What makes a pen need priming to write?

[cecirdr]

I have an over $300 pen bought in summer that has an xf semiflex nib. This pen originally would dry out after writing a couple of pages, but the ink flow was very high. If I capped the pen and let it sit the ink would gradually get back down to the nib and I could write again for a bit. So, I sent it back, to be looked at and the feed was changed. It still exhibited the same behavior so I sent it back again. The second time the nib was probably changed.

 

Now the nib writes a much drier line, which is not a problem...if it would continue to write. (I want an xf line for daily writing of things I need to dry quickly...to-do lists, grocery lists, checks etc. ) When it first came back, I thought it was better, but I was premature. It was just due to having a fresh ink fill and the feed being full.

 

If I cap the pen and let it sit, (even 2 hours) now it dries out!...the opposite of before.(that's why I'm guessing that the nib must be different) I can re-prime it by turning it over and putting the nib down on a paper towel. Ink comes out of the vent hole in the nib if I touch a paper towel to it. But it I don't do this, the nib eventually goes completely dry. It's a semiflex, so I try a bit of pressure to move the tines a tad...but it does not help ink flow. I just get a slightly separated set of tines that may write two pathetically dry lines instead of the one thicker one I should get.

 

Waaaaaah! Can anyone help me figure this out? Since I've already sent this pen back twice, it's apparent that I'll need to diagnose or fix this myself. (or return it completely if I can) If you give the pen a fresh fill, it writes well....for a bit. It's like owning a very expensive dip pen.

 

FWIW...I've used noodler's black, gulfstream blue, PR fiesta red, *and* waterman florida blue and purple inks. I also tried different papers. It makes no difference...this pen just does not move ink to the nib. I have 4 other pens and none of them do this. And this pen has been washed and rinsed out using many flushes with the converter. I need some serious help with a diagnosis.

 

Thanks.

[southpaw]

I'd say definitely send it back to the OEM again - they need to make it right. If they can't, they should give you a full refund. Were it a car, you'd be eligible for the Lemon Law.

[Dillo]

Hi,

 

By this time, we normally get really tired of sending the pen back, but it is worth troubling the manufacturer to get it fixed. You will never believe how many times I have heard "This pen has gone back twice and was not fixed..."

 

Dillon

[Richard]

As long as your patience and wallet can hold out, making the manufacturer get it right is the nominally right thing to do. When either gives out, turn to a nib specialist. Things that can affect "drying out" include how the nib is set on the feed, the geometry of the feed channels, the tine spacing, the tip shape, alignment (in all three axes), and so on. Diagnosing the specific ailment that is making your pen act up is a job for someone with experience in repairing malfunctioning nibs using techniques that actually address the failure of the nib at hand instead of simply swapping it out. Some folks account me pretty good at that sort of thing.

[OldGriz]

Some folks account me pretty good at that sort of thing.

PRETTY GOOD... Now that is an understatement if I ever heard one...

[Mac In Oak Ridge]

Richard, no doubt you are way beyond pretty good. The information and service you provide is beyond question. Don't (I know you do, you said so.)you think that a new $300 pen should not have to be sent to a talented fellow like yourself in order to be used?

 

I am no expert in any fashion but I would suspect that if ink is coming out of the air hole then air isn't going in the air hole. If air can't get in then the ink won't come out. I would expect, no demand, that the manufacturer fix it.

Edited November 29, 2005 by Mac In Oak Ridge

[cecirdr]

I had hoped that I could get lucky and someone would say "it's just xxx" and even I could fix it. I doubted that could be the case, but hoped nonetheless. Your comment is pretty funny Richard. I have several inexpensive m200s I bought with your custom nibs. They all write flawlessly. But my expensive non-custom nib pen has got me pulling my hair out. I may have no choice but to cave in and pay for someone like you to fix it. It's a lovely pen that I really want to have in my "stable" and I'm frustrated beyond belief to keep getting it back no better off than it left me. To their credit, I do think the company is trying to fix this. But perhaps they don't quite have the skill??? Thus the nib or feed exchange. Perhaps the XF nib is a design problem???

 

Ceci

[Maja]

Can you tell us the brand of the pen, Ceci...or is it a secret? :ph34r:

Edited December 1, 2005 by Maja