I Broke My Platinum Nib

[CyrusTheGreat]

Hello,

I have bought a platinum century 3776 gold fine nib a couple of months ago and I adore it, today by accident it fell nib-on the floor, the nib isn't function/broken. I live in Toronto, Canada, I went on the store's (where I bought the pen from) website, they don't have a nib there but I have emailed them to ask them if I could buy one.

 

 

My questions:

1. What should I do?

2. Is there a way to buy the same nib?

3. If not (q2), can I install a different nib, say a Franklin-Christoph nib? - I have always wanted to try their S.I.G. nibs.

 

 

Thanks.

[OMASsimo]

As long as the nib isn’t cracked, chances are good that it can be repaired without too much effort. I repaired a number of severely bent nibs quite successfully and even a couple of cracked ones. Whether or not this is economical for you depends on what the repair would cost from the manufacturer or another repair service or how much you could do yourself. Pictures would help to assess the damage.

[A Smug Dill]

4 hours ago, CyrusTheGreat said:

1. What should I do?

 

Contact the retail store, or the brand's regional distributor, to inquire about non-warranty repair, in the first instance.

 

4 hours ago, CyrusTheGreat said:

2. Is there a way to buy the same nib?

 

Only if some other user is selling one on eBay and such, possibly having taken it out of a broken or otherwise non-functioning pen. Platinum does not offer standalone nibs as retail items for consumers to order or buy. If you want the nib replaced at your cost, then go through the proper channels for repair.

 

 

[CyrusTheGreat]

On 4/4/2021 at 8:37 PM, OMASsimo said:

As long as the nib isn’t cracked, chances are good that it can be repaired without too much effort. I repaired a number of severely bent nibs quite successfully and even a couple of cracked ones. Whether or not this is economical for you depends on what the repair would cost from the manufacturer or another repair service or how much you could do yourself. Pictures would help to assess the damage.

I have contacted a repair shop in Toronto, the mesiter is well known around our area as being pretty good, he was very nice when i contacted him via email and responded to my questions, the problem he said it could cost between 90-120 dollars, which is obviously less than the pen's original price, but I don't know if the delta is enough for me to go through with the repair.

 

On 4/4/2021 at 9:17 PM, A Smug Dill said:

 

Contact the retail store, or the brand's regional distributor, to inquire about non-warranty repair, in the first instance.

 

 

Only if some other user is selling one on eBay and such, possibly having taken it out of a broken or otherwise non-functioning pen. Platinum does not offer standalone nibs as retail items for consumers to order or buy. If you want the nib replaced at your cost, then go through the proper channels for repair.

 

 

 

I have done so, no replies yet. I will be looking into finding another nib on eBay, do you know how i could tell if its an actual-authentic platinum nib or not?

[A Smug Dill]

4 minutes ago, CyrusTheGreat said:

do you know how i could tell if its an actual-authentic platinum nib or not?

 

I'm afraid I can't help you with that, sorry. I've not heard of counterfeit Platinum #3776 nibs being produced or sold, but that doesn't guarantee they don't exist. I vaguely recall there was some minor change in design of genuine Platinum #3776 nibs a good many years ago, so perhaps an ‘authentic’ #3776 nib you buy on eBay may nevertheless not fit your pen; but I'll have to defer to others with more knowledge on this and wait for them to weigh in.

[CyrusTheGreat]

5 minutes ago, A Smug Dill said:

 

I'm afraid I can't help you with that, sorry. I've not heard of counterfeit Platinum #3776 nibs being produced or sold, but that doesn't guarantee they don't exist. I vaguely recall there was some minor change in design of genuine Platinum #3776 nibs a good many years ago, so perhaps an ‘authentic’ #3776 nib you buy on eBay may nevertheless not fit your pen; but I'll have to defer to others with more knowledge on this and wait for them to weigh in.

Thank you very much, i appreciate the information and help.

[OMASsimo]

The deformation of the nib doesn’t look too bad. But what I cannot tell from your pictures is what’s up with the tipping. The left tine looks a bit shorter. Did the tipping on it break off? A better close-up picture would help to assess the damage.

[danshap]

I have a blue Platinum 3776 with F nib which I don't like because it has too much feedback. It doesn't skip or hardstart, and Gena Salarino tuned it. Let me know if you want to consider buying it.

[CyrusTheGreat]

47 minutes ago, danshap said:

I have a blue Platinum 3776 with F nib which I don't like because it has too much feedback. It doesn't skip or hardstart, and Gena Salarino tuned it. Let me know if you want to consider buying it.

How much would you like for it? I had mine EF but F will do as well.

[CyrusTheGreat]

3 hours ago, OMASsimo said:

The deformation of the nib doesn’t look too bad. But what I cannot tell from your pictures is what’s up with the tipping. The left tine looks a bit shorter. Did the tipping on it break off? A better close-up picture would help to assess the damage.

No, i think its just the image, i have an iphone XR so the image quality isnt the greatest up close but they are both of equal length. Nothing missing - if that makes any sense, like no chipping.

[danshap]

How about $100 plus the cost of UPS shipping with tracking - I'm guessing about another $13

[steve50]

12 hours ago, CyrusTheGreat said:

No, i think its just the image, i have an iphone XR so the image quality isnt the greatest up close but they are both of equal length. Nothing missing - if that makes any sense, like no chipping.

In that case the best solution is simply to have it repaired. You could contact Kirk Speers at Penrealm (for example) and he'll make it look like new. 

 

https://www.instagram.com/penrealm/

 

By the way, it is an authentic Platinum pen, so don't worry about that.

[OMASsimo]

12 hours ago, CyrusTheGreat said:

No, i think its just the image, i have an iphone XR so the image quality isnt the greatest up close but they are both of equal length. Nothing missing - if that makes any sense, like no chipping.

 

This makes perfect sense and is very good news. It means that the repair should be pretty straightforward. Since you have an offer for a replacement pen similar to the price of a professional nib repair, you could risk trying the repair yourself, of course depending on how dexterous you are. But don't rush anything, first make sure that you know what you're doing. First of all, don't try to bend the tines with your fingers with the nib and feed in the pen. Trying this would do more damage than good.  Ask for help and information if you plan to go that route.

 

Here are a couple of pictures of what's doable with very little effort:

 

Before:

 

 

After:

[amk]

F rom what I remember the Platinum 3776 *nib* will fit any Platinum, but the feed was changed and it's this that makes the matching difficult. The main issue is with music nibs that will only fit certain pens.

[ethernautrix]

Also, there is the older feed which is smooth above the fins; the newer feed has a rectangular "hole" above the fins. This change occurred several years ago, so probably this isn't a big concern.

 

I'm alert to this issue cos I've bought 3776s as a cheaper nib-replacement solution for my Nakayas (both old and new feeds). (Platinum is Nakaya's parent company and manufactures Nakaya's nibs.)

[CyrusTheGreat]

On 4/8/2021 at 11:22 AM, danshap said:

How about $100 plus the cost of UPS shipping with tracking - I'm guessing about another $13

From what I have read depending on the time the 3776 was produced the nibs might not be interchangeable, is this true? excuse my lack of knowledge with the these kinds of switches, not very familiar with them, its my first Japanese. 

Also I'm assuming you are talking in USD, for which I can offer 80 (ill pay shipping obv) if that's okay with you and you are so kind to accept it, let me know.

thanks.

[CyrusTheGreat]

On 4/8/2021 at 1:02 PM, OMASsimo said:

 

This makes perfect sense and is very good news. It means that the repair should be pretty straightforward. Since you have an offer for a replacement pen similar to the price of a professional nib repair, you could risk trying the repair yourself, of course depending on how dexterous you are. But don't rush anything, first make sure that you know what you're doing. First of all, don't try to bend the tines with your fingers with the nib and feed in the pen. Trying this would do more damage than good.  Ask for help and information if you plan to go that route.

 

Here are a couple of pictures of what's doable with very little effort:

 

Before:

 

 

After:

I wanna drop a Lamy or something cheaper so i can try to learn and do it myself, i am dead serious, i am just afraid i will damage mine beyond repair. Do you need specific tools for working with nibs in such extents?

Also the second image looks really awesome, how does it write? Does it feel any different than before the bent?

thanks.

[CyrusTheGreat]

On 4/9/2021 at 5:01 AM, amk said:

F rom what I remember the Platinum 3776 *nib* will fit any Platinum, but the feed was changed and it's this that makes the matching difficult. The main issue is with music nibs that will only fit certain pens.

 

On 4/9/2021 at 5:55 AM, ethernautrix said:

Also, there is the older feed which is smooth above the fins; the newer feed has a rectangular "hole" above the fins. This change occurred several years ago, so probably this isn't a big concern.

 

I'm alert to this issue cos I've bought 3776s as a cheaper nib-replacement solution for my Nakayas (both old and new feeds). (Platinum is Nakaya's parent company and manufactures Nakaya's nibs.)

Yea, I bought a recent 3776, so I wanted to find a nib somewhere, but I have read about the feed issue, not sure how to go about this one?

What do you each recommend i do in this case?

thanks

[OMASsimo]

39 minutes ago, CyrusTheGreat said:

I wanna drop a Lamy or something cheaper so i can try to learn and do it myself, i am dead serious, i am just afraid i will damage mine beyond repair. Do you need specific tools for working with nibs in such extents?

Also the second image looks really awesome, how does it write? Does it feel any different than before the bent?

thanks.

Starting to learn nib repair using a cheap scrap pen would be a smart move, indeed. However, straightening gold nibs is quite a bit easier than doing this with steel nibs. Maybe you can find a cheap rotten vintage pen with a 14 k gold nib for a song somewhere.

 

Good tools always make it easier but if you are patient and good with your hands, you’ll need very little. All I used for the above work was a steel rod I used as an anvil and a small watchmaker’s hammer. I guess one could make a suitable small mallet with material from the hardware store.

 

The pen I showed above came damaged with a lot of vintage pens I bought. I payed the price for the one gem in the lot and all other pens came as a surplus or source for parts. So, I have no direct comparison of how it wrote before/after. But I can attest that it writes beautifully now and very similar to comparable pens of the period in my collection.

[ethernautrix]

Zhivago (screenname) over at FPGeeks has just listed a Platinum 3776 Chartres (F) for $85 CONUS.

 

I think it might get snapped up, but worth a look if you hurry.

 

I've bought pens from him and would but this one if I didn't already have all the Nakaya, oops, I mean Platinum nibs I want.