Thank you so much. I purchased a 14kt nib for my Kaweco AL Sport and was almost ready to have it turned into a pendent (it would have been beautiful, two tone gold nib) by my local jeweler when I took a surgical knife and spread the tines until I could see light. I wish I'd saw this video first and used a feelers gauge but it was what is was. I scratched the underside of the nib a bit guiding the knife into the groove. But the nib is still beautiful on the front. I feel that I have learned so much from this channel that I could call myself an amateur "fixer" of fountain pens. And if I may throw this out to all fountain pens aficionados, I have had beautiful gold nibs on pens that I just no longer use or are broken and have turned the nibs into pendants. They make wonderful sentimental gifts for yourself or for the writers and fountain pen lovers in your life.
There's no solution for mold, when you get it the ink should be disposed of immediately and everything that was in contact with it must be sort of "quarantined". The fountain pen Reddit has some advice on cleaning moldy pens, the best product you can use is ammonia and there are several recipes there.
Great video full of helpful little tips and tricks! Definitely going to try to remember that for the next pen that has issues... which doesn't happen often, thankfully. But even in the meantime, Drew, your energy is infectious and the prop, while it looks very helpful, is also super entertaining.
Some materials will soften or even dissolve in an acidic environment. Like vinegar. You might notice the finish on your pen getting dull, or the decorative paint peeling, or the gilding on the trim rings turning to powder. Safer to gently slide out the nib and feed and take an old toothbrush to them. @@CorwynGC
The ink one is definitely worth noting, it almost feels like it shouldnt be the case Like, “oh, a dry ink with a dry pen is just unpleasant on a tactile level, its just preference” No. Sometimes your pen just hates an ink. My Iridescent pearl kaweco hates Sailor Byakuya. It really sucks, since the two are a great match.
It doesn't get more frustrating than a feed that has air-ink interchange issues from the factory. It's rarely visible, it mimics other issues and it's not often you can buy a replacement feed. If you try to fix it by widening the air channel, you often end up with a leaky pen. You might not even notice it until after you can return your pen if you happen to test it with ink that is less viscous.
Yeah, a legitimately defective feed is almost impossible to diagnose. The process of elimination is probably the only course there, unfortunately. - Drew
Resolved a pen having ink-flow issues (no ink on the page) by swapping out the converter with a new one. Granted, I bought 10 universal converters from 10 different pen companies. Planned on shoving one in after another until I found one that worked. 2nd new converter was the magic one that fixed the problem.
On the other hand, as I discovered age about 8, there are occasions on which at least licking, works. Suck? Not so good. Remember to wash your tongue or your Mom will 'become concerned'.
You may think that you choose the ink, but before you do so, the pen chooses the ink. Some ink brand should work in same brand of pen. If not? Mostly works, but not always.
Yes, they're just friction-fit into the grip section. Most Sailor nibs and feeds can be removed by (very carefully) pulling them straight out of the grip. - Drew
Ah the tines being too far apart. My husband has a stealth delta we bought... I think it was from Goulet back when Australian shipping was a grimace and not a panic attack, American sellers are off limits to us now. But it's a fine pen that writes like a broad..... But it writes remarkably consistently despite a clear tine split issue so I've never got it fixed 😅
Does the same thing (that the tip of nib should touch and the gap is only beneath) also hold for flex nibs. Such as the Mont Blanc Calligraphy 146 Flex Nib? I definitely have the issue of skipping and see the gap going completely through. On the other side this style of a nib is exactly made to split up at the top of the nib. Any suggestions? Thank you in advance
I have a Lamy Safari with medium nib that for ages I thought was defective. I was using the Lamy Crystal Ink (Benitoite) colour in it and it never seemed to flow well. Then I decided to switch inks to Sailor and it writes like a dream. Seems that the Lamy ink was the cause of the issues. Not sure if it's the line of Crystal inks in general, or this specific one, which I think is a document ink. Have you guys experienced similar issues with this line of inks, or do you have any similar stories of other inks that didn't seem to work, that were the cause of the issues?
My pen works beautifully when I flush the feed with ink manually through my converter. But that's all the ink it gets. Once that ink is over, the nib becomes dry as a bone, literally no ink at all. The ink won't come out even if I shake the pen. Then I flush the feed and the cycle repeats. I just can't establish flow to the nib. Someone please help me through this. Is there anything I can do?
Why do I always have trouble getting the ink to start flowing with my Jinhao 993 Shark Fountain Pen? Doesn't matter if it is brand new or if I have cleaned it to put in a new ink, I ALWAYS have trouble getting the ink to start flowing. Once I do I have zero problems. It's only initially when I first ink it up with no other problems. Works great from day to day, week to week, month to month, it's just that initial inking up process. If I don't clean it and just add more ink to my already inked up converter; again I get no problems, except now I am using a new ink and it's mixed up with some of the old ink color so I'm not thrilled. My solution has been to just struggle with the pen. Dip the tip in water, screw the converter to force ink out, roll the tip around in ink, and even lick it... yeah that's a gross one. Eventually after throwing a few tantrums something kicks in and bam! It's working and I so no more problems until I want to clean it up and switch colors. What is the problem!?! I have several colors of this pen, the black one, a lavender one, a grey one... doesn't matter, they all have the same issue. I just know to expect it now. I get that it's an extremely cheap pen, but it writes well and I don't get sad if it cracks or breaks and the shark is cute so I enjoy it. But why? Just... why?
I had few fountain pens which didn’t do well out of the box. In my experience, a good pen with a good nib will write well irrespective of ink/paper. And a defective nib is like a “birth defect”. No matter what you do, the “scar” stays forever and irritates you !
As 99% of fountain pens can be refilled _(converter)_ or with a cartridge _(also refillable)._ *My questions is regarding rollerball refills - M63 - can they be refilled?* Like with some rollerball pens use fountain pen ink, _I have one!_
Nothing against Goulet Pens, but it’s a damned indictment of the fountain pen industry that this video needs to be made. Any other industry with this rate of failure and malfunction would be embarrassed into quality control or go out of business. Fountain pen lovers are sometimes too forgiving for their own good.
In Drew's defense, no "rate of failure" is specified, nor was any distributor. The suggestions are equally useful regardless of where a pen came from, if it's a multi-thousand-dollar German plastic thing with secret icons, or a $3 Chinese knockoff of some other model. If you don't approve of the difficulties that can accompany fountain pen ownership, feel free to use a biro. Your choice.
Thank you so much. I purchased a 14kt nib for my Kaweco AL Sport and was almost ready to have it turned into a pendent (it would have been beautiful, two tone gold nib) by my local jeweler when I took a surgical knife and spread the tines until I could see light. I wish I'd saw this video first and used a feelers gauge but it was what is was. I scratched the underside of the nib a bit guiding the knife into the groove. But the nib is still beautiful on the front. I feel that I have learned so much from this channel that I could call myself an amateur "fixer" of fountain pens. And if I may throw this out to all fountain pens aficionados, I have had beautiful gold nibs on pens that I just no longer use or are broken and have turned the nibs into pendants. They make wonderful sentimental gifts for yourself or for the writers and fountain pen lovers in your life.
Hi Drew! Could you do a video on dealing with mold? There isn't a lot out there and it'd be nice to have possible solutions and their pros and cons.
I'll keep that in mind! Thank you! - Drew
There's no solution for mold, when you get it the ink should be disposed of immediately and everything that was in contact with it must be sort of "quarantined".
The fountain pen Reddit has some advice on cleaning moldy pens, the best product you can use is ammonia and there are several recipes there.
Excellent advice for the maintenance of fountain pens.
Great video. Very helpfull information! Also liked that you kept it short and so organized. Thank you!
How did you know I needed this video?!
Great video full of helpful little tips and tricks! Definitely going to try to remember that for the next pen that has issues... which doesn't happen often, thankfully. But even in the meantime, Drew, your energy is infectious and the prop, while it looks very helpful, is also super entertaining.
Love the example nib at 2:33! 👌
"Nobody's having a good time there" 🙃 Love the demonstration nib Drew.
Drewlet feed brush to the rescue every time! Did Drew make that excellent jumbo nib prop? Well done! 😊
Haha yes, I did! Thank you! - Drew
Really nice, the swirl "engraving" is excellent! @@Gouletpens
If messing with the nib voids the warranty, shouldn't the warranty fix nibs which are misaligned or otherwise not working?
Hardwater can be an issue if the calcicates form in your feed. Just replace it, if they can not be dislodged, or dissolved.
Vinegar for the disolving?
Some materials will soften or even dissolve in an acidic environment. Like vinegar. You might notice the finish on your pen getting dull, or the decorative paint peeling, or the gilding on the trim rings turning to powder. Safer to gently slide out the nib and feed and take an old toothbrush to them. @@CorwynGC
The ink one is definitely worth noting, it almost feels like it shouldnt be the case
Like, “oh, a dry ink with a dry pen is just unpleasant on a tactile level, its just preference”
No. Sometimes your pen just hates an ink. My Iridescent pearl kaweco hates Sailor Byakuya. It really sucks, since the two are a great match.
It doesn't get more frustrating than a feed that has air-ink interchange issues from the factory. It's rarely visible, it mimics other issues and it's not often you can buy a replacement feed. If you try to fix it by widening the air channel, you often end up with a leaky pen. You might not even notice it until after you can return your pen if you happen to test it with ink that is less viscous.
Yeah, a legitimately defective feed is almost impossible to diagnose. The process of elimination is probably the only course there, unfortunately. - Drew
Good information, Thanks
Thanks, David! - Drew
Which is the best fountain pen with extra fine nib writes longer?
Resolved a pen having ink-flow issues (no ink on the page) by swapping out the converter with a new one. Granted, I bought 10 universal converters from 10 different pen companies. Planned on shoving one in after another until I found one that worked. 2nd new converter was the magic one that fixed the problem.
Fantastic! Glad to hear it! - Drew
Thanks Drew!!
You're very welcome! Thanks for joining me! - Drew
You are so fun
If I got this problem, I normally just lick and suck at the pen till the Ink is flowing again. ... no, just kidding, don't do that.
On the other hand, as I discovered age about 8, there are occasions on which at least licking, works. Suck? Not so good. Remember to wash your tongue or your Mom will 'become concerned'.
@@davidwright8432 The way without ink in the mouth would be to take a bulb syringe and blow from the feed side through the pen, I assume.
I wish you could have seen the look on my face as I read this comment! Ha ha!
You may think that you choose the ink, but before you do so, the pen chooses the ink. Some ink brand should work in same brand of pen. If not? Mostly works, but not always.
Agreed! - Drew
Can you remove Sailor feed and nibs? If so how?
Yes, they're just friction-fit into the grip section. Most Sailor nibs and feeds can be removed by (very carefully) pulling them straight out of the grip. - Drew
@@Gouletpens TYSM Drew!
Happy sandwich 😂😂
😃🥪
Ah the tines being too far apart. My husband has a stealth delta we bought... I think it was from Goulet back when Australian shipping was a grimace and not a panic attack, American sellers are off limits to us now. But it's a fine pen that writes like a broad..... But it writes remarkably consistently despite a clear tine split issue so I've never got it fixed 😅
Does the same thing (that the tip of nib should touch and the gap is only beneath) also hold for flex nibs. Such as the Mont Blanc Calligraphy 146 Flex Nib? I definitely have the issue of skipping and see the gap going completely through. On the other side this style of a nib is exactly made to split up at the top of the nib. Any suggestions?
Thank you in advance
Good 👌
I have a Lamy Safari with medium nib that for ages I thought was defective. I was using the Lamy Crystal Ink (Benitoite) colour in it and it never seemed to flow well. Then I decided to switch inks to Sailor and it writes like a dream. Seems that the Lamy ink was the cause of the issues. Not sure if it's the line of Crystal inks in general, or this specific one, which I think is a document ink. Have you guys experienced similar issues with this line of inks, or do you have any similar stories of other inks that didn't seem to work, that were the cause of the issues?
Received my order today. Very pleased.
Love you r pens
My problem is with a TWSBI Eco-T. The pen randomly stops writing until I advance the piston a fraction of a turn. Then it writes just fine.
My pen works beautifully when I flush the feed with ink manually through my converter. But that's all the ink it gets. Once that ink is over, the nib becomes dry as a bone, literally no ink at all. The ink won't come out even if I shake the pen. Then I flush the feed and the cycle repeats. I just can't establish flow to the nib. Someone please help me through this. Is there anything I can do?
Why do I always have trouble getting the ink to start flowing with my Jinhao 993 Shark Fountain Pen? Doesn't matter if it is brand new or if I have cleaned it to put in a new ink, I ALWAYS have trouble getting the ink to start flowing. Once I do I have zero problems. It's only initially when I first ink it up with no other problems. Works great from day to day, week to week, month to month, it's just that initial inking up process.
If I don't clean it and just add more ink to my already inked up converter; again I get no problems, except now I am using a new ink and it's mixed up with some of the old ink color so I'm not thrilled.
My solution has been to just struggle with the pen. Dip the tip in water, screw the converter to force ink out, roll the tip around in ink, and even lick it... yeah that's a gross one. Eventually after throwing a few tantrums something kicks in and bam! It's working and I so no more problems until I want to clean it up and switch colors. What is the problem!?! I have several colors of this pen, the black one, a lavender one, a grey one... doesn't matter, they all have the same issue. I just know to expect it now. I get that it's an extremely cheap pen, but it writes well and I don't get sad if it cracks or breaks and the shark is cute so I enjoy it. But why? Just... why?
My problem is I'm an idiot who put ballpoint pen ink on my cartridge. I cleaned it a few times still wont write consistently
I had few fountain pens which didn’t do well out of the box. In my experience, a good pen with a good nib will write well irrespective of ink/paper. And a defective nib is like a “birth defect”. No matter what you do, the “scar” stays forever and irritates you !
Form India
As 99% of fountain pens can be refilled _(converter)_ or with a cartridge _(also refillable)._ *My questions is regarding rollerball refills - M63 - can they be refilled?* Like with some rollerball pens use fountain pen ink, _I have one!_
Nothing against Goulet Pens, but it’s a damned indictment of the fountain pen industry that this video needs to be made. Any other industry with this rate of failure and malfunction would be embarrassed into quality control or go out of business. Fountain pen lovers are sometimes too forgiving for their own good.
In Drew's defense, no "rate of failure" is specified, nor was any distributor. The suggestions are equally useful regardless of where a pen came from, if it's a multi-thousand-dollar German plastic thing with secret icons, or a $3 Chinese knockoff of some other model. If you don't approve of the difficulties that can accompany fountain pen ownership, feel free to use a biro. Your choice.
Fortunately, nobody here cares about your uneducated opinion.
HELLOFAVIDEO.