) when using Noodlers inks, which would dry up very quickly.

As a short term fix, have you tried changing inks? I ultimately found Diamine inks worked reliably (and you would assume Conway Stewart inks should also work) but I don't know whether there is a more satisfactory solution.

Andy

I also use Diamine ink in my modern CS pens as well as Private Reserve Shoreline Gold in my Duro. With the Duro I found that it skipped very badly at first, literally it was impossible to write a single word without sections of it being missing. That pen went back to CS and I was told they'd had a faulty batch of nibs and the nib was exchanged. It's written perfectly since then.

Thanks for your replies

I have changed inks - I went from Noodler's to Conway Stewart to Sheaffer's and then to the Aurora blue in all of these pens. It just seems strange to me that I have such problems with the nibs not starting ink flow after just a few hours of inactivity.

I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the nib assemblies and the ink converters are clean. So this isn't the issue. The inks I've used, and even though some folks complain about Noodler's inks a lot of people use them, are high quality and should not be an issue. It just seems strange to me that so many pens of the same manufacturer would exhibit the same problems.

Could there be just a little tweak I can do to correct this? I'd really hate to send all of these pens back for repair or nib exchange if it's something minor that I can do myself. And if I do have to return these pens, do they have to go to the UK?

Peace,

Phroneo

I have a button filler Duro, which I don't think holds as much ink as it should, despite going back to CS, but have never had any real problems with it starting or drying out. Also have a CS 100 that I don't recall having any problems with, but have only used it a couple of times.

I know there were issues with some nibs/feeds, Mary Burke who is involved with the US distributors will no doubt pop along shortly and tell you where to send the pens, but I am not sure if the distributors then send back to the UK. Could it be that the cap isn't properly airtight?

Andy

QUOTE

Could it be that the cap isn't properly airtight?

Well, Andy, I think the caps are tight. Everyone of them, except for my Sepia Blue 58, screws on tight and stays sealed. The Sepia Blue 58 never stayed closed since day one - the cap has always been loose. However, with so many pens exhibiting the same problems, one might think that it has to be in the nib/feed area where one might begin to explore.

For instance, the tines on the nibs are so close together that there isn't even a hint of daylight between then from the breather hole to the tips. Now this may be as it should because when they write, although they are a little dry, they write just fine.

It's just that I don't have the knowledge base to feel comfortable enough to work on brand new nibs - Well, brand new is a relative term, I've had the pens for a few years. They've just sat in a pen case all that time and each has been used only once or twice. After capping a pen and then not having it start, I would work with the pen at home until the ink ran out, clean it and put it away. I didn't have the confidence to take them to work with me.

Peace,

Phroneo

This sounds most peculiar. Of course a pen should start every time you first use it. All my CSs (vintage and modern) do this without a problem. I use Waterman ink, but that should not really make much difference. I know this won't sound very helpful, but if you're experiencing this with all your pens, then the obvious diagnosis has to be 'pilot error' (ie something you're unconsciously doing when using your pens). Curiously, I found this a long time ago with Parker pens, which invariably suffered from a lack of ink flow when I used them (and Sheaffers, which gave me the opposite effect of dribbling all over the place). Using a Waterman pen (even a cheap one) eliminated both problems. So my belief is that our different individual writing styles reflect differently on the various brands of pen. The only other suggestion I can give is that it might be the filler/reservoir mechanism: I've found the CS systems are very airtight, meaning that air can get trapped within, but that this 'sorts itself out' after several expel/fill operations.

QUOTE

I know this won't sound very helpful, but if you're experiencing this with all your pens, then the obvious diagnosis has to be 'pilot error' (ie something you're unconsciously doing when using your pens) -- dovidola

Friend, I don't know who you are but you're obviously barking up the wrong tree. I have been using and repairing fountain pens for quite some time now and I have no doubt but that I would have recognized "pilot error" long before I brought this up to the forum.

And it is not all of my fountain pens. It is only my Conway Stewart Dandy, 58, and Duro fountain pens. I have absolutely no problem with my Pelikan fountain pens: M800, M650, M600, M450, M400, M200. Nor my Parker Parker Duofolds or any of my Waterman Carene Deluxe, Charleston, or Liaison, all of which are some of my more frequently rotated modern writing instrument sets. And every one gets a thorough cleaning with room temperature water and air dried before being put away.

This is a pen problem - a mechanical/physical problem. And I'm not showing any disrespect to Conway Stewart by bringing this up - nor do I have any disrespect for this company. I honestly enjoy the CS products and have a rather large (for me at least) investment in both vintage and modern CS writing instruments.

I raised this topic with the folks at the forum hoping to see if there was some minor adjustment I might make to correct the issue. I have no desire to send 7 fountain pens back to CS for adjustment if I don't have to. That takes them away from me and into the trust of our postal system. And with the condition of some of the packages labeled "Fragile" I've had come through the post recently, that's a whole lot of trust.

So please, if you have something constructive to say, I'm ready to listen - I take constructive criticism well. But don't tell me that the obvious problem is "pilot error."

Peace,

Phroneo

I don't know how old these pens are, but I believe CS had considerable feed problems for a while. Pens drying out when capped is usually a function either of the slit being too wide or tight, or of a problem with the feed. As much of a pain as it might be, you might want to contact Mary Burke (who's active on the forum), tell her when you purchased your pens, and see if it might be a problem related to the bad feeds from a while back. Otherwise, you're faced with modifying the feeds and nibs yourself (or having a nibmeister do it). Good luck. Best,
David

David,

Thanks for your response. The pens are all between 3 and 4 years old and I purchased them new from Conway Stewart distributors of that time.

I had inked and used all of them once or twice initially, but the ink flow problems were so severe as compared to my Pelikan M450, M650, and M800 fountain pens that I cleaned the CS pens and dropped them from my rotation. And that makes me feel sad because I really like CS products, particularly since I have a fairly good-sized restored vintage collection and those pens all write like butter.

When the ink ins flowing, after charging the converter with ink, the modern CS Dandy, 58, and Duro's that I own write beautifully - I just want them to continue to write that way. I've done some exploration and apparently there is a CS repair company here in the US. I just hate to send them away - I mean, even if it's only 2 pens at a time, that's $750.00 worth of pens. If something happens to them, well they don't make these any more except for bespoke and I can't afford the cost of replacement. And it's not the CS repair folks that concern me, it's the US postal system.

I was hoping that it might just be a minor nib adjustment. If it happened to me, then there are others who have had the same problem. Maybe someone could suggest how to check and then repair the nibs.

Peace,

Phroneo

I bought an uninked Dandy Amber 413 of 500 and just decided to try it out. Boy am I dissapointed! I would have hoped to take a new pen out of the box, ink it and have great joy in writing!! As soon as the ink in the feed is gone the pens stops writing and even before that it is skippy and balky to start. The ink in the converter can't seem to get into the feed. I shake it and it writes half a line and quits again. Maybe if you get an answer it will help me out also!

These were exactly the symptoms shown by the Dandy lever fill I used to own. Though my suggestion has been rejected by others, there is no doubt that, in my pen at least, Diamine inks worked perfectly while Noodlers inks did not. For the small cost of a bottle of ink, it may be worth rinsing out the pen and trying some Diamine, though I agree it is not a very satisfactory solution.

It looks like you too have been duped by the CS numbering system! As I understand it, a pen engraved 413/500 is not number 413 of a limited edition of 500 but number 413 of (an unlimited number of) the model designated number 500 (encompassing model, filling system, material, etc.). Though I might have got this the wrong way round, ie it is 500 of model reference 413!

I do agree with you about the 'pen out of the box writing first time' syndrome - I am about to berate a CS distributor elsewhere regarding this!

Update on that berating - it seems that effectively CS still rely on a dealer to do final QA for them - so there may be at least a degree of risk of buying a 'non-worker' if you buy from anywhere other than a dealer who specifically takes the time to test and adjust the pens he/she sells!

Andy

My Dear Fellow,

There's no need to take such a defensive line! Nobody's suggesting you're a bad person, or that you are anything other than an accomplished and highly experienced officionado of fountain pens (and lots else besides, I've no doubt).

'Pilot Error' simply means 'Manner of Use', and your reply appears to bear out my very basic observation,viz., that as you are only experiencing this problem with a particular brand/type of pen, it may be the way that those pens respond to your individual writing style that is the cause of the difficulty.

Calm down my dear - sometimes the simplest solutions escape even the cleverest among us.

I have several modern Conway Stewarts -- a 100, a Dinkie, two Dandys (Dandies?), two Duros, and three 58s. I did experience the same ink flow problems that you describe in the Dinky and one of the 58s. I thought perhaps it was just a fluke. The Dinky and 58 are in the heap of pens destined for Richard Binder. I'm sure he'll be able to sort out the problem. I wasn't aware of any ongoing issues with CS nib/feed issues.

Hi,

There is no need for tempers to be lost here, we are a friendly group sharing the joy of using Conway Stewart pens. And, if that joy is hindered by a performance issue with the pen, then we can support and fix that problem as well!

A few years ago, I too noticed a handful of model 58 and Dandy pens with ink flow issues. When looking at the nib, the tines were very close indeed and coupled with dry feeds the pens had problems with starting. When Michael Masuyama was part of the original Luxury Brands USA team (Conway Stewart US distributors), he fixed many of the nib issues by tweaking the nibs. Now I don't suggest you should try this because should something happen and the tines are bent beyond repair a replacement nib will cost more than $100.

By all means, you can send the pens to me and I will forward them to the UK and the work will be done under warranty, free of charge. Alternatively, if you find that Richard Binder has a long waiting list, then I personally suggest you to contact Michael. His web address is: http://www.mikeitwork.com/NibRepair.html and email address: mikeitwork@gmail.com

With kind regards,

Mary Burke
maryburke@conwaystewart.co.uk