Jump to content

Pilot 78G F: Pluses And Minuses


the oxford comma

Recommended Posts

The 78G is extremely easy to disassemble :

  • unscrew the cap and barrel
  • pull out the converter or the cartridge
  • wash all the ink you can under tap water
  • screw the barrel back on (it will be easier to pull out the nib/feed if the pen is longer)
  • hold the pen by the barrel with your right hand
  • put your left hand thumb on top of the nib, your left index finger under, on the feed (use a towel if you finger are slippery or don't want to dirty your fingers)
  • pull the nib/feed assembly straight out (require only a moderate force)
  • make sure to note which side is up, which side is down (you will need this info to put back the nib assembly back)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKcqp6oFlcg

 

In this video, the person gets his finger dirty for no reason. You can work without making all his mess. Also, I wouldn't cut up the feed. There is no reason for doing so. The Pilot 78G works perfectly without going to this extreme. A good cleaning of the feed will correct 99.5% of flow problems.

Edited by VillersCotterets
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 30
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • VillersCotterets

    4

  • adallak

    3

  • fiberdrunk

    2

  • the oxford comma

    2

I got a pair of these just to play with and refinish. Yep, they are REALLY light pens. One is a fine nib and is OK but could use some touchup, I've seen Preras with the same quality variation in nibs, so I'm not surprised I didn't get the best of the best this time around. The medium is very nice, though it's on the broad side for my needs. Given the price of these, I'm tempted to get more just to get a best-of-batch nib.

 

My black one takes a very nice overall satin finish, though I haven't taken pictures of it yet. I briefly swapped in a red section to see how the contrast between the two would be, and while not bad, I think the black is more handsome overall. I also have been having a hard time removing the clip from my red cap, so I haven't been able to give a satin finish to it yet.

 

Since my replacement nibs for it may be steel Prera and Penmanship nibs, I wonder if I should try to remove the plating from the clip. Has anyone done so? I'm guessing it's just stainless steel underneath, but I'd like to be sure.

 

Now with a black one's new finish, a friend of mine tells me it looks quite classy. Thought the original finish looked a bit cheap by comparison.

Robert.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I got a pair of these just to play with and refinish. Yep, they are REALLY light pens. One is a fine nib and is OK but could use some touchup, I've seen Preras with the same quality variation in nibs, so I'm not surprised I didn't get the best of the best this time around. The medium is very nice, though it's on the broad side for my needs. Given the price of these, I'm tempted to get more just to get a best-of-batch nib.

 

My black one takes a very nice overall satin finish, though I haven't taken pictures of it yet. I briefly swapped in a red section to see how the contrast between the two would be, and while not bad, I think the black is more handsome overall. I also have been having a hard time removing the clip from my red cap, so I haven't been able to give a satin finish to it yet.

 

Since my replacement nibs for it may be steel Prera and Penmanship nibs, I wonder if I should try to remove the plating from the clip. Has anyone done so? I'm guessing it's just stainless steel underneath, but I'd like to be sure.

 

Now with a black one's new finish, a friend of mine tells me it looks quite classy. Thought the original finish looked a bit cheap by comparison.

It would be great to see the pictures of that satin finish.

 

I just bought another 78G. The eighth one in a few years. You do not even need to check out the nib with a magnifier (which I usually do) when you get a 78G, the tines are ALWAYS symmetrical and are perfectly aligned. They always write right away, no skipping, no flooding, just perfect flow. Sure, F nibs have a little bit feedback, but I would not call them scratchy at all.

Edited by adallak

“Be nice to people on your way up because you meet them on your way down.” Jimmy Durante quotes (American Comedian, Pianist and Singer, 1893-1980)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My main beef with this pen is that it has the same nib and feed system that is used on the Pilot Tank, Prera, Plumix, Knight and Penmanship. Out of the box, these are often very dry and in the case of the F nibs, they might have a case of misalignment.I've had to tweak most of these nibs and feeds to get them to sing. In my first pen (Knight), I ended up hacking the feed to get more flow, but I've subsequently found that it is unnecessary. There is however a need to work the tines and flex the nibs to encourage the flow. A good 2 day soaking of the feed and nib in slightly soapy water does seem to help tremendously and any roughness (rare) can be taken care of by smoothing it a little on micro mesh.Once they've been adjusted, they do make great pens and I use them daily even though I have lots of more expensive pens.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It would be great to see the pictures of that satin finish.

 

I just bought another 78G. The eighth one in a few years. You do not even need to check out the nib with a magnifier (which I usually do) when you get a 78G, the tines are ALWAYS symmetrical and are perfectly aligned. They always write right away, no skipping, no flooding, just perfect flow. Sure, F nibs have a little bit feedback, but I would not call them scratchy at all.

Some pictures can be found in this thread, though I only took a photo of the red with a black section. Some others took photos of their projects as well. Very good pens for the procedure, in my opinion.

Robert.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 6 months later...

I have four of these (F, M, M and Broad) - bought from different sellers. I love them and I hate them sometimes.

They look great, they are light, well balanced - and I don't mind the fill. They write well and not at all scratchy - but they all have the same issues: the converter is quickly worn and leaks - and they sweat ink in the cap (pretty much) if they sit unused for about a week. They are not too keen on starting right away if they have been travelling in my shirt pocket - something I would expect from a "before 1941 pen", but I like them...

As an every day user I prefer a Hero 329 as it has the excellent 51 style collector and breather tube system - I haven't had any problems with any of them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

the converter is quickly worn and leaks

 

You can convert these pens into eyedropper pens. Then you don't have to worry about a converter wearing out.

Find my homemade ink recipes on my Flickr page here.

 

"I don't wait for inspiration; inspiration waits for me." --Akiane Kramarik

Link to comment
Share on other sites

the converter is quickly worn and leaks

 

You can convert these pens into eyedropper pens. Then you don't have to worry about a converter wearing out.

 

Not only you can convert the pen to an eyedropper, but it is also meant to be use with Pilot cartridges... which you can easily refill. Also, even if you chose to exclusively use the converter, there is no need to frequently remove it, thus wearing it out. If you take normal care of your pen, it will last many years. The one I have show absolutely no sign of wear and it never leaked.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have four of these pens. The are very smooth if the tines are aligned.

 

If the pen is scratchy, the FIRST thing to do is to check the time alignment. You don't need a magnifier but it might help. Run your fingernail over the back of the tines near the tip. See if you encounter a bump or dip. Second, run it across the paper left and right and see if it grabs in one direction or another. These two tests will tell you which time is higher or lower.

 

Always do this before smoothing the nib on a paper bag or micromesh.

 

If the flow is too low, and it usually is, the xacto knife on the main channel trick works great. Don't cut through to the end though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey All! The 78 is my first foray into FP's...After "bagging" the fine point it's a great little writer but for the same money or less try a Nemosine... now that's a super beginner pen that punches way above it's price class. Back to the Pilot, I find if ones holds the pen at or near the threads, it is less tiring and posting,it has better balance though it is light. And Pilot makes one of the nicest Blue/Black inks in a long cartridge. That's my two cents.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

I just received all four colors from a reputable shop in Hong Kong via eBay. Needless to say these are my favorite inexpensive pens. I need a truly fine nib, and this is it. So pleased to have this in my writing arsenal.

To get around the problem with the converter (based on what I have read here and in other places), I simply syringe fill a Pilot Namiki Cartridge. No problems what so ever. (The shop in eBay send me twelve Pilot Namiki black cartridges with my order, so I have plenty on hand to refill. I do not use black often so I simply removed the black and replaced it with my favorite.

Both Diamine, J. Herbin, and Private Reserve seem to work well.

The pens clean really easy (get a bulb syringe and it will clean out the nib in no time flat).

(I think the Goulet Pen Company for the ideas for making it easy to use and clean a fountain pen. Now I rarely use my gels, except for 0.38 Pilot Hi-Tec-C and Signo UM 151's)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33494
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26624
    5. jar
      jar
      26101
  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o
  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More
  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...