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Crusty Nib Within Hours Of Filling


Ciliegia

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Hi folks

 

Apologies for the quality of the pictures...

 

I have a wood pen with an 18k gold nib, which I've had problems with since the day I received it (it was a Christmas present two years ago). It was handmade by an Italian craftsman - not a 'proper' manufacturer. It has huge sentimental value, as it was the last present my parents bought me before they passed away.

 

The problem is that, although it writes beautifully when I first fill it with ink, within literally 4 or 5 hours of filling the ink starts to form a crust around the tip of the nib. Overnight, this turns into a crust over the base of the nib too, and the ink won't flow. I've tried literally dozens of inks, and the clogging is invariable.

 

Using a cartridge slows the clogging, but doesn't eliminate it entirely - it will still definitely form a crust overnight, even with a cartridge rather than the convertor.

 

Consequently I hardly use the pen, as it's a source of frustration and disappointment.

 

I'm assuming this is something to do with air leaking into the cap, but the cap is a screw cap, and seems to fit pretty tightly.

 

I can't discuss possible solutions with the craftsman, as my parents stumbled across his workshop in Florence, bought the pen, but didn't make a note of the address.

 

Is there anything anyone can suggest that would address this problem?

 

 

 

 

 

post-33960-0-86780500-1564340324.jpg

post-33960-0-87085100-1564340335.jpg

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Sorry I can't help you...you have changed inks, my only suggestion.

Put this in the repair section.

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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Could there be a chemical reaction happening with some left over solvent/manufacturing gunk and the ink?

 

It might be worthwhile giving the pen a good flush with a convertor - start with water, and give the feed and nib a gentle scrub with a toothbrush to remove anything that might be stuck to the plastic.

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What inks have you used?

 

The pic looks to me like it's red and red based inks (eg orange, brown) are famous for developing nib crud.

Search for pics on google for "nib crud" and see if that's it.

 

Sounds to me like it is, though a very fast build-up-

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You could try some (maybe boring) but "well behaved" ink like Pelikan 4001 royal blue or Pelikan 4001 black. Or Lamy blue.

Edited by chravagni
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It's either the ink or it's the cap not sealing well. Blow air into the cap, does it all rush straight out?

 

Some inks just form crud at an astonishing rate. Monteverde fireopal in particular, but I've never had it actually clog a pen, just form that chunky stuff that easily dissolves.

Edited by Honeybadgers

Selling a boatload of restored, fairly rare, vintage Japanese gold nib pens, click here to see (more added as I finish restoring them)

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Well I googled pictures of 'nib crud', and some of the worst examples resemble how my pen looks when I leave it with ink in overnight. Having cast my mind back, I do think it's worse when I use inks from the red/orange spectrum...I use a lot of Diamine Ancient Copper, Diamine Orange, Cult Pens Deep Dark Orange (made by Diamine), Diamine chocolate brown....

 

Perhaps my pen just doesn't like Diamine inks....or Diamine red/orange spectrum inks.

 

I recall it also clogged with Herbin Rose Cyclamen and Orange Indien, though not as badly as with the Diamine inks.

 

I seem to recall it also clogs up with blues and greens too..but since all my green and blue inks are also made by Diamine, perhaps I've discovered the culprit....

 

It's odd, as Diamine inks perform well in all my other pens, which is why I have so many of them! I own more Diamine inks than any other brand...

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It has nothing to do with the brand of ink. If you like red and orange inks, then put them in fountain pens with caps that seal well, like a Platinum #3776 Century, or even a Platinum Plaisir or Preppy. (For what it's worth, every gold-nibbed Sailor, and even the steel-nibbed Sailor Lecoule, has also proven to seal very well.) Leave your pen-of-great-sentimental-value for Diamine (or other) inks of a different colour range.

Edited by A Smug Dill

I endeavour to be frank and truthful in what I write, show or otherwise present, when I relate my first-hand experiences that are not independently verifiable; and link to third-party content where I can, when I make a claim or refute a statement of fact in a thread. If there is something you can verify for yourself, I entreat you to do so, and judge for yourself what is right, correct, and valid. I may be wrong, and my position or say-so is no more authoritative and carries no more weight than anyone else's here.

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It seems your pen doesn't seal well, thus the clogging when using colours that don't cause crud.

The not-so-good seal causes the water content to evaporate quickly, hence the clogging and accelarated growth of crud.

 

I think your next best option would be to go to the repair section and post pics of your cap and ask how to make a better seal (eg Parker pens tend to dry out quickly due to bad seals and there are fixes like dripping wax or epoxy into the cap).

 

Pen repair isn't something I know too much about, so just giving you some ideas.

 

Maybe someone in the pen business can do a repair as well if you're too afraid (sadly, I don't have a recommendation, but others will for sure point you to the right people).

 

Oh and nib crud is just crystalized ink, contact with water dissolves that very fast, so all in all it's not causing any harm to your pen.

 

Also the more saturated an ink, the quicker the dry out.

 

Generally I wouldn't blame Diamine (esp as the inks don't cause these problems in your other pens), usually problems are a pen + ink (+paper) combination.

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I don't know about your other Diamine inks.....Ancient Copper is a well known clogger.

 

I don't have those two Herbin Rose Cyclamen and Orange Indien inks, do have 4-5 Herbin inks that are no problem at all.

Never remember hearing Orange Indien did that, in it's on my list to get....been there a long time.

 

I was striving to get the basic mainland European inks before I branched out to English ink......now that's basic 150 and I'm still stuck at 60.

Edited by Bo Bo Olson

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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If the pen has no cap, you might try to find one to fit. Otherwise you could try to get a desk pen base that might fit.

Edited by pajaro

"Don't hurry, don't worry. It's better to be late at the Golden Gate than to arrive in Hell on time."
--Sign in a bar and grill, Ormond Beach, Florida, 1960.

 

 

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OK, plenty to ponder. The clogging doesn't seem to have damaged the pen, so I'll give it a thorough clean and then try it with some blues and blacks to see if that helps.

 

The cap is a screw cap and seems to fit tightly, but perhaps some air is seeping in somehow...

 

Thanks for all your input, folks, I really appreciate it.

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.I use a lot of Diamine Ancient Copper, Diamine Orange, Cult Pens Deep Dark Orange (made by Diamine), Diamine chocolate brown...

 

Diamine Ancient copper gave my pens lots of nib crud - as did some of their reds & greens.

 

Diamine's blues have so far not given me nib crud.

 

I'd suggest a good clean and trying somethign blue of black from Waterman or Pelikan if you have it. (Florida Blue, Brilliant Black or Royal blue).

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I'd suggest a good clean and trying somethign blue of black from Waterman or Pelikan if you have it. (Florida Blue, Brilliant Black or Royal blue).

 

Yep, I'll try that. I have some Waterman blacks and blues....thank you!

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I agree, test it with non clogging inks, Waterman Florida (Serenity), Pelikan Royal blue.

Then test the cap for air tightness, if there is a clip, air may escape from the part where the clip is attached.

If you must use orange inks, dilute them very slightly, it will take longer for the pen to clog...

One suggestion for taking pictures of your nib, phones can take great pictures, but they are not so good at close ups, keep your phone further back until the nib is in focus, then crop the photo. Sharpness will be much greater despite the smaller picture, today's phone have incredible resolution (more than cameras of just a few years ago...). Take your photos in stronger light (daytime best)!

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Nib crud usually has little to do with the sealing of the cap. Sometimes it's the ink like probably in the case of Diamine Ancient Copper, which I use and love. Some of my pens develop a crud others doesn't. Most of my other Diamine inks don't show any problems like this, so it's the ink itself rather than the brand.

 

The tendency of nib crud itself seems to be more related to the sealing of the ink reservoir in my opinion. If the reservoir is airtight, this prevents the ink from flowing out freely and without any reason. If there is an air leak, then ink can flow onto the nib and lead to nib crud. Reasons for such leaks could be improperly seated nib/feed units, cracks in section or barrel, faulty piston seals, pinholes in sacs or diaphragms, and worn seals of plunger rods to name just the most common ones. Since you didn't provide much detail about your pen, it's nearly impossible to give a reasonable guess what the real problem might be.

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:thumbup:Well thought out answer.

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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Well I googled pictures of 'nib crud', and some of the worst examples resemble how my pen looks when I leave it with ink in overnight. Having cast my mind back, I do think it's worse when I use inks from the red/orange spectrum...I use a lot of Diamine Ancient Copper, Diamine Orange, Cult Pens Deep Dark Orange (made by Diamine), Diamine chocolate brown....

 

Perhaps my pen just doesn't like Diamine inks....or Diamine red/orange spectrum inks.

 

I recall it also clogged with Herbin Rose Cyclamen and Orange Indien, though not as badly as with the Diamine inks.

 

I seem to recall it also clogs up with blues and greens too..but since all my green and blue inks are also made by Diamine, perhaps I've discovered the culprit....

 

It's odd, as Diamine inks perform well in all my other pens, which is why I have so many of them! I own more Diamine inks than any other brand...

 

 

Crud is reduced when a cap has a good seal and large amount of air inside. When there's not much space, the humidity inside the cap does weird things and the crud just builds on itself until it hits the wall.

 

But orange/red inks are famous for crud. This is just the lesson to be learned that not every ink works well in every pen. Some pens just HATE some inks.

Selling a boatload of restored, fairly rare, vintage Japanese gold nib pens, click here to see (more added as I finish restoring them)

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I've been using MB le petite prince red fox ink and have not encountered nib crud, even after not using the pen for weeks at a time. It's similar to the colors that you like.

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