Nib Help for New Sale

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MartinPens

MartinPens

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Joined
Apr 3, 2010
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1,814
Location
Medford, Oregon, USA
I have started selling fountain pens and have had my first email from a customer having issues with the nib. It is a Roman harvest nib assembly with a Bock 6mm nib. Here is the customers comments:

"the fountain pen nib is defective and the ink does not flow properly with the cartridge inserted; also the piston is not fitting the nib assembly and does not suck up the ink. I think this needs to be replaced. Please advise. Thanks"

For those who have been down this road - I could use some advice. I'm leaning toward sending him a new nib/nib assembly/ piston - and paying for him to send me what he is calling defective so I can assess the issue.

What would you suggest with your experience?

Thanks
 
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I just made a Roman Harvest fountain pen and could not get the piston to fit into the nib assembly. I have not tried installing a cartridge and inking it up, but there is a problem with the piston fitting.
 
Martin - do you have a Roman Harvest kit that you can try the converter on? If a converter fits then a standard ink cartridge will fit as well.

For those that do not wish to ink a FP to fully test it and make sure that it is properly aligned and smoothed before sending it to a customer, you should at least try to draw water through the nib into the converter.

There really is no reason to not test out a FP before you sell it. Just keep a spare converter on hand to use for such occasions. Cleaning and flushing is easy and if done correctly leaves no ink behind. When you buy a FP from some of the best known in the business the section has been tested and smoothed before it is shipped. The pen will also include a card accom that says that the pen was filled, not just dipped and tested on high quality paper and adjusted for a smooth writing experience. In fact every pen that I have purchased the card was signed and dated using the pen I purchased.

I am working on PDF tutorials for cleaning/filling, tuning and smoothing FP nibs. The cleaning/filling is done awaiting proof reading from the Mrs. Let me know if you want a copy and I can send it to you.
 
Definitely want a copy. I'm learning quickly on the curve. I'm going to stick with selling rollerballs until I can be certain I know how to test, tune and clean/flush the nibs. I just got ahead of myself as usual!
Reading a ton, using a fountain pen and learning as I go. Thanks for the help!

Regards

Sent from my iPad using Forum Runner
 
I experienced a lot of issues (especially with Jr Gents II but also with other kits like Churchill...) with converters. Every time I had a problem with converters THE solution was to fit a cartridge. For this reason I stopped giving converters with my fountain pens. Too hasardous!

Generally the converter's diameter is larger than the kit. For this reason the converter does not sit properly and as a result does not suck ink at all (or barely). A solution is to force the converter to sit properly. It's plastic after all.

As for the dry nib, I already suggested a solution in another thread: move the feeder slightly forward (towards the nib's tip) on the back of the nib. It's a manipulation feasible by a customer.
 
Martin:
The Cambridge, Roman Harvest and the El Grande have or had problems at one time or another with the supplied converter fitting into the supplied feed.

I found that the better Schmidt converters (they offer 2) cured my ills. At one time there was lots of printed information on this problem. I'll look to see if I can find any of the Information. In the mean time, if you google "el grande ink converters" you'll likely find the fix for the problem.
 
Yep! Andy is right and there still is the problem to an extent on the Roman Harvest Not all but some.
Seems the feed and housings vary from component (kit) to component(kit) at times.
PenMan1 said:
Martin:
The Cambridge, Roman Harvest and the El Grande have or had problems at one time or another with the supplied converter fitting into the supplied feed.

I found that the better Schmidt converters (they offer 2) cured my ills. At one time there was lots of printed information on this problem. I'll look to see if I can find any of the Information. In the mean time, if you google "el grande ink converters" you'll likely find the fix for the problem.
Click to expand...
 
Thanks for the heads up. I love finding this stuff out after getting a product on line!
It has helped me learn a few more needed methods for fountain pen care and sales. If the problem persists I will just stick with rollerball versions.
Thanks for the help. Much appreciated!

Regards

Sent from my iPad using Forum Runner
 
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IPD_Mr said:
Martin - do you have a Roman Harvest kit that you can try the converter on? If a converter fits then a standard ink cartridge will fit as well.

For those that do not wish to ink a FP to fully test it and make sure that it is properly aligned and smoothed before sending it to a customer, you should at least try to draw water through the nib into the converter.

There really is no reason to not test out a FP before you sell it. Just keep a spare converter on hand to use for such occasions. Cleaning and flushing is easy and if done correctly leaves no ink behind. When you buy a FP from some of the best known in the business the section has been tested and smoothed before it is shipped. The pen will also include a card accom that says that the pen was filled, not just dipped and tested on high quality paper and adjusted for a smooth writing experience. In fact every pen that I have purchased the card was signed and dated using the pen I purchased.

I am working on PDF tutorials for cleaning/filling, tuning and smoothing FP nibs. The cleaning/filling is done awaiting proof reading from the Mrs. Let me know if you want a copy and I can send it to you.
Click to expand...

Definitely would like a copy! I am just getting into fountain pens and have tons of questions!
 
Mike, Andy, Roy,

Thanks a ton! I had some Schmidt converters here from another component set and it works so much better. I ordered some Schmidt converters and will be swapping out that part of the component along with the low quality nibs.
Mike - thank you for the information and resources.
I also really got a lot out of Brian Gray's site (Edison Pen Co) and I'm learning to do some adjusting and testing of nib/converters prior to sending them to customers. I picked up lots of great information at the LA Pen Show - and have had fun over the weekend inking up my fountain pens and fine tuning (or at least trying to fine tune) the nibs using some mylar films and the new LED loop I bought. I could get into this!

Again, thanks for the help!

Regards

Sent from my iPad using Forum Runner
 
Mike - Whenever you finish any of the information that you mentioned I would also love to have a copy(s) if you want/remember to send it to me!

Martin - I don't know if you have been to Richard Binder's website, richardspens.com, but if you haven't I think it would help. I am new to the fountain pen thing myself and I found some good info on his site, as well as good products that he recommends. He has a book that he calls "da book", a good reference book I guess and something I want to get. He also has some abrasives if you ever run out. Mike has spoken highly of him, so maybe he will have more to say? If you have already heard of him/been to his website I'm sorry for the long post, but I thought that if you hadn't it would be worth putting it out there. Good luck and I hope it works out with the customer!

David
 
Da Book is not a bad reference book if you are into repairing old vintage pens. The book that is really a kick is Pen Repair Second Edition by Jim Marshall & Laurence Oldfield. For those venturing into kitless and looking for something other than sticking a converter or cartridge in the back of a section, this book will blow you away. Color photos of disassembled pens and even a few cutaways to show how things work. If you want to make a button filler then you will understand the concept after looking through this book. How about a crescent filler or a bulb filler?

I have said many times on here that Richard is one of the go-to guys when it comes to nibs. If you EVER get a chance to take in one of his seminars do not hesitate, do it.

As for the cleaning/flushing tutorial, Linda has gone through it and did her edits and installed a step that I had missed. Once she gets it back to me I will convert it to .pdf and have it posted on our site.
 
Looking forward to grabbing a copy myself, Mike... I've only spun a couple of pens so far, but kitless FPs are where I'm interested in heading. Let us know when it's up...
 
New Schmidt converters from Mike and Linda. A great .PDF and some info on feed alignment and nib tuning.
I sent the customer a new nib/feed assembly with a tuned nib and he says it works great and he is happy!
Thanks everyone! I am learning tons!!

Regards

Sent from my iPad using Forum Runner
 
Hi Martin,

A lot of good advice has already been given and it sounds like you are squared away so I just have a general comment to toss in for anyone selling fountain pens.

I don't know if you remember my layout at the pen show or not but not one customer who bought a pen left my table without that pen having its converter installed, filled with ink and they wrote with the pen to make sure it performed like it should. In that process they were shown how to assemble and dissasemble the nib, feed and housing for cleaning and how to insert the converter. They left happy knowing that their pen worked and that they knew how to maintain it.

Selling a pen online is no different, I email or call whoever places an order with me telling them that I will test and adjust their pen to insure smooth writing and good ink flow unless they decline the offer. To date no one has declined the offer, they all want a pen that writes.

Folks here need to get away from this nonsense about not inking a pen when they sell them. I don't know about others but the pens I sell are to be used, not some $3500 special edition collectors item which will spend its life on a display shelf that having been inked will decrease its value!

Testing a pen with its converter tells you whether or not they actually fit and that they work and the nib is situated on the feed to allow proper ink flow. Now is the time to find these things out not letting the customer go through the ordeal.

Personally, if I continued to have problems with a particular kit and its supplied converters, I would find another kit to use.

Mike, I like the idea of sending a signed card along with the pen showing that the pen was tested and was actually used to write the card! Gives me another incentive to practice my penmanship. Who knows, perhaps some day I'll write as nice as Linda!
 
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Just wanted to say thanks to all who contributed to this thread. The last few fountain pens I've sold got rave reviews from the customer. Sent them out tested and lightly tuned. Appreciate it.
 
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