Franklin-Christoph Model 02, Super Wet Feed

[c_b_fox]

Hello!

 

About a week or two ago, I purchased two Franklin-Christoph Model 02 "Intrinsic" fountain pens off eBay, both from the same seller. They were listed as never inked, and I have no reason to doubt the seller, who appeared to have plenty of previous eBay sales experience and 100% feedback.

 

I bought both, one in Smoke & Ice with a broad nib, the other in Amber & Cinnamaroon with a fine nib, with the intent of doing a nib swap between them to give my wife (a lefty) the Smoke & Ice with the fine nib.

 

I did the nib swap, applying silicone grease to the section to barrel and the nib unit to section threads, and loaded both as eyedroppers. Mine, the amber pen with the broad nib, is wonderful. No problems.

 

However, my wife's smoke pen with the fine nib has a VERY VERY wet feed. Ink gets into the cap, and occasionally drips onto the page. You can regularly see a blob of ink on the end of the feed nearest the tip of the nib.

 

Any suggestions? I plan to disassemble the pen, clean it thoroughly, and reassemble, this time double-checking to be sure the nib unit is fully secured in the section, and that the nib and feed are well mated. However, any tips on what I should look for would be most welcome. These are beautiful pens, and the nibs are quite nice. My broad is super smooth and my wife's fine offers just the right amount of feedback. I understand F-C offers a lifetime warranty, but if I can resolve this issue myself and save the shipping charge (and time away from the pen), I'd prefer it.

 

Thanks!

 

[c_b_fox]

Hey folks!

 

No replies. Huh. Well, no matter!

 

As it turns out, this issue seems to have resolved itself. My wife gave me the pen to fix, and I decided to just try writing with it myself for a while. When I took the cap off the pen, sure enough the feed was soaking wet, with a big blob of ink. I ignored it, and began writing. A page later, the feed was normal, ink flow was good, and the pen has fortunately stayed that way since, and that was four days ago!

 

Overall, these two Franklin-Christoph Model 02 pens get enthusiastic from us both. Great pens! Now I'm looking at other models... This hobby, I tell ya....

[Mishka5050]

Heya

 

Franklin-Christoph pens are simply amazing. I had exactly the same issue with ink burping... Most of the time it is OK, sometimes it burps even tho pens are freshly cleaned/inked. I think that what makes the biggest difference is the ink level. Keep a record of how much ink goes in and you should be able to find the perfect fill quickly.

 

Take care,

 

Mishka

[c_b_fox]

Thanks for the tip, Mishka. I'd heard that eyedropper-filled pens can be subject to "burping" as the fill level varies and with changes in temperature/pressure, and will begin taking mental note of the ink level and state of the feed when I write, and encourage my wife to do the same.

 

Christopher

[pepsiplease69]

Hi Chris.

I'm glad your issue seems to have corrected by itself but there's still a chance it might come back (sorry for being a pessimist )

 

Those intrinsics are simply the best. I'd encourage you to reach out to Scot or Jim from FC just to discuss the issue. They are very nice people to get to know on a personal level. I make sure to meet with them and linger at their booth for a while at every Pen Show where I see them, even if I don't buy anything.

 

About the only other thing I would recommend in the way of a bugfix (sorry I'm in IT) is to make sure all of the threads are properly greased with 100% pure silicone grease.

 

There are two sets of threads on this pen which you must make sure are completely sealed airtight. The first and the obvious one that joins the barrel to the section. The second, less obvious thread attaches the section to the nib unit or the nib collar. Both need to be well greased. If there is any air leak it will likely cause these issues.

 

I any case, give Scot or Jim a call, I'm sure you'll find they are very nice people to talk to.

[pepsiplease69]

Oops sorry I just re-read the original post. It seems you've already greased the two threads.

 

Well I hope your issue doesn't return.

 

Another thing would be to make sure the ink level in the pen doesn't get below 1/3 roughly. Ink burps are just part of the reality while eyedroppering I suppose.

[c_b_fox]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I confess, when the pens first arrived, I was so eager to get them inked up and writing I neglected to apply silicone grease to the threads between the nib unit and section. However, the problem with the heavy, wet flow began after realizing my mistake (which took a Youtube video or two) and sealing both sets of threads.

 

In any event, all's fine now, and both pens are a joy to use. I do have a new Edison fine nib unit arriving for my pen, in two-tone steel. The original F-C broad nib is a bit much for business note taking, and I felt the two-tone Edison would look good with the amber acrylic used for the pen. The gold tone will match nicely with the amber, and the silver tone will match the silver-colored clip.

[Bill Wood]

Hi Christopher. I use eye droppers mostly in Edisons and Franklin-Cristophs. Sometimes you get the odd ink or nib feed unit that's a little on the loose side. That's when the feed isn't as tight on the underside of the nib. In those situations I use a converter. If you find an ink is a little free flowing, try a converter if you wish. Enjoy your Franklin's.