My white M400 (medium nib) arrived yesterday. It's so beautiful! I've read the threads about this pen, and will make sure to look for cracks in the cap.

I thought brown ink would look gorgeous in it, so I filled it with J. Herbin Lie de Thé before using it the first time. I was so disappointed--it did not write very smoothly--my Pelikanos are smoother than that was. I thought perhaps changing the ink might help, and loaded it with black Visconti instead. Then it glided across the page as I'd hoped, and I was much relieved. Anybody had a similar experience?

As a side note: a month ago I had one Pelikan pen. Now I have six. I think they multiply like tribbles.

Cheers to all,

Miss Q.

Hi, Miss Q - some advocate flushing a new pen before a first use to rid it of manufacturing oils that can affect ink flow. Maybe that would have helped? I also have a Pelikan M400 white tortoise with a medium nib - just love it! I currently have Pelikan Brilliant Brown ink in it for the autumn season, and just love the shading and ink flow I get with this combo. Good luck.

I'll second kudzu. Probably what happened was you didn't flush the first time, and by switching inks you effectively flushed the oils out and now it writes like it should. I have the same exact pen and never had that experience. Also on your same note, last month I had 1 Pelikan, now I have 4. They do multiply.

That makes total sense. Thanks so much for the input!

*sigh* This weekend I saw that my white pen had developed a hairline crack in the cap. I sent it to Chartpak today. I was really hoping it would not happen, though I knew plenty of people had been through the cap exchange. Oh, well!

I guess I've been lucky -- Pelikan Brilliant Brown works perfectly in mine, and no cracks in the cap. I love this pen!

This is probably the most beautiful pen I've seen thus far in my recently begun interest in fountain pens. I want one soooo bad! Unfortunately it is a little beyond my tiny budget at the moment. It will have to reside only in my desktop wallpaper for now.

I can totally identify with your post. I wanted this pen the minute I saw it, but couldn't really justify spending the money. Then, a few months ago, I got a little bonus at work and treated myself. Your patience will pay off eventually!

I use Diamine Umber in my Honey. There is enough greenish color in the barrel that I think it complements the pen very nicely. Any good quality yellow-green would look nice. PR Avacado maybe, if you don't like Umber. MB Racing green?

I've given up on brown inks for the most part. Diamine Sepia has excellent flow but is a bit pale. When the new Diamine Browns come to the US I'll try on of the Siennas.

I've never tried Lie de The, but I have tried another J. Herbin ink, Violette Pensee, and it seemed like a dry-feeling ink to me. I started that pen with Waterman ink, and it needed no flushing at all glide smoothly, immediately, so I don't think the dry feel had anything to do with being new or needing flushing. I just think some inks have more lubricating properties than others. You mention that Visconti ink felt smoother, and in my experience, the Visconti inks I have used (Blue and Black) do feel smoother while writing than some other inks.

Now that I think about it, I'm not sure whether your issue with Lie de The is with a dry feel while writing or with a stalling of ink flow. Like KCat mentioned, Diamine Sepia always flowed well for me, but it had a "dry" sensation against the paper. The J. Herbin Violette Pensee was the same way, nice flow but drier than average feel.

Sorry to hear about your pen cap!

I think you need KEY LIME in that Pelikan! Here's what it looks like:

http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...amp;hl=key+lime

Petra

It's back from Chartpak, and I am very happy to see it. It now has a "one-chick cap," which I think means it's a newer cap. It feels a tad more substantial than the first.

Anyone who's still thinking about buying one of these pens--there are some seriously competitive prices out there (less than $100 in some cases). Check out Pear Tree Pens and Pam Braun's site.

Thanks for all the suggestions regarding ink colors.

Wishing inky Pelikan bliss to all,

Miss Q.