loose cap on Rotring Initial

[tmenyc]

Is there some way a non-technical, non-repairer user of a Rotring Initial can tighten its cap? It just falls off now of its own weight. Not critical, since the pen lives on my desk and is used almost exclusively for signing papers and checks, but it's annoying and getting looser with time.

thanks in advance.

 

Tim

[tmenyc]

bumpup

[Eyerish]

bump - same problem. I searched all over FPN, no luck.

 

Anyone? Maybe a replacement plastic insert from Rotring?

 

[tmenyc]

interesting...this popped back up in the software changeover. I didn't repost it.

[ZeissIkon]

interesting...this popped back up in the software changeover. I didn't repost it.

 

Yep, when I logged in first time after the upgrade, every message in the entire board was marked as "unread". I just had to go through actual new material by date and then mark the entire board read (extreme bottom of the whole-board index page).

[Tomcat1960]

Sorry for digging out this old thread. I'm experiencing the same issue with my Initial fountain pen. I really like using it, but I can't take it away from my desk because the cap tends to come loose. (I helped myself with one layer of scotch tape around the nib section (where the section meets the barrel) which makes the cap sit a little stronger, but there has to be a better solution.

 

Can anyone explain how the cap is meant to be held in place?

 

Thanks a lot!

 

Best regards

Andreas

[Ron Z]

There really is no fix for the problem. The cap "clutch" is in the inner cap in the form of raised bumps that grip the end of the section. These either wear or get compressed. I don't know which, since the end result is the same in that the cap no longer grips the end of the section and falls off. This is a common problem with modern pens. There is no known way to repair it outside of replacing the inner cap, which is difficult for pen mechanics because we can't get the parts.

 

I have thought of trying to see if there is memory in the plastic of the inner cap, and if heating the bumps can cause them to expand back out and grip again. IF I were to try it, I would use a pipette to drop boiling water into the inner cap and leave it there for 30-45 seconds, then pour it out and fill with cold water to cool, dry the cap out and see what happens.

 

It may or may not work, it may or may not damage the inner cap (though I suspect not). You wouldn't have a heck of a lot to lose by trying because the pen is already dysfunctional.

 

Let us know the results if you decide to try it.

[Rahul_Does]

This is my yet unanswered complaint email sent a month ago.

What kind of nonsense is this rOtring?

______________________--------------------------_____________________

Dear Ma'am / Sir,

I purchased a Rotring Initial (F) pen, last year, from Amazon.com and got it delivered to a friend who was coming to India, from the USA.

I could not get a Rotring converter so I went to William Penn and got myself a $ 11 Visconti converter!

Having owned Parkers (cheap ones and a Sterling 75 for 20 odd years till my Super Boss stole it) till now, I wanted change.

This Rotring is hardly that change!

This purchase was inspired by the legendary Rotring 600 that belonged to my Uncle! The 'clack' of its cap! Pure music!

I treat it with due respect, often rudely refusing strangers this pen and take the pains to take off my bag from the back and offer them a ball point pen.

However, it seems, this pen shall be relegated to the drawer because I just can't carry it in my pocket without constantly adjusting it so that it doesn't slip out of its cap; and, it still does!

Just a gentle tap is enough to get it off! (See photos. Video can be sent, if needed.)

Normal bodily movements dislodge it from the cap, staining clothes!

Disappointed and disgusted at this 'German' quality!

Ra.

UPDATE : It does not even stay in the cap! Watch the disgusting video! I am so sad about this "German Engineering"!

Do I buy the Mercedes Benz, next year?