Recently I filled my M200, which I hadn't used since I got my first M600. I noticed that my M200's piston is much stiffer; not only does it take more effort to turn, but it's not nearly as smooth or consistent.

(I cleaned the pen and the nib very well before I stored it, so I doubt it's an ink problem. I don't think it was ever less stiff; I think I just didn't know better until I got an M600.)

Is this normal for the lower-priced M200, or can I expect a second one to feel more like my M600s?

Thanks!

I think you need to lubricate the piston. I have an M200 and several higher Souverans and all have smooth pistons. In fact, my M200 piston is the smoothest one.

In my experience, the M200 should be as smooth as the M600. I've had all modern Pelikan from the M1xx to the M8xx and they are comparably smooth.

A little slilcone grease applied with a tooth pick might help (remove nib, screw piston almost all the way down, apply grease around perimeter of barrel, screw piston rest of way down so it runs over the grease).

Chartpak lubed mine and it feels smooth, but I don't have a 600 to compare to. Someone send me one and I'll do a careful comparison.

Red stripe celluloid preferred.

Thank you for the replies. I don't think I'd be comfortable lubricating it myself, so I'll wait until I get back my M600s (which are with John Mottishaw now) before I look into sending it to Chartpak.

It is not as hard as it sounds - you just need a wee bit of silicone grease (I got mine from the local outdoor shop, with the diving equipment). Unscrew the nib, put just a little bit into the chamber, and gently turn the piston up and down. Seriously, it's a relatively simple DYI pen task.

I suppose I can't envision exactly how the toothpick will reach the inside of the barrel. Is the opening in the section shorter than I remember? From my experience rinsing and cleaning the pen, I would think that I might be able to touch the flat surface of the plunger, but not the inside surface of the barrel. Am I wrong?

Also, what effect will the grease have on the ink and the pen's inkflow? How can I ensure that I won't leave too much in the reservoir?

Yup. You're wrong. But no harm, no foul. Perfectly "do-able."



Really takes a very tiny amount. The amount of the head of a pin (not the big plastic round pin heads, but the flat metal sort). Spread it around a bit on the inside of the barrel. Work the piston. If you get too much, you'll know by a glob or line of goop when you pull the piston back. And if that happens, all you need to do is use a cotton swab to wipe out the excess. The stuff is clingy so even a little too much is not likely to "wash" into the nib/feed anyway. I've gotten carried away and the worst effect was it made the ink window look cloudy. Wiped it out. Once you've gotten enough in there to free up the piston, whatever you can wipe out will be excess anyway.