Pelikan Back From Repair...and I'm Crushed.

[sirgilbert357]

About two months ago, my Pelikan M205, then my favorite pen, developed an issue. The fins of the nib would fill with ink and it would drip onto the page. Long story short, I examined the pen with a loupe and found a crack in the section. I sent it to Chartpak and Abi could not see the crack (she wasn't using a loupe though), but agreed to send it to Germany to see if they would cover it under warranty. She also stated she had no parts for the M205, as it was a limited edition and she never gets any parts for the L.E. models -- they always have to go back to Germany if there's an issue.

 

It finally came back yesterday. Three or four days shy of two months and I finally had my pen back. Last night was rough (my two year old had a 102 fever and an ear infection!) so I didn't get to write. But tonight I ink it up exactly like Pelikan tells you to and begin writing. It was great at first; I could feel the difference in the nibs (they swapped that and the barrel), but the line it laid down was exactly like the old nib. I was happy -- for about a page. Upon looking at the nib between paragraphs, I notice the fins filling with ink. No way...I wipe it clean and keep writing...it happens again. You've got to be kidding me. I KNOW they swapped the barrel because the mold seams aren't near as polished and smooth as my original pen. Not thrilled about that, but I could live with it. The nib is also different because the original nib had an indentation in the feed close to the nib tip that this new nib lacks...so I'm SURE it was all swapped out. But lo, and behold, when I use a 20x loupe, there is a crack in the section! I can't believe this...straight from Germany and all I've done is ink the thing!!

 

I've already emailed Abi at Chartpak to see where we go from here. Pretty disappointed. This makes me a bit hesitant to pull the trigger on that blue striped M405 I was planning to get myself for Christmas...I know the odds are that it will be flawless and last till I'm 75, but this just really kills my enthusiasm.

Edited November 20, 2015 by sirgilbert357

[UDog]

They will get it right the second time for sure.

[Notgatherox]

On the good side, you only had to wait two months!

 

I had a friend who sent in his 140 and had a six month wait all for nothing.

 

Pelikan Germany tsk tsk.

 

Hope you get things sorted out soon!

 

 

~Epic

[Parker51]

Maybe they simply sent you a new pen and the new pen has the same defect as your old one because it's a production problem that isn't caught unless one inks up the pen fully and uses it as you did.

Another possibility; if the pen you received does not appear totally new is that they may do what some other manufactuers do, which is when an item comes in that is presented as defective it is replaced with a refurbished item and the item goes to a third party refurbisher, who in turn sends the refurbished items to the returns department to take care of any returned defective items. If Pelikan does handle its returns in this manner, then you received someone else's returned and refurbished pen and someone else will receive yours, and the refurbisher missed the problem the other person had, the same defect you had.

Edited November 20, 2015 by Parker51

[max dog]

Are you sure it's a crack in the section? I would expect you would get inky fingers if that were the case. If you received pen with new barrel and nib, and you are experiencing same issue, and Chartpak could not see crack neither, perhaps it's something else. You sure the nib unit is screwed into the section firmly? Those Pelikan barrels are pretty solid and you never here of them developing cracks.

[fplover01]

I have never seen a M205 crack without being dropped from very high or hit by a heavy object. And you would have ink leaking from the section too.

 

Normally Pelikan Germany service, tests each pen with royal blue ink before they ship it out. All the pens I have sent there came back clearly tested with that ink and then cleaned with water. Also here in Germany pelikan returns a written invoice, which describes exactly what they did with your pen so you know if the section was changed or whatever.

 

Perhaps try to contact them directly and ask for a replacement pen all together?

[sirgilbert357]

On the good side, you only had to wait two months!

 

I had a friend who sent in his 140 and had a six month wait all for nothing.

 

Pelikan Germany tsk tsk.

 

Hope you get things sorted out soon!

 

 

~Epic

 

"In a furious rage" would be an understatement to explain my sentiment were that me and my pen. Unacceptable no questions asked. I hope they got him sorted out eventually...

[sirgilbert357]

Maybe they simply sent you a new pen and the new pen has the same defect as your old one because it's a production problem that isn't caught unless one inks up the pen fully and uses it as you did.

Another possibility; if the pen you received does not appear totally new is that they may do what some other manufactuers do, which is when an item comes in that is presented as defective it is replaced with a refurbished item and the item goes to a third party refurbisher, who in turn sends the refurbished items to the returns department to take care of any returned defective items. If Pelikan does handle its returns in this manner, then you received someone else's returned and refurbished pen and someone else will receive yours, and the refurbisher missed the problem the other person had, the same defect you had.

 

I don't think there's an economical reason to repair a crack in the section though. Its probably cheaper for Pelikan to simply trash it and replace it. For all the money we pay for these pens, we hate to admit it, but there's probably only a couple of bucks in parts invested in a plain black M200 barrel. They make tons of these things...economies of scale and all that. I don't think its a production problem either...its just unheard of for them to crack this way. I seriously don't get it.

[sirgilbert357]

I have never seen a M205 crack without being dropped from very high or hit by a heavy object. And you would have ink leaking from the section too.

 

Normally Pelikan Germany service, tests each pen with royal blue ink before they ship it out. All the pens I have sent there came back clearly tested with that ink and then cleaned with water. Also here in Germany pelikan returns a written invoice, which describes exactly what they did with your pen so you know if the section was changed or whatever.

 

Perhaps try to contact them directly and ask for a replacement pen all together?

 

I can't believe it either. But on the flawless section that looks literally brand new and is at a perfect gloss I only see two mold seams and a crack. It starts in the cap threading on the barrel and goes halfway up the section where it disappears.

Based on what we know of surface tension and capillary action, I'm not convinced I would automatically get ink on my fingers from such a tiny hairline crack. I think I'll pull the nib and put my thumb over the hole and work the piston with the pen upright to see if ink comes out of the crack...

[Notgatherox]

 

"In a furious rage" would be an understatement to explain my sentiment were that me and my pen. Unacceptable no questions asked. I hope they got him sorted out eventually...

 

Oh he got it sorted out in the end. A dealer found him parts. He eventually sold the pen since it was too small for his hand.

 

 

~Epic

[jar]

Fins filling up with ink is not a problem, it is what they are meant to do, it is why they exist. Now if ink drips from the feed then you have an air leak but just fins filling up is not just normal, it is essential.

[sirgilbert357]

Fins filling up with ink is not a problem, it is what they are meant to do, it is why they exist. Now if ink drips from the feed then you have an air leak but just fins filling up is not just normal, it is essential.

My original M205 never had even a hint of ink pooling in the fins--until the crack that made it start dripping. So I guess I'm just working off that expectation. Should I expect all modern pens with exposed nibs and fins to have this issue? Not being sarcastic at all--looking for a consensus. If so, I guess I need to adjust my expectations. But it would seem ink pooling into the fins indicates a feed that is overwhelming the nib--and that's a fit and finish issue in my mind, especially when used with their very own "dry" house ink! Either way, I'm not prepared to accept a pen back from "repair" with a hairline crack in the section. Surely Pelikan Germany can do better than that. I have yet to continue writing with it after noticing the ink start to build up (I wiped it dry both times), so I guess I could continue to see if it ends up dripping onto the page, but I'm still going to ask for Pelikan to swap it again due to the imperfection.

Edited November 20, 2015 by sirgilbert357

[sirgilbert357]

Oh he got it sorted out in the end. A dealer found him parts. He eventually sold the pen since it was too small for his hand.

 

 

~Epic

Glad it ended well for him.

[jar]

My original M205 never had even a hint of ink pooling in the fins--until the crack that made it start dripping. So I guess I'm just working off that expectation. Should I expect all modern pens with exposed nibs and fins to have this issue? Not being sarcastic at all--looking for a consensus. If so, I guess I need to adjust my expectations. But it would seem ink pooling into the fins indicates a feed that is overwhelming the nib--and that's a fit and finish issue in my mind, especially when used with their very own "dry" house ink! Either way, I'm not prepared to accept a pen back from "repair" with a hairline crack in the section. Surely Pelikan Germany can do better than that. I have yet to continue writing with it after noticing the ink start to build up (I wiped it dry both times), so I guess I could continue to see if it ends up dripping onto the page, but I'm still going to ask for Pelikan to swap it again due to the imperfection.

In fact the fins sole purpose is to keep the feed from overwhelming the nib. Non exposed fins and collectors also fill and empty when in use. It is how ink is kept available to put on the paper at all times and still minimize drips and spills.

 

If there really is a crack in the section then that is an easy and simply repair. But are you sure that it is a crack? It does not seem likely that they would change out the body & nib but keep the same feed and section.

[sirgilbert357]

In fact the fins sole purpose is to keep the feed from overwhelming the nib. Non exposed fins and collectors also fill and empty when in use. It is how ink is kept available to put on the paper at all times and still minimize drips and spills.

 

If there really is a crack in the section then that is an easy and simply repair. But are you sure that it is a crack? It does not seem likely that they would change out the body & nib but keep the same feed and section.

 

I'm confused by your question. The nib and feed is one whole unit on a Pelikan (I might be misunderstanding though because I'm sure you know this based on our previous conversations); and from what I understand, the section and barrel are molded together and are all one piece. Is that correct, or do they somehow screw apart? Abi stated that the only thing that wasn't swapped was my pen's cap (in not so many words), so I would assume what she meant was the entire nib unit and barrel were swapped. The mold seams on the section are profoundly different, so I know the section is not my original one I sent...the indentation on the tip of the feed of the nib is also gone and the nib feels different on the paper (more "grippy", not as buttery...but not scratchy), so I'm also sure the whole nib unit was swapped.

 

I can't be sure the crack goes all the way through the plastic to the interior of the pen, but its certainly there. I can see it with a 10x loupe clear as day. I wish I had an SLR with a good macro lens so I could photograph it...If the fins filling with ink is normal though, I guess the crack may not be the cause of the ink pooling in the fins. Maybe I just got a really restricted feed on my first Pelikan?? I could write for an hour with that nib and then touch the fins and they were bone dry with no ink anywhere. I just assumed that was normal...

[sirgilbert357]

Abi from Chartpak is offering to replace the M205 with an M200 or any of the other M205 colored options...

 

Sigh. Very generous, but I really just want the black and silver that I currently have...what to do...

[jar]

Okay, but if everything but the cap was changed then any crack, even if it really is there, is not related to any issue you had with the pen before the parts were changed.

 

But still, ink in feed fins and in collectors is not just normal, it is essential.

[sirgilbert357]

Okay, but if everything but the cap was changed then any crack, even if it really is there, is not related to any issue you had with the pen before the parts were changed.

 

But still, ink in feed fins and in collectors is not just normal, it is essential.

 

 

Bold = Agreed.

 

I'm talking about the fins on the underside of the exterior of the nib. Ink does not HAVE to pool and build up there for the pen to write. I've had many pens that don't fill their fins and they write just fine...Those fins appear to serve as "overflow" more than anything else...

[LeonW]

Sir G. Try to put the loupe in front of the cellphone camera lens, it might just work for you.

[jar]

 

 

Bold = Agreed.

 

I'm talking about the fins on the underside of the exterior of the nib. Ink does not HAVE to pool and build up there for the pen to write. I've had many pens that don't fill their fins and they write just fine...Those fins appear to serve as "overflow" more than anything else...

Did you read the link I provided back in message #14?