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Should It Write Right Out Of The Box?

MrsCookSC

By MrsCookSC
in Fountain & Dip Pens - First Stop

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MrsCookSC NOS (New Old Stock)

MrsCookSC

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Today I opened up my first Visconti Homo Sapiens Steel Age. I flushed it with distilled water and inked it with MontBlanc Ink. I get out a Rhodia pad and prepare for that "dream touch" experience... THAT is NOT what I experienced... the ink wasn't free flowing... it's a medium that writes like an XF...

 

Is it me? Is it because I'm a leftie that slants to the left?

 

I have a pair of TWSBI that write great... I have a Pelikan M200 that writes amazing.

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jar Ancient Artifact

jar

Posted
Posted

There is no correct answer there. Many pens will need up to 48 hours to get fully saturated. Others will work immediately.

 

My Website

 

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ENewton Collectors Item

ENewton

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I don't have a Visconti, but I have certainly had pens in which the ink did not flow freely as soon as I touched pen to paper on the first fill.

 

The first thing to try is let the pen rest in a horizontal position for a while--hours--so that the feed is saturated with ink. Then see whether you notice a difference. I had to do this with my Monteverde at first, and have to do it with my Kaweco every time I put in a cartridge.

 

There are "next steps" one can take, but in your place, I wouldn't do anything to adjust the nib of a new pen that is still under warranty. You might just have to be patient.

 

I am sure that people who love Viscontis will offer more helpful advice. It might also help to indicate which Montblanc ink you are using.

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pajaro Museum Piece

pajaro

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Pens used to write immediately for me at least up to the 1990s. If the pen will not, the manufacturer should include a notice containing instruction as to what the customer must do, to reassure the customer. Failing that, a return is in order. Passing all the set up to the customer is not fair. As far as we here advising this or that enables the maker to get away with improperly preparing the pen for delivery.

"Don't hurry, don't worry. It's better to be late at the Golden Gate than to arrive in Hell on time."
--Sign in a bar and grill, Ormond Beach, Florida, 1960.

 

 

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MrsCookSC NOS (New Old Stock)

MrsCookSC

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Thank you all for your help... I don't have a lot of experience with fountain pens... I've wanted to use them for many years and want a positive experience... My fault would be Fountain-pen-itis meaning I've purchased a lot of pens in a short time. I should've just started with a few, but hindsight is twenty twenty.

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ErrantSmudge Collectors Item

ErrantSmudge

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I am with Pajaro. No properly functioning fountain pen should require its owner to set it on its side for hours to prime the feed, wait 48 hours, or require other workarounds. Especially at the price range the Homo Sapiens sells for.

You did exactly the right thing by flushing it with distilled water prior to first use. You may want to try it with a different ink to see if the pen just doesn't work well with Montblanc ink - any Visconti ink would be perfect since they presumably should guarantee an optimal writing experience with their own ink. (And Visconti Blue is a very nice ink).

 

If switching inks doesn't cure the problems with the pen, an exchange is definitely warranted.

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FOUR X FOUR Collectors Item

FOUR X FOUR

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I want to think that saturation isn't your problem. I think there is a blockage. Maybe the tines are out of alignment

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MrsCookSC NOS (New Old Stock)

MrsCookSC

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Oh Don't tell me that... I bought the pen from Goulet... up until this... I have had nothing but good experiences with them... So, I get the pen, open the box, turn the knob... try to pull it out... turn the knob... try to pull it out... I open up a chat window with Goulet... they tell me to give it a good yank... I'm like seriously? I give it a big girl yank... BAM... the knob comes off in my hand! The rep sends me a label and I return the pen... A few days later I get an email explaining that the pen I received was the MIDI. I asked them to check the pen... make sure the nib is right and everything else... I don't know why, but it didn't get checked.

 

I've heard that Visconti has QA issues... I don't know if thats true or not... I just know that I expect a $550 fountain pen to live up to its "dream touch" name.

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FOUR X FOUR Collectors Item

FOUR X FOUR

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Oh Don't tell me that... I bought the pen from Goulet... up until this... I have had nothing but good experiences with them... So, I get the pen, open the box, turn the knob... try to pull it out... turn the knob... try to pull it out... I open up a chat window with Goulet... they tell me to give it a good yank... I'm like seriously? I give it a big girl yank... BAM... the knob comes off in my hand! The rep sends me a label and I return the pen... A few days later I get an email explaining that the pen I received was the MIDI. I asked them to check the pen... make sure the nib is right and everything else... I don't know why, but it didn't get checked.

I've heard that Visconti has QA issues... I don't know if thats true or not... I just know that I expect a $550 fountain pen to live up to its "dream touch" name.

Are they going to send you another pen? You will have a better experience with your next Homo Sapiens pen. I have 2 of them and they are awesome.

However, if the knob came off in your hand you gave it a lot more than a yank. When you get your next Homo sapiens, turn the knob, then just slowly pull it out. The odd thing is, I thought the midi came in a C&C, not a piston

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Moonshae Rare

Moonshae

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I wouldn't blame the vendor for a pen that didn't write properly out of the box. The vendor didn't pack it and seal it there; that's on the manufacturer. I wouldn't want a vendor "testing" pens to make sure they write properly before shipping them out...that's a used pen.

fpn_1497391483__snailbadge.png

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MrsDrG NOS (New Old Stock)

MrsDrG

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Thank you all for your help... I don't have a lot of experience with fountain pens... I've wanted to use them for many years and want a positive experience... My fault would be Fountain-pen-itis meaning I've purchased a lot of pens in a short time. I should've just started with a few, but hindsight is twenty twenty.

 

 

Quoted for truth. You are singing my song here!

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sirgilbert357 Antique

sirgilbert357

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There is no correct answer there. Many pens will need up to 48 hours to get fully saturated. Others will work immediately.

But the feed gets fully saturated when you fill the pen with ink...so...

 

I would say it needs to be returned. Or try a different (wetter?) ink.

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sirgilbert357 Antique

sirgilbert357

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Posted (edited)

Are they going to send you another pen? You will have a better experience with your next Homo Sapiens pen. I have 2 of them and they are awesome.

However, if the knob came off in your hand you gave it a lot more than a yank. When you get your next Homo sapiens, turn the knob, then just slowly pull it out. The odd thing is, I thought the midi came in a C&C, not a piston

The midi is still a power filler, it's just slightly smaller than the normal H.S. Steel Age.

 

(edit: correction -- the Midi is a piston, not power filler. Thanks MrsCookSC for the correction)

Edited by sirgilbert357
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Erik Dalton Collectors Item

Erik Dalton

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I wouldn't blame the vendor for a pen that didn't write properly out of the box. The vendor didn't pack it and seal it there; that's on the manufacturer. I wouldn't want a vendor "testing" pens to make sure they write properly before shipping them out...that's a used pen.

Its not uncommon for quality shops to test out a pen before sending it out. I've recieved more than a few pens with traces of washed out ink in it.

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TheRealMikeDr Vintage

TheRealMikeDr

Posted
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It happens. Not just with pens. You can drop $45,000 on a new car and have it in the shop a few months later. The vast majority of new pens I've purchased have been great out of the box.

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jar Ancient Artifact

jar

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But the feed gets fully saturated when you fill the pen with ink...so...

 

I would say it needs to be returned. Or try a different (wetter?) ink.

Actually, not always. With modern plastic feeds that may be true if filled using a converter. With ebonite feeds or when using cartridges it really can take awhile.

 

My Website

 

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Uncial Antique

Uncial

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I've found the plunger system on the HS to be somewhat unreliable, but not annoyingly so. When the pen fails to fill (for whatever reason, I know not why) the result is exactly what you describe. Two plunges seems to solve the issue (again, I have no idea why, but it works). Otherwise, I'd say there is either a blockage somewhere or a nib issue.

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MrsCookSC NOS (New Old Stock)

MrsCookSC

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Are they going to send you another pen? You will have a better experience with your next Homo Sapiens pen. I have 2 of them and they are awesome.

However, if the knob came off in your hand you gave it a lot more than a yank. When you get your next Homo sapiens, turn the knob, then just slowly pull it out. The odd thing is, I thought the midi came in a C&C, not a piston

The initial problem was they sent the wrong pen... they sent the MIDI. Yes, the knob came off in my hand, but screwed back on. If received the replacement yesterday and it was the right pen... I asked Goulet to test the pen before they sent it, but they didn't

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MrsCookSC NOS (New Old Stock)

MrsCookSC

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The midi is still a power filler, it's just slightly smaller than the normal H.S. Steel Age.

The MIDI has a piston mechanism and the MAXI has a power filler.

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MrsCookSC NOS (New Old Stock)

MrsCookSC

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I wouldn't blame the vendor for a pen that didn't write properly out of the box. The vendor didn't pack it and seal it there; that's on the manufacturer. I wouldn't want a vendor "testing" pens to make sure they write properly before shipping them out...that's a used pen.

I don't blame the vendor... I'm all about tootsie pops! ,

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