Please Help! Does This Nib Need Adjusting?

[natsw]

I wonder if someone might be able to help me. I recently, thanks to some very kind and generous advice on here, bought my husband a NOS sterling silver Sheaffer Imperial 826 with a fine nib for our Silver Wedding. He is thrilled with it but we are slightly concerned that it doesn't seem to be writing quite as it should. We have flushed it twice: first with room temperature water and then with room temperature water with a drop of washing-up liquid. I have taken a photo of a writing sample and as you can see the up strokes on i.e. g, y, s are quite faint. Is this just a question of the pen not being able to keep up with his very fast writing or is it a nib adjustment issue. (Please note that it's all looking less smooth than it was as it's just been flushed.) Thanks for any help in advance.

[Bluey]

I think it writes perfectly, and with character. No adjustment necessary.

[DipIt]

I would first try another ink before seeking adjustment. Waterman's inks flow well in most pens. It is not unusual for minor flow problems like this to disappear after a time. I don't know why but either the nib "breaks in" or the hand learns what it wants.

[Erik Dalton]

Seems to be writing ok. I'd try a different ink if you are looking for more lubrication, and saturated ink line.

[TheRealMikeDr]

In the end it will be up to you - a pen should pretty much write the way you want it to write - within certain tolerances of course.

 

The writing in the photo looks fine to my eyes - I don't see anything that screams the nib *needs* to be adjusted.

[ac12]

Depends.

• Some people like a light upstroke. In which case it is just fine.

• Others want it DARKER. In which case it needs more ink flow.
  The easiest solution (as was mentioned) is to clean the pen an try a fill of Waterman ink (a wet ink).

[natsw]

Thank you all for your help. This was with a cartridge and trying a different ink hadn't even occurred to me. I am currently in Germany and Waterman inks don't seem to be widely available here so we're going to try an R&K Königsblau and see how that works out. While I'm in the shop I might pick up a Lamy Safari for myself with a converter and a bottle of Old Bordeaux, but that's another story...

[Bo Bo Olson]

It's called shading..............

I chase shading inks....must have 30....what ink was that???....I may need some....or with luck I already have it.

 

 

Shading is caused by good paper.....and part of the ink pooling and drying slower than the rest.

Waterman ink is a good safe ink, that before Noodlers was considered wet....now Noodler users think it dry. Waterman is a safer ink.

R&K has a reputation of being a dry ink. As is Pelikan 4001 inks. Herbin must be somewhat dry also, in it's a great shading ink.

 

Pelikan Edelstein is a medium wet ink like MB. MB is not really that expensive at @ E14 in you get 60ml of ink.

Kaweco has cartridges but I didn't notice them being wet or dry....wasn't looking at it properly, was just looking for shading, which is a dry ink.

 

I replaced Waterman Blue with DA Royal blue. De Atramentis; which if you don't live in a big city, you will have to order on line. My Heidelberg B&M no longer carries it.

Not all DA inks are wet, some are nice dry shading inks.

But I do recommend the DA Royal Blue....depending on how you define purple, tinges toward that. It does not shade, being too saturated and is well lubricated.

DA is expensive hand made ink....35ml for E14-15. A man and his wife make the inks alone...no factory. He has the largest color and tone selection of any German ink producer.

 

Go down to your local German pharmacy and buy a needle syringe....there is no problem to do so, tell them you want the fattest needle and a 10-12 ml syringe to fill your ink cartridges from the ink bottle.

This is not the States, so you will have no problems.

 

Cartridges have always been way too expensive for the working class since they came out in the '50's. Filling a cartridge with good ink, is so, so much cheaper than buying cartridges.

 

You can perhaps find a converter that fits your pen and fill from the ink bottle, but you will still need a needle syringe to clean that out quickly. A tip, flatten the needle tip with a sharpening stone.

 

Cartridge ink is limited in color and tone....and dammed expensive. Someone figured it out as 3 or 4 times more expensive per drop than bottled ink.

 

We are living in the Golden Age of Inks.......if you hit the lottery, you could buy the basic 1000.

Sigh, I've not even got the basic 100 mainland Euro inks.

I only have seventy or so inks.

Mostly to 92% in bottles. I do have a needle syringe and old cartridges. Do save them.

Edited August 15, 2017 by Bo Bo Olson

[Sasha Royale]

There is line variation and there is shading , which is the relationship of the pen and ink to hand. I find it entirely readable and quite attractive. If it is otherwise desired , begin by adjusting technique and speed.

 

Thanks. I like it a lot.

[Russ]

I have an NOS Imperial 834 in sterling, and it writes as a fine. I switched from cartridges to a press-filler. It's about the same size as a cart, but has a silver metal case with a clearish poly-looking sac inside. A narrow metal strip covers most of the sac. You just press a few times to expel air and intake ink. Ink, good ink, flows better than from carts.

 

First, try a wetter ink. If that doesn't help, find a press-fill unit. That, with wetter ink, should do the trick.

[natsw]

It's called shading..............

I chase shading inks....must have 30....what ink was that???....I may need some....or with luck I already have it.

 

 

Shading is caused by good paper.....and part of the ink pooling and drying slower than the rest.

Waterman ink is a good safe ink, that before Noodlers was considered wet....now Noodler users think it dry. Waterman is a safer ink.

R&K has a reputation of being a dry ink. As is Pelikan 4001 inks. Herbin must be somewhat dry also, in it's a great shading ink.

 

Pelikan Edelstein is a medium wet ink like MB. MB is not really that expensive at @ E14 in you get 60ml of ink.

Kaweco has cartridges but I didn't notice them being wet or dry....wasn't looking at it properly, was just looking for shading, which is a dry ink.

 

I replaced Waterman Blue with DA Royal blue. De Atramentis; which if you don't live in a big city, you will have to order on line. My Heidelberg B&M no longer carries it.

Not all DA inks are wet, some are nice dry shading inks.

But I do recommend the DA Royal Blue....depending on how you define purple, tinges toward that. It does not shade, being too saturated and is well lubricated.

DA is expensive hand made ink....35ml for E14-15. A man and his wife make the inks alone...no factory. He has the largest color and tone selection of any German ink producer.

 

Go down to your local German pharmacy and buy a needle syringe....there is no problem to do so, tell them you want the fattest needle and a 10-12 ml syringe to fill your ink cartridges from the ink bottle.

This is not the States, so you will have no problems.

 

Cartridges have always been way too expensive for the working class since they came out in the '50's. Filling a cartridge with good ink, is so, so much cheaper than buying cartridges.

 

You can perhaps find a converter that fits your pen and fill from the ink bottle, but you will still need a needle syringe to clean that out quickly. A tip, flatten the needle tip with a sharpening stone.

 

Cartridge ink is limited in color and tone....and dammed expensive. Someone figured it out as 3 or 4 times more expensive per drop than bottled ink.

 

We are living in the Golden Age of Inks.......if you hit the lottery, you could buy the basic 1000.

Sigh, I've not even got the basic 100 mainland Euro inks.

I only have seventy or so inks.

Mostly to 92% in bottles. I do have a needle syringe and old cartridges. Do save them.

 

Thanks for your very detailed response Bo Bo. We bought some R&K Königsblau to use in the converter, and my other half is much happier with the flow and the colour. Apparently my choice of Sheaffer Blue Black wasn't to his taste! (That's what that writing sample was btw.)

 

I did get a clear Lamy Safari, a converter and some Alt Bordeaux. I'm rather smitten...

[natsw]

I have an NOS Imperial 834 in sterling, and it writes as a fine. I switched from cartridges to a press-filler. It's about the same size as a cart, but has a silver metal case with a clearish poly-looking sac inside. A narrow metal strip covers most of the sac. You just press a few times to expel air and intake ink. Ink, good ink, flows better than from carts.

 

First, try a wetter ink. If that doesn't help, find a press-fill unit. That, with wetter ink, should do the trick.

Yes, the converter and ink combination definitely seems to give a wetter flow which he's enjoying. Thanks for the tips.

[fjoly79]

I thought I a had a huge problem with one of my pens, a ST Dupont, when I used Iroshizuku Kon-Peki; that's after flushing it with a solution prepared especially for fountain pens. I think although having it rinced thouroughly, there was still a bit of that "soapy solution" in the pen, making the Iroshizuk ink even wetter than it is, originally.

I wouldn't worry about your pen, I think it works fine. I suggest to continue using it until you need to change ink, then just clean it with clear water (room-tempature, as you usually do, no soap or wash-up liquid or anything), then change ink.

I love the handwriting anyway...

[WireFox]

I would endorse the practice of flushing and I would also try the obvious; a converter or whatever alternative filling mechanism that pen has and Skrip ink. Lamy blue/black is a good alternative. I notice you have a fine nib so chances are it will feel dry particularly in the up stroke. If you are feeling brave grip the pen with your right thumb pressing on the top of the nib and then gently press the tip on the thumbnail of your left hand. Just once then test the pen. The idea is to slightly splay the tines but you need to be gentle and do it in increments. Flossing with brass shim material between the tines may also help.

[WireFox]

I would endorse the practice of flushing and I would also try the obvious; a converter or whatever alternative filling mechanism that pen has and Skrip ink. Lamy blue/black is a good alternative. I notice you have a fine nib so chances are it will feel dry particularly in the up stroke. If you are feeling brave grip the pen with your right thumb pressing on the top of the nib and then gently press the tip on the thumbnail of your left hand. Just once then test the pen. The idea is to slightly splay the tines but you need to be gentle and do it in increments. Flossing with brass shim material between the tines may also help.

 

Apologies I missed the previous recommendation of Skrip ink.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Sigh, I really don't get into Blue Black...having just 7 bottles. But that is twice lately I've seen Sheaffer's Blue Black show good shading.