Jump to content

Imperial Ii Deluxe (F) Too Dry?


elippman

Recommended Posts

Hello All,

 

I just got an NOS Sheaffer Imperial II Deluxe with a fine nib and am a bit disappointed by the initial writing experience. I have read on this network that people describe this pen as "free-flowing" so I don't know if I got a lemon or what's going on, but mine seems extremely dry and prone to skipping at the beginnings of words. I started out with Diamine Earl Grey, but the line was so anemic that it was annoying to look at, so I switched to Diamine Blue Velvet--generally a wet ink that could at least make my fine-pointed TWSBI Eco more tolerable, but still the line is anemic and I was really hoping for more. The pen looks great. I have an old Sheaffer Fineliner that writes a very fine, but very wet line. I guess I was hoping for something similar in a much better-looking pen, but alas! Any advise would be helpful? Does this square with anyone else's experience?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 8
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • elippman

    5

  • 3rdlakerobert

    2

  • terim

    1

  • JonSzanto

    1

Very hard to diagnose without images of the pen (or better yet, having it in hand). You do have to be careful trying to adjust the inlaid nibs because it is easy to break the bond with the section and get leaking.

Even though you say NOS, there is always the possibility it was inked at some point and residue is still contained. If at all possible, finding an ultrasonic cleaner and using that for a brief period might be needed. If not that, very thorough flushing with a bulb syringe, possibly a soak overnight to loosen anything trapped in the feed and channel. Some of my inlaid F's (Targa/Imperial) do tend to run a bit on the dry side so they aren't universally wet writers. I'd avoid trying to open the tines any for fear of loosening the nib bond, but a very, very careful flossing might also be helpful.

Best of luck!

"When Men differ in Opinion, both Sides ought equally to have the Advantage of being heard by the Publick; and that when Truth and Error have fair Play, the former is always an overmatch for the latter."

~ Benjamin Franklin

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Very hard to diagnose without images of the pen (or better yet, having it in hand). You do have to be careful trying to adjust the inlaid nibs because it is easy to break the bond with the section and get leaking.

 

Even though you say NOS, there is always the possibility it was inked at some point and residue is still contained. If at all possible, finding an ultrasonic cleaner and using that for a brief period might be needed. If not that, very thorough flushing with a bulb syringe, possibly a soak overnight to loosen anything trapped in the feed and channel. Some of my inlaid F's (Targa/Imperial) do tend to run a bit on the dry side so they aren't universally wet writers. I'd avoid trying to open the tines any for fear of loosening the nib bond, but a very, very careful flossing might also be helpful.

 

Best of luck!

 

Yep, floss it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Attaching a writing sample after some flossing. You might notice on the down strokes and on a couple letters that, even as it's writing along, sometimes at the very beginning of the letter there's nothing. See the "n" on "nib" on the second line. Despite what looks to me like an ebonite feed, this pen seems naturally very dry. When I flossed the tines a bit, they seemed very close together.

post-110139-0-71255700-1527001867_thumb.jpg

post-110139-0-28784300-1527001874_thumb.jpg

post-110139-0-43130200-1527001881_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On the theory that there's dried ink in the feed, use an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner. Remove the section with nib and cycle it a few times, maybe with a few drops of ammonia and a drop or two of dish soap. If you don't have one, soak in the same solution for a couple days, and squirt some through the ink passage with an ear bulb.

 

If these measure prove fruitless, yes, it's time to open the tines a little--a very little. I'm not going to encourage you to do this because I don't want the blame for what might happen. Best let a pro do it, or a very experienced amateur.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the advice! I too would be reluctant to do anything to the tines other than run the brass sheet through a few times. I don't have an ultrasonic cleaner and I really do think these pens have never been inked. I bought it from Peyton Street Pens. They specialize in NOS pens, although they also restore. These were marketed by them as "seconds" because some had small rust spots on the caps due to improper storage over the years, but what they do have in common is supposedly a lack of use. Still, I'm willing to roll with the idea that soaking the nib in something for a couple days could only help the flow. I do have a bottle of Goulet flush and a bottle of R&K Reiniger pen flush. I don't know what the latter has in it, but I know the the Goulet bottle has some ammonia. I guess my only concern is the impact that such soaking might have on the burgundy section. Hopefully it wouldn't discolor it if I soaked it in one of those flushes for a night or two?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Thanks for the advice! I too would be reluctant to do anything to the tines other than run the brass sheet through a few times. I don't have an ultrasonic cleaner and I really do think these pens have never been inked. I bought it from Peyton Street Pens. They specialize in NOS pens, although they also restore. These were marketed by them as "seconds" because some had small rust spots on the caps due to improper storage over the years, but what they do have in common is supposedly a lack of use. Still, I'm willing to roll with the idea that soaking the nib in something for a couple days could only help the flow. I do have a bottle of Goulet flush and a bottle of R&K Reiniger pen flush. I don't know what the latter has in it, but I know the the Goulet bottle has some ammonia. I guess my only concern is the impact that such soaking might have on the burgundy section. Hopefully it wouldn't discolor it if I soaked it in one of those flushes for a night or two?

I can't see any skipping based on your first writing sample, though the second writing sample "slashes" seems to have some. The fine nibs are going to produce a finer line than a modern nib. You're not going to get a wider line from the fine nib. Did you follow the preparation instructions? In any case, we'd be happy to take a look if you'd like to send the pen in.

 

TERI

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think I've come to terms with it. What I've discovered is that the nib has a very tiny sweet spot when turned with the top facing me (not hard as I'm a left-handed overwriter). If I hit that sweet spot perfectly, it writes perfectly. If the nib is rotated even a little bit in any direction, it will skip/hard start. I'm willing to roll with this, as it's a common thing with F and EF nibs especially, and this one is definitely on the EF side of F (I have a Sheaffer Sagaris that works the same way). It translates to a slower writing process, as the pen always has to make ideal contact with the paper, but in the end, the writing looks good. See attached (fuzzy as it is).

post-110139-0-71511200-1528493718_thumb.jpg

Edited by elippman
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33494
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26624
    5. jar
      jar
      26101
  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o
  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More
  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...