How To Fix If One Tine Is Longer Than The Other?

[Needhelp]

Well till now luckily this has not happened to me but i just wanted to know how do we fix a fountain pen nib if one tine is longer than the other?

One of the reviews of the penaddict where the lamy 2000 had one of the tines longer than the other.

 

So if i were to get a nib like this or by magic it happens what can I and I MEAN I can do to fix it?

Because to send it to a nibmeister the shipping would be pretty expensive and then the charges for the repair would be added to that.

[Bo Bo Olson]

One has to make sure it is not oblique, where the nib tip has been ground to 15 or more seldom 30 degree angle....so one tine will be longer than the other.....but the tip will be 'even' or very near to even with it's grind angle.

[Needhelp]

One has to make sure it is not oblique, where the nib tip has been ground to 15 or more seldom 30 degree angle....so one tine will be longer than the other.....but the tip will be 'even' or very near to even with it's grind angle.

I dont think ill be getting anything that has line variation because being a student i dont need it but what if it was in a round nib like a fine nib?

[Chrissy]

If one tine was fractionally longer than the other and the nib was not meant to be oblique then the first thing to check is that the tines aren't bent in one direction. If they are both perfectly straight then you could use a nib smoothing board and very carefully drag the longer tine across it, while ensuring you keep the tines really level, until the longer one is the same length as the other tine. Then use the smooth side of the board to polish it up again on the edge.

[Driften]

If you get a new pen with one tine longer send it back to the seller. Most likely the tines are bent from a drop on its tip. You could try and fix the bend but its not going to be easy. You could try and smooth out the difference but also easy to mess up if you are not practiced at it. Its best to just send it back even long distance. Long run if you do get it repaired I expect its never going to write as well as it should have right out of the box.

 

I really would not worry about it, I expect its is a very rare situation to come across.

[Bo Bo Olson]

I second sent it back to seller or manufacture. .....if not oblique. Why screw with back yard mechanic work, when you don't have too.

Life is too short for such aggravations.

[Needhelp]

But what if it was a preppy or some cheap fountain pen that would cost more to ship it back than to buy a new one. Maybe you know......try something out.

It could even be on some cheap chinese fountain pen.

I really do not like the idea of sending it to a nibmeister because it says on many of their website 3 to 7 WEEKS! And i cant even wait for the pen to arrive when i order it.

Anyway thank you all for the suggestions.

I think the best way would be to buy from a reputable dealer who will check the pen out before shipping it or to send it back.

[Driften]

But what if it was a preppy or some cheap fountain pen that would cost more to ship it back than to buy a new one. Maybe you know......try something out.

It could even be on some cheap chinese fountain pen.

I really do not like the idea of sending it to a nibmeister because it says on many of their website 3 to 7 WEEKS! And i cant even wait for the pen to arrive when i order it.

Anyway thank you all for the suggestions.

I think the best way would be to buy from a reputable dealer who will check the pen out before shipping it or to send it back.

 

 

Yes having the dealer check is not a bad idea, but if you buy a quality pen (not some cheep Chinese model) that extra step should not be needed.

 

BTW if you do have a bad cheep pen there is nothing you can do other then do it your self. Who wants to pay some one $40 to fix a $10 pen.

[siamackz]

But what if it was a preppy or some cheap fountain pen that would cost more to ship it back than to buy a new one. Maybe you know......try something out.

It could even be on some cheap chinese fountain pen.

I really do not like the idea of sending it to a nibmeister because it says on many of their website 3 to 7 WEEKS! And i cant even wait for the pen to arrive when i order it.

Anyway thank you all for the suggestions.

I think the best way would be to buy from a reputable dealer who will check the pen out before shipping it or to send it back.

Do as Chrissy said - whip out micro mesh. Go from 4000, to 6000, to 8000 with the one tine till its close to the same length and then move to 12000 for finishing touches to make both tines levelled with each other.

 

This won't be very easy because as you polish the one tine with hand, you will probably end up creating sharper edges on it in comparison to the other time. So the final result may be a slightly assymmetricak looking set of tines, but with 12000 polishing once both tines are level you will be able to ensure the pen writes well (even if the nib tip doesn't look great visually)

[mitto]

If it is a non oblique nib and one tine is longer, either the shorter tine is, in most cases, bent inwards or the longer tine is bent outward. I have repaired quite a number of such nibs by doing the straighning of the tines.

[ac12]

First option, send it back.

 

Second option, fix it.

 

Issue1, is one tine REALLY longer than the other, or is it as @mitto said, a case of bent tines.

A bent nib can be bent up/down or sidewards or a combination.

The sidewards bend will make one tine appear to be longer than the other. For me this is also the harder of the 2 types of bends to fix.

 

Issue2, if you grind the tip of the long tine down to the length of the shorter nib, you could grind right through the tipping and hit the base metal.

Edited July 27, 2017 by ac12

[Ron Z]

It is not uncommon to find a nib that has one tine longer than the other. Its usually the result of wear from the way the owner used/held the pen. If straight from the retailer, and the tines are not bent, I would assume a bad grind... it happens. While it is not difficult for someone who has experience to even out the tines, I wouldn't recommend doing it on a new pen, especially if you aren't experienced. I would send it back to the retailer or to Lamy service. Things like this are why warranties exist. Flawed nibs and pens get through on occasion no matter how careful the vendor is. Take advantage of the warranty.

[Needhelp]

Well how do we PROPERLY straighten out the nib?

My smaller brother always just presses the pen so nib faces the ceiling and i can never get it straight and write properly!

[Jamerelbe]

Well how do we PROPERLY straighten out the nib?

My smaller brother always just presses the pen so nib faces the ceiling and i can never get it straight and write properly!

 

I think the short answer to this question is, if you know your brother's going to bend your nibs out of shape, give him a ballpoint!

 

But seriously, nibs are made of metal, if your brother (or anyone else using your pen) bends it too far back, and/or causes the metal to buckle or crease, there's a very good chance you *won't* be able to get it back into shape again - not without a burnishing block and other appropriate 'professional' tools that amateurs like you and I may not have at our disposal. That's where a professional might come in (for a more expensive pen) - or a replacement nib (for a midrange pen where that's feasible)... or even chucking the pen away (if it's a Preppie?) and buying a whole new pen!

[Jamerelbe]

Just to follow up with an illustration:

 

A couple of years ago, I loaned my (then 12 y.o.) son my Pilot Vanishing Point, to take notes during a sermon in church. At the end of the service, I discovered he'd dropped it, nib first, onto the wooden floor. He was very sheepish (an appropriate demeanor given our location at the time??), but the damage was done.

 

The 18k black-coated gold nib was badly bent, the tines splayed apart - and my best efforts to 'smooth' them back into place with fingertips and the like were unsuccessful. I contacted two Australian-based pen repairers, who both said the same thing: it would cost me more to repair the nib than to replace it. So I bit the bullet, bought a replacement (a 14K NOS nib from Anderson Pens)... and resolved never to lend a gold-nibbed pen to my son again. At least not until he turned 13...!

[Needhelp]

Umm..... i dontt give him my pen and i always write and my pen is out and he takes it without me watching and does it. And even if i keep it hidden he will find it and bend it.

[Chrissy]

Umm..... i dontt give him my pen and i always write and my pen is out and he takes it without me watching and does it. And even if i keep it hidden he will find it and bend it.

 

Give him his own cheap Jinhao and keep your pens locked up somewhere only you have a key for.

[Needhelp]

Give him his own cheap Jinhao and keep your pens locked up somewhere only you have a key for.

That is if i have a locker and he uses the uniball eye.

 

Wait a minute..... give him his own cheap jinhao? I dont even own a jinhao pen so thats a no.

Edited July 29, 2017 by Needhelp