Kaigelu 316 - Ink Evaporation

[dvalliere]

I have two Kaigelu 316 pens. I've replaced the back finial on both to lighten them and enjoyed the updated result very much. I do, however, find that they evaporate rather quickly and require priming if they've gone unused for more than a couple days. (We're talking 3-5 days between uses, not weeks.)

 

Has anyone else had this problem? Has anyone figured out a way to reduce evaporation issues on this pen?

 

Thanks!

[Karmachanic]

I replaced the housing/feed with a Bock housing/feed when I purchased the pen. Writes after a week without issue. I store the pen horizontally.

[dcwaites]

Not all pens seal the cap properly. I have the same problem with my K 316.

However, both my Crocodile 806 pens do seal the cap properly, and will start up without problems even after several days.

[Frank66]

I have 2 Kaigelu 316s that I have replaced the original nib with BOCK EF nib units, one steel and one titanium. I like them both but more so the titanium one, since it's feed is more juicy and the nib writes in a flexible manner. As far as I remember, both pens will write even if left unused for 3-4 weeks or more. I find this astounding since I live in Greece where the weather is hot and dry in the summer. I use Pelikan inks most of the time with my K316s and I have not replaced either pen finials.

 

On the other hand, my pens with inexpensive feeds tend to dry sometimes within less than a week. Same thing happens with my third Kaigelu 316 with the OEM nib unit which tends to dry up within a week, but I seldom use this pen anymore.

 

In my experience, the 316 pen drying up is more so a problem of an inadequate feed, rather than an unsealed pen cap.

Edited July 4, 2018 by Frank66

[Karmachanic]

It was Frank66 who influenced me to install the Bock feed/housing. Not drying out is an added and unexpected benefit.

[Frank66]

It was Frank66 who influenced me to install the Bock feed/housing. Not drying out is an added and unexpected benefit.

 

Thanks for letting us know. What Bock nib did you ended up using? The Bock steel, titanium or gold? My personal experience is that even steel Bock nibs are quite elastic and can provide some flair when writing ...

[shynes]

I have several 316s. They were a fascination for me for a time. I never found any of them to dry out, but the quality of the threading did seem to improve between my orders from YCGUO. Six months ago, there seemed no obvious place to stop tightening the cap. The more recent examples have hard stops and the threads engage better.

 

I also did the Bock replacement. I purchased two coated steel broad nibs from Karas. Nice company to deal with, but the nibs are not in my view an improvement. The stock Kaigelu nibs are quite good, and with some effort with .3 micron film they become fantastically smooth writers. The Bock nibs certainly work well, but to me they provide excessive feedback, and no amount of polishing improves the situation. It is interesting to me that some nibs can be finely polished while others seemingly cannot.

 

The Kaigelu 316 is a beautiful inexpensive pen.

[Karmachanic]

 

Thanks for letting us know. What Bock nib did you ended up using? The Bock steel, titanium or gold? My personal experience is that even steel Bock nibs are quite elastic and can provide some flair when writing ...

 

I'm using a Bock 1.1 stub. I sharpened the edges a bit and made it a touch wetter. It's the least expensive pen in my quiver. It vies for first place with a Conid Minimalistica. I'm waiting on a Bock Ti fine cursive italic which will fit both of those pens.

Edited July 12, 2018 by Karmachanic