Sailor Pro Gear Left/Up Strokes Dry

January 19, 2021

Hello,

I recently received a Sailor Pro Gear(21K MF nib), and I'm having some issues with left strokes and up strokes being very dry.

I've attached a picture of the issue below. Before I go about fiddling with the nib, is this an issue with the tine gap not being large enough?

I've also attached pictures of the nib, apologies for the glare.

Would appreciate any help!

Thanks!

January 24, 2021

From the photo, it looks to me that the nib tipping was cut slightly asymmetrically, and the hemisphere on the left tine is thicker (height-wise) and its bottom sits lower than that on the right tine. If you're drawing a line with a left-to-right pen stroke and putting little-to-no downward pressure on the nib, then quite possibly only the left tine's tipping is touching the paper, causing the line to be narrower and some scratchiness. If your up strokes are also like that, then I'm guessing you hold your pen with the nib slightly rotated counter-clockwise?

January 24, 2021

After a lot of thinking and carefully observing, I have found what you have said to be spot on. I observed myself rotating the pen towards the left when trying to make left strokes, and the tipping would simply rub on the paper. What is curious is that I do not perceive the same behavior on a medium:

nor a fine:

both of which do not have as small of an "exposed slit surface." Some conscious adjustment of my writing has mostly fixed the problem, though perhaps increasing the wetness may mitigate some faint off-center strokes.

Thanks!