Wh Smith Own-Brand Pens

April 17, 2012

Note for Mods: I wasn't certain where to place this topic - if it would sit better in the 'Repair Q&A' forum, please let me know & I'll re-post it there.

Hello all,

I have owned a couple of WH Smith's own-brand fountain pens for a couple of years now.

I bought them because I wanted to try something a bit fatter than the Parker Vector & Jotter that I had at the time, and that would take 'standard' cartridges (unlike my Parkers). I also bought them because I liked their minimalist, classical look.

And, of course, because they were by far the cheapest options available to me

Anyway, I have one that is finished in black (like this), and one in brushed stainless steel with chrome trim (I'm not a fan of gold/yellow trim).

The pens both have the same nib as the pens branded as 'Coles' on the WH Smith website (e.g. this one).

Here's a picture of the nib on my black pen (my apologies for its size, the board didn't like the link to this picture on Flickr):

The writing on the nib says 'Iridium Point Germany'.

The flower on the nib looks similar to, but is not identical to, the flower on Hero nibs (the central circle has a line through it on Hero nibs, and the writing is different too), so I don't think that these pens have Hero nibs on them.

The nibs on both can be reluctant to start, and both write noticeably drier than my Parkers do.

I initially thought that this may be attributable to the (very cheap) WH Smith-branded cartridges that I have been using in them, but the nib on the black pen is much, much less reliable than the one on the stainless steel pen. It is really temperamental. FWIW, the nib on the black pen has the number '4' on its underside, whereas the steel pen's nib has the number '9' on its underside. Both seem to lay down a line of the same width though (about the same as a Parker Vector Medium).

These pens are the ones that I use to test new inks before buying whole bottles of them (because buying a small box of 'standard' cartridges is usually much cheaper than buying a whole bottle of ink. And it's less of a waste if I don't like the ink), so I would like to get them working as optimally as possible.

Bascially, I'm posting this topic because I'd like to know whether anyone else out there has used these WH Smith/Coles pens, and especially to find out whether anyone can tell me anything that can help me with the nib(s) - can any of you give me any ideas about how I might stop the nibs being so dry? And, in particular, how I might get the nib on the black pen to stop skipping (it usually misses out the first stroke in any word).

FYI, I flush the nib/feed unit with water EVERY time I change cartridge. I have also washed the black pen's nib in washing-up liquid and water, and then flushed it with clean water. And, even with a new cartridge loaded in to it and having got the ink flowing and the pen writing, it skill skips the first stroke in most words on some papers (e.g. copier paper). It behaves a bit better on laid paper.

So, are there any really basic tips that anyone can offer me? E.g. are there any particularly common faults that can cause skipping like this?

Does anyone know whether or not I can remove the nib & feed from the pen section on these pens? If so, how?

They don't seem to unscrew or just pull out. This doesn't surprise me, because the pens are so very, very cheap - I'm not expecting the same degree of sophistication on these that one would get on a 'less-inexpensive' pen such as a Lamy Safari, let alone something like a TWSBI Diamond.

Then again, in my desire to not damage the pen (even though it's so cheap), I suppose that the pens may be disassembleable*, but it's just that I might not be pulling hard enough. Can anyone out there on t'interwebs enlighten me?

My thanks in advance for any help,

M.

* I like me a neologism

[Edited (twice now) to correct some FFE's.]

Edited April 17, 2012 by Mercian

April 18, 2012

Hi, I was going to try to describe how my W.H. Smith FP writes but it's easier to attach a photo.

The number in the feeder is 8, and I would say it writes fairly close to perfectly, maybe slightly too much ink,

but the brands of ink do make a big difference.

In my more difficult pens, I use Sheaffer Skrip black, it's also the type that really makes my Vectors write well.

Can't say how the section dismantles, but I flush the unit through every second refill.

I thought the nib was Hero but I don't have any others to compare to. Hope that helps.

April 18, 2012

Hi Mercian,

It sounds like the nibs need to be adjusted. The one that skips on the first stroke of a word could need the tines separated a little. The best thing I can offer to you is this link:

http://www.penmuseum.co.uk/master%202.htm

This is a master class by the late Arthur Twydle on tuning pens and it's very helpful to me. There's also similar information in the books:

"Pen Repair," by Jim Marshall and Laurence Oldfield

"Fountain Pens: The Complete Guide to Repair and Restoration," by Frank Dubiel

All the best!

April 18, 2012

Hi Mercian,

It sounds like the nibs need to be adjusted. The one that skips on the first stroke of a word could need the tines separated a little. The best thing I can offer to you is this link:

http://www.penmuseum.../master%202.htm

This is a master class by the late Arthur Twydle on tuning pens and it's very helpful to me. There's also similar information in the books:

"Pen Repair," by Jim Marshall and Laurence Oldfield

"Fountain Pens: The Complete Guide to Repair and Restoration," by Frank Dubiel

All the best!

Hi Rickap,

Thank you for the link! I've learnt more in 5 minutes then in many years trying to figure out why my pens were being so temperamental! :bonk:

Bhavna

April 19, 2012

Hi, I was going to try to describe how my W.H. Smith FP writes but it's easier to attach a photo.

Hi.

Firstly, I'd like to congratulate you on your handwriting - it's beautiful I'm very envious, as my own is unreconstructed 'chicken scratch' of the worst variety I need to do lots of reconstructive work on it - which at least gives me an excuse to use my FP's

Secondly, please will you tell me what paper you're using in that photograph? I realise that the ink that I'm using will have a bearing on the performance of my pen(s), but obviously it's equally important to get a good FP-friendly paper. The one in your picture seems to fit the bill beautifully.