Nibmeister Or Back To Manufacturer?

[fc2462]

My suggestion is to just by a new nib unit pre-tuned from https://nibsmith.com/. I've purchased whole Pelikans from him as well as just pre-tuned nib units and have been very happy and he discounts them so you won't pay as much as going direct to Pelikan in Germany I'm sure. You don't even have to send the pen in.

[sirgilbert357]

Not to be negative, but I doubt Nibs fall under warranty protection. At this point, if I was the seller, I would assume that the nib damage was caused by the buyer, especially 6-7 months on.

 

I had an issue with an EF Pelikan nib. It wrote like a M. I was in contact with seller immediately.

 

To be fair, that's a perfectly reasonable conclusion. But Pelikan specifies cleanings only about once a year or so and I had no reason to remove the nib until a little over 6 months of ownership. It was only after unscrewing the nib that I learned it was much looser in the collar than any of the other 5 Pelikans I've owned over the years.

 

But I'm not in discussion with the seller about this issue, I am pursuing a paid repair (or hopefully free nib swap?) with Pelikan directly.

[sirgilbert357]

My suggestion is to just by a new nib unit pre-tuned from https://nibsmith.com/. I've purchased whole Pelikans from him as well as just pre-tuned nib units and have been very happy and he discounts them so you won't pay as much as going direct to Pelikan in Germany I'm sure. You don't even have to send the pen in.

 

Really? It's easy to spend other people's money isn't it, LOL!

 

And what am I supposed to do with this other nib that came with this brand new pen less than 9 months ago?

 

Edit: And nibsmith is asking more for just that M805 nib than I paid for the whole pen shipped. I think I'll pursue other options before basically buying this pen twice...

Edited May 7, 2019 by sirgilbert357

[sirgilbert357]

Lest anyone else think my nib leaking is all my fault, allow me to share some crude pictures with you that I hope will assist in illustrating why I think this nib is defective:

 

Here is the M805 nib on the left next to my Renaissance Brown's M800 nib. Notice how the feed is seated further into the collar? Not sure how much that matters, might not be a big deal at all...but its a difference that is noticeable.

 

Next, see that sliver of light showing through on the right side of the nib, between the feed and the collar? It just looks like a reflection, but it isn't. You can actually see straight through both sides. The collar is only holding on to the feed from the top and bottom (this might also be why the nib seems "loose" in the collar?). So that sliver of light you see is actually open space that ink can flow freely from the barrel of the pen out onto the paper. My M800 nib does not have these gaps.

 

A little closer with the line from the paper showing through so you guys know I'm not crazy. I only have a cell phone, sorry for the quality:

 

If anyone else has a modern M800 or M805 nib unit they want to inspect for this same gap between collar and feed, I would be grateful to know your findings. I doubt this is normal though, and I suspect this is why my nib is so insanely wet. I hope Pelikan will swap it for a new one. After seeing this, I doubt a nibmeister could make this nib write any drier.

Edited May 7, 2019 by sirgilbert357

[Bo Bo Olson]

Email Pelikan Hannover...............it's a nib swap of 5 weeks for a nib that you don't care for. I'm sure the warrantee, is for a few years, not a few weeks.

 

Postage that you have to pay for as is. Postage to Germany is expensive, postage back is not.

 

UPS & FedEx bribed congress really put the screws to USPS...

Why they are not even allowed to bribe congress, like their competitors.

Remember to write your congressmen and tell them to let the postal service bribe them....they do need the campaign contributions.

[fc2462]

 

Really? It's easy to spend other people's money isn't it, LOL!

 

And what am I supposed to do with this other nib that came with this brand new pen less than 9 months ago?

 

Edit: And nibsmith is asking more for just that M805 nib than I paid for the whole pen shipped. I think I'll pursue other options before basically buying this pen twice...

 

This is the hazard I guess of buying used and/or gray market pens off ebay and such. I've done this myself as well to save a few bucks and over the years, because of problems like this, I've pretty much quit buying used pens and gray market because in the long run I don't think I really saved anything.

 

I have purchased the pre-tuned nib units from Nibsmith not to replace a defective one but just to have additional options without having to buy a whole other pen. If you got the whole pen cheaper than just a nib unit, then you must have got a real bargain.

 

Good luck, I sincerely hope it's something that can be repaired instead of having to replace it.

[sirgilbert357]

 

This is the hazard I guess of buying used and/or gray market pens off ebay and such. I've done this myself as well to save a few bucks and over the years, because of problems like this, I've pretty much quit buying used pens and gray market because in the long run I don't think I really saved anything.

 

I have purchased the pre-tuned nib units from Nibsmith not to replace a defective one but just to have additional options without having to buy a whole other pen. If you got the whole pen cheaper than just a nib unit, then you must have got a real bargain.

 

Good luck, I sincerely hope it's something that can be repaired instead of having to replace it.

 

 

Yes, buying gray market is a gamble for sure. But Pelikans so rarely have a major defect that I felt it was a safe bet. It was new in box from a seller with a very high rating. I have the ability to resolve almost any nib issue that doesn't require a knock out block, so I can usually handle the odd nib tuning/smoothing issue.

 

I have had far more trouble with vintage and used pens than I have with new in box gray market pens, so I guess it was about time I had an issue, LOL. Still, I've saved money over time and I'll probably continue to buy this way. I have bought Pelikans from authorized retailers before too, but they were always overseas since no American dealers are competitive on price -- so I wouldn't be able to use Chartpak for warranty service anyway...

[sirgilbert357]

Email Pelikan Hannover...............it's a nib swap of 5 weeks for a nib that you don't care for. I'm sure the warrantee, is for a few years, not a few weeks.

 

Postage that you have to pay for as is. Postage to Germany is expensive, postage back is not.

 

 

Yes, I have emailed them through their contact form on the service tab of their website. It looks like this will get routed to Chartpak, but I'm hoping they will tell me where to send it in Germany. I looked up the address to send vintage pens, but oddly there is no mention of modern pens (I'm assuming they go the same place to be honest) and there's no form to fill out to say what you want done or anything.

 

Hmmm. I may just call Chartpak -- I'm sure they are used to sending people away, so they probably know where to send me, LOL.

[Ron Z]

You don't have to send it to a nib specialist. Any of the major pen mechanics will do this kind of work for you. Nib work like this from a good nib or pen mechanic should be 1/4 or less than a replacement nib costs to realign things, and maybe even service the whole pen while it's in the shop.

[sirgilbert357]

You don't have to send it to a nib specialist. Any of the major pen mechanics will do this kind of work for you. Nib work like this from a good nib or pen mechanic should be 1/4 or less than a replacement nib costs to realign things, and maybe even service the whole pen while it's in the shop.

 

 

Heh, I just finished emailing you Ron!! I think the pics on the forum here will be better than the compressed images I sent you via email. Please let me know what you think is possible. I'm wondering if I might need to pony up cash for a custom feed made from ebonite or something...

[Ron Z]

There is the possibility that the nib and feed are rotated out of alignment. The 800 series nibs and collars are keyed. i.e. there is a tab on the feed that has to line up and fit into a slot on the inside of the collar. If not lined up and seated properly, the nib and feed will not be as tight as they should be. If this tab is broken off, or if what is left and the slot aren't lined up right, the nib and feed may not fit into the collar properly. It's also possible that the plastic of the collar has a crack, which could cause a loose nib. Hard to say exactly what's going on without getting to look at it.

 

BTW, don't beat up Chartpak for their warranty limitations. Policies are set by Pelikan in Germany. If they won't pay Chartpak for warranty work and parts for pens purchased outside the USA, Chartpak would be silly to cover it.

[sirgilbert357]

Well, I'm boxing the pen up and sending it off to Main Street Pens tomorrow. Fingers crossed Ron can work his magic on this nib!

 

Just to communicate what I've learned during this process so far (this might all be common knowledge to others, but some of it is new to me):

 

-Pelikan does not currently appear to distribute spare parts for their nibs. If someone has an extra feed laying around from a Pelikan nib, its because a Pelikan nib got cannibalized. You can only buy Pelikan nibs as complete, ready-to-write assemblies.

 

-Chartpak still only offers warranty support for people in North America that bought their pens from authorized retailers. I found some conflicting information about this point early on in my search, so just putting that out there. Chartpak will NOT work on out of warranty pens at all. All they do is swap broken parts for new parts if the pen is under warranty. This is expected and understandable.

 

-What I did NOT expect, though, is for Chartpak to be stubborn about providing me the Pelikan Germany address to send my pen in for out of warranty service that I was willing to pay out of pocket for. I actually never got that address, in fact. While I realize Chartpak themselves couldn't help me, I was just hoping to be pointed in the right direction to start a conversation with Pelikan and send them my pen. They service what they sell, after all, don't they? Well, I was basically told no, and to just reach out to a nibmeister or pen repair specialist first. If I exhausted ALL other options, I was told to call back. I found this strange and a bit insulting to be honest. Shouldn't I have the choice in who I send my pen in to for repair? Hmmm...

 

So there you have it. Once the pen is safely in Ron's capable hands and I have an update, I'll post it here. Hopefully, we'll have a happy ending and this is easily fixed.

 

I'm researching custom feeds in the meantime just in case...lol.

Edited May 8, 2019 by sirgilbert357

[sirgilbert357]

And another update: the eBay seller said everything they sell has a warranty and I can send the pen back to them for Pelikan warranty service. They said it can take up to 3 months to get the pen back (so they are probably sending it to Germany), but they offered to send it off for me. So now I'm confused...they are talking like they are an authorized Pelikan retailer. I'm going to let Ron have a look first and see what he recommends. I don't really want to wait 3 months (or more) for Pelikan to work on it...

[Ron Z]

I'd be inclined to take them up on their offer. Factory service can take a while, but that's what a warranty is for - to make sure you're covered!

[sirgilbert357]

I'd be inclined to take them up on their offer. Factory service can take a while, but that's what a warranty is for - to make sure you're covered!

 

Hey Ron, thanks for responding again! I'll shoot you an email real fast. My pen is already in the mail to you, so this is a bit of a curve ball for me. Chartpak indicated that they didn't recognize the eBay seller as an authorized Pelikan retailer, so I question the warranty status to be honest. My pen might arrive in Germany and I'll end up getting charged for a whole new nib or something, who knows...

[sirgilbert357]

So, a quick update:

 

Talked to Ron quite a bit about this and we've narrowed this down. It's not the nib, it appears to be a barrel issue. Specifically, possible premature failure of the solvent that joins the section and barrel. My pen has been sent back to Endless Pens and I'm waiting to hear from them on what they will do. I sent them an ink sample in case they want to test the pen with the same ink I've been using when I have the issues.

 

My pen was delivered to them on Friday. Due to the holiday this weekend, I don't expect to hear from them until Tuesday. I'll update this thread as things progress.

[georges zaslavsky]

pelikan can be relied to fix a nib. Visconti not so much.

True, their palladium nibs are almost unrepairable. I would rather have an older visconti with a gold nib.

[sirgilbert357]

True, their palladium nibs are almost unrepairable. I would rather have an older visconti with a gold nib.

 

I wonder: did Visconti ever make a Homo Sapiens Bronze Age with a gold nib?

[sirgilbert357]

Long overdue update:

 

Pelikan replaced my pen! I have a new one in my hands and it writes much better than the previous one. Quite happy with Pelikan Germany right now.

 

I wish everything with the vendor had gone smoother though. Got a very surprising and rude message from the director. I've replied and will wait to see what he says further, if anything. Lets hope this is just a misunderstanding...

[Bo Bo Olson]

2003 On the 17th of March the company moved to its new office building on the Werftstrasse in Hanover.

From there to here.

Pelikan Vertriebsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG. - Hannover
Werftstrasse 9, 30163 Hannover