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I recently repaired a Parker 45 bent nib. It writes infinitely better than it did, but I've noticed the nib wobbles up and down a little bit (~0.5mm?) against the feed. This makes it feel a little bit floaty/brush-like/extra flexible (? my first gold nib, not sure how flexible it's supposed to be) when writing, and I suspect causes it to hard-start due to broken ink flow. Can anyone offer any suggestions to stop the wobble? Is it one of those pens that needs heat-setting to the feed with boiling water? Should I try jamming a bit of paper/plastic/thin rubber in there? Has anyone else had or fixed this sort of problem before? I'd sure appreciate any advice; thank you, once again, for the previous times you've helped me! Previously, the left tine was bent. I straightened it by rolling, which perhaps could have changed the shape of the rest of the nib (not that I can tell with the naked eye, though I do have a couple other 45s around I could compare to), allowing it to wobble. The feed is undamaged, and it writes "okay", quite wetly (gap between tines is probably a little wider than brand new, due to the repair). I'll post a writing sample/photos if anyone thinks they'd be useful... EDIT: Writing sample, using Diamine Matador ink. All Parker 45 lines are single, some of the reference Parker 25 lines are double (e.g. flames in the Ring verse). Noticeably more shading due to ink deposition.

I have a handlful of Vintage and new Pens. Parker Vacumatic, Parker Duofolds, Skyline Everysharps, Pelikan 400nn. Pelikan M200's, M400, Sailor 1911, Various TWSBI's. Inks: Only "wetter" inks. Aurora, Diamine, Waterman, Iroshizuku. Mostly blues. I have read that pens should be flushed or cleaned regularly to extend the life of the feed and nib and prevent ink drying out and build up. I have been using the above pens regularly, every 1-2 weeks or much more, for some time. Should I be emptying the ink and cleaning out the pens every so often? How often? Or, is it not necessary as long as the pens are inked and used regularly? Thanks for your help. jim

Hello, I posted previously about my Visconti Rembrandt and it also had this problem with hard starts and skips every line. I was able to exchange it for a Van Gogh starry night, and sadly it's no better. The starts are really bad. I have to apply more pressure than usual to get it started, and then 5 seconds off paper requires another hard start. Either im extremely unfortunate or visconti has the poorest nib QC here's a pic demonstrating the issue,. Visconti Van Gogh Starry Night B Nib http://i.imgur.com/nDeSjan.jpg?2 If theres any way to fix this without sending it to a nib mechanic let me know pleaseee

Dear all, (I hope I am posting in the right part of the forum. Apologies if I am not and, moderators, please help me move this message where appropriate.) TL;DR: This is about an issue with a 1970s Pilot Elite, Soft 18K Nib. I have never seen something like this before, but I suspect there is something wrong with the iridium tip of this pen. In plain English, I think it's missing. Could you please comment? Details: I just received a few pens from an eBay seller from Japan. One of the pens felt very scratchy on my thumb, so I started looking at its with 10x optics. Here are the photos, Figures 1-3, showing the nib overhead, sideways, and underneath, respectively. The original photo from seller seems to me to show the nib with tip, but I will not display it for now so I do not damage the reputation of the seller (which is high wherever I checked). My questions are: What do you think could be the problem? Is there a missing (iridium) tip? Is this reason to contact the seller and complain? What would be a typical request - money back? Is there any other way I could fix this? Can the nib be re-tipped? Who could do this and what would be typical expenses? Many thanks. Figure 1. Nib from above. Figure 2. Nib from the side. Figure 3. Nib from underneath.

Disclaimer: I am new to vintage fountain pens. I recently acquired a Mabie Todd Swan (photos of the pen and some scribbles below) and would appreciate assistance with the following items: I know very little about this pen and would like to learn about its provenance, approximate age, model and comparison with other Swan models, etc. The body of the pen is marked "Eternal" but the nib is not. Does this mean that the current nib replaced the original? The pen is a very nice writer once the ink is flowing; it can feel very smooth, provides nice line-width variation as the nib is flexible and I think stub-ish, and it lays down a lot of ink. At the same time, it's prone to hard starts and occasionally skips. It also looks like the feed might not be properly aligned with the nib. I would like to have the nib examined and tuned by a professional and was thinking of sending it to Mike Masuyama. Does this seem appropriate, or are there other nib experts I should consider? I would like to have the body of the pen cleaned up and restored prior to getting the nib worked on, but I have no idea who to send it to. Any recommendations? In particular, I would like to have some luster restored to the body, have the fins of the feed looked at as they seem to have some minor damage, and have it cleaned up (the pen has a bit of a smell which, although gradually dissipating, remains pretty strong inside the cap). The tip of the nib looks a bit slanted to me. I know only so much is possible with photos, but can anyone tell if it's because this nib has an oblique grind or if it's some sort of alignment issue?

I had bought a Benu that is a lovely pen but whose nib seemed "meh". I decided I would try a grind on it, but wanted to experiment with an inexpensive pen first so I tried a CSI (all remote, as this is Covidland) on a TWISBI Go, and thought it worked well but was a bit too wet. I sent the Benu off for the same grind, and got the Go adjusted to be less wet. Now that they're here I'm finding that they are difficult for me to write with comfortably, as they demand more precise positioning than I am accustomed to and my angle, rotation, etc. varies with where I'm seated and how I'm writing. The nibmeister suggested converting the Go to an RSI to see if that suits me better, and then depending on what I think I can either have the Benu adjusted or throw up my hands and replace the nib with a different one. Thoughts? My handwriting is a cursive/print hybrid. Are custom grinds not the best for people who don't always write in the same way? It had been such a long queue at the nibmeisters, too!

This is a medium Sonnet I just received, from a reputable shop, which was sold as "new old stock." The nib looks bent to me, but it writes pretty nicely. Perhaps a little scratchy in one direction, but wildly better than the custom ground nib I unexpectedly got from another shop. So this has me wondering, should the nib on this pen be straight? Or are there benefits to nibs shaped like this? Or is it a flaw that needs to be returned and corrected? (None of the photos on the site showed it from the side, so it wasn't clear that it would look like this when I ordered.)

I recently bought my first Parker Sonnet, a used 1993 with a nib described as "springy and writes smoothly" and I was surprised to find that while it is indeed springy it's also very scratchy. I was surprised to find that my LAMY safaris and Kaweco sports are so much smoother and much more pleasant to write with. Is it me? Or the pen? It was sold as a medium nib, and it's marked "M" but I wonder if it isn't actually some kind of italic? Or if perhaps it's been ground down to this? Or is this normal for a Sonnet? My eyesight is quite bad which makes it hard to really deal with the details of nibs beyond others descriptions of them and my experience writing with them. But it looks strangely square to me, and it writes like that also. If I draw a line straight down it's thick, and if I draw across it's thin. I'm enclosing photos of the nib from the seller, they're better than anything I could take myself (though I know they aren't as high resolution as would be ideal). And some images of the lines and writing produced by the pen, using Pilot Iroshizuku Tsuki-yo on Rhodia 16, with the nib also visible there. I truly appreciate your help, advice, and thoughts about this nib. I'm a real beginner in this area, so my apologies for anything obvious that I might be missing. Thank you.

On a recent visit to the Santini Italia website, I noticed an announcement that they will offer size #8 nibs in 18 karat gold beginning in October. https://www.santini-italia.com/

Hi folks, I got this Parker 51 from Ebay for a total of $70 including shipping. I'm trying to figure out of the nib is a medium or a broad. The pen is Made in England. If it's a Medium, it's quite a bit broader than my Made in England Parker 45 medium nib. What do you folks think? I am writing on Mnemosyne paper. Thanks! The nib says "14K" "585" "Parker" "Made in England" and I believe that's about it. I'm interested because I never thought I would love a nib that's this broad. It works well for speech outlines because it's easily legible.

Is it safe to heat set vintage pens? Dip into hot water just deep enough to cover the nib and feed but not up to the section for about 30 seconds and then press the nib and feed together? Is this mainly for certain types of nibs?

Hey guys! Normally post in the Japan pens forum but I picked up a TWSBI 580ALR from Mark Bacas with a special nib grind and I wanted to share some info about it. First off - the ALR is just like an AL except the cap band has a difference finish(?) and most importantly the grip section is 'ribbed.' The lines on the grip section feel amazing, really good to the touch. I consider it an upgrade from my AL, but you do have to be careful not to get ink in those lines because you would have to clean it out. Mark Bacas is a popular nibmeister. You can see his work at https://www.instagram.com/nibgrinder/ I got the 580ALR with a Blade Turk grind and if I had it to do over again I would send him my nicest pen because it's an amazing grind. The Blade Turk is a mini-architect grind with a gentle curve so you get a controlled gradation of line width from Platinum UEF to Japanese M. It's a really versatile tool. Anyone could just pick it up and write with it, but if you vary the angle up or down you can variation in width. An artist could probably build a whole career around this nib, as the more you use it the more you get to know what it can do and get the line widths you want without even thinking about it. Here's a video demo I made of the pen & nib: And here's an additional photoset: https://imgur.com/fpngallery/eXPLoO9 Mark Bacas deals TWSBI pens so I think you can just order a nib from him already ground to load into your TWSBI. This gives some additional options for nib types normally only found on Japanese pens, for example... or various architect grinds. Anyhow, I really love the pen and I'm considering sending him my King of Pen to work on next. This Blade Turk is just such an interesting and unique grind. I'd recommend it for any artist but also anyone who just wants an interesting fountain pen nib that is still appropriate for every day use.

Does anyone know the size of the nib & feed in mm? I was wondering about using the nib in a Wality.

Hi All, Just a quick curiosity. I was looking on Bock's website earlier, and they appear to make Platinum nibs labelled Platinum 950(95% platinum). I can't seem to find any info online about them, and there aren't any manufacturers that seem to use Platinum nibs in their pens. Can you purchase these nibs anywhere, and has anyone used them ? If so, what are they like ? I'd be greatly appreciative if anyone could share their knowledge. Cheers

Hello everyone! I'm brand new to the world of fountain pens, and have a couple beginner's questions regarding my new Retro 51 Tornado. It came with a medium nib, which writes nicely, but I'd like to purchase a nib that allows me to vary my line stroke and write more calligraphically and personally. Before I look into flexible or italic nibs, however, I was wondering if my pen can even take replacement nibs; the nib doesn't seem to come apart from the nib assembly/ feed, so even if I knew the correct size to buy I'm not sure if my pen could take it. Do I have to purchase an entire new nib assembly (in which case, where should I look to buy them?) or does the nib disconnect in a way I'm unaware of? Thank you all, Alec

Is anyone here familiar with FPR's nib-marking conventions? I bought a couple of FPR's Majestic pens, one Clear with 1.0mm Stub & the other in Red with Med Nib. Both are pictured here together (pls see), and as easily discerned, the Stub is plainly marked as such, but the other (red pen) only shows what appears to be a tiny 'square', slightly offset left-of-center at base of the stamped 'nib' marking. Nowhere can I find anything resembling an 'M' for Medium. (2nd photo shows a little better view) Notably perhaps, there's also a distinct difference in the brand-markings on each. Both, btw, came in on the same order, not like weeks or months apart. Can someone who knows please describe what's going on here? I know NOW because it just came in & is fresh on my mind. But how do I know what it is when I pick it up again 6 months from now?. TIA!, _/_/

This past Tuesday I received from the maker in India a new Ranga fountain pen, my first Ranga. While I wrote to the maker to ask how the apparently #6 nib and feed come out of the section, I've not heard from him (maybe because he and his son don't often look at their email service or maybe too busy due to the work load: I used mpkandan@yahoo.co.in which is inside the pen case). Therefore, I'm here to ask the same thing: do I simply pull out the nib and feed since they're both friction fit, or are both inside a housing/collar that unscrews from the section? [I know if both are in a collar, I can pull them out of the collar/housing.]

I just received a vintage Lady Sheaffer 903 that was supposed to be in working order and had the nasty surprise that her nib (wraparound style 14k) does not stay on her feed section. All the parts are present (the washer and rubber seal too), so I spent about an hour cleaning everything thoroughly. I needed to chase the feed threads since they were seriously gunked up. Now the threads on the nib and feed section are clean and distinct, they just don't have enough contact to screw together. What should I try next? I would like to have a permanent solution but I'm not sure if I should get the epoxy so quickly. Based upon what I cleaned out of it, I think someone had tried shellac on it before... but that clearly was not a good fix.

Unluckily, the world 1st 3d printed nib was made by Pjotr Dumat. So, I should be the second one(lmao). Material is Co-Mo-Ti Alloy. In DLMS 3D printer EOSINT M 280 At first, it looked very Rough. So I decided to polish them. After 20 hours Polishment in 14 days: Next time if I have free time I will welding them with Iridium point.

I am a university student in continental europe on a search for a very wet, very smooth writer. I want to have the feeling of writing on glass, and I don't want to have to worry about the ink flow, while I am feverishly taking notes during class. The paper is not the problem because I use Oxford 90 gsm paper. Does anyone have an idea how to make a feed bleed more? Can anyone recommend a reliable very smooth and very wet pen that I could ask for for my upcoming birthday in April? When I say very wet and very smooth, I think of my grandfather's Montblanc 149 with a F nib. This is however not my pen or a student pen. I also enjoy the writing experience of my mother's Pelikan M200 (1988-1997) with a B nib, however the piston mechanism doesn't work anymore and because it's the Old Style I don't know where to bring it to have it fixed. Last year, I was still able to use a Kaweco Sport with an EF nib, which is a smooth writer, but it didn't have the flow to back it up, i.e. even after an attempt or two to make the nib wetter, I gave up on the pen. This year, I have been using a PenBBS 355 with a Jinhao M/B (0.7mm) nib. This pen writes smooth as well, and I have been able to make the nib much wetter, but twice I have pushed the nib too far, spread the tines, and now sometimes when I put down too much pressure the tines will separate and no ink will flow. Luckily, I have two replacement Jinhao nibs, but for now I'll stick with the wet nib I have. In the first half an hour of use, the pen writes exactly how I want it to, and it exudes ink as freely as what might be considered too wet for the japanese market. However, the feed cannot keep up, and soon afterwards, I have to put down pressure to get the same amount of ink on the paper. This is an endless feedback loop of wetting the nib, spreading the tines, and then fixing the nib to make sure the nibs don't spread too much. Any tips, tricks, and suggestions for a better nib and pen would be greatly appreciated.

I've been experimenting with extra fine nibs, so I can be less choosy about the paper I write on but still be able to write on both sides. I haven't been crazy about the nibs, but I'm wondering if that's related to the pens I'm using them on. The pens I keep going back to are the Parker Rialtos. I have not found one with an extra fine nib so am wondering if it's possible to put an extra fine nib on one of the Rialtos I have. Can that be done? Is it difficult? Where would I get an extra fine nib for a Rialto? Thanks! Tery

There are some reviews on the Platinum Cool, which is also known as Platinum Balance, on FPN and other places. Nevertheless I think adding one more might contribute some more information, another perspective, experience and pictures. I had this pen in fine and medium and now use the fine for more than a year. Introduction This review is meant to depict my personal opinion and valuation. I wont use points to rate aspects. While I dont intend to criticize those who do, I dont want to evoke the semblance of objectivity. I am neither an expert for standards used nor could I compare this pen to dozens of others. Due to these limitations to what might be an ideal review, I will simply try my best to describe my experience with this model in a way which allows you to contrast it to your own experience and preferences. Nonetheless I will offer a few comparisons which might be useful. Platinum officially calls this model PGB-3000A and categorises it as a member of its Balance-family on its website. The Cool features a relatively springy steel nib in fine or medium, an acrylic resin torpedo-shaped body of medium size and weight. First Impressions The pen came in a nice-looking cardboard box which also included a Platinum proprietary cartridge and an instruction manual. Unfortunately there was no converter included. I was pleasantly surprised with the box. I wouldnt be ashamed to have the box be part of a present even though it was probably not necessarily meant to be displayed. While to me this pen feels solid and well made it cant keep up with the clear Platinum 3776 versions if we dont consider the price. The clear plastic with chrome trim looks modern. Appearance and Construction The Cool is available in three different colours, shining crystal, crystal blue and crystal rose. The clear one is, well, clear, the coloured ones are highly translucent. As I mentioned this pen is torpedo shaped, having a cap which becomes slightly wider towards the cap band and a barrel which then tapers towards its end. The Cool is mostly made from plastic. I like its quality because it really is clear, not prone to scratching and the material is quite thick which gives it a more sturdy impression than a Platinum Preppy. A Preppys barrel can be deformed when a lot of pressure is applied by hand, this one seems much more robust. One plastic part I strongly dislike is its cap insert. While it doesnt feature Platinums sophisticated slip and seal mechanism it still works well - but looks ugly. Being opaque white it doesnt match the design in my eyes. The point, I assume, is to hide traces of ink inside the cap. Where the insert is it does its job, however to me this isnt worth the effort as I consider it flawed in two ways. On the one hand this white insert is far more noticeable than ink stains in the cap, on the other hand at least in my case the white now is covered in blue spots all around its upper part where it occasionally had contact with the nib and these are more visible due to the higher contrast than those in the cap which exist where the insert cant cover them up. I would prefer a clear cap insert or a cap sealing reasonably without an insert. I'm aware my focus on staining might cast a negative light on the Cool. Thus I want to point out I don't consider this a weakness or criticize it - other pens suffer similarly from my decision to use such ink. I knew that and am fine with it, I simply look at this pen from this angle based on my personal experience. I am sure if you use non permanent colours you can maintain its transparency. The clip is simple, functional and sturdy adorned by a subtly engraved line around its rim only. Similarly utilitarian the cap band is narrow. On the cap directly above it JAPAN PLATINUM and Platinums Logo are engraved. A big part of the body is faceted though in a different way than a TWSBI Diamond as the facets are inside the barrel making its outside round and smooth. Thus the facets only affect the appearance and light refraction. Being clear the section allows the transparent feed and metal threads to be seen which probably is the most attractive and promotional aspect this pen offers. This feature makes the feed adopt the colour of your ink. In general lighter colours come across better, more like they look on paper than darker colours. The effect is similar to ink in a bottle or converter, the more ink light travels through the darker the colour will look like. Pigment inks however are an exception to this rule behaving less like this. Speaking of pigment inks, I already mentioned traces of ink and stains in the cap and insert, ink of course can also stain the feed. If you want to keep the feed completely transparent, I recommend to have this in mind when choosing an ink. In my photos you can see the effect of using Platinum Pigment Blue and Sailor Sei Boku for months (with regular cleaning). Cleanings results are limited with pigment inks. I dont think they damage or penetrate the plastic used but once they dry they are hard to remove because water then wont do anything. Removing dried pigment ink mechanically is possible, gently rubbing is enough, but limited to accessible areas and areas like the body and inside of the cap which are smooth. I am not able to completely remove stains from the feed. If you tried it with an ultrasonic cleaner I would love to read about your experience. The sections circumference is on the narrow side, I would say. Wider than a Pilot Metropolitan section for example or a Waterman Hemispheres one, which for me is not comfortable. I recommend Goulets Pen Plaza for comparisons. Since the connection between section and barrel is made from metal the front part is heavier than the plastic back where only the converter adds weight. The section unfortunately comes with another downside as its threads are sharp enough to abrase material from the plastic threads on the barrel, at least in my case. Im sure this wont be more than an aesthetic problem for the next few years but it doesnt improve the experience either. Weight and Dimensions Length capped: 139,5mm 5,5in Length posted: ~154mm 6,1in Length uncapped: ~126mm 5in Weight body: 13g 0,46oz Weight cap: 5g 0,18oz The more subjective assessment: This model is section-heavy but works well. Posting for me adds too much weight to the back. The Cool is about as heavy/light as a Lamy Safari. Nib and Performance As already mentioned the nib is made from steel and available in fine and medium. The nib is rather small, normal sized for the pens overall size. In contrast to most Japanese and Platinum pens in this model the line width runs similar to an average European fountain pen. I also found both the medium and fine rather wet. Combined this results in rather wide lines, maybe even compared to some fine running European brands. How it feels writing is more congruent to other Platinum pens as mine write smoothly and with some even feedback. An interesting feature is the relatively springy nib. Following the logic of what Platinum says about the new Platinum Procyon this might be due to the pentagon-shaped nib. It offers more flexibility than a Lamy Safari or Pilot Metropolitan to which I compared it before, I wouldnt call it flex though. My experience is limited but considering what I have seen it also is much less flexible than a Pilot Falcon or FA nib. When pressure is applied the line width increases, more noticeable in the fine than the medium, as well as the ink flow. You can reasonably expect the line width to become 1,5 times as wide, maybe to double. During normal writing the effect is very small, writing feels springier than with a nail-like steel nib. But I wouldnt recommend to constantly apply (a lot of) pressure, to me this nib doesnt feel like it would like this. The ink flow is even, doesnt decrease over time and easily keeps up with fast writing. Edit: The symbol on the left means 'fine', the one on the right 'medium'. Both nibs are silver coloured, the ambient light affected the reflection. Filling System and Maintenance Platinum uses a proprietary cartridge/converter system. There was no converter included which is common at this price point. Buying one is worth it I think. The converter is very well made overall, feels sturdy and can be taken apart for cleaning if you wish so. Its mouth is made from plastic surrounded by a metal ring. The clear part stood up surprisingly well against staining being still clear. The shroud is from metal again. Take a look at the pictures to see the piston mechanism inside the converter. The knob is made from plastic and features grooves, turning it feels controlled. Platinums cartridges are smaller than large standard international ones, and close in size to Pilot's cartridges. Their body is fairly thick and they contain a metal ball agitator. Cost and Value The Platinum Cool retails for about 40 US-Dollar in the US. I havent seen it at European retailers and must admit I dont know much about other markets. Some companies offer it for around 25 Dollar/Euro. Customer care usually is limited if you would have to send it back to Japan from Europe for example but these shipping costs probably exceed their benefits anyway at this price. The Cool can be considered an entry-level pen, maybe an upgrade to a Preppy or Plaisir. There are a lot of good competitors. I can name the Safari and Metropolitan again, but there are many more. I think the Cool cannot surpass them in writing experience, construction quality or filling-system but neither lacks behind. A clearer reason to buy is its transparent body and feed. Conclusion The Platinum Cool is an affordable demonstrator which offers reliable and controlled writing. Its transparent feed makes it special. If you aim for a super-smooth entry-level pen, look elsewhere. If you like the design you probably wont be disappointed by its other features. Feedback, criticism and further questions or opinions are welcome. Feel free to point out language mistakes I might have made. Edit 1: removed my remark on what the symbol on the nib stands for. It indicates the nib size,but I probably mixed up fine and medium. Edit 2: added picture for comparison of the symbols adorning the nib which mean 'fine' and 'medium'. Thanks for pointing out my mistake, Pseudo88.

Hi everyone, I'm looking to get a CH912 as my new everyday use pen, but I'm taken aback by the sheer number of nib choices. I have a two main questions: - What is the FA nib like as a daily writer? Is it relatively smooth? I have heard of flow issues regarding this nib. I am not a tremendously fast writer, but regular skipping would be rather annoying. - How does the Wavily nib compare to the SM, or just the regular medium nib? Is it any smoother? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Over the years, I've tried nib grinding and have destroyed quite a few of them in the process. But I've also gotten better Definitely not pro-level, but here are a few of my grinds. Writing samples to follow soon. I used a whetstone, and sandpaper to grind these. 1) Architect on Kanwrite Medium nib: 2) Needlepoint on a Wingsung 727 3) Stub on a Kanwrite broad Thank you for looking!

I just acquired a Pilot Myu 701 that's dated 1171( November 1971). Above the date code is usually where the nib size is printed, but on this one, there is none. Every other Myu I own, which are newer than 1971 has the F marking above the date code. Those pens are from 1973-1976. Comparing the nib to a Pilot Custom Black Stripe from 1972, the line that the Myu makes looks like a F, but again, it's not marked on the pen. Does anyone have any insight as to why this is?