Pelikan M1000 Nib Out Of Whack

[coleb87]

So, I got my first "grail pen" about 2 weeks ago. That is, my new Pelikan M1000 in Fine.

When I received it:

• The pen wrote ever-so-slighty than my TWSBI 580 Fine, which I am fine with.
• The pen wrote wetter than all my other pens (Sailor, TWSBI, etc.)
• While it wrote wetter than all my other pens, it did not write excessively wet. I really liked how the stock flow was.
• However, it had a sweet spot. It wrote like absolute perfection, buttery smooth, no possible feed back at all, and it was nice and springy. As long as the pen was rotated to the left a little.

Needless to say, the last point bugged me to no end. So I took it under my lens, to find that the nib tines were misaligned, the Right being lower than the left.

So I figured I could easily fix this, having done so in the past with other pens.

 

After doing my "not so effective" work:

• The tines are closer in alignment with each other- The sweet spot has largely gone.
• the nib writes noticebly wetter, too much for my liking
• the nib is not nearly buttery smooth as it once was.
• the nib sings, and at times feels toothy.
• 

So, I think we can agree that my first attempt at tuning this nib is not a very great one; however, what can I do? Is there anything else I can do (preferably), or is it best that the pen go to a nibmeister? I simply want the pen to write as it did when I got it, just without the sweet spot.

 

[Inkling13]

I've read your post several times over and I can't figure what you've done other than tinker your pen past the point of your liking. Maybe it's best you send it off to any of the reputable nibmeisters? Mike Masuyama does good work (Mike-It-Work). Give him a good description of what you are looking for and he usually delivers. He has done so for the several times he's worked for me.

[Forsooth]

You didn't mention (unless I missed it) whether you bought the pen new from a certified seller. If so, I'd check out my options, etc., etc.

 

Otherwise, based on the value of the big gold nib, I would forgo all chances of ruining it and send the pen to an expert.

 

Caveat: I'm not a Pelikan owner.

[coleb87]

I've read your post several times over and I can't figure what you've done other than tinker your pen past the point of your liking. Maybe it's best you send it off to any of the reputable nibmeisters? Mike Masuyama does good work (Mike-It-Work). Give him a good description of what you are looking for and he usually delivers. He has done so for the several times he's worked for me.

Oh, my bad. I just tried to gently bend the tines until they aligned, and in doing so I caused more harm than good. What's the general turnaround time for Masuyama? I've been considering him.

[Mr.Rene]

Oh, my bad. I just tried to gently bend the tines until they aligned, and in doing so I caused more harm than good. What's the general turnaround time for Masuyama? I've been considering him.

[siamackz]

Its strange that realigning should have caused scratchiness. Are you sure they are perfectly aligned now? Richard Binder has a great article on how to view nib alignment with a loupe. If you are looking at it wrong then you will align it wrong.

 

Proper alignment should make it smoother, not worse. At least in my experience

[Pactagon]

Its strange that realigning should have caused scratchiness. Are you sure they are perfectly aligned now? Richard Binder has a great article on how to view nib alignment with a loupe. If you are looking at it wrong then you will align it wrong.

 

Proper alignment should make it smoother, not worse. At least in my experience

 

Perhaps the nib was ground and smoothed at the factory with the tines already misaligned?

[siamackz]

 

Perhaps the nib was ground and smoothed at the factory with the tines already misaligned?

If the tines have actually been realigned properly now, then yes, that would be the only explanation but would mean truly terrible expertise/QC. The reason I say actually realigned now is because a little less that perfect might make it scratchy, and to know its perfect you need it be looking at it correctly through the loupe ie look at it at a 45 degree angle and not 90 degree angle (Richard Binder notes)

[PAKMAN]

I handed my overly wet and broad M1000 fine point to Mike Masuyama and got back the most wonderful writing pen I can imagine! Don't know about his turnaround as I was able to sit and watch him work on it at the Denver pen show.

[coleb87]

If the tines have actually been realigned properly now, then yes, that would be the only explanation but would mean truly terrible expertise/QC. The reason I say actually realigned now is because a little less that perfect might make it scratchy, and to know its perfect you need it be looking at it correctly through the loupe ie look at it at a 45 degree angle and not 90 degree angle (Richard Binder notes)

That's true. I managed to look through a loupe at the nib to re-align them. They are matching as close as I'm comfortable with getting them; in the future I'll probably send it off to a nibmeister. As of now, It writes much better, albeit with some tooth still, as well as singing.

[coleb87]

I handed my overly wet and broad M1000 fine point to Mike Masuyama and got back the most wonderful writing pen I can imagine! Don't know about his turnaround as I was able to sit and watch him work on it at the Denver pen show.

That's good to hear. I hear nothing but good from him, so I'll probably check it out soon.

[coleb87]

 

Perhaps the nib was ground and smoothed at the factory with the tines already misaligned?

That's a really good possibility.