Scratchy nib but not a misalignment issue

[mouse2cat]

So I have a new Opus 88 Picnic and it's beautiful but it has a problematic nib in it. Thankfully it's a standard #5 jowo so I can order a new nib unit for it and swap it out. So that means I don't have to be worried about damaging the nib in my efforts to fix it. 

 

So first off this is an EF that writes like a dry creek bed in the desert. Barely any ink flow whatsoever. I loaded it up with my wettest spreading ink Noodler's Bad Black Moccasin which is an ink that makes a fine look like a broad. Barely anything. Line is so thin that the ink actually looks light grey. 

 

So I try out the Waverly nib tuning trick. Nothing extreme here but just a subtle Waverly on this nail of a nib. This helps dramatically. Still an extra fine but now I have flow. 

 

Now for the scratchy part. The tines are aligned well, there is no difference in drag when I go left or right with the tines. But when I try to push the pen against the paper is catches like crazy. So I try flossing between the tines with a bit of frosted mylar (I don't have a bras shim) and I pull out the brown paper bag polishing trick. I wouldn't mind if this pen wrote like a F or a M as long as the damn thing writes. 

 

So I can feel it catching on the brown paper and I can also feel that it is gradually working. But it is taking forever. It feels like the bur is just on the inside of the tines or on the very tip of the pen. like when the tines are spread a tiny bit I can feel the nib catching more. Also if someone was watching me on this brown paper I would look like I had lost my (bleep) mind. It's like the film "The Ring" over here.

 

If I was a right handed writer this wouldn't be such an issue but as a lefty who has to push the pen along the paper this is proving to be a real issue for me. I've gotten the pen a lot better through my efforts so I guess I will keep polishing it with the brown paper like a river over a stone. Unless you guys have some better ideas. 

[SpecTP]

seems like you may want to run the nib along a mylar paper or try the penny trick to address the scratchiness.. and use a brass shim to open up the tines to improve flow

[mouse2cat]

2 minutes ago, SpecTP said:

seems like you may want to run the nib along a mylar paper or try the penny trick to address the scratchiness.. and use a brass shim to open up the tines to improve flow

 

I'm not familiar with the penny trick. I'm actually kind of new to fountain pens but I am learning fast. 

[SpecTP]

11 minutes ago, mouse2cat said:

 

I'm not familiar with the penny trick. I'm actually kind of new to fountain pens but I am learning fast. 

 

ref: https://www.freelists.org/post/fptalk/Fwd-The-Penny-Nib-Smoothing-Technique

[mouse2cat]

Wow this is a really unexpected trick. I'll give this a whirl. I bet it is because the copper is such a soft metal. 

[SpecTP]

39 minutes ago, mouse2cat said:

Wow this is a really unexpected trick. I'll give this a whirl. I bet it is because the copper is such a soft metal. 

 

yes, the rule of thumb is to use a material softer than the nib.. that's why folks use brass shims instead of a razor.

[Paul-in-SF]

25 minutes ago, SpecTP said:

use brass shims instead of a razor

or instead of, say, steel feeler gauges (for spark plugs etc.)?

 

A note about using brass shims on EF nibs: there are at least two thicknesses of brass shims out there, 0.04 mm and 0.07 mm (at least those are the two that I have). I would use only the thinner ones, as I have learned to my cost. I know you (OP) say you don't care if it writes like an F or M nib, but I presume you bought the EF for a reason, and a too-thick shim can spread the tines more than you might like. Just a word of caution, in case it's useful.

[mouse2cat]

Paul in SF (waves from across the bay in Berkeley) 

 

Thanks for the details on the different brass shim thicknesses. I will be mindful to get the thinner shim. 

 

I did get an EF, it's true, but I would have preferred an F or a M for this pen. But it's a discontinued pen and I found it for a good deal used. I think the seller was throwing this fish back because she had the same issues with this nib. I figured if I hated it I could always pick up a spare nib unit for a reasonable price. 

 

I have some wonderful EF ultra flex nibs from Fountain Pen Revolution and they are so juicy and so fine they meet all of my EF pen needs. No scratchiness to speak of just pencil-like feedback

[Bo Bo Olson]

1 hour ago, SpecTP said:

try the penny trick to address the scratchiness.

Penny trick don't work...Brown Paper bag is only good for removing drag from a pen that sat in the dark of the drawer for two-three generations....Micro-corrosion or 'iridium rust'. 

[maclink]

You should be able to get an Opus 88 replacement nib.  The Opus 88 picnic uses a #10 nib.  I've bought a couple replacement nibs in the past here.  

 

Your scratchiness also sounds like something that could be improved with a little micromesh work.  I had to do this recently for a Cross Century II nib that was scratchy at times on the upstroke.  Turns out that if I held the pen vertically, it would be scratchy.  A little micromesh work made things really good.

[mouse2cat]

2 minutes ago, maclink said:

You should be able to get an Opus 88 replacement nib.  The Opus 88 picnic uses a #10 nib.  I've bought a couple replacement nibs in the past here.  

 

Your scratchiness also sounds like something that could be improved with a little micromesh work.  I had to do this recently for a Cross Century II nib that was scratchy at times on the upstroke.  Turns out that if I held the pen vertically, it would be scratchy.  A little micromesh work made things really good.

 

This is exactly where my scratchiness is. I can feel it hitting more as I hold the pen more vertically. I should probably just get some micromesh for it. 

 

I have also heard that these pens can take the Franklin Christoph #5 do you know if that's true? Because I would like to replace the nib with one that has been check for quality control instead of some basic factory one with the same issues. 

[maclink]

It doesn't take a lot of micromesh work at all to make a difference.  Just a few well chosen and executed strokes across the mesh is all you may need.  Do it with the pen inked and check frequently for results.  If you stroke too often in only one direction and at a particular tilt, you could create a facet on the tip with its own sweet spot and scratchiness once you tilt out of the sweet spot.  As you stroke, change the tilt imagining that you're sort of rounding it off.  These new nib tips are largely rounded anyway.

 

The #10 nib for the Picnic does look like a #5 Jowo.  Not certain though.  Unfortunately, all my FC pens use #6 nibs, so I am unable to experiment for you. 

 

Actually, you can also get Opus 88 nibs at fpnibs.com .  The good thing with this source is that you can get a custom grind on it.  I've had only good experience with this vendor.  

Edited May 19, 2021 by maclink
Addendum

[Bo Bo Olson]

Do not do figure 8's. The passed Ol'Grizz a well respected repairman here on the com, said they cause baby bottom.

 

Circles left, right; squiggles up and down, left and right; While rotating the nib at all times.  Lightly!!!!  As a set, then look and test. @ 8-10 seconds, total per set.

 

With a buff stick, one probably don't need the roughest part, and it don't take that many seconds on the smooth side to fix your problem.

Seconds, not much longer....in what is gone is gone and micro-mesh can take away one problem quickly and give you the where the tipping go if one grinds away at it.

 

[mouse2cat]

Thank you for the warning. I will round the angle as I swipe and I will test the nib every few swipes.

I'm an artist and a printmaker and I've sharpened tools before so I will be careful not to overdo it. 

Is the micromesh something I could find at a hardware store or is it more of a specialty item?

[maclink]

I had bought mine off Amazon. I use 12000 fine micromesh.  The smaller the grit number, the coarser the mesh. I am conservative and do not use coarser mesh although I know others do, initially using a coarser mesh and then polishing with the 12000. 

[mouse2cat]

As a printmaker we regularly polish copper etching plates to a mirror finish. The finest polish is always to bring out the smooth shine and the coarse is to get out scratches and stuff. 

 

I have to run some errands so I will see if the hardware store has this. It's a big store so my odds feel pretty good. 

[mouse2cat]

OMG you guys! The nail buffing paper is basically micromesh. As demonstrated by Kevin from FPR

 

 

This is such a cheap option. A few passes and my pen is essentially fixed. 

[Bo Bo Olson]

I think I mentioned the buffing stick....don't think you need the roughest part, a few passes over the second roughest, then flip it over....remember circles and so on.

[mouse2cat]

8 minutes ago, Bo Bo Olson said:

I think I mentioned the buffing stick....don't think you need the roughest part, a few passes over the second roughest, then flip it over....remember circles and so on.

 

I see now that you did but I didn't connect that phrase with the object that I had in my home. I thought that it was a specialized tool. 

 

Either way, this nib is writing 100% better.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Great!