Namiki Falcon Ink Flow Problems

[Seaheff]

Hey inky people,

 

So I've been using my Namiki Falcon for a little over a year now, with Noodler's (Catfish) black ink and the piston converter that came with it. I love this pen, when it's cruising it is giving me exactly the kind of line I want. But from the moment I've taken it out of the box, I've had ink flow problems.

 

Basically after about 2-5 minutes of drawing the ink flow just dries up. In fact the flow of ink begins dwindling after the first few strokes, until it is completely dry. I then have to open up the pen, push the ink forward by screwing the piston down, close the pen back up and get back to drawing. This also leaves me with what seems to be an excessive flow of ink at the very beginning, creating overly thick, blobby lines. I've tried using a bunch of different dilution recipes (always with distilled water) from 100% ink down to 1:1 ink and water (things start to grey out a bit too much after that).

 

My question is, is this at all a normal behavior? What could I be doing wrong? Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to fix this problem? Perhaps the ink is the problem?

 

Some specific info:

 

Namiki Falcon, Medium Nib

Noodler's Catfish Black diluted to 50% with distilled water

Piston converter

 

Thanks in advance for any tips!

 

-Seamus

[bitterwonder]

I sent mine to Mike It Work for similar reasons.

I draw with my pens and cannot abide a balky pen.

[UDog]

Try another ink oe inks before you send it off to a nibmeister.

[Lince]

Try another ink oe inks before you send it off to a nibmeister.

 

 

 

My Falcon really loves, but I mean really loves BSAR.

[Mickey]

If you are talking about the resin bodied Falcon, the problem may be the converter. The CON50 converter has problems with some inks. Surface tension inside the converter can allow a bubble to form behind the feed, which slows and eventually stalls ink flow. There are several solutions. Change inks. Put a small metal or glass bead inside the converter (it disrupts bubble formation). Change to the cheaper CON20 converter, which doesn't seem to exhibit this problem. Upgrade to the metal bodied Falcon, which uses the superior CON70 converter.

[fwyun]

Upgrade to the metal bodied Falcon, which uses the superior CON70 converter.

 

Does that mean the resin bodied Falcon will not accept the CON70?

 

Francis

[Mickey]

Upgrade to the metal bodied Falcon, which uses the superior CON70 converter.

 

Does that mean the resin bodied Falcon will not accept the CON70?

 

Francis

 

Correct. The CON70 is too big.

[denix]

If you are talking about the resin bodied Falcon, the problem may be the converter. The CON50 converter has problems with some inks. Surface tension inside the converter can allow a bubble to form behind the feed, which slows and eventually stalls ink flow. There are several solutions. Change inks. Put a small metal or glass bead inside the converter (it disrupts bubble formation). Change to the cheaper CON20 converter, which doesn't seem to exhibit this problem. Upgrade to the metal bodied Falcon, which uses the superior CON70 converter.

 

I switched to cartridges in my VP for this exact reason. The CON50 was just not working out with Noodlers Bulletproof Black.

 

Guy

[handwriter]

This behavior is not normal, of course.

Diluting with water gives the ink less flow, no more. Inks contain surfactants intended to lower surface tension.

I would suggest using an ink known to have good flow, such as Aurora Black, without dilution.

But I have read similar problems were due to the converter, as said ny others.

On a more personal note, I owned a Namiki Falcon -resine version- for about two years and I never had any flow issues, even with Montblanc Bordeaux, a relatively dry ink. Never had to do anything special to that pen, wrote perfect out of the box. Only reason is not with me anymore is that I "needed" other pens.

[Seaheff]

Many thanks for all of the suggestions, folks. I will first try another ink (my container of Sailor Nano just arrived in the mail!) and if that doesn't work I'll try for the other converter. Thanks all!

 

-Seamus

[Cerbeos]

Phew - You had me scared for a minute - I'm thinking of making a Falcon my next pen and didn't want to have to nix it already!

[Seaheff]

So I put my fresh Sailor Nano black ink into the Falcon and gave it a whirl. The pen writes fine on regular to crappy printer paper or copy paper, but as soon as I put it down on something nicer, like the watercolor paper on my sketchbook, the ink flow skips again. Perhaps it's the paper that is contributing to the issue? Would seem a most ridiculous thing... for nice paper to make my pen perform poorly. Looks like I'll be ordering up a new converter after all.

[Mickey]

Two possibilities spring to mind.

 

It could be the dreaded baby's bottom, a rounded gap between the two halves of the iridium ball. Cheap paper typically has some nap, which will connect to the ink supply trapped up in the gap and establish flow, whereas smooth, hard finished paper does not. This problem requires the attention of a nibmeister (or much wetter ink).

 

It could also be that you are rolling off the nib's sweet spot as you move around the page. Write a dozen of so lines on the page, ignoring the skips, but making sure to write from margin to margin. Then circle the skips. If they group in one place or along either or both margins, the problem is user error. You must keep the relationship between the plane of your hand and the plane of page uniform as you move across the page or skipping is likely to occur. (Wetter ink may help a bit.) If the distribution of skips is more or less uniform, the feed or converter is probably at fault.

[Flake]

Sorry you're having problems with your falcon!

 

My first question is who's watercolor paper are you using? Some are super absorbent and that might be some of the issue.

[arthury]

Mine has no issues running on PR DC Electric Blue. If you have that ink, might wanna give it a try.

[Seaheff]

Two possibilities spring to mind.

 

It could be the dreaded baby's bottom, a rounded gap between the two halves of the iridium ball. Cheap paper typically has some nap, which will connect to the ink supply trapped up in the gap and establish flow, whereas smooth, hard finished paper does not. This problem requires the attention of a nibmeister (or much wetter ink).

 

It could also be that you are rolling off the nib's sweet spot as you move around the page. Write a dozen of so lines on the page, ignoring the skips, but making sure to write from margin to margin. Then circle the skips. If they group in one place or along either or both margins, the problem is user error. You must keep the relationship between the plane of your hand and the plane of page uniform as you move across the page or skipping is likely to occur. (Wetter ink may help a bit.) If the distribution of skips is more or less uniform, the feed or converter is probably at fault.

 

 

I'm thinking now that it might be a little bit of both. I tend to twist the pen in my hand a little bit when I draw and notice that I lose the line that way, but there are still times when I've got everything lined up that the ink skips. Arggh. I will try out the CON20 converter, and pray I'm not suffering from the dreaded "baby's bottom".

[handwriter]

Two possibilities spring to mind.

 

It could be the dreaded baby's bottom, a rounded gap between the two halves of the iridium ball. Cheap paper typically has some nap, which will connect to the ink supply trapped up in the gap and establish flow, whereas smooth, hard finished paper does not. This problem requires the attention of a nibmeister (or much wetter ink).

 

It could also be that you are rolling off the nib's sweet spot as you move around the page. Write a dozen of so lines on the page, ignoring the skips, but making sure to write from margin to margin. Then circle the skips. If they group in one place or along either or both margins, the problem is user error. You must keep the relationship between the plane of your hand and the plane of page uniform as you move across the page or skipping is likely to occur. (Wetter ink may help a bit.) If the distribution of skips is more or less uniform, the feed or converter is probably at fault.

 

 

I'm thinking now that it might be a little bit of both. I tend to twist the pen in my hand a little bit when I draw and notice that I lose the line that way, but there are still times when I've got everything lined up that the ink skips. Arggh. I will try out the CON20 converter, and pray I'm not suffering from the dreaded "baby's bottom".

 

Some pens are good writers but are little tolerant regarding variations in the angle, it could be a bit of that. Note that if you write at a too twisted angle and you press hard, you could even misalign the tines. As for the paper, very glossy paper could contribute to skipping, but if the paper is very absorbent, sure is not that.