Stroppy Jinhaos?

[twigletzone]

Hi all,

 

Going through my stable of cheapie pens retesting them all to see if they stay or go - three down and two to go so far. Jinhao X450, X750 and 159 on test today - the X450 is a consistent writer when loaded with a cartridge but I'm encountering an issue with the X750 and the 159 where if they're filled via converter (came with the pen), they write fine for a few lines then suddenly spit a huge ink blot onto the page and turn into a firehose for the next few. Quink washable blue in both cases so not a super temperamental ink.

 

The 159 I'm not super upset about, the shiny smooth section makes my (usually desert-dry) fingers sweat too so as lovely as it is to hold I think I'll have to find another mega-chubby pen to cuddle. But I actually really like the balance and weight of the X750 so it'd be nice to be able to hang on to it.

 

Is this flow craziness a common thing with Jinhaos? Is it less of an issue if you use a cartridge? Do they just like dry inks?

[mr T.]

On 1/14/2021 at 9:41 PM, twigletzone said:

Is this flow craziness a common thing with Jinhaos? Is it less of an issue if you use a cartridge? Do they just like dry inks?

I use also Quink in my X750's and 992's and never have ink flow issues with it. A good clean could possibly solve the problem. If that doesn't solve the issue there could be a problem with the converter. If the converter isn't airtight placed on the feed/nib, there could be issues like the one you describe. 

[mizgeorge]

 

On 1/14/2021 at 8:41 PM, twigletzone said:

The 159 I'm not super upset about, the shiny smooth section makes my (usually desert-dry) fingers sweat too so as lovely as it is to hold I think I'll have to find another mega-chubby pen to cuddle.

That's just reminded me - I experimented with putting a bit of texture on the section of a 159 to mattify it, and it's hugely improved as a result. What was rather unpleasantly slippery plastic is now more like hard rubber, much nicer to hold, and I quite like the subtle difference in colour as well.

 

Took about five minutes with a buffing stick.

 

[Jamerelbe]

No, I'd say this is not a common issue - but QC on these Jinhaos is not fantastic, so it's comparatively easy to pick up a lemon. 

 

That said, disassembling and reassembling the pens is pretty straightforward - and it's worth doing, to make sure it's properly assembled, with nib and feed in proper alignment with each other and with the cartridge or converter.

 

First, take careful note of where the tip of the nib sits relative to the tip of the feed - so you know how to align on reassembly.  The nib and feed are friction fit into the grip section, so holding them firmly between index finger and thumb, you pull straight out (don't try to wiggle!).  You'll see that the bottom of the feed is flat, and there's a corresponding flat section in the inner circumference of the grip section.

 

I'd then advise giving the nib and feed a rinse in regular tap water - especially if they're inky! - before realigning them and reinserting firmly into the grip section.  Make sure you have the right alignment between the bottom of the feed and the flat inner surface of the grip section, and make sure nib and feed are pushed in as far as you can get them.

 

My suspicion is that the blobbing of ink is due to the nib and feed being fitted a little loosely into the nib assembly / grip section - so that you're getting a build-up behind the feed (and/or in the fins) that reaches a critical mass and blobs onto the page.  If that's so, the above 'treatment' should help.  If not, I dunno - I'd probably keep poking around to see if something else is amiss.  [On that score, it's helpful to know that the nibs and feeds of all three pens - x450, x750 and 159 - are all interchangeable.  So maybe you could try swapping nibs and feeds between them, to see if mixing and matching gives you a better outcome, or at least allows you to salvage one of the two problem pens!]

[Beechwood]

Jinhao converters are not the best in the world.

 

Either keep to cartridges or swap for a better brand such as Waterman, MB or Visconti. You may feel that things ain't right when you spend more on a converter than you do on your pen.

[twigletzone]

18 hours ago, Jamerelbe said:

No, I'd say this is not a common issue - but QC on these Jinhaos is not fantastic, so it's comparatively easy to pick up a lemon. 

 

[...]

 

My suspicion is that the blobbing of ink is due to the nib and feed being fitted a little loosely into the nib assembly / grip section - so that you're getting a build-up behind the feed (and/or in the fins) that reaches a critical mass and blobs onto the page.  If that's so, the above 'treatment' should help.  If not, I dunno - I'd probably keep poking around to see if something else is amiss.  [On that score, it's helpful to know that the nibs and feeds of all three pens - x450, x750 and 159 - are all interchangeable.  So maybe you could try swapping nibs and feeds between them, to see if mixing and matching gives you a better outcome, or at least allows you to salvage one of the two problem pens!]

 

6 hours ago, Beechwood said:

Jinhao converters are not the best in the world.

 

Either keep to cartridges or swap for a better brand such as Waterman, MB or Visconti. You may feel that things ain't right when you spend more on a converter than you do on your pen.

 

I whinged about this elsewhere as well and folks suggested it might also be due to there being grease in the converters, which causes problems with surface tension. But, it has to be said the X750 behaves just fine with a cartridge so there's no reason I can't try that in the 159 as well. Cartridges are refillable, after all, and I already have a blunt syringe.

 

Defnitely up for abusing the section of the 159 a bit. I just need to acquire something to do it with - not currently in possession of a nail buffer!