I have been using a restored pearl copper SJ with a 9550 nib that I got on ebay a few weeks ago, and loving it. Today I received a new (unused) 9550 nib that I put on an as yet unrestored but working pearl red SJ, just in order to test out the nib. Comparing the writing of the two pens, I noticed that the new nib produced a much finer line that the first nib. I looked back through my notes and realized that the line produced by the 9550 nib on my pearl copper pen has been getting broader over the weeks I've been using it. So originally it produced a very fine line, but now it produces a line that looks almost medium. I am using Noodler's bulletproof black (it is important to me to have a dark waterproof line, so please don't tell me to pick another ink, I realize the issues, and that this may be the problem).

I took apart the pearl copper pen to give the nib a good rinsing, but that did not correct the problem. I now have the nib soaking in some water.

My question is, can anyone give me advice on what might be going wrong with this pen? Is it likely the nib, or could it be something else? I have some rapido-eze for cleaning another nib -- would it be a good idea to try to clean this nib with it too, in case it is gummed up with ink? I have been rinsing the nib with water about once a week because I am using Noodler's ink.

I'm also wondering if the nib is old enough that maybe the tip has just worn too far down. I can't easily compare the two nibs because they are apparently from different eras. The nib on the pearl copper pen has printing across the nib perpendicular to the long axis of the pen. The new nib has printing in line with the long axis of the pen. I noticed that the metal on the first nib is thicker than on the new nib, so it's hard for me to tell if the tips are similar.

Any ideas or advice would be most welcome. Thank you!

My best guess since the problem has continues to get worse is that the first nib did have some ink blockages in it that caused it to write finer than it actually wanted to. As you used he nib the ink made the clog soluable and it actually cleaned itself out causing the wider line. The other possibility is that as you are writing you are unintentionally pushing harder than you need to and spreading the nib apart a little, this would cause a thicker line. This is actually a little unlikely though because the estie nibs are quite firm and would take some serious oomph to bend...

I suggest that you switch the nibs around - put the new nib in the copper pen and the old nib in the red pen and see how they each write. That should help you determine if it is the pen or the nib that is causing the problem.

Todd
ps: If it turns out to be the nib, let me know and I'll send you a NOS 9550 as a replacement.

If you have a small leak in the sac, any pen will tend to flood and write wetter and wetter until you get a blast of ink and mess. A crack in the section threads can also cause this problem.

The suggestion of switching nibs is a good one, it tells you where the problem is. Renew Points can vary a lot even among the same nib number. Even NOS nibs will write differently.

If it turns out to be the nib, take a careful look at the feed to nib spacing. Big gap no flow, medium gap lots of flow, tight gap dry writer, no gap no flow. Or something like that. You need some space but not a lot and not to little.

Todd

Another possibility is an accumulation of fine paper debris in the nib slit spreading it slightly.

This can be cured by 'flossing' the nib with a small piece of 0.002" brass shim stock or some plastic material such as perhaps some 35mm negative film.

Regards,

Gerry

Thank you everyone for all of the ideas for trying to fix this problem.


Switching the nibs is a great idea! I did that, and found that the nibs both wrote the same even after switching pens. So apparently the old nib is the problem.

And Todd, thank you for your offer to send a replacement nib if the problem can't be fixed, I really appreciate it. Let's see if I can come up with a fix, and if not, I'll let you know.

As FarmBoy suggested, I took a look at the feed to nib spacing. I don't see much of a gap. It's hard to compare the two nibs, as I mentioned they are constructed slightly differently. How would I try adjusting that spacing? What might I have done to inadvertently increase that spacing? I have tried to be pretty careful with this pen, as it is my only working fountain pen at the moment (not counting disposable Pilot Varsity's). It has not been dropped or banged about it any way, and I'm sure I'm not pressing hard, as I'm able to write for pages and pages before my hand gets tired (unlike when I use a ballpoint pen).

I tried giving the old nib a short soak in rapido-eze, but that didn't seem to change anything. (I'm also soaking my 9556 nib that experienced the permanent drawing ink, and it is amazing all the black particles the rapido-eze is flushing out of it.)

Following Gerry's suggestion, I dug out some 35mm negative film and gently slipped it as far as I could into the nib slit to floss out any paper debris, but I didn't notice any difference after doing that either.

I have noticed that the width of the line put down by either of the 9550 nibs varies depending on the paper I'm using it on, which probably explains why I didn't realize earlier that I was no longer getting as fine a line. I'm using a Mead composition book for much of my writing, which soaks up a lot of ink. I can tell I'm going to have to switch to something else, but I wanted to finish the book before changing to a Clairefontaine notebook.

Does anyone have any other ideas? Any thoughts about how well these nibs tend to last?

So you can see how the old nib is writing, I've attached a photo of the lines produced by the old nib, the new nib, and a Pilot Varsity, on non-thirsty paper. Sorry the picture is a bit out of focus, but I think you can get an idea of the difference in the nibs. The first sentence was written with the old nib on the copper pen the day I got it. The second sentence was written today with the new nib on the copper pen. The third sentence was written today with the old nib on the red pen, after trying all the suggestions. And the fourth sentence was written with a Pilot Varsity, which puts down a medium line.

Thanks again for all the help!

Click to view attachment

Without having the nib in my hands, it is difficult to tell what has happened; however, your pictures suggest that both the line width and the ink flow have increased. I suspect that one of three things has happened:

1. The nib had been worn down but was suffering from restricted ink flow and as System of Adam suggested, using the nib cleared the problem. If this was the case, the nib would have started out as a dry writer and because I know the history of this nib, I have reason to believe that this is the least likely (but not impossible) cause. If this is what happened, a new nib will be the only solution.

2. The nib had been worn down but the tines were slightly out of alignment. The alignmet was close enough to still write properly but you were laying down ink mostly with a single tine. During use, you improved the alignment. Although possible, I kind of doubt this is what happened. Again, if this is what happened, a new nib will be needed.

3. The slit on the nib has gotten larger. This would increase both the flow and the line width. Small changes in slit width can make big changes in ink flow. Extra-fine nibs require a very narrow slit. If the old nib was fatigued, catching a tine on the paper might have caused the problem, but generally these Esterbrook nibs are pretty stable. If you hold the nib up to a bright light and look at the slit from the feed side, you should be able to detect light coming through the slit until you get to the point. It should look like the ends of the tines are touching. If you suspect that the slit width has increased, you can attempt to narrow it. There are a number of techniques for doing this. If you'd like mine, I can give it to you, but others might have methods that would work better for you. Narrowing the slit can be a little tricky and at least for me, widening the slit is easier than narrowing it - but still worth a try if the nib as it is doesn't suit your writing style.

Todd

I looked closely at the slit, and also asked my husband to have a look, as he does a lot of fine detail work and is good at spotting things. Neither of us can see much difference between the old and new nibs.

What my husband noticed under magnification is that there seems to be quite a bit more ink pooling on the nib where it meets the feed along the fins. Could this suggest that the gap between the nib and feed is too big? Or possibly that there is some other problem there?

I'm really interested in getting to the bottom of this, as I'm wondering if it is something I've done or just something that happened. If it's something I've done, I'd rather not do it to any other nibs.

Thanks,
Amanda

The amount of ink held by the feed varies quite a bit with these units; however, it is possible that the nib-feed separation has increased as Farmboy suggested in an earlier reply.

Unless the nib was already on its last legs, I doubt that your writing style/pressure caused this. If you remove the nib everytime you clean the pen, it is possible to accidently lift the nib from the feed when screwing it in and out, but this problem is more common on Pelikan units than on Esterbrook units. Estie nibs are pinned pretty tight and don't tend to move around much. However, if you are holding the unit by the edges of the nib when screwing it in and out, it can happen.

On Richard Binder's website he has some tips for removing Pelikan nibs and the same technique works well for these Esterbrook units.

If you suspect that the nib-feed distance is too great, you can try squeezing them together. Sometimes a permanent fix irequires heating the feed in boiling water and then pinching it against the nib. Because these units are so easy to replace - I'd recommend just getting a new nib.

Other than being careful about how you screw the nib unit in and out of the pen, I wouldn't worry about you being the cause of this problem. Most likely the nib was failing on its own....

Todd

I have not been holding the nib by the edges when unscrewing it, but rather holding the entire unit firmly and carefully near the base where it meets the body of the pen. I found the instructions on Richard Binder's website for removing nibs, and will follow that method from now on.

This discussion has been very helpful. I've learned a lot. I'm glad to hear it is unlikely that I caused this problem, it is very comforting!

It sounds like a new nib is the right solution here.

Thanks for all the info and help!