Scratchy Pelikan M205 nibs

[Heinkle]

Hi all,

 

About 6 years ago, I bought a Pelikan M205 from Amazon and was disappointed to find that the medium steel nib was quite scratchy. I haven't used the pen much as a result (it's perhaps a bit light and plasticky for me, though I do like the filling mechanism). I recently ordered another medium nib from CultPens to finally see if I could improve the writing experience, but much to my disappointment, that nib is just as, if not more, scratchy.

 

Am I just unlucky? Or is Pelikan steel nib quality not that great? I'm more of a Parker user and have typically had a very good "out of box" experience with their pens.

 

Thanks,

 

Heinkle 

[OCArt]

 

 

[maclink]

2 hours ago, Heinkle said:

Hi all,

 

About 6 years ago, I bought a Pelikan M205 from Amazon and was disappointed to find that the medium steel nib was quite scratchy. I haven't used the pen much as a result (it's perhaps a bit light and plasticky for me, though I do like the filling mechanism). I recently ordered another medium nib from CultPens to finally see if I could improve the writing experience, but much to my disappointment, that nib is just as, if not more, scratchy.

 

Am I just unlucky? Or is Pelikan steel nib quality not that great? I'm more of a Parker user and have typically had a very good "out of box" experience with their pens.

 

Thanks,

 

Heinkle 

 

One of the big advantages of the Pelikan FP is the easy interchangeability of the nibs.  Screwing out the nib/feed/housing also allows for easy cleaning.  I think that this has a lot to to do with the frequent need for slight adjustments out of the box, i.e., when your pen is fitted with a new nib and the one doing it doesn't ensure the tines are aligned before packing up the pen for shipment.  I've frequently had to do minor tine adjustments and further tuning with micro-mesh not only for Pelikans, but other pens.  This may be an annoyance not worth your while if you do not care for, that much anyway, the other advantages of the Pelikan M205, i.e., high ink capacity, great ergonomics despite their relative compactness.  When you do have one writing well, it's a nice experience indeed.

[sansenri]

rather odd really. I own a relevant number of M200s... and the only slightly scratchy nibs I have encountered (and that only once or twice that I recall) are EF nibs. I have never encountered an M200 M scratchy nib! I'd say very unlucky, however ask the dealer to replace it. Also one thing you can do, and I usually recommend, when you are quite certain you will keep the pen you order,  have the dealer test it for you!

Over time it has saved me a lot of worries I presume.

 

[mizgeorge]

24 minutes ago, sansenri said:

rather odd really. I own a relevant number of M200s... and the only slightly scratchy nibs I have encountered (and that only once or twice that I recall) are EF nibs. I have never encountered an M200 M scratchy nib! I'd say very unlucky, however ask the dealer to replace it. Also one thing you can do, and I usually recommend, when you are quite certain you will keep the pen you order,  have the dealer test it for you!

Over time it has saved me a lot of worries I presume.

 

 

I'd agree. I've had (ahem) a few M200s (and more nibs) and I've only ever had one that wasn't first rate - and that was an EF with slightly misaligned tines, which took less than five minutes to sort out. 

 

For the OP, what Parker nibs are you comparing to? 

[A Smug Dill]

5 hours ago, Heinkle said:

Am I just unlucky? Or is Pelikan steel nib quality not that great?

 

Pelikan steel nibs for its Classic M2xx pens are among the best steel nibs in the market. I have a whole bunch of them here — some came factory-fitted on M200 and M205 pens, and others ordered as standalone nib units — and cannot remember encountering any scratchiness on the (approximately ten) F and EF nibs out-of-the-box.

 

(I have some new M and B nib units here as well, but I haven't used them since I don't like writing in broad lines unless they're produced with a broad-edged, i.e. Italic or Stub, nib and I have yet to get around to regrinding those to suit my tastes.)

 

In fact, I consider the Pelikan M200 steel nibs superior to the M400 gold nibs, so I've swapped M200 nibs into my pretty M400 Tortoiseshell-Brown and White-Tortoiseshell pens because they deserve better.

 

5 hours ago, Heinkle said:

disappointed to find that the medium steel nib was quite scratchy  ...‹snip›... much to my disappointment, that nib is just as, if not more, scratchy.

 

If I were you, first I'd check for tine alignment with a loupe — or powerful magnifying glass/visor, or a USB microscopic camera — and also whether the nib slit is aligned with the centreline on the feed. If there is no apparent misalignment, then I'd look more closely at how I'm holding and writing with the pen, and check whether the nib is making initial contact with only one of the hemispheres of tipping material, thus placing significantly more pressure on one tine than the other. The M20x nibs are quite ‘springy’, and that's a trait that seems to make them favoured by some users, but it also means that the tine that is under more pressure can bend back a bit more and expose the flat side of the tipping on the other tine, thus causing ‘scratchiness’ when the edge of latter is dragged across the page surface.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Take your 10X good glass or cheap 40X Chinese loop and see which tine is up.....you do 100% need a loup.....and a honking big 1 1/2 inch thick magnifying glas just will not do the trick.

You only need 10X in a $35 dollar good glass coating Belemo. The cheap 40X=really 10X Chinese will do until some time in the decade you decide to stop buying Chinese loups that the battery is more expensive than the glass.

12 X is good. I think 15 x in real is too strong and 20X much too strong for normal nib work. 10 X is more common than 12 X.

 

 

Place your thumbnail at the start of the breather hole, press the up tine down under the down time, hold it for a good second; do that two or three times. Check with loop; it should be good.

 

A pen bought in a store is mailed on a small pallet...if a large enough B&M, so it don't get kicked half a football field, by robot or worker.

Display boxes are for display, not the rough seas of any postal service. So nibs are knocked out of alignment.

That knocked tine and holding your fountain pen like a ball point before the big index knuckle is 95% of scratchy.

 

The first time is , by the third time no big deal....in even a small knock on the desk or paper can jar alignment and buying pens by mail is an almost sure thing of misaligned nibs.

[Uncial]

My experience is the 200 steel nibs are a bit spotty on quality and I know a few pen folk who feel much the same about them. Pelikan does seem to have improved matters though as you see less posts about scratchy 200 nibs today than say six or seven years ago. They still let out a few poor nibs but are generally good about replacing them. In fairly recent times two out of three 200's I  bought had nib swaps. One was particularly dreadful.

[Bo Bo Olson]

It seems I had luck,

and hadn't much interest in the 200, 5-6 years ago.

[maclink]

I wasn't happy with my recently purchased M200 and M405 nibs out of the box.  All needed tine inspection with small adjustments and a little micro-mesh work to get them singing.  In the meantime, I got a TWSBI Eco, Platinum Procyon, both of which were just fine out of the box.  

[carlos.q]

I guess I've been lucky. I have bought M200/205 pens in EF, F, M and B and haven't had any problems at all. 

 

Today, among the pens I have inked, I have a M205 Toledo red with a B nib that is freaking awesome!!! 🤩

[Mr.Rene]

In my experience Pelikan has not good quality control in Steel nibs...compares with solid gold nibs and high range products.

Best Regards.

[amk]

I find the steel nibs have a little 'edge' to them, but that's not the same as scratchiness - it's a crisper writing experience than the bouncier, softer gold nibs.  The OP is unlucky to get two scratchy nibs in a row.

[Bo Bo Olson]

To prevent scratchy on semi&vintage nibs, Do Not hold your fountain pen like a ball point before your big index finger knuckle but behind it.

Those era and the 200's do not have the double ball nib that are made for folks that hold a fountain pen wrong.