Cross Fountain Pen Problem - Advice Request

[alc3261]

Hi hazcat,

 

Thanks for your response and sorry that you didn't get a good service from Cross. I sent mine off for a service last Tuesday and was told on the phone it could take 10-15 days.

 

I am based in the UK so assume there's no easy access to Pendleton Brown, if they are a stateside only operation.

 

Anyone know of a similar service in the UK they would recommend using, if Cross don't come up to scratch (sorry for the pun!) with my FP?

 

?Oxonian - a FPN member, you can find him on the site.

[sunnilife]

Hi, I took mine apart to take some photo's, and I see there is no obvious location point to align the nib to, so if you aim for a 2.5 mm overhang of the nib, from the front edge of feeder, that is fine.

When fitting back together, hold the nib in the correct place on top of the feeder, pinch between finger and thumb, you will see a flat underneath the feeder which can only go back into the nib section one way, so just slowly turn till it finds the correct place.

With mine the nib and feeder push straight in, but if threaded just gently threading it back in will be correct.

You can flush the nib unit through without taking the nib out, not so effective of course.

It's worth buying a 'budget' quality toothbrush to keep just for pen work, it can get into all the grooves in the feeder.

Yes you can clean the nib, a slosh around in a small pot of washing up detergent in water is normally enough.

Nib feeders can be either push fit or threaded, my collection of pens is about 50/50.

I do most of my work under a 8x magnifier bought from a Photographic shop, it's by a company in Spain named 'AP' and cost me (in $US) 11.00.

 

Thank you for posting these pictures and the clear information and advice. My Cross pen seems to have responded well to the treatment!

[Mike 59]

Hi sunnilife, Pleased to hear it worked for your pen.

Some pens such as the Cross Century 2, there is no 'right' or obvious place to set the nib on the feeder.

I noticed that it works best if I line up the front edge of the feeder with the point on the engraved pattern on the top of the nib.

I don't know if other pens are similar, but the Century 2 writes well set up like this.

I have to work using a x8 loupe, but with care it can be set up well.

Photo shows the 3mm overhang.

Edited August 22, 2012 by Mike 59

[sunnilife]

Hi sunnilife, Pleased to hear it worked for your pen.

Some pens such as the Cross Century 2, there is no 'right' or obvious place to set the nib on the feeder.

I noticed that it works best if I line up the front edge of the feeder with the point on the engraved pattern on the top of the nib.

I don't know if other pens are similar, but the Century 2 writes well set up like this.

I have to work using a x8 loupe, but with care it can be set up well.

Photo shows the 3mm overhang.

 

Thank you, that's very helpful as a starting position.

It writes well for about half a page then stops quite suddenly although a good shake or a tiny bit of ink or water on the nib sets it off for another half page. If it was a car I'd blame an air lock in a fuel pipe! I've had the nib and feeder apart and cleaned them again in case I'd missed some old dried ink.

 

This is my first venture into pen maintenance and I'm both impressed and appalled at just how many interdependent variables there are in what I naively thought was a simple mechanism! This forum is a godsend.

[sunnilife]

Hi sunnilife, Pleased to hear it worked for your pen.

Some pens such as the Cross Century 2, there is no 'right' or obvious place to set the nib on the feeder.

I noticed that it works best if I line up the front edge of the feeder with the point on the engraved pattern on the top of the nib.

I don't know if other pens are similar, but the Century 2 writes well set up like this.

I have to work using a x8 loupe, but with care it can be set up well.

Photo shows the 3mm overhang.

 

Thank you, that's very helpful as a starting position.

It writes well for about half a page then stops quite suddenly although a good shake or a tiny bit of ink or water on the nib sets it off for another half page. If it was a car I'd blame an air lock in a fuel pipe! I've had the nib and feeder apart and cleaned them again in case I'd missed some old dried ink.

 

This is my first venture into pen maintenance and I'm both impressed and appalled at just how many interdependent variables there are in what I naively thought was a simple mechanism! This forum is a godsend.

 

Update:

After bending the feeder towards the nib (held it in very hot water for about 30 seconds first) and reseating the nib in line with the engraving (as you showed) the pen seems to have made a full recovery. Thank you!

Edited September 1, 2012 by sunnilife

[OcalaFlGuy]

Doing figure 8's to smooth a nib on any abrasive can actually babybottom the tip. Circles are ok as are regular letters.

 

The $2 2-3 sided manicure sticks from either the Beauty Supply store or maybe Drug Stores are Much Better than paper bags or other juryrigness. Reusable and a much more standardized grit.

 

IMO, the deal with the UK Cross service dept is completely unacceptable. I would start on the phone until I got the Supervisor for the whole Service department. I would want to know from "him", 1) that IF a pen is sent in with a nib problem is it too much to ask that the replacement nib be dip tested in the service dept. and adjusted if necessary prior to it's return? 2) Give them your name or order number and ask him to research WHO worked on your pen...excuse me, who screwed the new nib section in and get an explanation of why that tech would put a pen back in the mail that has already come back for service without KNOWING it was correct. I'd get that Supervisor's name so that when you send it BACK IN you can do so ATTN: him.

 

I have absolute ZERO tolerance for this foolishness from any pen service department (which is probably petty obvious...). The companies already have a customer returning a product of theirs because it is unsatisfactory. Any company with any brains should know that if the mess up THAT chance to get the pen right, they've very likely lost a customer FOREVER. If they are unaware of that, I'll happily introduce them to the concept.

 

(My personal preference with Cross USA is to call straight into the service department BEFORE sending my pen in and speaking DIRECTLY to the tech who handles my model pen. That lets them know that IF they screw it up, you certainly know how to get back in touch with them. That is also the most likely way to sweet talk getting the $10 "service fee" waived.)

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

[teenytina]

I have absolute ZERO tolerance for this foolishness from any pen service department

 

This, times a thousand, and not just limited to pen service. All kinds of customer service. Slap-dash half-ass work needs correcting, and it's not your job to do it either. I'd have Cross re-do the work, personally.

[fpconverted]

Hi, For a start, all Cross pens and pencils have a lifetime warranty, very unusual these days, and is used by many people that read this forum.

They (Cross) will do any work that needs doing, but I believe the owner has to pay the postage.

The details are on the paperwork included in the box.

Regarding a scratchy nib, this can be due to not enough ink flowing through.

Another test you can do, is does the nib seem scratchy when writing to the left or right only?

This would indicate that a small tweak is needed to one side of the nib.

Fountain pen nibs do get smoother with use, but Cross pens are usually better than most from new.

Can you say what model pen you have, and if using cartridge or converter.

Hope that is of some help.

Being a long time Cross fan i have found their stainless steel nibs slightly more scratchy than average but it should never be so scratchy that it distracts your writing. Their rhodium coated gold nibs write a bit smoother as well. Also bear in mind more watery inks can cause any nib to exhibit a slight scratchiness as well.

[Jerome Tarshis]

Going back to a problem mentioned in the original post, I have found that with the Cross Century FPs there seems to be an inherent tendency for the barrel to unscrew itself from the section. A little worse with the Century II than with the original Century. This happens also with other brands, in greater or lesser measure.

 

What it may come to is an informal workaround: you can wrap the screw threads in transparent tape, which will make the section just a bit fatter, and for me this has worked well to keep the barrel from unscrewing spontaneously. Of course, don't use so many layers that the screw threads become indistinct and the barrel won't screw on at all.

[JSHous]

I've had a couple of Cross fountain pens...I still have two Townsends. I've never seen a Cross fountain pen that did not have an ink flow problem. I've tried flushing the converter with soapy water, using a special fountain pen 'flush', changing inks....nothing really improved it. For the money spent, I think they could do better.

Edited September 27, 2013 by JSHous

[ac12]

John

I have the original Century, so I cannot comment on the later pens, one Fine and the other Medium nibs, and both flow ink fine.

I am using Cross/Pelikan ink.

If a pen is dry with the Cross ink, I switch to Waterman ink, but my Cross nibs did not need that ink switch.

[jslallar]

welcome to the forum.

 

If you are new to fountain pen. There may be many reason why the nib feel sratchy .

it could be:

 

paper

nib out of alignment

insufficient ink flow

the type of ink used.

many other reason these are just few examples.

 

 

but it really needs to investigated properly before doing anything drastic

otherwise the nib material may be damage. But neverhteless you have come

to the right place and I am sure you will find the answer you need.

 

worst case scenario. Cross has life time warranty. So you will be well taken care of.

 

Easiest thing to do first is to try different type of paper. Preferably not the

office photocopy paper. See whether the pen write better or feel smoother wtih

different paper.

 

Also let us know what model of pen it is by looking on the web seeing pictures

of your pen .

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