Ink On Nib When Uncapping

[Gralfighter]

Hello,

I recently bought a Waterman hemispgere and also git another one as a gift. Both of these 2 pens have ink on the nib everytime i uncap them. Is it normal or are these two broken?

[DonLeone]

Like this?

 

http://i.imgur.com/cSjJ7O1.jpg

Not a Hemisphere but an Expert II, I think. EDIT: click image for big size version of my crappy picture

 

Always has ink on the nib. I wipe the ink off, cap, uncap, ink on it again. I stuff tissue all the way down the cap, clean it out, clean the nib, cap it, uncap it, ink again.

 

Two hypotheses:

 

1. The cap has this very satisfying click. But this capping motion may force the pen to get capped quickly, moving it forward, then stopping, causing ink to rush forward.

 

2. The cap creates a good seal and uncapping it creates a vacuum. The vacuum results in ink being sucked towards the end of the nib, causing it to settle on top of the nib. The decorations (in my case) aren't helping because they behave like ink channels driving the ink towards the sides of the nib.

 

I tried capping the nib slowly and uncapping slowly, after a clean. This results in less ink showing up. This test supports both hypotheses because there's less force and less vacuum issues to deal with.

 

I don't want to "fix" it because the sudden rush of ink during uncapping may be the reason that this pen just writes without problem after having sat there for a month.

Edited December 27, 2015 by Don Zardeone

[RMN]

This is called Nibcreep.

 

Hypothesis 2 above is usually the reason, and some ink-pen combinations just seem prone to the phenomenon.

 

Simple solution:

Always uncap your pens nib up, and do not yank of the cap but just click it loose, let the pressure accommodate for a second and then gently lift off the cap.

 

 

D.ick

[Manalto]

I don't want to "fix" it because the sudden rush of ink during uncapping may be the reason that this pen just writes without problem after having sat there for a month.

 

A pen-design genius could engineer this "jump start" - and I suspect some already have.

[CharlieP]

All of the suggestions so far are quite good and may solve the problem.However, I once had the same problemand the solution was quite simple. Always store your pens nib up. Even on my desk,I have a plastic toothbrush holder.I place my pens in it,nib up.Problem went away. Inmybriefcase all 23 of my f.p.'s are always nib up. Some may be a bit slow to start up, but the problemyou des ribe has never ocurred again.

[Ernst Bitterman]

A remedy I've read of but have never been troubled enough by nib-creep to apply: lay a finger along side of your nose, or some other clean yet oily part of your person. Wipe that finger across the upper surface of the nib; the oils will act as a barrier to the ink.

 

Some inks and some pens are more given to this than others. Carenes are famous for it as a group, and I've one late '40s Sheaffer that is more than usually given to it as well. The Hemisphere I had didn't exhibit the trait, but I might have had a special one or the stamps for the nibs may have changed. I'm having trouble bringing to mind the inks that are uncommonly interested in climbing out of a pen, but I'm sure someone here will remind me.

 

Interestingly, I've never seen it on any of the desk pens I use, which spend their whole lives point downwards, and one of those is a Sheaffer of the same age and type of point as that known offender.

[pajaro]

I haven't had this happen on a Carene, and it doesn't happen on the Carene that I keep nib down in a Sheaffer Imperial desk pen base.

 

When this sort of thing happened on a pen I would sideline that pen and use something else, but then I didn't know the cause.

[Gralfighter]

I'm sorry i haven't got around to respond sooner. Not quite like that much creep only few small drops. So this kind of thing is normal? My pen was now nib pointing up for 3 days and it still creeps. Have to tryErnst Bittermans suggestion.

I find it very strange that such an expensive pen (comparing to my parker vektor) has this problem and my cheap pen doesn't.

[Left FPN]

I'm sorry i haven't got around to respond sooner. Not quite like that much creep only few small drops. So this kind of thing is normal? My pen was now nib pointing up for 3 days and it still creeps. Have to tryErnst Bittermans suggestion.

I find it very strange that such an expensive pen (comparing to my parker vektor) has this problem and my cheap pen doesn't.

It is true then that expensive pens have that little bit more than cheap pens. I would not worry.

[pkotrcka]

Well, not visible on my Hemisphere (I am using that included cartridge in it), happened once in a last few days on my FC Ambition. Mabe also temperature changes (it is winter time here) if you take your pen outside and in again.

 

But as I said, nothing like that on my Hemi.

[RMN]

Nibcreep has many factors. Some pen-ink combinations do that. Not some brands, but individual pens. You might have one Carene with creep, another without. Might have to do with the feed, that particular nib... who knows. Besides factors like yanking of the cap, temperature changes, a bumpy ride, ink viscosity..

 

Happens on cheap pens and on expensive ones.

 

 

D.ick

[LadyS]

It might be nib-creep and there are many reasons for that as noted before, but my Hemisphere has never creeped. But I do have little drops of ink on the nib, esp towards the tipping. I think it's possibly from the force of opening/ closing. I didn't have that with my Parker Frontier, which really needs some force to open/ close, but oh well... It's no big deal, actually.

[pajaro]

Yes, you can wipe off the drops of ink and get on.

[sidthecat]

I get it a lot on certain of my old Watermans, and I store them cap-up. I just deal with it.