I just recently got a second-hand Titanium Townsend off eBay for $50. It's a very nice pen (I just got into fountain pens, and it's currently the highest (retail) cost pen I have), but I'm finding it's not writing quite as smoothly as my other pens (a Platinum fine nib, and some $5 Fuliwen pens from China).
It's got a fine nib. When I write normally (with the feed facing down and the nib facing up), it bites into the paper quite a bit, is kinda stiff, and if I accidentally write too quickly or my hand slips a bit, the tines catch on the paper and spring, spraying small droplets of ink everywhere. If I write very carefully and steadily, though, I get a nice, fine line.
If I write with the nib facing down and the feed facing up, this isn't a problem; the pen writes very smoothly and naturally, and lays down a very wet, inky line. However, it's too inky; the nib now uses up so much ink that the flow can't quite keep up with my writing, and the lines skips every so often. The ink is also visible from the back of the page, and the pen uses up an entire cartridge after only a few pages of writing.
I'm using Cross cartridges, and standard notebook paper.
Any idea what's up? My Fuliwen pens write perfectly good normally (nib face up), without the slightly fragile-feeling, scratchy writing I'm getting from the Townsend. Is it because I'm using a fine nib on the Townsend? The Fuliwen pens are medium.
I've also got a Pilot Knight that I write with "upside down" (nib facing down). It also lays down a bold, thick line, but I don't get the skipping issues I have with the Townsend.
I'm also left-handed. Maybe that's something to do with it?
Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.