Converters with Beads?

[Jimmy James]

Jimmy James, why would you find it hard to believe the converter is responsible for a startup problem? The nibs and feeds have been tweaked by experts. Since the ink is coming from the converter through tweaked feeds to tweaked and inspected nibs, what else could it be? The only other factors I can think of are related to environment. I live is an extremely dry, desert climate that may be a factor. If there were a leak in each and every cap that allowed dry air to enter, perhaps environment could account for the problem. However, my piston fillers (and my Sailor c/c pens) have no problem. I'd be interested in what you think the problem could be if it is not the converter.

 

From what I have experienced so far, it's not the ink in the converter/cartridge/other ink reserve such as piston that has anything to do with start-up. It's the ink in the feed. That's why I said what I did. If the pen were writing for a little bit and then were starved, I'd think converter.

[jdclarkson]

From what I have experienced so far, it's not the ink in the converter/cartridge/other ink reserve such as piston that has anything to do with start-up. It's the ink in the feed. That's why I said what I did. If the pen were writing for a little bit and then were starved, I'd think converter.

Thanks. I wonder if there could be a leak in the caps (or my failure to close them properly) that is drying up the ink in the feeds. I will try being more careful in closing the caps. I might even try storing them on their sides, although I read somewhere that this is not the recommended way to store a pen that has ink in it.

[wimg]

Wim,

 

The first pen was a Taccia Staccato, 18K fine point. Richard Binder worked on it, wrote with it and it is incredibly smooth and, once it starts, it keeps going. If I let it rest for a day, often, but not always, I have to shake it to get it to start.

 

The second is a Dani Trio Cum Laude, 18K stub. Kevin replaced the feed, tweaked the nib, and put in a new converter. It, too, is dream to write with --- once it starts. Often, but not always, after a rest of several hours, I have to shake it to get it to start.

 

The third pen is a Bexley Simplicity, 18K stub nib. This was a recent gift from a good friend. She had no startup problems with it. I, however, have problems, SOMETIMES, but not always, after the pen rests for about an hour.

 

With all three pens, a brisk downward shake (or two) or screwing down the the converter to force ink downward, solves the problem. NONE of the pens dries up, as long as I keep writing. All three sometimes have startup problems. The inks I have used are Waterman Havana, Diamine Presidential Blue, and Private Reserve Tanzanite. I have not experimented with using cartridges in any of the pens yet, so have nothing to report about how they behave with cartridges. When I am not using my pens, I store then in a mug on a side table next to my bed, with caps on and point upward.

Ok, that sounds like a case of drying out rather quickly, and could be due to the climate, or as others indicated, not screwing the cap on tightly enough. Or even a combination of all.

 

Point upward storage is the correct way, especially for longer term storage, and should not really affect the pen all that much when it comes to writing.

 

Try if storing them on their side does help.

 

BTW, how wet or dry writing are these pens, especially compared to other pens that don't show this behaviour?

 

Warm regards, Wim

[jdclarkson]

Ok, that sounds like a case of drying out rather quickly, and could be due to the climate, or as others indicated, not screwing the cap on tightly enough. Or even a combination of all.

 

Point upward storage is the correct way, especially for longer term storage, and should not really affect the pen all that much when it comes to writing.

 

Try if storing them on their side does help.

 

BTW, how wet or dry writing are these pens, especially compared to other pens that don't show this behaviour?

 

Warm regards, Wim

 

Wim,

 

I prefer fairly wet nibs, 6-7 out of 10. There is, as far as I can tell, little difference among these pens or between this set and my other, trouble-free pens, but if I had to rank order them, within the troublesome lot, the Dani Trio is the wettest, followed by a tie between the Taccia and Bexley. Even with this variance, I'd not say any of them is substantially drier than my Pelikans or Sailors (which never give me trouble). I am thinking about placing a small wad of moist (not soaking wet) cotton in the caps each morning to see if this helps. (I have measured from tip of nib to end of cap, and there seems to be room in all three pens, if I don't try to shove a bale of cotton into them). I don't know if that is a great idea for the long term, but in the short term it might suggest that climate is the culprit if I notice a difference. I will continue to store upright during this experiment. If it doesn't help, I'll try removing the moist cotton and laying them on their sides (although hard to do in my pocket!)

Edited January 4, 2008 by jdclarkson

[blueiris]

To clarify, by "storing" them on their sides, I did not intend to suggest that fully-inked pens should be stored long term in that position. For long term storage, if the pens won't be used, I always empty and clean the ink out completely.

 

What I meant was that if you always return your pen to the mug upright in between writing sessions, and you notice that the nib is dry when you return to the pen after an hour or so, try keeping it on its side during the day when you know you'll be using the pen again. Then you can return it to the mug upright overnight when you won't be using it.

 

Also, my Pelikans don't ever have a problem starting, and I suspect it's because they're piston-fill pens that hold a lot of ink that can get to the nib quickly when inverted. A few of my converter-fill pens (though not all of them) need just a few minutes on their sides in the morning (not long-term storage) before I start to write, especially if they're running out of ink.

 

You have a lot of other great suggestions, too. Good luck.

 

EDITED for grammar.

Edited January 4, 2008 by blueiris

[Dillo]

The guy I bought my Xezo Architect from--he installed a bead inside the converter. Works very well. I may try to figure out how to do the same on some of my others.

 

Hi,

 

I actually don't have a current source for those metal ball bearings like the one I put in your converter, but I found a nice round glass bead that works. I might start selling them on the marketplace for a few cents and postage

 

Dillon

[Zarble44]

I have a Montblanc converter that came with the little spring. The first time I used it, the piston "squashed" the spring down (as expected). After filling, the spring never returned to its original shape.

 

So it's actually a little tube with bumpy edges. (Think Slinky). But it does move back and forth, and keeps the ink from hiding at the other end.

[churl]

I have to agree with previous posts that this sounds like the pens are drying out from cap related issues. I have several pens where this is a problem, and fixed it with a little tape over the air leak (although not the most aesthetic fix). Likely the dry climate is exacerbating this problem.

 

Some people lick start their pens. As long as your ink is non-toxic, you could always try that. I'm not embarrassed to say that I've tried it. I have a couple pens without caps which I start up using an ink bottle with water in it. Probably finding the air leak is the best idea though!