Visconti Rembrandt - Replacement Nib & Feed Ideas

[evyxmsj]

Hello all!

 

Short version

If anyone knows a steel #5 nib and feed that I can buy to replace my Visconti Rembrandt's I would be grateful. I am particularly interested in JoWo, but can be talked into something else. My TWSBI 580 nib fits, but not the feed. (feed is 44 mm long, nib/feed holder is ~22 mm).

 

Long version

I have a lovely Visconti Rembrandt, but it has some problems. I have played around with it, and I am pretty sure it's a feed or converter/feed starvation issue plus a dodgy nib.

 

The nib looks like this under a 10x loupe (I know narrowing towards the tip is not a bad thing):

http://i67.tinypic.com/erdjs6.jpg

 

But even with a TWSBI (JoWo?) nib, the ink flow is not great, and gets drier as I write. I have soaked the feed in warm soapy water, cleaned with a toothbrush, cut the channel a bit with a razor blade...with some improvement. (inks: Pelikan Sapphire, MB Irish Green, Diamine Bilberry).

 

I can't tell if it is an issue with the feed, or the converter, or both---or their interface:

• I tried it with standard short ink cartridges and and I seem to get the same problem, but it's hard for me to tell as my only cartridges are pretty saturated ink (D. Majestic Blue). Anyway, I don't really want to use cartridges and and I'm not certain there is anything wrong with the Visconti converter itself, though I note it doesn't have a plastic ball inside. Is that a major issue?

• Interestingly, if I simply take off the converter and put it back on (no shaking!), that is enough to briefly increase the flow: maybe this is a sign that the converter or the interface is a bit dodgy? Perhaps I should try another converter, but I've seen a few posts with similar issues here on FPN.

• The end of the feed looks like the sketch below. Would cutting this channel a bit wider make a difference?

 

http://i66.tinypic.com/rcihw5.jpg

 

I thought about sending off for repairs, but I'm not impressed with the tales I've seen here on FPN of similar issues with Visconti replacements. And anyway I'm an engineer and like hacking things together.

 

I confirmed that a standard #5 should fit the pen (using a TWSBI 580), but I would like to try a new feed as well to see what a difference it makes. Any suggestions on one that will fit? (44 mm long feed, ~22 mm long nib/feed holder). I'm not impressed with a Bock replacement nib I bought recently (metal left in the slit, ends touching), so am looking for JoWo or something different.

 

Edit: Sorry the images are so huge!

Edited April 21, 2017 by evyxmsj

[evyxmsj]

I've double checked with the Diamine standard cartridges: the flow is a bit better, but still dries up and skips.

 

I don't like the nib anyway (see above), so I've ordered a JoWo stub #5 from fpnibs.com and I'll post the results when I install it. I don't think the feed will fit though, so the next steps would be:

• Clean & flush slight improvement, still has issues
• Open tines a bit, ensure feed alignment is correct slight improvement, still has issues
• Try with standard cartridge, different ink slight improvement?, still has issues
• Open the feed channel a tiny amount slight improvement? still has issues. (Admittedly, should have done this later in the process)
• Replace nib with JoWo #5 in process
• Different c/c (would Pelikan work?) (normally would have done this earlier, but I don't have one that fits, and I want to replace the nib anyway)
• Replace feed with alternative bock #5
• Cry!?

[Tresconik]

I think Visconti uses Bock nibs. You may have better luck replacing it with the same model Bock nib and feed.

[evyxmsj]

I think Visconti uses Bock nibs. You may have better luck replacing it with the same model Bock nib and feed.

 

Thanks for your response. Yeah, the JoWo feed doesn't fit, as expected.

 

Finally, I've had the nib delivery and a chance to play with it now. The nice JoWo stub nib does fit...mostly. Interestingly, and I am disappointed I hadn't noticed this : the Bock/Rembrandt nib has an angled profile, with a bend at the 'shoulder' (see sketch below, I'm assuming this is normal!?). The result of this is that the feed will not align with a more normal, straight along nib.

 

http://i66.tinypic.com/24ec593.jpg

 

However, the Rembrandt/Bock feed responded very well to heat setting and it now works fine. I might need to do it again, as the gap is a little on the wide side (can easily slide some paper in there). The nib is also a little loose and I can hear the odd small movement when I write. However: I may not adjust further as the pen now writes wonderfully and with decent ink flow!

 

This is still using a converter, so I will continue my experiment above to see if the c/c is also an issue. I may purchase a Pelikan one just for comparison.

Edited May 5, 2017 by evyxmsj

[evyxmsj]

Well, the pen did not perform well with the Visconti converter, so it's off to get a new one.

 

When cleaning out, I commonly fill the pen and converter with water and let it drain freely to a paper towel. Interestingly, this did not work at all: the water level remained almost full in the converter. Clearly, there is a vacuum of sorts forming that prevents flow to the feed.

[evyxmsj]

The JoWo nib and original feed performed satisfactorily with one cartridge (Diamine Majestic Blue), but not with J Herbin Lie de The. The ink flow was low, and would even stop altogether with absorbent paper! This surprised me, as the JH cartridges have a little plastic ball to help with surface tension issues.

 

I tried another standard converter, to no avail.

 

I managed to get a replacement Bock #5 feed (great service, Beaufort Inks, very generous ). This looked near identical to the Rembrandt's, not surprisingly: albeit with a few minor differences. So...all seems to be going very well! I'll post the results of a few days' writing, but it looks very promising indeed.

 

The only feed difference I can see is the very end at the cartridge interface. The original feed seems to be closed up / damaged a bit somehow. This could be the problem, but I had tried to open it up as I previously posted.

[KingRoach]

Hiya, what happened here in the end? I've just got a Rembrandt, and while it does not skip or go completely dry, it is noticeable for me it always starts very nice and wet and moves on towards becoming driers. This is quite visible with inks that shade as i lose the shading in a couple of lines, resulting in very inconsistent aesthetic experience for me which isn't very pleasing. The pen does write, however.

[evyxmsj]

At the moment, it's a bock feed, a JoWo stub nib and Beaufort inks converter. It's...ok. ish. I use heavily saturated inks so I don't notice the lack of flow as much.

 

It's useable and I love the magnetic cap and crisp JoWo nib. But I'll never buy Visconti again 😟

 

Edited because I seriously can't type with a phone

Edited October 25, 2018 by evyxmsj

[KingRoach]

Did you get rid of the original nib?

I've inspected mine yesterday and it looks like what you described: one tine is thicker than the other and the slit is slightly narrowing, but the two tine ends aren't touching.

 

Which Nottingham are you in? I'm in Nottingham, UK, myself. If you're local to me we could meet and try each other's pens.

I feel the same about not getting any other Visconti's though.

[evyxmsj]

Did you get rid of the original nib?

 

I've inspected mine yesterday and it looks like what you described: one tine is thicker than the other and the slit is slightly narrowing, but the two tine ends aren't touching.

 

Which Nottingham are you in? I'm in Nottingham, UK, myself. If you're local to me we could meet and try each other's pens.

 

I feel the same about not getting any other Visconti's though.

 

 

I still have the original nib and feed, I tend not to throw these things away.

 

A meet up sounds good: that's Nottingham, UK. I'll PM you with some dates etc. If you know any other Nottingham people interested, we could have a group meet up.

[KingRoach]

 

 

I still have the original nib and feed, I tend not to throw these things away.

 

A meet up sounds good: that's Nottingham, UK. I'll PM you with some dates etc. If you know any other Nottingham people interested, we could have a group meet up.

 

Wonderful! I've tried to get people in or around Nottingham to meet up a couple times now, but to no avail. It might be a better idea to start small and then invite people to an existing, regular, say monthly, meetings, to talk about pens and inks, and other fancy things. I think this would work out better than try to get a larger group to organise a sudden meeting where nobody really knows each other yet.