italic nib dryness question (picture)

April 2, 2005

I just started using my italic nib from Richard Binder. It's 0.7mm and I had to put it into a nibless M200. I tried to be careful to when holding it that the tines didn't shift over the feed. Here's a writing sample. I was writing slower than normal, but not slow by any means since this is my typical handwriting style and I wasn't trying to make the letters accurately. Sorry...the page curled up on the right side and it got a little out of focus there.

http://ceciland.smugmug.com/photos/18769258-L.jpg

I started out slower and made my letters better, but you can tell in the words "little" and "dry" that the nib still seemed to not put out enough ink at the beginning of the stroke. So after that sentence I sped up a bit and the lettering was less deliberate. But the dryness wasn't any worse.

So, am I doing something wrong?...trying to write too fast ? (I have a brause dip nib that I've used for general writing and I'm writing slower with this .7mm italic than I do with the brause) Now, I didn't remember to clean off the nib before putting it in the pen and inking things up. Please let me know what I can do because I'd like to write with this nib in a more general purpose way.

http://members.shaw.ca/feynn/ · April 2, 2005

I am thinking that if the nib came from Richard there should be no requirement to make any nib adjustments (unless installing the nib knocked things out of wack) but I would look at your ink to see if that may be a factor in how the pen is writing.

Giving any pen a flush with a mix of 1 drop of dish soap to 250ml water can also make an immense difference in increasing flow.

If worse comes to worse and the situation isn;t remedied, Richard stands behind his work like few others and if there is something that needs adjusting, just let him know and he'll take care of it.

April 2, 2005

Richard's nibs are usually adjusted for very good flow (sometimes a bit much even for me) unless one specifically asks otherwise.

it may be your angle of attack since italic nibs are meant to be used at certain angles. DC Blue certainly isn't known for dry writing either. But I'd say if you continue to have problems contact Richard and he can check it for you.

April 2, 2005

Hi Ceci,

I think Keith gave very good advice, and so did KCat.

One other thing to try, may be the following. If I see well, from the way the capital Is are formed, and theway the tines seem to touch the paper in the dry starts, you probably angle the pen to the left a bit. That may make it difficult to maintain proper contact with the paper for the nib, as you probably skew the niba little too.

Just try and make a conscious effort to hold the pen completely perpendicular to the rules when writing, making sure both tines touch the paper, and touch it all the time, when writing, and see if that makes a difference. Also, make sure the angle between pen and writing surface is somewhere between 46 and 60 degrees, and don't press. Just let it flow. Pressure isn't required with an Italic (you'll cut into the paper otherwise).

It may slow you down a little, at first, but it may solve the problem. If rinsing it as Keith indicates, and the use of this method don't solve your problem, better do as KCat indicates.

BTW, if you have never written with an Italic before, it takes a little time to get used to. Just take it slow at first, and then speed up, slowly .

HTH, kind regards, Wim

April 2, 2005

Thanks for the replies. I'll try washing it out with a drop of dish soap in water. I was worried that I messed it up when I put it in the pen, but I can't see that anything shifted. And when I was screwing it in, I felt no shift and held the nib to the feed while I did so.

Other than the nib being hard starting, it writes well. But I am having to write *really* slow to get enough ink to not get skips. I've written with my brause nibs and can write faster with the .5 and 1mm brause than I can with this italic. Now, the brause are also oblique and I may have gotten used to the oblique cut of the dip nibs.

I'll keep trying.

April 2, 2005

Hi Ceci,

and I may have gotten used to the oblique cut of the dip nibs.

That may be just it! It looks that way to me, from your wrting sample! Just try writing with it, like a normal fountain pen, don't turn the nib before putting it on the paper.

HTH, kind regards, Wim

April 2, 2005

I had the same sort of problem as cecirdr with my Lamy Safari (factory italic nib), but as you say Wim, I'm sure it had to do with me not holding the nib at the proper angle to the paper.

Thanks for the tips, everyone!

April 3, 2005

Well, I washed out the pen/nib with some soapy water and rinsed thoroughly. I put in PR Fiesta Red for this run. Right now the pen isn't acting as slow to start. I had little to no skipping. I had to write for quite awhile to get a skip.

So I'm starting to think that there's just manufacturing gunk in the nib that's affecting the ink flow. (I didn't experience this with the xxf nib so I didn't think about cleaning this nib.) I'll also keep watch over my "angle of attack" to make sure I'm getting both tines on the paper at the same time.