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Hi! I stumbled over here looking for some troubleshooting help. I looked around a bit and decided this is a good place to learn a lot about fountain pens and the related accoutrements. I saw one troubleshooting post that gives me a starting point to work on my brand new Jinhao 992 that I filled with the converter. The ink flows through the feed but not out the nib. I emptied the converter back into the ink jar and have it and the nib/feed grip section soaking in water. I'll wash it next. I assume at this stage of the learning process it's normal to have ink stains on my fingers. 😁 I have filled out my profile with some basic information about myself. I look forward to learning more about fountain pens, inks, paper, and the people who use them.

I've purchased a number of Jinhao pens (and a few Baoers) in recent months via eBay. I like the way they write (with one or two exceptions) but they seem to dry out very quickly. (My Parker 51, TWSBI Mini, and Pilot Varsities can go a long time without use and start right up. I haven't even found how long is too long!) Generally, re: my Jinhao's and Baoers: If not used for a day or two, they'll start hard.If not used for 2 or 3 days, they'll need priming (twisting the convertor or running the nib under water)They seem to do a little better when stored horizontally rather than vertically.No, it's not an issue of the ink "sticking" to the rear of the converter because I've gotten into the habit of shaking them downward before use.I don't think it's a broken inner lid--they still have a satisfying snap when opening and closing. I also opened one to verify and the inner cap was fine. So, is this merely the reality of cheap pens not sealing particularly well? I've seen some folks talking about the converters being (partly?) to blame. Can y'all advise and help me improve this issue? Thanks! Dylan Postscript: I'm using Jinhao x450s, x750s, 159, and Baoer 801, 508.

I just got my new Pilot Metropolitan with a medium nib in the mail. I opened it up, cleaned it thoroughly, and inked it up with Noodlers Habanero. I immediately noticed when writing with it that on the down stroke it writes perfectly fine but on the up-stroke, no ink at all comes out. Please help! Any suggestions on how to fix this would be greatly appreciated! (I also cleaned it again just to make sure there were no fibers hanging around in the nib, but that didn't seem to help.)

Would really appreciate ideas, insights and suggestion to identify and resolve the following issue as inexpensively as possible. Here's is the story... Last week I traded several modern pens for a beautiful Waterman Emblem (the model right after the Hundred Year pen early 40's). Great looking, smooth writing with a bit of flex to it. It was restored several years ago by a well respected nibmeister. To bring it home, I put it in a small vintage Waterman pen box and drove home - minimal moving or shaking. When I took it out to show a neighbor "bloop", a drop or two of ink falls out of the cap. I recap it, take it into my home and lay it horizontally on my desk. I figure it may have been shaken it up a little on the way home. Cleaned out the cap and there is a small amount of ink on the nib (creep), so I wipe that off too. Now,when the pen is stored vertically - nib pointing up - just the barest of ink (condensation?) in the cap. Stored vertically with the nib pointing down a drop or two of ink in the cap after 1 hour or so. I changed the ink to Pilot Blue (not Iroshizuku) because I have used it before, it's pH neutral and I like the color. Same situation remains with the "leaking". Then, yesterday, I am writing a few lines and it burps. Bladder is almost full. It happens again after a longer period of writing (maybe a paragraph or two). It writes fine with no skipping or starting issues. So, what's the problem here? I spoke with the person I traded with and he has had no such issues with the pen since he bought. (It's an indoor pen, only used by him in his office and never been an everyday carry pen. BTW, I totally trust this person! I go to a repair & restore resource - “Da Book” to troubleshoot the problems and here is what it says about – "Sources of Ink Drops on Paper or Build Up on Nib": Air leak in system: ? - unknown, where, and why now suddenly Check cap air holes: they are both (2) clear/fine (Removal of cap causes slight suction: not that I can tell (not with two functional air holes) Pen exposed to heat source – inc. body heat: N/A it happens when I leave upright in a pen holder Poor nib/feed adjustment: ? Pen has been subject to shaking or vibration: N/A as ink drains ink the cap even while stationary Are the nib & feed cleaned of excess ink after filling? Problem continues after refilling (twice) and careful wiping Air pressure change (flying or fast elevator): N/A To large ink sac: This restorer doesn't make those mistakes and it never happened to previous owner Pen nearly empty – may flow heavier: Plenty of ink when the pen was emptied and flushed (2x) for refilling Defective nib feed: ? High capacity feed: ? This pen was used on a somewhat regular basis, so I am curious as to the source of the leak? I have emptied (2x) it and found (plenty of ink in the pen) flushed and refilled the pen twice with different inks Waterman Blue and Pilot Blue. Stored capped and nib up – no ink in the cap after and hour or two Stored capped and nib down – several small drops of ink in the cap after and hour or two (doesn't seem to have much more with more time) Changed ink to Waterman Blue and then Pilot blue ink. So that's my story and I am open to any help from the knowledgeable members of the Waterman, or any other forum. Thanks.

Hello, I am brand new to FPN and fairly new to using fountain pens, and I have just been faced with my first technical problem with one of my pens. Hopefully one of you experts will be able to help me out. I recently purchased a Picasso 903 on Ebay from a seller in China. As soon as I got it, I flushed the converter/nib with water quite thoroughly and then filled it with Diamine ink. I tested it briefly right after filling it and it felt like it was writing well (very smooth), although the ink itself seemed to come out kind of thin and pale. (The ink is Kelly Green and in my other pens comes out in a very vibrant bright green, but in the Picasso it was pale and watery looking.) A couple of hours later, I pulled the pen out to take notes in a lecture and something happened, though I'm not sure what caused it. I uncapped it and started to write, then looked down and saw that there were splotches of ink all other the paper and ink coming up onto the grip area of the pen, and all over my hand. I wiped the ink off the pen and put it away, and came back to it today, a few days later. It hasn't spewed ink at my again yet, but it's writing very badly. I have to put pressure on the nib to get the ink to flow and the flow is very inconsistent. It's writing very dry and basically feels like a temperamental ballpoint that's running out of ink. I'm hoping there's a way to fix this without getting the seller involved, since it's from China and took several weeks to arrive. This is such a shame because it is a beautiful pen and all the reviews that I have read have praised it so highly. What do you guys think I should do? Do you think it's a broken pen or is there something I can try that might fix it up?