I just received my new (old-style) Omas Bologna. I've heard constantly great things about Omas nibs. The nib on my new pen, at least so far, is not great. It's not even good, and it might even have trouble measuring up to poor. The ink does not flow consistently. Sometimes the line will be thin as a hair, particularly if I'm writing with a light touch as I generally do; sometimes the line will be thick at least as a medium and maybe even lacking a little definition that it should have. When I press harder the line is more consistent, but then it lacks definition; plus, if I press as hard as using a ballpoint going through carbon paper I might as well not be using a fountain pen. I've given the nib a brown bag treatment (as I understand it), and tried to write with it steadily to, I dunno, loosen it up I guess. Maybe it's better than it was, but it's still not as good as it ought to be.

How can I tell whether the nib needs (i) just more writing and ink fills; (ii) some home remedies that, I hope, someone here can tell me how to do; or (iii) to be sent back or sent to a nibmaster?

Have you given the pen a good rinse to remove any manufacturing oil and debris? It seems a little early to be trying to smooth the nib with a paper bag. I had the same issue with my now perfect Visconti.

Kathryn

I find that the flow on ebonite feeds needs a little time to stabilize sometimes. There may be more to it than that with your pen, but I would try rinsing the pen (if you haven't done so) and giving the ink time to saturate the feed. Good luck,
David

If it's NOS of the old style, then it's been in storage then for awhile -- so I'd second Kath's recommendation for a good, thorough cleaning. Rinsing with a 1:10 ammonia/water solution ought to sort it out, unless it's a baby bottom problem with the nib. Try giving it a good cleaning, as suggested. If you've got a loupe, have a look at the nib to further diagnose the problem if the cleaning does not sort it out.

As David (cellulophile) indicates, the feed may have to be primed first. Just search for "priming nib" in WI, and you shoudl find many references as to how and why. This provided of course your nib is in proper working order, tines aligned, no baby bottom, etc., as OboeJuan and Girlieg33k indicate.

Warm regards, Wim

Thank you all for your comments. During the past twenty-four-some hours, I've written a lot, rinsed the pen well, refilled it, flossed it, tried to spread the tines (but not sure they actually budged), tried to put the tines back (but, again, not sure they actually budged), rinsed the pen again, and it's drying now awaiting another load of a different ink. I suppose it could be a baby bottom problem (it is a Bock nib); the pen feels more toothy than slippery smooth, but the way it writes thin one moment and thicker the next does suggest a capillary thing going on. Other than possibly priming the feed (I do not yet know what that means), I'm not going to mess with it any more since I don't want to cause any damage, but I will write with it for another day or three and see whether it improves. I'll report back.

Here is some more recent reading material :
http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...st&p=480466
http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...st&p=447578

Here is a slightly longer read on the subject:
http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...st&p=123671

I did post extensively about this topic in the past, so if you do a search, you may find a lot more.

A scratchy nib may well be an indicator of misaligned tines, though. For that, search "nib twanging" (yes, I am serious ). You do need a decent loupe for tine alignment, and any nib work, for that matter.

Nib twanging:
http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...ost&p=92950
http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...ost&p=65646


HTH, warm regards, Wim

Wim,

You're gonna have to tone down the technical terminology you use in your posts here in repair... We're trying to appeal to the widest possible audience, and bringing up esoteric terminology such as 'Nib Twanging' is just going to take it into the upper echelons of repair professionals.

If I had to guess, only Richard and Ron (the RR's of repair...LOL) might be familiar with the technique...

Daniel probably has fabricated a tool to do it...

Anyway, please try to restrain yourself.

But thanks for the references... I don't think I'd ever have thought of a search based on Nib Twanging...

Regards,

Gerry

PS: , ,

Thanks Wim. Helpful reading. I'll hold out hope for a few more days that the feed and related material will come around to their intended purposes a little more effectively.
Also helpful. I've done that in the past with some misaligned tines, but actually this problem Omas nib might have the best alignment I've ever seen. The tines are so tight and alligned so well, that there's no sensation of a split when I rub my finger across the cut.

On a different note, "Nib Twanger" would be quite a screen name....

That's your problem right there. There needs to be a little space between the tines to get ink to the paper. The nib is starving itself when you use your normal light pressure. Heavier pressure spreads the tines, getting ink to the paper.
That tight, I'd get Omas to fix it rather than try it myself.

I thought I'd close the loop on this pen and tell what happened. The ending chapter is not quite written, but the crisis is over.

In the course of a totally unrelated discussion, the Omas person at Kenro (the US distributor) said that they'd cover the nib problem under the warranty. If I sent it back, they'd send it on to Italy to be adjusted.

Around the same time, James from Pear Tree Pens, where I bought the instrument, and I connected. I'm sending him the pen and a writing sample from the problem nib, and he will exchange the pen.

While the nib proved disappointing, all you people who listened to my tale of woe--here at FPN, at Kenro, and at Pear Tree Pens--jumped right in to help and offer ways to make it right.

Thanks.