Help! Parker Sonnet Nib Problem!

[chicagosailor7]

Hello and Merry Christmas to all. I am a very new FP user and just bought my first 'nice' FP, a beautiful Parker Sonnet Verdigris with medium nib. My only points of reference are my first two FPs, a Parker Vector (which is actually a really great pen if you ask me) and a Parker Frontier (which is a little wet, but very smooth).

 

After an agonizing wait to receive my Sonnet, I filled it with Noodler's Tiananmen and set off to savor the greatest writing experience of my life. What I actually got was a pen that is absolutely unusable. 80% of the time, it takes 2 or 3 strokes to get any ink to flow at all, it is very "scratchy" when writing, and the ink flow cuts out randomly while writing.

 

Can anyone please advise a beginner? I was only able to get a pen of such supposed caliber because of unbelievable good fortune (I only paid $65), so sending it out for a several hundred dollar "nib job" is out of the question for me. I've searched the FPN forums and haven't found any help here. I've tried the 'razor blade in the nib' thing once and it didn't really do anything.

 

Any advice would be grealy appreciated!

[PAKMAN]

Sometimes new pens need a good washing out to work well (ink flow wise). Try adding 1 drop of liquid dish soap to a cup of cool water. Repeatedly draw the mix up through the feed and converter and then discharge. Then do the same with clear water. This helps keep the converter from having a meniscus affect and holding the ink and gets rid of any manufacturing oils. Hope this helps.

[nxn96]

You might try soaking the nib/section in tepid water overnight to see if that helps open the feed. Assuming you got this pen used, you don't know how well the prior owner took care of it.

 

I don't have any experience with your ink, so I can't say how much/how little that might have to do with your issue. I've usually stuck to the "simple" Quink or Waterman inks, and both have functioned very well in my Sonnets.

 

Good luck.

[ticoun]

first, look directly at the tines' point. it is common that the tines aren't aligned properly, with one lower than the other. press the tines independently on a hard surface(be cautious, do not apply too much pressure, or your nib will be permanently bent) to get them aligned. sometimes, this will solve all the problems. if the flow is still inconsistent, there might be some grease still in there. to remove it, you'll have to flush the pen several times with warm water that has a small amount of ammonia in it(i don't remember what are the exact proportions, but someone else will).

[PAKMAN]

For ammonia the mix is 1 part ammonia to 10 parts water.

[dickydotcom]

Sometimes new pens need a good washing out to work well (ink flow wise). Try adding 1 drop of liquid dish soap to a cup of cool water. Repeatedly draw the mix up through the feed and converter and then discharge. Then do the same with clear water. This helps keep the converter from having a meniscus affect and holding the ink and gets rid of any manufacturing oils. Hope this helps.

I'll second that. I've had a couple of new pens with the symptoms you mention and a good wash sorted them.

I have two Sonnets. They are great pens.

Dick D

[chicagosailor7]

Thank you all for taking the time to share your wisdom and experience!

 

When I got it, I did flush it a few times with plain water before filling, but I'll try again with the dish soap. If that doesn't work, I'll have to go find some ammonia and try that. The tines are aligned and not bent at all. I'm finding that with some pressure, the ink flows well on the downstroke, but not so well and scratchy on an upstroke or sidestroke.

 

Here's to hoping the dishsoap works. I am absolutely in love with this pen, and a new white gold nib would cost more than I paid for the whole pen!

[Bo Bo Olson]

You need a 10-15 or 20x loupe to see if the tines are perfectly aligned. It sounds like they are not.

 

Then with your thumbnails, you bend the up tine down and the down tine up a tad, one at a time, until they are even.

Look for a better description in the Repair section.

 

You do need magnification....a normal house magnifying glass is better than nothing, but not much.

Richard Binder has a top glass magnifier for sale of about $30...it's a once in a life time buy...and you will buy other pens in your long life. You might as well get the better glass, in how good the glass is counts a lot.

 

I find my 10X loupe a tad weak.

Edited December 23, 2010 by Bo Bo Olson

[chicagosailor7]

UPDATE:

 

Thank you all so much for the advice. Turns out a few dozen flushes with soapy water did the trick! I am now getting to enjoy the most wonderful pen I've ever owned!!!

 

The downside is, by helping me fix my problem you have likely stirred the compulsive collector and appreciator of fine things in me...

 

Again, thank you and Merry Christmas!

 

-Nathan Wilson