Mabie Todd Swan #6 Nib: Way Too Dry When Not Flexed..way Too Wet When Flexed?

[leocch]

Hi, I'm fairly new in vintage fountain pens and recently I have bought a vintage Mabie Todd Swan 2060 with a #6 Nib.

It is a lovely pen but it is way too dry when writing normally and way too wet when flexing it.

 

From what I analysed, the tines are way too close together and as the result, the ink is not flowing along the slit.

I understand that flexible nib are designed to behave this way to limit the ink flow when flexed and it should be written with a bit of force so that the tine spread open and the ink will flow smoothly. But the nib is quite stiff and it is quite hard to keep applying a consistence force for a long period of writing.

To make matters worst, it get really wet when it is just flexing a tiny bit.

 

Is it possible to adjust the nib so that it write a bit wet when no pressure is applied but not too wet when flexed?

I have tried to spread open the tine but it spring right back to the original position..

I have tried to floss the slit using a small piece of metal sheet..

I have tried to push the feed a bit closer to the tip (It does get a bit wetter, but still not wet enough and it is already so close to the tip...)

There are not too many search result related to adjusting vintage flex nib on google..

It would be great if anyone can point me to the right direction..

 

Please notice the inconsistency of the ink flow when not flexed.

Paper: Rhodia 80gsm paper

Ink: Parker Quink Black

[missuslovett]

Flex nibs don't need force to use, under any circumstances. That's a very big nib. Have you had the feed apart? Many of the inconsistencies with ink flow can come down to a cloggy feed or a a badly set nib. I'm not an expert myself and use trial and error until I run out of patience and send it to someone who knows what they're doing! I'm sure a nibmeister would help you.

[Goudy]

What a splendid looking nib. A UK-based nib technician would probably be the best solution, as missuslovett suggests. John Sorowka (FPN username "Oxonian") is highly praised.

 

In the meantime, you could try the pen with some other inks. A search here for "wet ink" will give you some ideas. My own favourite ink for dry pens is Iroshizuku Take-sumi.

 

I wouldn't advise doing any more flossing with a metal shim. That advice may work for steel nibs, but gold is a softer metal and you may scratch the nib.

[leocch]

Flex nibs don't need force to use, under any circumstances. That's a very big nib. Have you had the feed apart? Many of the inconsistencies with ink flow can come down to a cloggy feed or a a badly set nib. I'm not an expert myself and use trial and error until I run out of patience and send it to someone who knows what they're doing! I'm sure a nibmeister would help you.

That is literally what I have done. I have absolutely no idea how to fix it and decide to sent it to a nibmeister.

The nib itself is not really a true flex nib, it is more like a semi-flex.

The feed have been cleaned thoroughly, all the feed channels have also been flossed.

 

What I guess is by spreading the tines slightly apart, the ink will flow smoothly along the slit when not flexed.

And if i adjust the feed slightly away from the tip towards the tail, the ink flow will also reduced when flexed

(Due to the reduce of surface tension..I'm not sure)

The only problem is that flexible nib cannot be spread as it will spring right back to the original position and the slit did not get any wider..

 

What a splendid looking nib. A UK-based nib technician would probably be the best solution, as missuslovett suggests. John Sorowka (FPN username "Oxonian") is highly praised.

 

In the meantime, you could try the pen with some other inks. A search here for "wet ink" will give you some ideas. My own favourite ink for dry pens is Iroshizuku Take-sumi.

 

I wouldn't advise doing any more flossing with a metal shim. That advice may work for steel nibs, but gold is a softer metal and you may scratch the nib.

Actually, I am thinking of sending it to a company in Spain for a re-tipping and ink flow adjustment.

It is mainly because It is the only company in Europe (of my limited research), who do nib re-tipping.

 

I really like the design of this lovely Swan 2060 especially the Swan logo on the barrel.

The only thing stopping me from using it daily is because it doesn't write smoothly...

I believed that by re-tipping this nib and adjusting the ink flow, it can prolong the life and the history of this pen.

Edited May 2, 2016 by leocch

[Goudy]

If the iridium is damaged or missing, then yes, retipping is probably the way to go.

 

If the only problem is that the nib isn't smooth on the page, then adjustment of the ink flow to make it wetter, plus smoothing of the existing iridium (best done by an expert) ought to give you the result you want.

[ac12]

It may not be a flex nib. Just a "normal" nib from that period in time.

[leocch]

If the iridium is damaged or missing, then yes, retipping is probably the way to go.

 

If the only problem is that the nib isn't smooth on the page, then adjustment of the ink flow to make it wetter, plus smoothing of the existing iridium (best done by an expert) ought to give you the result you want.

 

To be honest, I have no idea if the iridium is sufficient or not.

Since I want to have it regrind to fine, I don't think the iridium is sufficient for regrinding without damaging the gold parts.

 

http://i.imgur.com/HPgePG3g.jpg

#In my opinion, the slit of the nib is pretty darn close together...#

 

It may not be a flex nib. Just a "normal" nib from that period in time.

 

That's actually what I thought based on the stiffness of that nib.

I have also own a Swan #4 semi-flex nib which is considerably more flexible than this #6.

The website I bought this pen labelled the nib as semi-flex but in my limited experience..

I would think that is just "Springy".