Sealing The Cap On The Jinhao X450

[Kelly G]

So the question is, why did it take me so long to figure this out?

 

I really like the Jinhao X450 for a general use, lay on my desk, give away sort of pen. They are certainly affordable, not bad to look at, decent quality, and with replacement nibs and converters, pens that function far beyond their price point. The only thing I haven't liked about the x450 is the nib drying issue. Every day the nib has to be primed with a dip in some water or my morning coffee; not the end of the world but frustrating.

 

A few days ago, after having these pens for eighteen months, I randomly decided to drip a bit of candle wax into the inverted cap to see if that would seal the cap and prevent the drying issue. So far, it works like a charm. Both of the x450's on my desk write first time even after sitting for a couple of days.

 

That took too long to figure out!

[k3eax]

'Curious; I just removed the caps of two 450's and attempted to blow into them. I was unable to do so and am left with the belief that the caps are air-tight and would little benefit from candle-wax implication.

 

I'm left with wondering if your caps were defective or if my caps, being air-tight, were the exception. I's like to hear from other 450 users

Edited August 17, 2017 by k3eax

[Kelly G]

Both of these pens had a hole in the cap liner at the base of the cap. I didn't think to blow into them before sealing the liner so I don't know if that would have indicated leakage. I'll check my other x450's when I'm back in my office.

[KellyMcJ]

Strange. I have both a 450 and 750 and no drying issues. I wonder if yours is defective, or counterfeit?

[Kelly G]

I just checked all my remaining x450's at my office, 5 of them. All have the hole in the cap liner and all seem to pass the "blow" test, although I wonder if they are truly airtight. I'll be keeping tabs on the sealed cap pens to see if the improvement is long lived.

 

As for defective or counterfeit, I doubt it as the pens are otherwise perfect and purchased from a known reputable dealer and they have all the marks of a genuine Jinhao. But, one never knows.

[oneill]

So the question is, why did it take me so long to figure this out?

 

I really like the Jinhao X450 for a general use, lay on my desk, give away sort of pen. They are certainly affordable, not bad to look at, decent quality, and with replacement nibs and converters, pens that function far beyond their price point. The only thing I haven't liked about the x450 is the nib drying issue. Every day the nib has to be primed with a dip in some water or my morning coffee; not the end of the world but frustrating.

 

A few days ago, after having these pens for eighteen months, I randomly decided to drip a bit of candle wax into the inverted cap to see if that would seal the cap and prevent the drying issue. So far, it works like a charm. Both of the x450's on my desk write first time even after sitting for a couple of days.

 

That took too long to figure out!

Having dealt with Jinhao and Baoer pens over the years if you have not flushed the pen out using cold water with a tiny bit of ammonia in it and when that runs clear do the same again using dishwashing water withjust a small amount of DW in it that should fix the problem.which has always been because Jinhao don't bother too much about getting rid of the oil which they use when making the pen,Trust Me, oneill

[KellyMcJ]

Having dealt with Jinhao and Baoer pens over the years if you have not flushed the pen out using cold water with a tiny bit of ammonia in it and when that runs clear do the same again using dishwashing water withjust a small amount of DW in it that should fix the problem.which has always been because Jinhao don't bother too much about getting rid of the oil which they use when making the pen,Trust Me, oneill

 

I would try this too. I just pulled a Jinhao out of the drawer, all original, that hasn't been used in at least several days and it started right up (but the first few lines were darker due to evaporation and the fact that I'm using a heavily shading ink in that pen). I have another which I replaced with a stub which starts right up no problem even if it hasn't been used in a few day.

[Bookman]

For the record, my x450 has had no problem with nib dryout.

[GJMekenkamp]

Both of my X450 have had no problem with nib dryout, they had problems with startups initially. Although this was caused by misaligned nibs...

 

I just blowed on the caps - both are air-tight.