Pilot Custom 74 Won't Flow

October 16, 2016

Hello all,

I had an issue with a Pilot Custom 74 Medium Nib. I bought the pen awhile ago, however never really used it too much as I found my Lamy 2000 provides a much more enjoyable writing experience in my opinion. Recently however I decided to give the Pilot Custom 74 another go. What I'm having issue with is the flow. Once the Con-50 converter I purchase was firm inserted into the pen and filled with Noodle's Dark Matter ink, the pen would write for awhile, then begin to run out of ink flowing to the feed. To get the pen to write again I would have to unscrew the barrel from the nib unit and turn the screw to push the piston slighting forward to get ink to flow into the feed again. I suspect maybe this is happening because the pen and the ink combination isn't the best? Maybe an ink that has less colligative properties and maybe a lower surface tension would allow the pen to work properly again? I was wondering if anyone has any experience with this issue and might be able to recommend a remedy. Thank you for helping me with this issue in advance.

Edited October 16, 2016 by Arcticcfoxx

October 17, 2016

That ink should be fine in that pen.

Take a look at the converter-- it is the kind with a little metal bit inside of it, or one without? Newer versions have a metal thingy in them to break the surface tension of the ink in the converter, as sometimes the surface tension can be enough to hold the ink away from the feed.

October 17, 2016

It think it's likely to be clogged ink from the last time you used it and an air bubble in the converter. I don't think it's anything to worry about.

I would suggest using a little dish soap and add it to some water. The put your converter(draw some of the liquid up into the converter so that it reaches the inside) and nib section in there and leave overnight. Then rinse with clean water.

Edited October 17, 2016 by Bluey

October 17, 2016

As Bluey suggests, a good soak is the first step. It will often work.

Edited October 17, 2016 by setriode

October 17, 2016

or as you say it might be the ink... normally this problem only sticks with the CON-70, I suggest try any thin inks like J. Herbin or Pilot Iroshizuku

October 18, 2016

You may have two (or three) issues going on. There's the one mentioned above - where ink sometimes stays at the top of a CON-50 instead of coming down. I, too, have experienced this with Noodlers inks.

But I've also had certain Noodlers (and Waterman) inks not flow consistently even in these pens that are otherwise tuned well. Nathan Tardiff has actually said explicitly that some of his inks (Polar Brown, for example) actually *require* a gap at the tip in order to flow well.

I have 8 Pilot Custom & Custom Heritage pens. Not only has there never been a gap - the tines are (were) actually quite tight at the tip. (Restricting flow and causing a dry writing experience.)

And that brings me to potential problem #3:

All 8 of my PC/PCH pens were too dry. Several were so dry that I was shocked they arrived from the factory this way.

To describe the dryness -- using Pilot's ink (even after flushing the pen) -- the pens would not leave ANY trace of ink when dragged by the tail. None. Zero. The ONLY way to get any flow was to write with pressure on the downstroke... but this means you get little or no ink on the upstroke -- an unpleasant experience.

Luckily these dry unpleasant writers all became incredibly smooth after adjusting the flow. Maybe Japanese writing works better with pens tuned to be so dry -- I don't know. I suspect these are just manufacturing imperfections... I have 3 Platinum 3776 Century pens. One of the three arrived with the same problem (severely.)

But with all 8 of my Pilots and my 3776 UEF... the fix was simple:

I flossed the tines. I don't even use brass shims. I'm sure I should -- but I use an index card. It works.

I feel like PC/PCH pens need adjustment upon arrival in order to live up to their potential. Don't give up!

PS. My Noodlers inks proved stubborn to the point that I used distilled water and a tiny tiny tiny bit of soap to make them usable in my finicky Pilots & Platinums. That's an option, too.

PS#2. Sorry to be so longwinded. Good luck with your pen!

Edited October 18, 2016 by JunkyardSam

October 18, 2016

I would definitely try a different ink before your monkey with the nib in order to adjust flow. Noodler's inks, especially their water proof inks, can have a lot of surface tension and get stuck in the converter rather than freely flowing through the feed.

Also, Noodler's achieves it's waterproof qualities by using a very fine particulate in the ink. This has been known to cause clogging problems in some pens. It's not the norm, but it can happen. Give the pen a good flush, and use a different ink.