A Couple Quick Questions On Nib Flossing - Using A Feeler Gauge?

[diesel]

I have a couple quick questions on flossing nibs, about tools and when to do it...

 

Sometimes my Pilot Metro Fine will pick up some fibers from the paper. Thus far I've just sort of pulled them out with my fingers, but I'm not sure if that is putting undue stress on the nib or slightly pulling it out when I shouldn't be doing that. Plus it gets ink on my fingers. Do you guys floss every time you see fibers in your nib's tip?

 

I know they sell brass sheets specifically for flossing nibs, but I do have a feeler gauge in my toolbox that I use for setting & testing the gap on the mill at the brewery. I could probably use one of the smaller pieces to floss the nib, but I'm not certain which size would be ideal for that. Does anyone else use a feeler gauge for this purpose? It seems that a feeler gauge would also be really good for when you need to spread the tines wider, as you could choose exactly the right size for the task.

 

Thanks.

[sansenri]

I use an old piece of photographic film, when I need to spread the tines slightly

 

it's a very mild method, some other methods can harm the nib and feed (don't ever use a cutter blade)

[Chrissy]

I hardly ever need to take any fibres out of any of my nibs. If I see something sticking out I just pull it off with my finger or wipe the nib with a nib wipe or piece of kitchen towel.

 

I'm not into flossing nibs with anything metal, unless it's a nib that is being fixed due to tines not being level, for example, then I might use a thin piece of brass shim.

[Flounder]

This brass shim business... it's not for me. Gold is softer than brass! I've been using fountain pens near enough exclusively since 2009 and have yet to find tines clogged with paper fibres.

[praxim]

@Diesel, the Pilot Metro has a steel nib, does it not? If so, I would use brass shims, not steel. Keep the flosser no harder and preferably softer than the nib metal.

 

Over the years I have picked up the odd bit of lint, not often. I removed it with fingernail tips.

[Larry Barrieau]

The brass is softer than the steel feeler gauge. So I think it would be less likely to scratch between the tines.

[diesel]

I could be wrong, but I think the thinner elements of my feeler gauge (maybe all of them) are brass. I know they have the brass color, but I will double check. And yes, the Pilot Fine nib is steel. But I understand the point you folks are making, use the softer metal as the floss so it takes the damage and not the nib. I'll try to dig into my toolbox tonight or tomorrow to verify.

 

But it sounds like the folks selling brass sheets for "flossing" are trying to captialize on a little extra cash when it's not the best solution. I'll think abou tthe various tools I have lying around for my myriad of hobbies and professional skills and see if there is something more suitable. The feeler gauge just seemed somewhat ideal as you can pick a specific size depending on what you're trying to do.

[Driften]

Just stick with something softer then the nib material and don't overdo it and you should be fine.

[diesel]

Just stick with something softer then the nib material and don't overdo it and you should be fine.

 

Thanks, and I assume that it is best to remove the nib from the pen while doing this so that you don't dig into the feed.

[ac12]

I would think feeler guage is steel, so that it would retain its dimension over time and repeated use, and less likely to bend.

My brass sheets get distorted/bent and have to be flattened out periodically.

 

I get my brass sheets from the local hobby shop. The pack of brass sheets (.001, .002, .003) will last you a lifetime.

If you have THIN plastic, use that as it is softer than brass. Plastic is probably best for gold nibs.

 

Do NOT remove the nib from the pen, unless you absolutely have to.

And general cleaning is NOT a reason to pull the nib.

It is all too easy to damage the nib removing or replacing it. And replacement nibs are not generally/easily available.

The exception is the Lamy nibs which are designed to be removable.

[Chrissy]

Do NOT remove the nib from the pen, unless you absolutely have to.

And general cleaning is NOT a reason to pull the nib.

 

+1 for this

[diesel]

Do NOT remove the nib from the pen, unless you absolutely have to.

And general cleaning is NOT a reason to pull the nib.

It is all too easy to damage the nib removing or replacing it. And replacement nibs are not generally/easily available.

The exception is the Lamy nibs which are designed to be removable.

 

Well, the purpose of this purchase was specifically to play with other nibs... so it will be removed. It was removed this time to check on it and see if I can adjust things to deal with a problem with the pen, and so far it seems to have worked. Nemosine replacement nibs are readily available too, they are all over the place including Jetpens, Goulet, Amazon, etc. for like $15. My impression is that Lamy isn't the only company whose nibs are designed to be removable, but am I certainly still learning about these things. But yeah, the idea when purchasing this pen was to replace the nib, so it was going to be removed even if it wasn't behaving badly.

 

Edit: ah, I see your point now... we just got back from the pub and I've got a couple beers in me... I thought this was posted to my other current thread about my Nemosine Singularity behaving badly, not about flossing. Point taken.

 

Edit 2: I also (think I might) understand what you mean about the Lamy nibs, in that they don't penetrate into the section like other nibs.

Edited August 10, 2018 by diesel

[Driften]

Friction fit nibs can be removed, but I would not do it often or just for general cleaning. You do have to be carful, since the fins on some feeds are fragile and can get broken off. It's best to practice on cheep pens and like you said Nemosine is not the most expensive pens in the world. I have also heard that removing a friction fit nib too often would wear the section so it would not fit right later, but Brian Goulet said he has not seen this happen. But again that does not mean there are not risks to doing it. Out of my pens I have only done this a few times to swap nibs between pens. It's really not needed for cleaning.

 

Some of the reaction you are getting is due to all of the people out there that over clean and think ever pen has to be taken down it its comment parts with every cleaning. No matter who might say it's safe, I do think that is a good way of messing up a pen. In general a working pen does not need lots of deep cleanings, silicon, or flossing. They can need them from time to time. I have a Pelikan m200 that I have used for 10 years and only had to add a dab of silicon once.

 

In the end it's your pen do as you want, just stick to cheep pens and understand the risks until you have some experience.

[diesel]

Friction fit nibs can be removed, but I would not do it often or just for general cleaning. You do have to be carful, since the fins on some feeds are fragile and can get broken off. It's best to practice on cheep pens and like you said Nemosine is not the most expensive pens in the world. I have also heard that removing a friction fit nib too often would wear the section so it would not fit right later, but Brian Goulet said he has not seen this happen. But again that does not mean there are not risks to doing it. Out of my pens I have only done this a few times to swap nibs between pens. It's really not needed for cleaning.

 

Some of the reaction you are getting is due to all of the people out there that over clean and think ever pen has to be taken down it its comment parts with every cleaning. No matter who might say it's safe, I do think that is a good way of messing up a pen. In general a working pen does not need lots of deep cleanings, silicon, or flossing. They can need them from time to time. I have a Pelikan m200 that I have used for 10 years and only had to add a dab of silicon once.

 

In the end it's your pen do as you want, just stick to cheep pens and understand the risks until you have some experience.

 

Thanks. Yeah, I specifically bought this pen to play around with it, practice maintenance, swap in different nibs to try different things, before I spent money on something in the $100 range. I've got a Black Pilot Metro Fine (which is becoming my check signing/official document pen) and a Petrol Lamy Safari Medium that is for a little more fun stuff. Although I did use the Pilot yesterday to write a Happy Birthday/Congratulations on your Engagement note letter to my fiancée's best friend using Navajo Turquiose which came out quite well. I almost used the Nemosine 0.8mm but it was brand new and I didn't trust it and good thing too since after a couple pages of practice it started spewing ink all over my paper.

 

But, like you said, it's good to practice on a cheap pen and the Nemosine Singularity Clear Demonstrator was purchased specifically to gain some knowledge and experience. I have a few nibs for it that I plan on trying out, like a Zebra G, and a few other flex nibs that I want to see if I can create a useable flex FP rather than having to dip while doing Copperplate practice. It's my beater/practice pen.

 

One thing I have noticed is that sometimes when my Pilot Metro Fine picks up some fibers from the papers, and I pull them out with my fingers, they don't really want to come out very easily and take a few tries. Without busting out the magnifying glass I'm not certain if I've removed all of the fibers. So I was curious if people were just using their floss sheets regularly every time they got fibers in their nibs. Sounds like no, and that helps me out. When you do floss and leave it on the pen, I suppose you just have to be very conscious of the depth at which you penetrate the nib. The channel in the feed should line up there, but still wouldn't want to dig into the feed with the floss sheet, whatever it is made out of.

[CraigR]

I have been a user of fountain pens for almost 60 years and a serious collector for about 20 years.. I think the best advice I can give on the subject of pen cleaning and care is to only do what really needs to be done. In other words, if it isn't broke, don't fix it. Once I have a pen in good operating condition, it is very simple to keep it that way. Gentle flushing after use and before storing is sufficient and there is no need for me to dismantle a pen to do that. The more a feed, nib, and filling mechanism is removed and fiddled with the greater the chance of damage. It is easy to overdo pen maintenance.

 

I rarely have found it necessary to floss a nib unless I was restoring a vintage pen and the nib needed some work. Paper fibers catching in the nib may be a matter of proper nib alignment, but may also be due to the paper being used.

 

Just my opinions....

[diesel]

I have been a user of fountain pens for almost 60 years and a serious collector for about 20 years.. I think the best advice I can give on the subject of pen cleaning and care is to only do what really needs to be done. In other words, if it isn't broke, don't fix it. Once I have a pen in good operating condition, it is very simple to keep it that way. Gentle flushing after use and before storing is sufficient and there is no need for me to dismantle a pen to do that. The more a feed, nib, and filling mechanism is removed and fiddled with the greater the chance of damage. It is easy to overdo pen maintenance.

 

I rarely have found it necessary to floss a nib unless I was restoring a vintage pen and the nib needed some work. Paper fibers catching in the nib may be a matter of proper nib alignment, but may also be due to the paper being used.

 

Just my opinions....

 

Thank you for the reply. Yeah, I think the root cause may mainly be the paper combined with the fact that I was going over the same line a few times. At least that is what I was doing on a few of the not many occurances when I got fibers stuck in my nib.

 

When I'm flushing a pen as I am changing ink types, here's my ritual. I have several extra converters for each pen type that I own. I remove the body to access the converter. I put the nib & feed in a glass of clean water and use the converter to suck in and push out the water several times. I dump & refresh the water in the glass and do that again. I dump & refresh the water in the glass, remove the converter and use a blunt tipped syringe to injet water into the syringe as usually there are still spots of ink left in the converter that are easily washed away by this method. I shake the excess water from the converter, gently tap it on some paper towels and set it aside to dry. I gently shake the nib, feed & section and use paper towels to draw away excess water from the feed. If I have time I'll set that aside to dry as well. If not then I attach an already cleaned & dried converter and fill with the new ink. I don't think I'm creating much undue stress on the pen with this method. I do *not* as a matter of habit, remove the feed & nib from my pens. In fact, the Nemosine that is giving me problems (in my other concurrent thread) is the first time I've ever even done so.

 

PS - when refilling my pen with the same ink, I usually do not bother with the cleaning & flushing unless it has been several refills of the same ink, then I might do it. I think that is fine too.

[CraigR]

 

Thank you for the reply. Yeah, I think the root cause may mainly be the paper combined with the fact that I was going over the same line a few times. At least that is what I was doing on a few of the not many occurances when I got fibers stuck in my nib.

 

When I'm flushing a pen as I am changing ink types, here's my ritual. I have several extra converters for each pen type that I own. I remove the body to access the converter. I put the nib & feed in a glass of clean water and use the converter to suck in and push out the water several times. I dump & refresh the water in the glass and do that again. I dump & refresh the water in the glass, remove the converter and use a blunt tipped syringe to injet water into the syringe as usually there are still spots of ink left in the converter that are easily washed away by this method. I shake the excess water from the converter, gently tap it on some paper towels and set it aside to dry. I gently shake the nib, feed & section and use paper towels to draw away excess water from the feed. If I have time I'll set that aside to dry as well. If not then I attach an already cleaned & dried converter and fill with the new ink. I don't think I'm creating much undue stress on the pen with this method. I do *not* as a matter of habit, remove the feed & nib from my pens. In fact, the Nemosine that is giving me problems (in my other concurrent thread) is the first time I've ever even done so.

 

PS - when refilling my pen with the same ink, I usually do not bother with the cleaning & flushing unless it has been several refills of the same ink, then I might do it. I think that is fine too.

Your cleaning method is pretty much what I do, varying with the type of filler and vintage of pen. I also just re-fill with the same ink several times without flushing, when the pen is in continual use.

[SchaumburgSwan]

I use an old piece of photographic film, when I need to spread the tines slightly

 

it's a very mild method, some other methods can harm the nib and feed (don't ever use a cutter blade)

 

+1

 

Sheet film is great for this, being 0.18mm (or so) mylar / polyester.

 

Jens

[ac12]

If you got the pen specifically to swap nib and tinker, that is a different situation.

[diesel]

If you got the pen specifically to swap nib and tinker, that is a different situation.

 

I did, but naturally I would still like it work properly. However, in this rare instance, it may be broken in the right way... as I want to have a pen that works well with flex nibs for practicing Copperplate. From what I've read, the problem with fountain pens and flex nibs is the feed keeping up with the ink flow demands of flexing. So, this excessively wet feed may be just what I need.

 

I'm considering just keeping it and getting another Nemosine Singularity. However, this time, I won't impulse buy from Amazon, I'll make sure to buy from a proper pen retailer in case there is another problem. I just had a bunch of things I was picking up and finding the Clear Demostrator in 0.8mm stub nib has been difficult - many of the pen retailers don't carry it or have been out of stock for a month or more. But I know one that has it, and I just got an email from another saying they have it back in stock now.

 

Though, if I am going to buy the same pen I think I'll get a different nib with the pen, perhaps the 0.6. And I think I want to pick up one of those Nemosine reentry nibs, they look pretty cool, just want to see it in person. It's a balancing act between getting fun toys and keeping SWMBO happy and not annoyed with my continuous purchasing. I try to sneak an ink in every delivery I get, heheheh.

 

Side Question: and perhaps I should start this as a separate thread, or really first search the forum, but where can you get replacement feeds? Replacement nibs are all over the place, but if the feed wears down when you pull the friction fit ones out, and sometimes they can get damaged by other mishaps, why are they not so easily found? They just lack the sexiness of nibs I guess, but they are crucial to the pen's function and I would think that it would be easier to find replacement feeds for pens. It certainly would allow one to experiment with say opening up the channel slightly when converting a fountain pen to a flex calligraphy pen.