Why Does Micro-Mesh Make My Nib Temporarily Smoother?

[beanbag]

I use the Micromesh 12000. Usually when I use this on a nib that I feel is too toothy or scratchy, it turns the nib into something that is silent and "gliding smooth". Which is how I like my pens. But then after writing a few lines, the scratchiness and toothiness start to return. Any idea why this is the case?

[kirchh]

What kind of paper are you using?

 

--Daniel

[beanbag]

clairefontaine

[kirchh]

clairefontaine

 

This may sound quite strange, but bear with me. On Clairefontaine paper (and surely on some others), a very fine layer of oil will be deposited on the paper and will remain on the surface when you rest the edge of your hand on the page. The paper is likely coated, and it appears to have a very tight pore structure, resulting in a surface that will not readily absorb this oil. This effect produces an extremely smooth patch on the page that will dramatically affect the apparent smoothness of a fountain pen nib when it is written on.

 

This patch is typically located just a bit below that last area on which you wrote (for a typical "underwriter"), and, as such, it is likely to be the first area on which your nib lands when you again begin writing -- perhaps as a test after performing some smoothing. You can test this effect yourself by purposely stamping the side of your hand onto a clean page, and then testing that area against a non-oiled area.

 

Let us know your findings.

 

--Daniel

[beanbag]

I know the effect you are talking about. When I run over a fingerprint, I can tell because the ink does not lay down well, like the paper is hydrophobic. However, I usually use an extra sheet of paper for a hand pad.

[pajaro]

Does this mean that the Micromesh didn't smooth the nib? Possibly the nib is out of alignment and the Micromesh is not the right answer? I am asking because I bought some Micromesh and it didn't seem to smooth anything. It took something slightly more agressive. I always look at alignment first, though.

[dneal]

There are a lot of reasons this could happen, and it depends on your smoothing technique. I agree that it is likely related to alignment - exacerbated by the fact that you're reducing the small bevel on the inside of the tines (which is creating a sharper/scratchier edge in that location).

[ian1964]

Does this mean that the Micromesh didn't smooth the nib? Possibly the nib is out of alignment and the Micromesh is not the right answer? I am asking because I bought some Micromesh and it didn't seem to smooth anything. It took something slightly more agressive. I always look at alignment first, though.

This happened to me with 2 x Pelikan M200 which both had an EF Nibs (The nib choice was accidental) The Micromesh had always worked brilliantly with the old Parkers and Sheaffers I have restored but with the Pelikans the pens got much scratchier. In the end I scrapped the EF nibs and purchased a couple of new broader nibs. But I am still mystified as to why the Pelikan nibs failed to respond.

[tmenyc]

I might add that Micromesh 12000 grit may be the finest they offer in the series, but it is still a pretty substantial grit -- 12000 is in the range of 1+ micron; David Nishimura, Brian Anderson, and others around here sell 0.1-.5 micron mylar backed sheets, which are both >10x smoother and better for finishing nib smoothing. For me, 12000 is a good starter, for removing a burr, but not for finishing.

Also, I've found it very important to work wet, using ink as the agent. It lubricates the sanding, washes away what you remove, and since your writing experience will always be with ink, it's important to feel the nib with the ink. It may be my obsessiveness talking, but I almost always use Waterman ink for this work, since I know exactly how it feels.

 

Tim

[pajaro]

Fingernail smoothing blocks worked better for me. Just a couple of circles in each direction. I am getting away from all this, though. I have a core of pens I bought from 1970 to the early 1980s that have never needed smoothing. All 14K nibs. More and more I use only those pens and a few Parker 51s bought later. All write smoothly with no smoothing.

 

I think that if your pen wrote less smoothly after using 12000 Micromesh, you have roughened it or there is something amiss.

[tmenyc]

Fingernail smoothing blocks worked better for me. Just a couple of circles in each direction. I am getting away from all this, though. I have a core of pens I bought from 1970 to the early 1980s that have never needed smoothing. All 14K nibs. More and more I use only those pens and a few Parker 51s bought later. All write smoothly with no smoothing.

 

I think that if your pen wrote less smoothly after using 12000 Micromesh, you have roughened it or there is something amiss.

Agreed -- except that fingernail blocks are not made with the same quality standards, to sell cheaply, so you don't know that the grit is always what it says it is. But I agree, that once I've gotten a 14K nib to work well for me, it stays that way, for years, and this true for the 20 or so of my pens that get 60+% of my pen use. If there's a change it's usually the paper or the ink.

 

Tim