How To Use A Pelikan Semi-Flex

[Beckett]

I recently bought a 1990's Pelikan semi-flex, and I have no idea how to use it. Three times I have filled it with ink and I get three or so lines of ink from it and then nothing. Any thoughts?

 

Thanks.

 

Greg

[Sinistral1]

What ink are you using?

[max dog]

It sounds like the ink is not getting through from the reservoir to the nib/feed. If it goes dry after 3 lines after filling, the nib/feed is not able to replenish the ink supply from the reservoir. You can try pushing the piston down to saturate the feed again to get it going.

Did you give the pen a good flushing with water?

[OCArt]

I wonder if you are dipping the nib deep enough into the bottle when you fill. Please spend a moment and review these instructions

https://www.penchalet.com/pen-how-to/how_to_care_pelikan_fountain_pen.html

Edited March 17, 2018 by OCArt

[jmnav]

There's nothing special to do because of your Pelikan being "semi-flex". If it doesn't work is just because it has a problem. You either are not filing it (does it really look like filled? if you empty it, does the expected amount of ink go out?), or it is dirty, or the feed is misaligned or something else.

[mitto]

Pelikan are wet writers and hence the dry Pelikan ink. A Plikan that dries while writing has some ailment that need to be cured. Soak the nib section for a few hours and then flush the pen real good. The feeds seems to be clogged with dried up ink.

 

Good luck with your pen.

[Bo Bo Olson]

'82-97 is regular flex.

Semi-flex is '30s, '50-65.

So what ever problem you have is not whether it is a modern post '96 semi-nail, semi-vintage regular flex or vintage semi-flex.

 

I do find the problem odd, if is sucks up ink to fill, it should write.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Buy a rubber baby bulb syringe.....cut off the spout until it fits over the back of the nib section...then squirt lots of water through the nib and feed section. That will give you the pressure you need to clear out what ever is blocking your flow.

 

Have you tried running 10% non-sudsing ammonia through the feed section. That often cleans out fossilized ink.

[sargetalon]

Does the pen write regularly, without any attempt at flexing? I have found that the 90s nibs are springy and with a nice amount of character but I haven't run across many that I would call "flexi." I don't have any use for flex though in my writing so it may just be that it's lost on me.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Beckett....

I've noticed some folks coming over from nail/semi-nail, think springy regular flex to be semi-flex, in it's the first time they see tine bend and spread....and had heard more about semi-flex than regular flex......(Old fashioned regular flex............before the late '90's most companies made a regular flex nib, but due to repair costs cause by ball point users, went over to a semi-nail or nail now as regular issue.)

Semi-flex takes half as much pressure as a regular flex nib to get tine bend and tine spread as regular flex.

 

You are supposed to let out three drops of ink out of the filled pen so some air can be at the top of the ink column. But that should not cause a no writing fault.

[senzen]

That's odd, I would leave the nib unit soaking in water overnight, with a single drop of dishwashing liquid, and then flush it several times the day after with a bulb syringe. I cleaned an m600 I had given as a gift but which was never used, so it had green ink dried in it, it took many flushes but started working perfectly afterwards. As others have mentioned, it's probably to do with the feed, not the nib.