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PenBBS 456 drying up after a couple pages


dwwst12

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Hi all,

 

I recently bought two PenBBS 456's. One works perfectly, and the other is problematic.

 

I swapped out the nib for a Goulet #6. It will write about 1.5 to 2 pages, and then dries up. I am assuming there is some sort of issue with ink getting past the plunger? I have kept the stopper open throughout, to make sure the ink had the best chance to flow.

 

I know that I lost at least one o-ring when I made the nib swap, but I assume that wouldn't *lessen* ink flow. Could I have done something else? Does it matter how I put the nib and feed back in the housing -- or how far I tighten it? (I left it a bit looser so that I wouldn't have to bend the fins again trying to remove it next time).

 

Thanks for any help any 456 owners can provide!
 

Dan

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Aaand now the 456 that had been working fine dried up, despite having plenty of ink visible through the barrel and keeping the knob open. 😑 Perhaps vacs just aren't for me.

 

Having some trouble getting responses to my messages... have folks had good customer service experiences with PenBBS?

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On 1/18/2021 at 10:29 AM, dwwst12 said:

I swapped out the nib for a Goulet #6

FWIW I have had the same experience with failed nib swaps for 355, 487 

 

Nib and feed fit perfect but the pen writes then stops or won't write for ink delivery is impaired 

 

The usual feed scrubbing, ink changing, pen flicking applied. The next step was to razor another channel into the feed but it was not worth the effort.

 

I only have had success with FNF Jowo to PenBBS feed and housing 

 

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16 hours ago, dwwst12 said:

Yep thanks -- I did. In the initial post I did mention that I kept it open throughout.

Oops... didn’t read carefully. I have only recently started with penbbs. So far I have tried about 10 pens, including 456, 492, 380, 480, 322, 486, 494, 323, 267. Only one of those, 322, has dried out problem. I am really happy with their performance. I am so impressed with my 456 that I purchased 4 more 456s {still waiting for delivery}. The older platinum 3776 nib fits penbbs feed perfectly. 

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I noticed that with my 456, I have to unscrew the endcap and then pull it to get ink flowing into the mini chamber. I don't mean pulling the bar all the way, it's just a little pull and you can feel where it's supposed to stop. It looks like it's designed this way. Also try giving it a gentle shake to make sure ink is not sticking to the barrel and not going in the mini chamber. 

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Thanks, Steve. I'm having a little more luck, but the flow is still wildly inconsistent because of the constant need to modify the ink flow. I figured it was like the VAC 700 -- when the knob is turned, ink is allowed to flow. I can't imagine why it wasn't designed to flow in once the blind cap is turned, like I thought was the case. Isn't that the whole idea? Why would you make something where you need an additional step of pulling the bar in just the perfect way? And if this IS by design and not a flaw in my particular pen, why don't more people talk about and/or find it as annoying as me?? :)

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9 minutes ago, dwwst12 said:

Thanks, Steve. I'm having a little more luck, but the flow is still wildly inconsistent because of the constant need to modify the ink flow. I figured it was like the VAC 700 -- when the knob is turned, ink is allowed to flow. I can't imagine why it wasn't designed to flow in once the blind cap is turned, like I thought was the case. Isn't that the whole idea? Why would you make something where you need an additional step of pulling the bar in just the perfect way? And if this IS by design and not a flaw in my particular pen, why don't more people talk about and/or find it as annoying as me?? :)

Yeah, it's annoying and I also had the same problem and thought something was wrong with the feed. I'm also surprised that I had never heard about this before buying it. I think the 355 doesn't have these issues. 

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Quick follow-up question if you don't mind, Steve (or anyone else!):

 

If I give up on making this work as a vac filler, and it's just too annoying to have the pen in a perpetual state of gradually running dry.... can't I just remove the stopper or shave it down, and use it as an eyedropper?

 

I took it apart, and it seems like the seal is just too tight for reasonable ink flow even in the unscrewed position. With the TWSBI Vac, I feel like the lockdown feature barely works anyway -- which is how I prefer it, since I don't travel with these pens.  In order to keep a constant flow, I'd probably have to prime/shake the 456 regularly, and that's just not how I want to roll.

 

Anyway, I can't think of a reason why I can't just disable the vaccuum filler as a last resort.

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