Strangest of things has happened. It appears that the plastic barrel sleeve of my Stip has shrunk to the point where it is 1) difficult to screw the barrel into the metal nib section and 2) the screwing motion ends up screwing the converter thus sending ink spewing forth! or maybe something shrunk or moved in the barrel end section?

I guess it needs to go back, but this seems so bizarre to me. Anyone have a similar experience? and 2) can anyone tell me best way to contact Stipula for a return from the US? Thanks. - M.

I would send it directly to Stipula in Florence, as that's all the US depot will and doing it yourself will reduce the repair time.

By the way, I own the Elletra (marble blue) version of this pen and plan to get the aguamarine to match it, as it is one of my favorite resin fountain pens.

Even with good quality control, the weirdest of things can happen. I think it is a good idea to send your pen for warranty service. The Stipula folks will undoubtedly want to see the pen to figure out what happened. And you need to get the issue resolved so you have a pen you can use.

Don't have one but have a look at this http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=49970
Good read of a Stipula catastrophic failure and girlieg33k gives contact information for repair.

Sent wrong link first time. All good now.

tcheuchter,

Many thanks!


Iterry,

You will LOVE the Aquamarine - it is one of if not THE favorite pattern/color I have.

Michele,
Is this the same Stipula pen that has already been back to Italy for earlier repairs? Hope you don't have a lemon on your hands!

Yep - back it goes. I only have one Stip and it may stay only one.

Hi Michele,

Is this the C/C variant, or the large piston filler Convertible variant?

If the latter, the big PF may go in in a variety of ways, but the only correct way is when it sticks out only 3 mm or thereabouts. Any other way (4-5 mm or more), and you would have the problems described by you above. It may require a bit of fiddling before it slots in properly, there are only two positions over a full circle or turn where it will slot in properly. Of course, all provided it is the Convertible version.

The reason I mention this is because it seems rather strange to me that normal resin shrinks. Celluloid, yes, but not resin.

Warm regards, Wim

I don't know if this is relevant to the discussion because I do not know what material was used in the manufacture of the pen, but I have an Aurora Optima where the barrel and cap have shrunk to the point that the shape of the liner inside the cap and the shape of the mechanics inside the barrel are discernible. It has also shrunk along the barrel such that the barrel and the section now has a gap in it about the width of a fingernail. It has not affected the operation of the pen. I have been told is is because the material from which the pen was made was not cured long enough before manufacturing the pen.

Good luck with getting it fixed/replaced.

It's definitely the c/c variant, but good thought.

Interesting! I recently moved across country. I can say the barrel did not have this problem originally and for several years, but I don't use the pen that often so I can't pinpoint when this happened. I am pretty sure I noticed it being snug before I moved though so probably not related.

Michele,

I have two Novecentos -- both piston fillers. One is celluloid (the REX LE) and the other is the red-black woodgrain ebonite. I've never experienced this with either one. But Wim's response reminded me of something...

Every year, I experience the "phenomenon" you've described with a few of my pens. I believe it has to do with the change of seasons. It gets particularly worse from summer to fall. Not all my pens exhibit this behaviour -- just a handful and all made of various materials. But the one thing they all have in common is they are all c/c fillers.

The behaviour also starts out slight and worsens as the weather turns. The converters begin to dislodge from the nipple and by the end, the converters are getting stuck in the barrel. Over time (into the change of season), the barrel screws into the section with much difficulty. Two pens that come to my mind, where it became nearly impossible to screw the barrel back in are the Tryphon Clef and the Columbus Academia -- both of which are celluloid. For some odd reason, the problem corrects itself when the weather turns again, but with those two pens, it seems shrinkage may be the actual problem due to the material.

I posted about this issue last fall in the Repair Q&A section. I can't find the post at the moment, but I copied the following response, from Ron Zorn, into a Word file for reference:

It is possible that you are seeing a slight change in the size of the barrel ID, or the converter OD due to a change in temperature? My guess however is that either the converters are slightly over size, or the barrel was not bored out properly, so the inside diameter is slightly undersize. I have seen this before, and the cure was to bore out the barrel just enough that the converter cleared. The fact that it's happening with three different pens at the same time is likely to be coincidence. (lucky you!)

Boring out the barrel can be done, but a lathe is the best way to do it, so it's not something that you want to try at home.

Next time you have a stuck converter, try screwing a small sheet metal screw (#6 size) into the opening of the converter just enough that it sticks, then pull on the screw with a pair of pliers.

Hmm......so by the time I send it to Italy it may have cured itself. Do you recall how it changed and for which season. Did your's shrink in the fall and go back to normal in the summer?

Hmmm.... Celluloid is a natural material, so it probably absorbs moisture during the humid summer months, and releases moisture during the dry winter months. That means it should expand in the summer and shrink in the winter. The section is probably plastic and stays the same size during all seasons. Therefore the tight fit phenomena should occur in the winter. Is this what is happening? If so, I think Ron Zorn has the right cure.

Summer the pens do not exhibit the problem. When fall begins, I start to notice the problem. By winter, it's pure discontent. I'm not saying this is what is happening with the Novecento -- but the problem sounded eerily familiar. The pens seem to go back to "normal" by early-summer -- but I've noticed that the Tryphon Clef and Columbus Academia seem to have gotten worse this year. I may have Ron Zorn work on the barrels in those pens. I suppose if I were truly ambitious, I'd buy a lathe and mess with them myself -- but I'm a bit accident prone and foresee bad things happening. I quite like having all my fingers. So for now, if I want to use those pens during winter or want to make sure they fit/screw precisely into the section (i.e., with no risk of leaking) I use standard cartridges.

The scientist in me now won't do anything until summer! I must see if it is a seasonal issue or not! Maybe I'll report back and resurrect this thread. Thanks for the help.