Need Advice - Adjusting A Nib

[Dr.X]

Hello everyone.

 

FWIW, I'm a "graduate" of a Richard Binder course on adjusting nibs and have a fair amount of experience, but I'm by no means an expert. I've come across a problem that I can't figure out. Hoping someone can give me some suggestions and ideas as to why this may have happened.

 

The pen in question is a Montblanc 344G (gold nib). A recent eBay purchase, it writes well but catches on upstrokes, especially diagonals to the right.

 

A look under the microscope reveals why (see pics).

 

The strange thing is that the tines are flat and even and do not show any sign of prior deformation (or repair). The nib looks quite intact, in fact. Yet at the tips the tines appear to be of different lengths.

 

The worn writing surface is fairly obvious at this magnification and is not continuous from the left to the right tine.

 

Any ideas?

 

[DonM]

In the second pic it appears that the right tine is curved more than the left, thereby making it shorter. The odd thing is that the tipping at the bottom appears even, so how it got this way is a mystery. There is plenty of material to work with, so a bit of evening up of the tines should fix it.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Is it supposed to be an oblique?...Would be so marked on or near the piston cap.

 

Even so some evening of the nib is needed.

Edited June 24, 2019 by Bo Bo Olson

[TheDutchGuy]

There’s a trick to stretch tines that have been bent, so that they become of equal length again. This involves ”scraping” the nib over a wooden rod with ridges running along its length (not its circumference). I’ve seen others obtain good results with this. Because your pen is far from cheap, when in doubt, don’t; send it to Richard or any other good nibmeister.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Richard don't do but at pen shows any more, but try Ron Zorn, or Pendelton Brown.

[OMASsimo]

I can't see whether or not the tines are straight which others referred to above. But you can see that the tipping is a little worn from A LOT of writing. And apparently, it was used at an oblique angle and the nib might have adjusted to that style of writing. So, is there an angle of rotation the pen does not write scratchy?

[Honeybadgers]

the tines are very clearly misaligned. That's not the tipping. You can see that left tine extends further up and is rotated outwards. Get two good looks at the nib, one dead on to see if the tine is rotated, and one holding the nib at the writing angle and looking down the slit. doing this, you should see if the tipping protrudes where it shouldn't, which can also cause catching.

 

Both of the things I see can cause catching. If the tine is rotated, fix that before polishing it. If the tines are aligned properly but one is just sticking further out due to some past trauma, that's where the polishing begins. You could re-shape it while you're at it. it's definitely well loved.

[Dr.X]

OMASsimo, it is smooth on the downstroke, including diagonals, but catches the paper on the upstrokes in all directions, some more than others.

 

Hoenybadgers, it makes sense what you are suggesting but I can't make sense of the geometry when I look at the nib under magnification. The pics below are harder to interpret but also demonstrate what my eyes see: the tines are rotated in an appropriate manner (bottom of tip touches, top does not), there is no "knee" as Mr. Binder described it...

 

Maybe you folks can see something I am missing. The last pic shows the length discrepancy between the tines - there is blue ink between the tips but hopefully you can tell.

 

[Bo Bo Olson]

Nibmeister work....IMO,

 

There are more than enough good nibmeisters in the States, some don't have a long waiting list.

Perhaps someone will tell you a few.

Edited June 26, 2019 by Bo Bo Olson

[OMASsimo]

This looks like a slightly misaligned right oblique nib in F size. It is hard to see just from pictures but it seems that the nib is bent a bit in various ways. It's not so easy to straighten this nib back to it's proper shape and the suggestion to send it to a nibmeister probably is a good one.

[Dr.X]

Thans everyone. I agree. This is not something I can fix myself.

 

Bummer, though - I got this from eBay with the intention of selling it. My profits are evaporating and turning into cost.

 

Nick

[Honeybadgers]

it looks like a very easy and inexpensive fix to me. Just need a loupe and a pack of micro mesh sandpapers. probably under $15-20 for both.

 

correcting that twist is probably pretty easy. After that, reevaulate.

Edited June 27, 2019 by Honeybadgers

[rwilsonedn]

Maybe I am imagining it, but in the closeups it appears that there is a chip missing from the inside face of the shorter (right) tine. It has left a very sharp edge that could be part of the problem you are feeling. If that is the case, some very delicate resurfacing inside the slit, or perhaps retipping might be necessary. But I would definitely consult a seasoned nibmeister.

ron

[Honeybadgers]

Maybe I am imagining it, but in the closeups it appears that there is a chip missing from the inside face of the shorter (right) tine. It has left a very sharp edge that could be part of the problem you are feeling. If that is the case, some very delicate resurfacing inside the slit, or perhaps retipping might be necessary. But I would definitely consult a seasoned nibmeister.

ron

 

That looks like dried ink to me.

[Dr.X]

Yes. It is ink. That's what I thought initially as well.

 

Honeybadgers, what quick and easy maneuver are you thinking of?

[Honeybadgers]

Rotating that left tine so the slit lines up. Nothing there is indicative of needing aanything more than careful, firm pressure, a loupe, and fingertips.

 

I'd suggest removing the nib first

Edited June 28, 2019 by Honeybadgers

[Dr.X]

Returning it to the seller. Thanks everyone for the suggestions.

Bad buy, in hindsight.