Eco Leaks With Some Inks, Not Others?

[markofp]

Since receiving my Eco it has been loaded with Diamine 1864 and has written like a charm. On the last refill a few nights back, I filled it with Noodler's Starry Night and placed it in my briefcase as usual. When I took it out the next day I wrote a few lines and then discovered ink all over the section below the O-ring and screw threads. I wiped the pen off carefully and placed it back in my bag, and a few hours later it was still leaking, and the cap had quite a bit of ink in it. There are no visible cracks on the pen anywhere.

 

Is this a thing with this pen? My 580 also has Noodler's in it and is fine. Has anybody else experienced this?

[goodpens]

Since receiving my Eco it has been loaded with Diamine 1864 and has written like a charm. On the last refill a few nights back, I filled it with Noodler's Starry Night and placed it in my briefcase as usual. When I took it out the next day I wrote a few lines and then discovered ink all over the section below the O-ring and screw threads. I wiped the pen off carefully and placed it back in my bag, and a few hours later it was still leaking, and the cap had quite a bit of ink in it. There are no visible cracks on the pen anywhere.

 

Is this a thing with this pen? My 580 also has Noodler's in it and is fine. Has anybody else experienced this?

Hi there.

Here is my troubleshooting guess: it has nothing to do with ink.

 

Did you take the nib and feed out in order to flush/clean the pen?

 

When I did that last time in my Eco, I thought I had an ink problem like what you described. But then I realized that I had not pushed the nib allll the way back in, so the nib was letting ink slosh out. Double check and your problem may be solved.

[markofp]

I didn't remove the nib, no. Just to see what would happen I emptied out the Noodler's and refilled it with the Diamine, and it's back to being like it was with no leaks. I don't know much about the chemical properties of ink but there is something about this stuff that runs out of the pen somewhere.

[inkstainedruth]

I'm wondering if it could something as simple as one ink being drier and the other being wetter and more lubricated. I have a sample of the Diamine, but tried it so long ago that I don't remember what it was like. And have not tried the Noodler's.

Not every ink works well in every pen. When I tried Noodler's Walnut early on, I thought it was dry dry dry. Sahara Dessert dry. Turned out I was ALSO using it in a very dry pen. When I put the ink into an older Pelikan M400 with a very juicy F nib, it was a *completely* different experience.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Brianm_14]

Interesting, Ruth.

 

I was thinking the same thing: a case of an ink just too wet for a particular pen. Given that fp are a delicate balance between a flood of ink and not writing due to no ink, it doesn't seem too improbable, But it is always wise to round up the ususl suspects, and see (e.g.) if the feed and nib had been recently pulled.

 

I know of pens that won't pass plain water down to the nib.

 

Mixing some water with a little bit of the Starry Night should dry it up, and could be used as a trial in the pen. Conversely, just a trace of detergent could be mixed into a bit of the Diamine to see if that coukd provoke a repeat of the problem.

 

I'd want to know, if it was a pen I carried.

[TheDutchGuy]

ECO's are prone to burping, especially after a refill and when air in the reservoir heats up due to body heat. And yes, for whatever reason it happens more with some inks than with others. Part and parcel of this pen, I guess.

 

Removing the nib and feed may cause leaks, the friction fit isn't tight (I use plumber's tape to overcome that).

[OPG4711]

My TWSBI Eco has had Noodler’s Blue in it since Day 1. Refilled it 3 or 4 times and it’s been a total champ - until recently. What I thought was just a post refill burp of ink turned out to be a cap full of ink! It’s suddenly leaking like a sieve. Haven’t pulled the nib or feed. Just refilled with Noodler’s Blue.

 

Open to suggestions.

[goodpens]

My TWSBI Eco has had Noodler’s Blue in it since Day 1. Refilled it 3 or 4 times and it’s been a total champ - until recently. What I thought was just a post refill burp of ink turned out to be a cap full of ink! It’s suddenly leaking like a sieve. Haven’t pulled the nib or feed. Just refilled with Noodler’s Blue.

 

Open to suggestions.

 

 

I saw this video from Goulet Pens the other day. This particular topic is addressed around 3:35, with a suggestion of how to fill to (possibly) reduce the risk of this burping and leaking.

 

[WillN]

I've got two TWSBI Ecos and a few other TWSBIs-- all clear plastic Demonstrators. The bodies can crack. This sounds a bit like the longitudinal hairline crack in one of my TWSBIs. I too thought it was this or that.... it was the hairline crack. And maybe the viscosity of the ink is a factor. Also you're never supposed to clean a TWSBI barrel with alcohol, so don't use that hand sanitizer that's sitting right there on your desk...

(I'm amazed that there isn't some body of research into a lot of the perennial questions we all seem to eventually have.)

 

TWSBI is great at sending replacement barrels. You just have to pay for postage.

When there's the option to pay a bit more and get one with more metal rings I'll always go for it. Solves a lot of these problems.

I paid an extra $15 for my Mini to get the one with the rings. I was pretty confident that I would really like this pen and use it a lot, so I didn't hesitate.

I've got a VacMini, Vac700, two Ecos, a Mini. I've replaced a lot of parts over the years. Cracks caused by drops. It's a bit of a hassle, but TWSBI makes it as easy as possible. This is the trade off for great pens that hold a lot of ink and don't cost an arm and a leg.

 

I usually experience burping when I have a half full barrel on a warm day. Air expands, liquids do not. When in doubt fill it up. I've never had an airliner problem with a fountain pen. I usually fill them up before and carry them nib up. I've had a lot more problems with roller/ballpoints. I've also hiked and driven up and down thousands of feet. Heat burping is a far more common problem.