3 Common Fountain Pen Problems and How to Fix Them

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Is your fountain pen scratchy, inconsistent,  or just not writing the way you’d like?   In this video, we’ll go over some of the most common fountain pen problems and show you how to solve them. First, let’s look at the anatomy of a nib.   The tip is the part of the nib that touches the writing surface. The slit divides the nib into two halves, and each side is a tine. Most nibs  have a circular breather hole in the center of  the nib. The piece of plastic that the nib rests   on is called the feed. A channel on the top of  the feed brings ink to the tip of the nib. Nibs are carefully engineered, and even the  slightest adjustment can have significant and   permanent results. When fixing your nibs,  be sure to work slowly and test often.   Note that using these techniques may void  any manufacturer’s warranty the pen has.   We recommend using the following tools   to make troubleshooting your nibs easier: Many nib issues are not visible to the naked eye.  Use a loupe or magnifying glass with at least 10x   magnification to carefully examine a nib. A grip or thin, smooth towel. A grip or thin   towel makes it easier and more comfortable to hold  a nib. Rubber jar grips and cleaning cloths for glasses are both suitable. A scratchy nib will dig into the paper as you write.   Scratchiness is usually caused by misaligned tines  or other imperfections at the tip of the nib.   Improperly aligned tines can cause scratchiness. The most common form of misaligned tines is  when one tine is higher or lower than the other.   To correct this issue, follow these steps: With a fingertip placed on the top of the nib,   press the tip of the nib down gently  but firmly against a hard surface.   Rock the nib from side to  side for five to ten seconds.   Check the nib to see if the tines are still  misaligned. If so, repeat this step as necessary.   Once the tines are aligned, you may notice that  the tips have been bent up slightly. Turn the nib over   and with a fingertip on the underside of the feed,  press down briefly several times in a row. If the   tips are still bent, repeat this step.  If the tines are properly aligned  but the nib is still scratchy,   use a magnifier to examine the tip of the nib  for these two uncommon but serious issues:   asymmetrical tines and damaged tips. Asymmetrical tines have one side that is longer   or shorter than the other. Damaged tips have  surface irregularities like pits or scratches.   These issues are harder to fix at home on your own. Scratchiness can also occur if the surface  of the tip is too rough, or if the inside   edges of the tip are too sharp. You can try to  make the nib smoother by lightly polishing it.   This is the last step you should take  after checking the tines, as it can   make misaligned tines or damaged tips worse. One polishing technique that is relatively safe   is to use a paper bag, like one you  would receive from a grocery store.   With ink installed in the pen, draw ten to  twenty figure eights on the paper using your   normal writing angle and pressure. Test  the pen for smoothness on regular paper.   If the nib is still scratchy,  repeat this step.   This method can take a little  time to produce noticeable results   and might not work with all nibs. If you find  that the nib is cutting into the paper bag,   stop immediately. The nib is likely too scratchy  to fix and the paper fibers may clog the nib.   “Flow” is how quickly a pen puts ink onto the paper. Dry or inconsistent flow  can cause the ink to skip or appear washed out.   It can also cause hard starts, or small  skips at the beginning of pen strokes.   Before you try to diagnose the  issue, give your pen a good cleaning.   Paper fibers and dried ink can clog a pen, causing  poor ink flow. Click the card above to watch   our video on cleaning fountain pens. If your nib still does not flow well, follow these steps: First, check to make sure that the nib and feed  are installed properly in the pen. The nib slit should line up with the ink channel on the top,  which is visible through the nib’s breather hole. If the slit and ink channel do not line up,  manually adjust the nib and feed so that they do. Next, see if the nib is sitting firmly  against the entire top surface of the feed.   If there is a gap between the nib and feed,  you can correct it with the following steps:   Place a fingertip on the underside of the  feed. Press the top of the nib gently but   firmly against the edge of a hard surface. Then slowly roll the nib from base to tip against   the surface. Check the nib to see if the gap  is still present. If so, repeat this step.   When the nib and feed are aligned, you may notice  that the tips have bent down slightly. Turn the   nib over and with a fingertip on the top of the  nib, press down briefly several times in a row.   If the tips are still bent, repeat this step.  With a clean, dry pen, hold the nib up to a  light so that it shines through the slit. Use   a magnifier to examine the nib. The slit should  narrow slightly towards the tip, but the tines   should not be touching. Touching or splayed  tines can cause poor or inconsistent flow.   If the tines are touching, slowly press  the tip of the nib down on a hard surface   so that the tines of the nib spread no  more than one or two millimeters apart.   Hold down for a few seconds and release. Check the  nib to see if the tines are still touching. If so,   repeat this step. This process can take some  time, but most tines should loosen eventually.   Do not try to speed up the process by  pressing harder or for longer periods,   as this can result in splayed  tines or even permanent damage.   If the tines are splayed, roll the top of  the nib on the edge of a hard surface.   Next, with a fingertip on the underside  of the feed, press the top side of the   tip against a hard surface and rock the nib  from side to side for five to ten seconds.   Repeat this step as necessary. With a fingertip on the side of one tine,   press the tip of the other tine down on a  hard surface and hold for several seconds.   Alternate sides and repeat as necessary.   Grip the sides of the tines between two fingertips  and squeeze them firmly for five to ten seconds,   repeating as necessary. This can be uncomfortable,  so we recommend using a jar grip or thin towel to   cushion your fingertips.  If your fountain pen skips on the first pen stroke  after a brief pause but writes well otherwise,   the problem could be “baby’s bottom.” The  following workarounds won’t solve the problem,   but they will alleviate the symptoms: Press a little harder while you’re writing.   Use paper that is less  smooth and more absorbent. Or use a wetter ink. Some of our favorites are Diamine, Pilot Iroshizuku, or Waterman. A pen with wet flow will create wide, wet lines  that can make your nib seem broader and take a   long time to dry. It might even cause ink to drip  or leak from your nib. Here are steps you can take   to address a nib with excessive ink flow:  Heat like warm weather or your body temperature  can cause the air inside a pen to expand   and force ink out the feed. Eyedropper-filled  pens are the most prone to this issue,   but it can affect any fountain  pen regardless of filling system.   One way to alleviate the problem,  particularly with eyedroppered fountain pens,   is to keep the reservoir at least a third  full of ink at all times. More ink in the   barrel means there is less air that can expand. If you're writing during hot weather, maybe take a break or go somewhere with air conditioning. An air leak might occur when the opening of  an ink cartridge or converter does not form   an airtight seal with the nib section.  Make sure the cartridge or converter is installed firmly. Then if that doesn't work, try installing a different cartridge or converter in the pen. You can try to reduce ink flow by  tightening the gap between the nib’s tines.   Grip the sides of the tines with your fingertips  and squeeze them for five to ten seconds,   repeating as needed. Use a rubber grip  or soft cloth to cushion your fingers. With a little work and some inky fingers,  you can fix or tune a fountain pen   to write the way you want. Did this video  help you solve your fountain pen problem?   Let us know in the comments below. Hopefully we've talked about any issues that you might run into. But the most important tip we can give is not to fix a pen that isn't broken. If your pen has a nib slit that isn't perfectly aligned, or the tines aren't perfectly cut, but it still writes well then it doesn't need to be adjusted. Thanks for watching!
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Channel: JetPens
Views: 341,213
Rating: 4.9272728 out of 5
Keywords: jetpens, pens, fountain pens, fountain pen ink, pilot pen, platinum pen, japanese fountain pen, beginner fountain pen, fountain pen writing, kaweco, twsbi, fountain pen beginner, fountain pen guide, fountain pen diy, common nib problems
Id: qfPp-B7r8Ig
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Length: 9min 40sec (580 seconds)
Published: Tue Nov 03 2020
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