Tifu My Pilot Metropolitan Nib :(

[coredump]

So, I am new to this thing, and just two weeks ago I got a Pilot Metropolitan. I love this pen, writes well, fits my pocket, all the jazz.

 

Today I received a DC Electric Blue ink sample and a Clairefontaine writing pad from Goulet and was excited to get home and write to some friends using the new stuff. I flushed the pen, did the piston thing (I got a converter) and staretd writing.... But it was skipping.

 

I tried everything I could find on the internet. Added ink again, let some drops fall down, shook the pen.. Then I paid attention to the nib and I see this:

 

 

 

If you zoom the pics you will see that one of the points seem bent, and the tines are kinda not touching? Anyway, I don't know how that happen. Maybe I let did something wrong? Maybe it fell and I don't know? The fact is that now it is super scratchy and skipping. I can hold it on a weird position that makes it write but not optimal.

 

Is there anything I can do? Do replacement nibs exist for those pens or will I have to wait until I get enough money to buy a new one? And if it's my fault, what did I do wrong so I don't do it again?

 

Thanks!

 

PS: Link to the bigger images:

http://i.imgur.com/6E9UDLb.jpg

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/JhOlG2i.jpg

Edited November 7, 2014 by coredump

[OakIris]

Difficult to see from that angle - normally you look at the nib straight on to see if one tine is higher/lower than the other, like this (graphic from the Instructables.com site:

 

http://cdn.instructables.com/FXZ/EZWX/FM68F5AS/FXZEZWXFM68F5AS.MEDIUM.jpg

 

 

 

 

If you have a loupe, you will be able to see this better. There are lots of tutorials for how to smooth nibs and realign the tines, this is just one of them from Richard Binder's site: Notes from Richard Binder's Nib Smoothing Workshop

 

If the pen was fine out of the box and wrote well for two weeks after that, here is no telling what might have happened to cause the pen to become scratchy or for the tines to become misaligned - too much pressure?? A drop could certainly cause the problem, but you would have noticed if you dropped the pen, I am sure. Anyway, it is a pretty easy fix if the tines are just misaligned.

 

Hope you get your nice writing pen back - the inexpensive Pilot pens such as the Metropolitan do indeed write very nicely so I understand your disappointment.

 

Holly

[JonSzanto]

Flush all the ink out, first. Then know that these nibs just pull straight out - this is known as a friction fit.

 

Pull that nib out, and then you are going to want to align the tips. The obvious thing might be to pull up on the tine that seems bent down, but you actually want to pull down on the one that is higher, and get it to the point where they seem even and side-by-side (as in Holly's first graphic on the left). In doing this second way, you will bring the two sides closer together rather than further apart, and this will be better for the ink flow. Bend the tip with very gentle pressure, because if it doesn't move and stay in place, you can try a little more emphasis; if you do too much at first, you may push it too far.

 

So, these are fairly inexpensive, and I would never suggest any of this (to someone new) on a more expensive pen. I'll leave you with a tip, though: Pilot also makes a lesser-expensive pen called the Plumix, which is sort of like a calligraphy/desk pen. The nib is interchangeable with the Metro, but instead of a boring M or F tip, it is a stub nib, which can lend a nice bit of line variation to your writing. The pen is only $8 or so, so you are getting a brand new nib for that cost. I've put them in 2 Metropolitans and they are about the nicest $23 pen you can have!

 

Best of luck, just go easy on it and you should be able to get it writing well again.

[TheRealScubaSteve]

Replacement nibs are not available for these pens without purchasing another pen or swapping a nib from something else (like the Prera or Plumix), but it should be a pretty simple fix if they are not too crossed. In my infinite wisdom and impatience when first getting started, I've sprung countless nibs and managed to fix them all without too much trouble. A loupe is certainly necessary equipment. Often times the tines look perfect with your eyes, but a loupe will reveal misalignment that causes scratchy writing and/or skips.

[coredump]

Well, I tried. Now it doesn't work at all.

 

welp.

 

I am accepting donations of old pens, apparently :|

 

Thanks for the help guys!

[TheRealScubaSteve]

What's wrong with it? Post some close-up pictures of the nib if you're able. It could be something as simple as the feed not contacting the nib tightly enough.

[KBeezie]

Have you tried taking the nib/feed out together (has to be together because the nib 'hooks' into the feed), and giving it a good rinse. A rubber band may help get a grip on it (though soaking helps a little too).

 

The feed channel could be clogged or could just need to rinse it good with some dish soap and water.

[coredump]

What's wrong with it? Post some close-up pictures of the nib if you're able. It could be something as simple as the feed not contacting the nib tightly enough.

 

I think that may be the case, it looks weird, but the 'hook' is in the right place. I will try KB suggestion and take it all apart again

[TheRealScubaSteve]

 

I think that may be the case, it looks weird, but the 'hook' is in the right place. I will try KB suggestion and take it all apart again

 

Also make sure that the main feed channel lines up with the nib slit. Even though there is not much wiggle room with the feed/nib, the Metros can be tweaked just a tad.

 

If KB's suggestion still does not work, you might also try putting some light pressure on the nib to bend it back into the feed. Push the nib into a pad of paper while also maintaining pressure on the nib/feed with your thumb and forefinger so that the nib cannot bend too far.

 

This should be a last resort, though. Unless you've dropped the nib, sprung it, or the cap has bent it, it's unlikely such a step would be needed to fix the problem.

 

Also, pens can be finicky with certain inks. Have you tried writing on different paper or tried using a different ink? I'm not familiar with that ink, but it's also possible it just does not get along with the pen.

Edited November 7, 2014 by TheRealScubaSteve

[coredump]

Well, I got it back to writing and not skipping. Super scratchy downward stroke but it will have to do.

 

I think I will get one of those cheap pens and use the nib.

 

Thanks for all the help guys

[TheRealScubaSteve]

Glad you got it writing again, but don't get rid of the nib even if you replace it. A loupe can be purchased very cheaply and should provide plenty of magnification to see what is causing the scratchiness. If you're not interested in fixing it, perhaps someone would be interested in the nib.

[KBeezie]

If it's super scratchy I recommend taking a look at the tipping under a loupe since it may be out of alignment.

 

Also if this is your first and only fountain pen, make sure that you're not applying pressure to get it to write, that can also contribute to scratch.

 

Alternative choices in inks may also be good (though it won't fix "scratch"), for example I've had issues using Noodler's Black eel with a black-coated Monterverde nib, but the same nib works great with Iroshizuku inks. Where as a Goulet 2-tone nib worked great with both. The black coating material probably repels the lubrication in the black-eel or something.

Edited November 7, 2014 by KBeezie

[OakIris]

<snip>

 

So, these are fairly inexpensive, and I would never suggest any of this (to someone new) on a more expensive pen. I'll leave you with a tip, though: Pilot also makes a lesser-expensive pen called the Plumix, which is sort of like a calligraphy/desk pen. The nib is interchangeable with the Metro, but instead of a boring M or F tip, it is a stub nib, which can lend a nice bit of line variation to your writing. The pen is only $8 or so, so you are getting a brand new nib for that cost. I've put them in 2 Metropolitans and they are about the nicest $23 pen you can have!

<snip>

 

Why didn't I know about that?!? Excellent idea and I am off to order a Plumix. My fine nibbed Metropolitan in White Tiger will soon have a 1.0mm stub nib on it - yum!

 

Well, I got it back to writing and not skipping. Super scratchy downward stroke but it will have to do.

 

I think I will get one of those cheap pens and use the nib.

 

Thanks for all the help guys

 

Don't settle for a super scratchy nib. That is not the way to find enjoyment from writing with a fountain pen. Go ahead and change out the nib with the Plumix nib. Then you can work on the stock Metropolitan nib at your leisure and, hopefully, get it writing the way it originally did. Do get a loupe; an inexpensive but decent lighted loupe is available on the Goulet Pens website - and probably elsewhere - that will help quite a bit - Goulet Loupe That way you will be able to see what you are doing, adjust the tines or see if perhaps the tipping material has been damaged. If the problem is with the tipping material, you can experiment with nib smoothing, too! It really does sound like a simple alignment problem to me, but you are the only one that can determine that.

 

Good luck!

 

Holly

[byggyns]

I'll confirm what was said about buying nibs separately. I broke the feed & bent the nib on my first Metro when I dropped it uncapped. I contacted Pilot USA and they do not sell the nibs or feeds separately.

 

I've tried supergluing the feed back together & that doesn't last, so I'm going to try plastic-weld epoxy.

 

I got the nib reshaped so it would write, but it was very scratchy. That took some time with a soft faced hammer shaping it around a brass punch. If I can get the feed back together, the nib will be my frst expiriment with nib grinding / smoothing. Maybe I'll try to turn it into a fine stub (it is currently the Pilot M nib).

[OakIris]

Sorry to hear of your Metropolitan nib problems, byggyns. I don't imagine that trying to glue the feed together is a viable solution, and it sounds as if the only thing you can do with the nib is regrinding it to a stub. It may not be a solution for you, but, as Jon suggested, you could get a Pilot Plumix and replace the damaged "M" nib and feed with the Plumix stub nib/feed, and then buy another Metropolitan (in a different finish) with a medium nib.

 

I guess it depends upon whether or not you like the Metropolitan well enough throw more money at it. I really like the way my Metropolitan's feel and write so it would be worth it to me. (My Plumix is supposed to be here tomorrow; I look forward to trying out one of my Metropolitans with a stub nib on it.)

 

Holly