Improving Ink Flow/nib Wetness

[Gonz]

Hi everyone!

 

I got a few Platinum Preppies last week, and I find them to be great pens for the price, and as eyedroppers, they hold quite a lot of ink. I still haven't managed to empty one.

 

I love writing with it, but the nib, while not scratchy per se, does make a "fingernails in chalkboard" sort of noise, which seems to disturb everyone around me. I do find I need to put a little pressure on the nib for it to write, although only after a few lines.

 

I've tried cleaning the nib and feed thoroughly with soapy water, twice, by syringe, using a punctured cartridge.

 

 

 

 

So, what I'm looking to know is: how does one improve ink flow generally, and specifically in the case of preppies? Does anyone know how to take one apart to do some "modding"?

 

 

 

 

Thanks a lot in advance

 

 

 

EDIT: if there is no particular thread on this matter, I'd be happy to collect the tips from the replies and turn this topic into something we might want to keep.

 

 

Edited June 8, 2011 by Gonz

[fabrimedeiros]

It's difficult to solve that question. Why don't you change the ink. Many inks are quite lubricant: Noodler's Eel: Green, Blue, Black, some black inks like high carbon, Aurora Black (not carbon, but quite smooth) etc...

[Gonz]

Thanks a lot for your reply!

 

I'm using Parker Quink Blue, which I find to be more than sufficiently lubricant on my other pens, so I resorted to another method: lacking the proper tool for the job, I sharpened a knife's tip until it was... well, as sharp as I could make it (knife sharpening is my second hobby), and ran it from the breather hole (or its place, since the preppy doesn't seem to have one) to the tip 3-4 times, and it writes quite wetter now. This being an extremely cheap pen, I didn't quite bother to acquire additional tools for the job, and completely don't recommend it on expensive pens. Those are best left at the hands of experts

 

 

 

 

(PS: since I'd like to become an expert myself, I might as well get some training)

 

 

[Drone]

If you're having problems with modern Quink Blue, then it's probably not the ink IMHO. Quink Blue is very well behaved, cheap - yet totally uninspiring.

 

Next, go get a bottle of Quink Black - bad behavior in comparison with the blue. But it is dark, like a moonless night.

 

Finally - try mixing Quink blue and black in search of a happy-place! But go easy on the black. 4:1 blue:black; roughly. Mix in small amounts and don't cross-contaminate the original bottles.

[The Tool Guy]

If they are pens you plan on using a lot, send them to one of our nibmeisters for some fine tuning. Tell him if you are a left/right-handed over/under-writer and how you'd like it to write.

[rdh]

What you did with the sharp knife is an extreme form of nib flossing. You can search the fora to find more accepted ways of doing it. Potentially the least destructive way is to use a thin piece of mylar plastic. Unless you dig a corner of the mylar into the feed, it should not damage the pen.

 

Another way to improve flow is to remove the nib and feed. The plastic feed has fine channels in it. Look under high magnification to see if anything is blocking the channels. If so, you can use your mylar sheet to gently clean them.

 

After all this, the best thing to do is use an ink like your Quink blue for awhile. It will eventually wet the surface of the feed and flow will improve.

 

Good luck with the Preppies.

 

Dave

[Gonz]

If you're having problems with modern Quink Blue, then it's probably not the ink IMHO. Quink Blue is very well behaved, cheap - yet totally uninspiring.

 

Next, go get a bottle of Quink Black - bad behavior in comparison with the blue. But it is dark, like a moonless night.

 

Finally - try mixing Quink blue and black in search of a happy-place! But go easy on the black. 4:1 blue:black; roughly. Mix in small amounts and don't cross-contaminate the original bottles.

 

I've been, so far, in a journey to find a cool blue-black. When my vials arrive from Mr. and Mrs. Goulet, the mixing will commence

 

 

 

 

If they are pens you plan on using a lot, send them to one of our nibmeisters for some fine tuning. Tell him if you are a left/right-handed over/under-writer and how you'd like it to write.

I will use them a lot, but I won't send them for a repair which is 5 to 10 times pricier than the pens themselves... DIY is a viable option, here ^^

 

 

 

What you did with the sharp knife is an extreme form of nib flossing. You can search the fora to find more accepted ways of doing it. Potentially the least destructive way is to use a thin piece of mylar plastic. Unless you dig a corner of the mylar into the feed, it should not damage the pen.

 

Another way to improve flow is to remove the nib and feed. The plastic feed has fine channels in it. Look under high magnification to see if anything is blocking the channels. If so, you can use your mylar sheet to gently clean them.

 

After all this, the best thing to do is use an ink like your Quink blue for awhile. It will eventually wet the surface of the feed and flow will improve.

 

Good luck with the Preppies.

 

Dave

 

I don't think I've damaged the pen in any way, though I am still to inspect it under some magnification, I've already studied a lot and took it to an exam, and it wrote beautifully, way better than it was before.

 

 

How does one go about removing the nib and feed off a preppy? I can't seem to find any info on that anywhere...

[penemuel]

I'm so glad to see this post here - I've been having the same problem with my own Preppys & am glad to see something easy can fix it. For those of us who don't do knife sharpening (interesting side hobby!), where can one get some of this mylar film use for "nib flossing" (and since the tines of the Preppy are SO close together, how do you get it between them in the first place?)

[Chevalier]

Mylar is the brand name of a polyester film (PETP) used for insulation. Every good electronics store should have different Mylar products. Other stuff might work as well, I like to use metal sheets made for metal engraving, they just need to be as slim as possible.