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Ink Flow Problem ? Parker 45


Armand.D

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Hello everyone, some months ago I received a parker 45 from a kindly member, and have a problem with one..

I decided to test it and found a deluxe converter to fit it, then filled it with usual BB ink but.. writing : it only puts down a very very fine line + I have to exerce a lot of pressure to see the ink properly.

It was already cleaned before, does it means I have to use ammonia, or that the feed is damaged ?
I've done nothing special with it and the member approved that he sent it nearly mint/carefully, the problem is not here so I have no ideas..

Your thoughts ? :huh:

Thank you.
(pictures of nib/etc below)

 

EDIT : Actually works, but at a very uncomfortable angle for me.. (lefty over-writer)

 

2 solutions : - your method to increase the flow

- type of nib not for me

 

http://image.noelshack.com/fichiers/2015/11/1426343103-1-v2.jpg

 

http://image.noelshack.com/fichiers/2015/11/1426343191-2-v2.jpg

 

http://image.noelshack.com/fichiers/2015/11/1426343197-3-v2.jpg

 

 

Edited by Armand.D
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I guess that you know that the nib can be unscrewed from the section and then taken apart completely for cleaning, and its easy to put it all back together.

 

The tines look very very tight and not particularly straight but do a thorough clean first and then see if there is an improvement.

 

If all else fails there are a number of sellers offering a new nib unit, such as:

 

 

 

http://www.penhome.co.uk/parker-45-nibs-en.html

Edited by Beechwood
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I guess that you know that the nib can be unscrewed from the section and then taken apart completely for cleaning, and its easy to put it all back together.

 

The tines look very very tight and not particularly straight but do a thorough clean first and then see if there is an improvement.

 

If all else fails there are a number of sellers offering a new nib unit, such as:

 

 

 

http://www.penhome.co.uk/parker-45-nibs-en.html

 

 

Just replace the feed if in case cleaning and tines alignment of the nib do not solve the problem.

Thank you,

I will see that.. and thanks for the seller link.

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I see the collar is marked F but that tip does look smaller than a fine. What brand of ink have you used? Some of the more saturated inks can dry out in a dry-writing nib and block the channels a little. Also when you say you use a deluxe converter, if you mean the recent screw piston converters then a lot of people have flow issues with those due to surface tension so you could maybe try a different one.

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I see the collar is marked F but that tip does look smaller than a fine. What brand of ink have you used? Some of the more saturated inks can dry out in a dry-writing nib and block the channels a little. Also when you say you use a deluxe converter, if you mean the recent screw piston converters then a lot of people have flow issues with those due to surface tension so you could maybe try a different one.

I confirm that it is marked F.

 

I used Q'ternity from Noodler's, witch is the FD BB from the Bernanke range.

I used it for months with a Safari and had no particular problems, except nib creep just one time.

(lot less saturated than majestic blue for example)

 

The deluxe is the recent screw-piston, I have the other one (with the ball) so after cleaning I will try it.

It's the first time I hear about this "surface tension" problem..

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Yes, basically a lot of people find that the ink stays stuck to the walls instead of flowing down to the feed. The ball in the slide piston converter prevents that.

 

It may be that the tines of your nib are a little too close and need opening up slightly, as Beechwood says they look tight in the photo, but if you have a different converter then it might worth trying that first.

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Yes, basically a lot of people find that the ink stays stuck to the walls instead of flowing down to the feed. The ball in the slide piston converter prevents that.

 

It may be that the tines of your nib are a little too close and need opening up slightly, as Beechwood says they look tight in the photo, but if you have a different converter then it might worth trying that first.

Ok, thank you.

I will report all of that later.

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The old US F nib is similar to today's Lamy EF / XF nib. So it is quite thin. And if the nib is tight will put down an even thinner line.

You can adjust the nib, but it is trial and error and there is NO precision in the adjustments. Based on my experience, it is VERY easy to go too far in either direction, too WET or too DRY.

 

Unscrew the nib assembly

You can push the collar off by pushing it towards the back of the pen. Be careful to not put pressure on the end of the feed, and break the feed. Once the collar is off, the nib will fall off the feed.

 

Now the difficult part, widening the slit in the nib.

The nib is small, you need to be VERY careful. And check the gap constantly with a loupe, as it is very easy to go too far.

It has been a long time since I last did one, but I think I grabbed the wings/shoulder of the nib, put my thumb on the top of the nib, and pulled the wings upward.

 

Then put the nib assembly back together and test the pen.

Then repeat as necessary.

 

BUT, if you want a wider ink line, you cannot do it with the F nib. You need to replace the nib with a wider nib.

Edited by ac12

San Francisco Pen Show - August 28-30, 2020 - Redwood City, California

www.SFPenShow.com

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The old US F nib is similar to today's Lamy EF / XF nib. So it is quite thin. And if the nib is tight will put down an even thinner line.

You can adjust the nib, but it is trial and error and there is NO precision in the adjustments. Based on my experience, it is VERY easy to go too far in either direction, too WET or too DRY.

 

Unscrew the nib assembly

You can push the collar off by pushing it towards the back of the pen. Be careful to not put pressure on the end of the feed, and break the feed. Once the collar is off, the nib will fall off the feed.

 

Now the difficult part, widening the slit in the nib.

The nib is small, you need to be VERY careful. And check the gap constantly with a loupe, as it is very easy to go too far.

It has been a long time since I last did one, but I think I grabbed the wings/shoulder of the nib, put my thumb on the top of the nib, and pulled the wings upward.

 

Then put the nib assembly back together and test the pen.

Then repeat as necessary.

 

BUT, if you want a wider ink line, you cannot do it with the F nib. You need to replace the nib with a wider nib.

Thank you for the precisions.

If F = XF + tines it is probably not for me, I have indians/japanese pens = XF and clearly it is not usable for me for daily-writing (student).

 

I understand well that nib adjusting can be very "difficult", I need to get myself a loupe.

So now will clean it normally (no dissassembling), try the other converter and if not working, very lazy about doing this (had problems with other pen nibs and regreted trying to repair).

 

but.. Thanks for the step-by-step explanation.

 

Otherwise as I am interested in Esterbrooks, so I guess that if I want a western modern F line (like on the Safari), I have to go for a medium firm nib, Am I correct ?

 

Thank you again.

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For a different thread a few weeks ago, I did this comparison between a fine '45' and medium '45' nibs, I hope this gives some idea of what you should expect from these nibs.

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For a different thread a few weeks ago, I did this comparison between a fine '45' and medium '45' nibs, I hope this gives some idea of what you should expect from these nibs.

That's useful, thank you.

(I would tend more for the medium)

 

I don't know if nos 14K nibs are in stock somewhere,.. they should be surely expensives and maybe not a huge diff vs steel ones.

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It might not just be the feed itself. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I've heard mention that the 45 has a collector, somewhat like the P51 that is glued into place. That's why I find these pens such a pain to clean. You can fully dismantle the nib and feed, removing them from the pen, but the collector holds so much ink that if it dries it can be difficult to clean out. I've left the section (which contains the collector) soaking overnight, and ink is still coming out of it in the morning.

"Oh deer."

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Correct. The P45 has a collector glued into place but cleaning the same is not as difficult as that of P51s as when you remove the feed and nib the section becomes open ended from both sides and a little soaking does serve the purpose . Most probably it is the narrow ink channel in the feed that either get clogged or deformed in P45s.

Edited by mitto

Khan M. Ilyas

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In college I used a F nib in my P45s.

This was for 3 reasons.

1 - I had small handwriting, such that the F nib matched my writing size.

2 - the thin ink line let me fit more writing on a line, so I could write more on a page

3 - the F nib used less ink than a wider M nib, so my ink lasted longer

 

Personally, I see no difference in using a stainless steel or gold nib in a P45. The nib is so short and supported that the nib really can't flex. The other is, for note taking in school, I want a HARD nib. A nib that flexes or is springy will just get in the way of fast note taking.

 

As for the Esterbrook nibs.

  • Unfortunately, the Esterbrook quality control was not very good. I have an Esterbrook M and F nibs that write almost identical ink lines. I also have M nibs where you could can clearly see that the tip size is smaller than other M nibs, and similar to the F nibs. But you can't really do much about it, unless you are able to pick the nib that you want out of many nibs.
  • All the Esterbrook nibs that I have tried (so far) are a bit wet, so a wet F could put down a wider ink line and look like a dry M nib. Because of the ink flow, my Esterbrook F writes wider than my Lamy M nib. But then again my Lamy M nib seem narrower than I think an M nib should be. I have not measured the width of my Lamy M nib yet.
  • Unless you know you have a new nib, you need to SOAK the nib (tip down) overnight, to clean out the old dry ink from inside the nib assembly.

San Francisco Pen Show - August 28-30, 2020 - Redwood City, California

www.SFPenShow.com

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Correct. The P45 has a collector glued into place but cleaning the same is not as difficult as that of P51s as when you remove the feed and nib the section becomes open ended from both sides and a little soaking does serve the purpose . Most probably it is the narrow ink channel in the feed that either get clogged or deformed in P45s.

 

 

It might not just be the feed itself. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I've heard mention that the 45 has a collector, somewhat like the P51 that is glued into place. That's why I find these pens such a pain to clean. You can fully dismantle the nib and feed, removing them from the pen, but the collector holds so much ink that if it dries it can be difficult to clean out. I've left the section (which contains the collector) soaking overnight, and ink is still coming out of it in the morning.

I didn't know that, so thank you and to be honest.. If I have more money later I will surely buy a new nib, cleaning seems chaotic with this pen.

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Cleaning a P45 is easy, probably the easiest of all my pens. And no tool is required, just your fingers.

Unscrew the nib assembly. Then you can disassemble the nib assembly. And you soak the section with the collector inside, to clean the collector.

San Francisco Pen Show - August 28-30, 2020 - Redwood City, California

www.SFPenShow.com

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