Received my Pelikan M320 today. Went to ink it up, but I can't. The turn knob is frozen. I don't want to break the thing right out of the box trying to force it. I can see the plunger inside, it's about 1/4 inch from the top (well, end of the pen). It ain't budging. Suggestions?


I also spilled almost an entire bottle of Noodler's Hunter Green when I reached for something, too. Fortunately, I'd already returned the Pelikan to it's box away from the disaster area. My table has a new finish, as do my hands. I guess my next purchase is for ink remover of some kind. I managed to get most of the ink removed, though there is still a hint of it in the wood. Wood. Of course. At least the few drops that hit the tile floor were easily removed.

I don't want to insult you, but are you sure you were turning the blind cap knob in the proper direction? If you are holding the nib down (knob up), you turn the knob counter-clockwise to lower the piston. It's a bit counter intuitive when you first try it.

If you are turning it properly and the piston's not budging, you have three options (of a reasonable nature):
1. apply more force - the pens are tougher than you think - but this is plastic you're dealing with so you won't need the pipe wrench - maybe some rubber gloves to give you additional grip.
2. unscrew the nib unit and apply a bit of silicon grease to the piston/barrel interface. This doesn't' help you get the thing started, but if it does move any at all, it will help it continue on. Use only 100% pure silicon grease and only a tiny bit.
3. Send the pen back.

Good luck.

No insult taken.

1. Still won't budge. Tried the rubber gloves, too.
2. Not sure the nib unit can be unscrewed. However, since I'll be out anyway, I'll look for some silicon grease.
3. Hate to, but will if I have to.

I have an M320,and yes, the nib unit should screw out.

Can I assume that the pen is not new? If it is used, I suspect dried ink.

Put the pen, nib down in WARM water to soak the nib and make it so that you can unscrew it. Once the nib is out, you need to get water in the barrel. Repeatedly. This will take lots of soaking and rinsing, but eventually you should be able to chip away the old ink in there and get that piston to move!

The nib should come out pretty easily once it is free, do not force it, just soak it and clean it until it comes loose.

Nope, it's a brand new pen. I hadn't fiddled with the nib area, it was looking rather solid to me at the time.

Will look at it again later, then I may have to go ahead and return it. Hate to, 'cause I'm already attached to the dang thing even though it hasn't put ink to paper yet!

Here is something you might try - it just came to me and I've never tried it with a pen but I don't know why it wouldn't work (I have used the method with other threaded materials with force up to and including an 8 pound sledge).

Hold the pen vertically, blind cap down, about 1/4 inch off a wood table top (or some other relatively soft material - but not too soft). Drop the pen, letting it slip through your fingers so as to control the situation. This should provide a bit of shock to the threads and in my experience, this will tend to loosen the parts. It might take several drops to get the desired effect; more taps rather than more force is the way to go. You could also simply tap the pen on the table top. All of this using some care, of course.

I might also be tempted to run some hot water over the blind cap end of the pen for 20 seconds or so (hot being 120-140 degrees or what ever comes out of your tap.) and then trying the rubber gloves again.

or there's always #3 - but I hate that too.

Well, I don't know why this pen has taken a dislike to me right out of the box, even though it has really grown on me. It looks like I'm going to be sending it to Chartpak for repair. What a process, though. I have to write to them (not a phone call or email) to have them send me a form to fill out and return before sending the pen for repair. I guess this could take a while.

I'm not sure I'll go Pelikan again in the near future, though.

I have sent my Pels to Chartpak twice, and both times I just sent an e-mail to them. I also heard from other people that you can call them.

http://www.chartpak.com/pelikan/repair_email.html

Their service was superb both times, and very quick turnaround (less than a week).