I have a new/used M200, with a EF nib

Ive inked it with Noodlers Legal Lapis, following the guidelines on the Pelikan website. (I have not owned a Pelikan, and I was unsure how to ink my pen properly)

I've done some test writing on a basic legal pad, my Moleskine lined journal, and a Rhodia small notebook.

All, more or less, with the same results...

Here seems to be the trouble, and I cant tell if it's my pen, the ink, the paper or something else..

Wicked nib creep. I know Noodlers permanent inks can be prone to this, but it seems to be excessive. I start with a clean nib, and the "blob" of ink gets bigger and bigger as I write,

which leads to..

tons of ink at the tip of my pen, which just screams onto the paper. It makes my EF nib, which is big to begin with, look like a fat medium nib, and bleeds through badly, on the assorted papers above.

I try to use a light touch on the paper, so I dont press hard or linger on the surface.

Can excessive pressure in the ink chamber cause the excessive flow, and did I possibly ink my pen improperly?

Does the M200 normally write wet, and combined with the ink mentioned, just gush out?

Could there be trouble with the nib or pen itself, allowing the excess of ink to flow?


Anyone care to give me a hand troubleshooting this one? I've got another brand new M200, with a medium nib (which I intend to trade/swap someone for a new EF nib), so I want to make sure I haven't done something incorrectly here.

Thanks for all your help and replies to my previous questions. Im open to any advice, and can take a few pictures to help clarify the problem...

D

Is the nib/feed unit screwed into the section snugly?

That's exactly what I was going to suggest. When I got mine it started to fall out while I was writing.

Yes, securely fitted, as I had the nib off (carefully, as instructed on Richard's web site) for cleaning, rinsing and soaking actually.

Can there be excess pressure inside the pen, due to something I did?

Im pretty sure Ive inked it properly...

D

Sounds just like one of my Majestic pens. That's what you get for buying that cheap third tier merchandise.

Where does this "nib creep" start? At the breather hole (or between the tines), on the top side of the nib? At the place where the nib meets the section? Or is it on the bottom side of the nib, where the feed meets the nib?

When you cleaned the pen, did you remove the piston? If you did, the seal might no longer be air-tight, which would cause the ink to pour out.

A Pelikan EF which writes like a wet M? Sounds normal to me! Most of mine were like that.

Just for grins, have you tried it with a standard ink?

I cannot really give any more advice that what has already been said, my M200 is fine, I have no problems with it so it must be a correctable problem, I hope you manage to fix it.

Nib creep starts between the breather hole and the tip. Weird. Like a blob starts and just get bigger, but only if I'm writing. Not when I set the pen down. It's where a bit of the gold plating has come off the top face of the nib. Bottom seems fine, with no extra ink there.

I did not remove the piston. The piston action seems a bit hard, so I'll probably silicone it when I empty this run of ink...

D

No "standard " ink yet...

Has only the Noodlers....

Since when is a Pelikan a cheap third tier pen.....

I'm no expert, but I will venture to guess that the problem is with the feed. There may be a gap between the nib and the feed. Since this is a relatively modern pen, Chartpak might be willing to fix it under the warranty (assuming you're in the U.S.). Call Abi at 800-628-1910 (extension 240), or e-mail penrepair@chartpak.com.

You could also buy a new nib for $27.50 plus shipping at Swisher Pens (www.nexternal.com/swisher/Category145).

Some Pelikan EF nibs write like M nibs, but you should not be seeing any blobs.

I think he was being sarcastic.

I had a similar problem with a MB that was an Ebay find... when I looked at the nib from the side, on occasion, I could see that the nib was lifting away from the feed allowing massive amounts of ink to flow.
I did a bit of repair work on my own and reset the nib on the feed... problem solved... but I wouldn't try that with a Pelikan, too easy to get Chartpak to repair it or replace the nib with a m200 nib, or better yet... an m400 nib.

So, is Chartpak the go - to company to do any repairs one might have with a Pelikan? I'm not sure I need a "repair", but maybe I dont want to mess too much with my pen so as to not damage it in any way...

What do you think??

D

I would get it fixed. There is something extremely upsetting about a pen that doesn't write the way one wants it to write. The nib may be in perfect shape, but if I want it to be wet and it writes dry (or vice versa), it's a huge source of agony and stress for me. Maybe other people aren't so obsessive.

Chartpak is the U.S. distributor of Pelikan pens and handles repairs for Pelikans that are covered by warranty. If Chartpak agrees to fix it, you will just have to pay to ship the pen to them. If it's an old pen, it might no longer be under warranty, in which case you might want to find someone who does repairs. It may actually cost less to order a new nib than to get it repaired.