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If Dan Smith says it can't be fixed, I'd take him at his word. My superflexy John Holland nib had too damn many cracks to be saved. That's a total drag, but it also raises a question: what makes a nib crack? I'd imagine that each company had its own alloy, and maybe some are less stable than others. Or is it the design of the nib? Conklin Crescent nibs tend to crack across the ends of their distinctive breather holes, but others split lengthwise. Has anyone had a think about this?

I recently got back two pens from Dan Smith: the Waterman with the accounting nib was a very grudging starter, but after widening the gap between the tines it starts with enthusiasm. The Mabie Todd was beautifully flexible but desperately skippy: it had to have the nib set further into the section and the uneven tines evened out, and now it writes a treat. I can recommend Dan's service without reservation.

First things first: mods, if this is in the wrong place, please pardon the mistake and move it as necessary. I'm writing to gush some praise at Dan Smith (of FP Geeks fame) and his nib services. About six months ago, I bought a Visconti Homo Sapiens 25th Anniversary (variant on the steel age oversize), with the 1.3mm stub nib, from somebody here on the forums. I got a great deal on one of my grails, and the pen was in beautiful condition when it arrived. This was a huge investment for me as a new hobbyist, far and away my most high-end pen. I was nervous about it given the legendarily unreliable Visconti QC, and boy, this nib sure was true to Visconti form. It was like ticking off a checklist of all the problems I'd read about with the Dreamtouch nibs. Hard starts, check; skipping, check; crazy flow issues, check. I mean I like a wet line, but this thing was pouring ink. None of the typical quick remedies helped (flushes, try a different ink, etc - not even good ol' Waterman Blue helped any). I could never use it for more than a few seconds without wanting to fling it across the room. Well, I finally decided to send it off to somebody who knew what they were doing. I chose Dan, and, wow, am I glad I did. I asked him to do what he could about the skips and starts, reverse a bit of tine spread (don't ask), try and get the flow under control if he could, and narrow it from a 1.3 to a 1.1mm. I got the pen back earlier today and all I can say is *wordless noise of delight*. I finally, finally get what all the fuss is about with these pens. I inked up some Iroshizuku kon-peki (an ink I know very well and trust to be a stellar performer), put nib to page, and hoooo boy. It's still a nice wet writer but the flow is dialed in to "manageable"; the slightly narrower line makes it much more versatile (to me anyway); the nib looks sensational and writes even better. This pen simply dances now. What a treat. Best of all, Dan was a pleasure to work with - great communication, super fast turnaround, excellent customer service all around. I could not be more pleased...and, for the first time ever, I actually have a Visconti Homo Sapiens to write with instead of just stare at glumly! Any nib work I need in the future, Dan's my man. You can find his nib services list and contact info here on FP Geeks. Highly highly highly recommended. (sorry for the mediocre photo quality; just a quick scribble-and-snap with my phone. Mulling doing a longer video review of my experiences with this pen - and Dan's repair job - so stay tuned!)