Gappy nib, advice request

[Nightjar]

This nib is on a John Bull Number 2, which is in adequate though far from mint condition. I think it's probably 1940s, celluloid with BHR section, I may be wrong.

 

The channel is wide at the breather, but the tips are close pressed: please see photo. How do I fix this? I've tried (nib removed, attempts to bend the two shoulders closer at breather level, by crossing one half across the other, fingers-and-thumbs only). But haven't been able to change it.

 

In fact I have other nibs more or less like this (wide gap which narrows) that work fine, so perhaps I'm misdiagnosing the problem. When dipped or "primed" by raising the lever, it works for 10ish lines but way too wet; and then it stops, no ink gets beyond breather. It's a significantly flexy nib, with ready flex to about 2mm. It's possible (?) that it's a feed issue, not a nib geometry issue. [Foolishly, I didn't record nib+feed orientation and depth in section before dismantling to clean; lesson learnt.]

 

Many thanks in advance to anyone who can help, or direct me to a relevant resource. Marshall & Oldfield 4ed has only brief guidance on nib repair, perhaps there's a more detailed book out there?

 

 

 

 

[Chris1]

I'm sorry not to be able to offer positive help, but to my eye it does look as though one side of the nib (tine?) is longer than the other. Is that because the right hand is bent down as it does look as though there is a slight deformation on that side.

 

You may well be right about it being a feed issue though, especially if the nib actually writes smoothly. Perhaps a thorough cleaning, as you say it isn't in first class condition. Hope you resolve the trouble.

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

Can you show a picture of the other side so we can see the feed placement? To me it seems like the feed is not set high enough. I see it stop pretty far down through the tine gap. That tine gap does seem to be potentially be a problem but you can try setting the feed a little higher to compensate.

 

Ideally it should be possible to manipulate the nib back into shape but I have a pretty hard time with that myself.

[Nightjar]

Thanks so much @Chris1 and @LoveBigPensAndCannotLie, as requested attching photo of back, best photo I can manage with phone, badly drawn pink arrow shows height of feed.

 

Other end of feed is currently at the level of the rim of the section-bottom into which it fits, if that makes sense. If I extend feed further up nib, that means the other end will sit down inside the section-bottom, I think.

 

Also: I removed and cleaned feed previously, it's not blocked, it draws ink happily enough.

 

Thanks again!

 

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

That looks too low to me, IMO the shoulders of the feed should just about touch the shoulders of the tines. You may need to heatset it afterwards as well if the curvature of the feed is off.

[Nightjar]

@LoveBigPensAndCannotLie Noted, thank you, I will try shifting feed up, see if that helps. Appreciated!

 

Heat-setting, yikes: will cross that bridge if it rears its ugly head, with apologies for horrible mixed metaphor!

 

PS @Chris1 you were right, one tine was bent down in first photo, fixed (ish) before second photo.

[Chris1]

Good luck. Well beyond my limited capabilities!

[Nightjar]

Beyond mine too, but the pen cost £10, if I mess it up it's not the end of the world. Honestly, I think it's going to be difficult for me to fix this nib/feed, but I will try!

[Nightjar]

@LoveBigPensAndCannotLie @Chris1 muchísimas gracias!

 

 

[Chris1]

Well done! Always nice to hear of a successful fix that returns a pen into use. Flexy nibs must be fun.

[Nightjar]

And in this photo you can perhaps make out where Allen scratched his name, perhaps during a particularly tedious Latin lesson!

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

Awesome! Great job getting that nib in shape and working. Tuning these soft flexible nibs is not easy. It looks like a great writer, I am jealous of the wide nibs that you guys had over in the UK. Vintage US nibs are all mostly very fine. Even the medium ones are "fine" by modern standards.

 

I agree with you that's probably from earlier, probably the late 1920s or early 1930's? If this was a US-made pen I would say even earlier (early to mid 1920's) but I think these kind of chased pens were popular for longer across the pond. I find these kinds of "personalizations" charming. Not the most elegant but they're fun.

[Nightjar]

Thanks again @LoveBigPensAndCannotLie, you really solved my problem there.

 

I could fill the scratched-in name with Loctite 480 (followed by long therapeutic hours of sanding/polishing)... but I probably won't, I agree, these details are fun, part of the pen's history!

 

I have the opposite problem to you, I want fine nibs, often I'm tempted to grinds nibs finer... but if it's a gold nib on an old pen and it's working well, seems a bit of a crime to mess with it unless absolutely necessary. [I have a 1920s Conklin Endura from the US, and it's very fine, sort of sharp.]