At Home Nib Adjustment?

[CowboyBlue]

I have a couple of pens that I would love to get into my daily rotation, but the nibs are unacceptably rough and sharp. One actually slices the paper when I try to write on the upstroke.

 

Is it possible or advisable to use some kind of abrasive to gently grind a nib smoother? These are not expensive, collectible pens. If they were, I would buy new nibs.

[Violet.Ink]

Doing 8 and infinity figures over a creme office folder during a week, while my computer was thinking, did the trick for me on a steel Pilot nib (Plumix). Before, it was like scratching nails over a blackboard. After, I really liked it so I put it into a Metropolitan as I hate the Plumix body (Metros didnt come with those nibs at that time).

[Bo Bo Olson]

Ol'Griz, a past pen repair man, said doing figure 8's can cause baby bottom.

First

Scratchy = a misaligned nib....and or holding the fountain pen like a ball point before your big index knuckle, and not behind it like a fountain pen are 95% of scratchy.

 

You need a 10 X loupe to see the tip of your pen clearly....and no even a huge 1 1/4th" or 2.75mm thick magnifying glass won't do the trick.

 

From the end of the slit or the breather hole with your thumb nail, press the up nib down under the lower one, for two seconds two or three times. That should level your tines....but you do need a 10 x loupe....the cheap Chinese ones 40X=10X in better coated and better ground glass loupes.

 

Belomo costs $35 and is a once in a life time buy....is better than the cheap $4.00 Chinese ones, that you might end up buying new, again and again.The 10X Belomo will be sharper.

And no you don't need more than 10X...(well 12X might be better), but 15-20X are too strong giving you a too small a view and you will have to hold it much closer to the glass.

I wouldn't spend any extra money for a 12X loupe, in my 10X works just fine.

[tamiya]

Is it possible or advisable to use some kind of abrasive to gently grind a nib smoother?

 

sure, some use nail files if they've got nothing better. I prefer Micromesh or Mylar honing film, I've found it at Hobby stores & woodworking supply shops.

 

But do inspect with loupe & check nib tines are aligned before any polishing. Lots of videos on YouTube & tutorials here how to go about it. Fingernail is all I use for nib realigning, although sometimes a wooden chopstick sharpened to a point (via pencil sharpener) is handy too.

[OMASsimo]

As a vintage collector, I repair, re-adjust, and tune nibs all the time. It's a hobby and passion for me, so I'm not a professional as several others here. I use various grinding and polishing (felt) wheels and polishing pastes from the standard jewelers and watch makers repertoire (I've been doing watch making for years). It doesn't matter so much what tools you use but how you use them. Always keep in mind that the action of removing material by grinding usually can't be reverted. So, the first step always must be to pinpoint the actual problem before any action is taken. Cheap pens/nibs you don't care too much for are a good start to make your experience before you dare to approach the ones your really want. In the end you might find that's a lot easier than many think it is.

[Bo Bo Olson]

What is gone is gone....costs near $100 to put it back on again.

[Newton Pens]

I use 800 or 1000 grit wet/dry sand paper for really rough edges. You can smooth them a bit more with 1500 or 2000.

This is what I do-

 

Lift one tine- sand the inner edge of the other tine. Then lift the other tine and sand the edge of the first one. The red area there.

[makas]

Hello CowboyBlue

 

I’m a little late in the game but the first thing I would ask is if the nib is an XF and what paper you are using. What is the pen? Is this a vintage pen that you may not be able to replace? Like asked above how do you hold the pen and how much pressure are you using? I would advise you answer to yourself if it could be something you are doing or using before you make changes that you may not be able to repair. I only wish I had all the pens I damaged before I started to ask myself some of these questions. If it is easy to find a replacement can I afford to damage the pen? If the answer is yes go for it because you will only get better at it. I used to live in Abilene and it is a great area to pickup vintage pens! Good luck with your pens. You could go to Dallas and get with the pen club for help if you have the time.

 

Take care

Mark

[DiveDr]

Before you do anything read Richard Binder's guides on the forum. Do not use any abrasives before you align the tines (I personally have caused the untimely death of many a nib by doing this) and you need a loupe. 10x will work but I also recommend a 30x for close in inspection especially if you want to polish the inner surface of the tine points. DO NOT USE SANDPAPER, get some proper micromesh from Anderson Pens (or wherever you prefer) and some 0.3 micron and 1 micron mylar sheets. They also sell the loupes you need. Make sure you read Richards tutorial, pay particular attention at the proper orientation to hold the pen to observe nib alignment with the loupe. Go SLOW, have patience and practice on a disposable pen before you even think of touching something more than $5!

[OMASsimo]

Partially true, but keep in mind that no manufacturer uses micromesh or mylar sheets to finish nibs. They are not even known on the continent on this side of the big pond. It's not about the tools but about what you want to achieve. You could use a file to grind your tip as long as you finished up the surfaces properly afterwards! That means if you have the required craftsmanship.

 

In my opinion, the key to nib repair is to have a clear vision of how it should be and why it's not. That determines what actions should be taken and which tools will do the job. In other words: experience.

[tamiya]

meh... Micromesh/Mylar is just fancy sandpaper.

 

One can use a file (nail, needle, diamond etc) or I could bust out my Dremel.

 

Same destination. But yeah, definitely need to know clearly where you want to go before starting out.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Super fancy sandpaper.............lapping sheets would then be super duper sandpaper.

 

One must avoid going cheap...........and acting like a Fin is still real money.

 

An investment in a good loupe is a life time investment, so get one with a good well ground lens and good coating. Belemo at @ $35 is a good one.........there are great ones for twice as much and more.

If you buy a cheap Chinese $4.00 one, you will buy it again, and later too. In I think they are cheaper than the battery. A good lens is sharper than Chinese. But get then a Chinese loupe as a starter if you must save money. 10X in good glass =40X in the Chinese so that tells you the real truth.

 

If you have Japanese water stones, you could use them.....by having them you may even know how to use them...............but a nib tip's 'iridium' is not near as hard as steel on a stone.

 

Three sided buff sticks, are cheap and good. Micro mesh is so much cheaper and easier to get than a decade ago...as Osmas said, scarce in Europe. I ordered my smoothing kit from Binder.

His deluxe smoothing kit has two dirt cheap pens to ruin.

Sheets of micro mesh are wider than a buff stick, so you are not so cramped........but with micro-mesh or the buff stick you are talking about seconds of smoothing, two-three, check by writing, then again. Very.....Slowly....

 

 

And no, a Dremel is way too fast, even at slowest speed with a cotton buffing pad with jeweler's red rouge. And how hard are you going to press. (once too much and there goes the 'iridium'.) How are you going to control nib rotation to the exactness you can do with micro-mesh.?

Dremel with buff pad is good for buffing up an Esterbrook....but I didn't do that with any other pen, in they were not rumored to be as sturdy.

Bare fingertip polishing with Semi-chrome a few times between flannel cloth buffing. ...Nope didn't even use my Dremel for just buffing.....way too easy to burn or dig. Of course I'm not a Dremel expert.....works great with cork though.

 

Going cheap is just as bad as having no patience. Read what Richard said; get your proper tools, not sand paper.............we are not shellacking a table, so you don't need such tools.

 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

With 95% of scratchy being misaligned tines and or holding a fountain pen like a ball point before the big index knuckle instead of behind....

 

....I'd never even dream of twisting the tines so I could 'smooth' the insides........making baby bottom or other V problems with the nib.

That guys sandpapering the inside of the tines, more advanced than I am..............all my problems with scratchy were cured with tine alignment and one or two nibs that were missing a small chunk of iridium; cured by micro-mesh. (Drag and how butter smooth you want your nib is another topic.)

I don't even shim, in I don't have shimming problems. (With the dirt cheapest paper .... that can fuzz........but even normal run of the mill 80g copy paper don't fuzz...or it would screw up the office copier.). Actually when cut the slit is pretty smooth. I don't think you can or need to smooth up the inside of the slit, and shims are not for polishing but for cleaning gunk out of the feed channels.

Edited January 19, 2020 by Bo Bo Olson

[OMASsimo]

Super fancy sandpaper.............lapping sheets would then be super duper sandpaper.

 

If you have Japanese water stones, you could use them.....by having them you may even know how to use them...............but a nib tip's 'iridium' is not near as hard as steel on a stone.

 

 

I assume that's a typo. The nib tipping is way harder than any steel ever could be. That's the reason why it was invented. I use Japanese and Belgian waterstones for honing my Japanese kitchen knifes. Yes, you could smooth a nib on them but the super hard tipping will cause an uneven surface on the stone, ruining it for use with your knifes. I would not recommend this unless you have a dedicated stone and/or are willing to plane it with a special planing stone from time to time.

 

I do use a speed-controlled dremel/proxxon very often when I work on pens. It's a great tool if you know how to use it. It's absolutely perfect for grinding and polishing metal (nibs). Care and attention is needed when polishing plastics of course because you don't want to melt the piece by producing too much heat. As always, one should know and practice how to use a tool properly to make good use of it.

[awa54]

 

I assume that's a typo. The nib tipping is way harder than any steel ever could be. That's the reason why it was invented. I use Japanese and Belgian waterstones for honing my Japanese kitchen knifes. Yes, you could smooth a nib on them but the super hard tipping will cause an uneven surface on the stone, ruining it for use with your knifes. I would not recommend this unless you have a dedicated stone and/or are willing to plane it with a special planing stone from time to time.

 

I do use a speed-controlled dremel/proxxon very often when I work on pens. It's a great tool if you know how to use it. It's absolutely perfect for grinding and polishing metal (nibs). Care and attention is needed when polishing plastics of course because you don't want to melt the piece by producing too much heat. As always, one should know and practice how to use a tool properly to make good use of it.

 

 

I find that using a 1500 grit diamond lapping plate removes tipping material very quickly (only used for major reshaping) and no matter how hard the iridium/ruthenium/tungsten/osmium alloy pellets may be, they do seem to grind at a similar rate to well hardened steel (Rc 60+).

 

As stated before it's less about the tool than about the skills and experience level of the user. I would always suggest only the mildest abrasives for a beginner, since going after a nib with aggressive cutting tools means that you can easily remove too much material.

[OMASsimo]

I'm totally with you regarding being careful with any tool that has some destructive potential.

 

Regarding the tipping, the measurement scales for hardness are a bit tricky. Anyway, a Rockwell HRC value of 60 corresponds to a Brinell value of about 600. Brinell values for Rhenium (1300-2500), Iridium (1670), Rhodium (980-1350), Molybdenum (1370-2500) all seem considerably higher. Osmium is much lower (293) but the naturally occurring osmiridium must have been much harder but I couldn't find a value. It was considered the hardest alloy known in the 1920s. So, your observation sounds very interesting to me. Particularly, because even steel nibs for fountain pens were tipped with those expensive materials to make them wear resistant. Thus the omnipresent "Iridium Point" imprints on steel nibs.

[Tseg]

Align tines. Draw left, right, up, down to see which way scratches. When they all sound about the same the tines are most likely aligned.

 

If problem not solved I then would floss the tines with a brass shim and try again.

 

Before I would micro-mesh, I then do the figure-8 on my brass shim and see if this makes the nib acceptable.

 

I usually find a scratchy nib not due to misalignment is driven from either the very back of the nib-tipping or the very tip, so before I go crazy with figure-8s on micro-mesh, will try on paper, then micromesh a circular motion with the nib parallel or even a negative degree to the micro-mesh to smooth out the back of the tip, then briefly on the point, perpendicular to the mesh. If the nib is snagging, that could indicate a problem that takes a bit more skill to resolve.

 

I've ruined a couple nibs in my day, but have made a lot more write sublimely. For me, its all part of the hobby. My most expensive "learning moment" was trying to tame an absolute sloppy Pelikan M1000 nib. By the time I was done (after multiple sessions and many months) it wrote a beautiful fine line, but the nib looked like (bleep). I ended up winning a NOS 2-Pelikan M1000 B nib at auction after my OCD got to me. It also was sloppy. I forced myself to send it to Pendleton Brown to get a BLS tip. It came back perfect, one of my favorites.

 

In summary, it you are risk averse... send it in to someone. If you see adjustment as part of the hobby, give it a shot yourself, understanding there will be learning moments.

[DiveDr]

I have had many a "learning moment" over the years...