Ink On Outer Edges Of Nib Shoulder

[mikelesq]

Hi,

 

I just got a Conklin Endura Symetrik ringtop. It fills and writes perfectly, but ink accumulates on the edge of the nib (I think it's called the shoulder). I put a picture below.

 

Again, otherwise it writes perfectly, and the ink pretty much adheres to the surface (once it put a small drop on the paper when I went to write with it). I don't want to take any chances on damaging any part of the pen, of course. I've lifted nibs slightly away from feeds before to get better ink flow, but I've never seen this kind of ink problem before. Is there something that I could safely try to stop the ink from gathering on the shoulder? Thanks.

 

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a216/mikelesq/WP_20150630_19_08_38_Pro_zpsafpnkqr0.jpg

[ac12]

I would try a dryer ink, like Pelikan.

I'm taking a guess that the feed has been saturated with ink.

Is the pen a WET writer?

[gregamckinney]

Is ink collecting inside the cap? It looks to me more like ink is pooling on the wings of the nib when you uncap the pen.

Is your pen a free-flowing one? If so, a drier ink could help (as could an adjustment to reduce the flow.)

Best Regards, greg

[Vintagepens]

This often happens when a nib rubs against the inner cap. This can be because the nib is too wide (possibly the case here, since it's clearly a later replacement) or because the inner cap's clearance is reduced due to accumulated dried ink. If the inside is really badly encrusted, it can be easier to scrape out the inside rather than attempting to wash it out.

 

In any event, do not soak the cap. If you need to clean out the inside, use cotton swabs or the like so you can control where the water or cleaning solution goes.

[______Zaphod_Beeblebrox]

This often happens when a nib rubs against the inner cap. This can be because the nib is too wide (possibly the case here, since it's clearly a later replacement) or because the inner cap's clearance is reduced due to accumulated dried ink. If the inside is really badly encrusted, it can be easier to scrape out the inside rather than attempting to wash it out.

 

In any event, do not soak the cap. If you need to clean out the inside, use cotton swabs or the like so you can control where the water or cleaning solution goes.

That's is what I was going to say, I have a pen that has the same ink spots caused by the nib contacting the plastic inner cap. I never bothered to address this and all is good in the word.

[mikelesq]

 

 

Is the pen a WET writer?

Actually, it's a little on the dry side.

 

 

Is ink collecting inside the cap? It looks to me more like ink is pooling on the wings of the nib when you uncap the pen.

 

 

This often happens when a nib rubs against the inner cap. This can be because the nib is too wide (possibly the case here, since it's clearly a later replacement) or because the inner cap's clearance is reduced due to accumulated dried ink. If the inside is really badly encrusted, it can be easier to scrape out the inside rather than attempting to wash it out.

That did it. I always swab the inside of the cap of a new (to me) pen with a cotton swab, and this one had come out clean, but based on this suggestion, I tried again and applied more pressure, and there was a ton of ink in there once it loosened up. After going through about a dozen cotton swabs, I capped it overnight and the nib came out clean this morning. Thanks!

 

Out of curiosity, what about the nib shows that it's a replacement? It's marked "Conklin Toledo 14 KT U.S.A." with a striped crescent under the breather hole. Was the Symetrik fitted with a different nib?

 

Thanks for the help everyone.

[Vintagepens]

I'd expect your pen to have left the factory with an Endura nib.

From the photo, it looks as if the width of the nib is not much less that the width of the end of the section.

[sidthecat]

I have a Waterman 52 1/2 v with a similar issue. Cleaning the inner cap has helped a lot, and so has storing the pen with the nib up.