Why do my nibs dry out ?

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Paul-H

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Hi all

This is one of those just wondering questions

I have quite a few fountain pens, both vintage and pens I have turned myself (both kit & kitless/bespoke) and one thing that separates them is how quickly the nibs dry out when not used. Most of my vintage pens are quick starters, even if left for a month, and most of the pens I have made dryout and refuse to start after only a few days.

Anyone got any thoughts as to why this is.

I know most of the Vintage pens tend to have an inner cap liner, which obviously helps keep the moisture in but so do some of the pens I made, and those that don't seem to creat a good seal when the cap is screwed on.

Because of this I tend to use my Vintage pens more than the pens I make.

It's the same ink used in all of them so I doubt it's that, anyone got any thoughts as to why my nibs dry out so quickly.

Thanks forcany replies with this

Paul
 
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Hmmm, I was going to say perhaps too much air space within a cap, that's usually something pen makers consider when crafting a pen.

I wonder also, if it may have anything to do with materials used and how air permeable they may be.
 
Do the pens you have made yourself have screw caps or snap caps? My sense is that most kit FPs have snap caps which don't seal as well as screw caps.

Nib tuning is another factor. A wet nib won't dry out as fast as a nib that is inherently 'dry'.

Also, the 'dryness' of the ink is another factor. Inks that have a reputation as being 'dry' will dry out faster than inks that are known for being 'wet'.
 
monophoto said:
Do the pens you have made yourself have screw caps or snap caps? My sense is that most kit FPs have snap caps which don't seal as well as screw caps.

Nib tuning is another factor. A wet nib won't dry out as fast as a nib that is inherently 'dry'.

Also, the 'dryness' of the ink is another factor. Inks that have a reputation as being 'dry' will dry out faster than inks that are known for being 'wet'.
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Very interesting, and makes sense. I will file this away in my brain for future reference.
 
The rate at which the nib goes from "easy start" to "hard start" is a factor of (a) how quickly liquid evaporates from the nib into the air gap inside the cap, and (b) how quickly the reservoir restores liquid into the nib and feed. (Those are the only two I can think of - open to suggestions if anyone knows of others.)

Most obvious - because it's visible - is the first factor. The volume of the air gap, the material of the interior surface of the cap (meaning whether it's porous and allows moisture to pass or not) and the quality of the seal between cap and barrel (screw thread shape and material, snap cap seal).

I think it's easy to overlook the second factor, perhaps because it's out of sight.

Cartridge/converter pens have a prong that pierces the seal of a cartridge, with the grooves that draw ink (usually by capillary action) into the feed which is on the underside of the nib. From the feed channels, the ink transfers to the slit between the tines of the nib itself - again, by capillary action.

How well that ink transport works depends on the quality and dimensions of the grooves/channels in the feed, the material the feed is made of, how well the feed is "fitted" to the underside of the nib, and the shape and dimensions of the slit. The slit should be slightly tapered, and the tips of the tines not touching, for capillary action to guide the ink to the tip. And the tipping should be properly shaped so that the ink contacts the paper when the pen is held at a "normal writing angle".

The feeds in vintage pens are typically made of ebonite (hard rubber) with machined grooves.

In kits, feeds are typically plastic, perhaps injection-molded, so there are different physical characteristics. I have nothing against plastic feeds - the pens I make with Bock and JoWo #5 and #6 nibs all start well and those nib units have plastic feeds. (I do inspect them and clean any debris from the channels with a toothbrush before final assembly.)

I've read that the feed can be "fitted" to the nib by heating gently (in warm/hot water) and applying pressure. I'm not advising it as I've never tried and don't know the pitfalls and proper technique.

Inspect the slit in the nibs. A x10 magnification loupe is best - Richard Binder recommends Belomo brand, it's high quality at a fair price. The slit should taper from breather hole to tip. There should be a small gap at the tip. While you're doing this, you might as well go through the entire nib tuning and smoothing process - it always improves the writing experience even if it doesn't completely solve the dry-start problem.
 
How much does the chosen ink factor into the speed of drying? Supplied cartridges verses quality name branded inks, J Herbrin, Private Reserve etc.
 
Hi all

Thanks for the replies, to answer a few of the questions raised

Most of the kit pens are screw capped with only one being a clip fit and that one has a tight fitting inner cap which clips over the base of the section, and I have adjusted this to be as tight a fit as possible, although if I trove the blind cap and blow down the pen it's not completely air tight. My custom/bespoke pens all have screw caps.

My Vintage selection, Parker 51, Sheaffer Imperial IV and Sheaffer PFM all have slip caps.

The rest are all modern commercial pens Like the Majohn 136 and 139 or the Wing Sung 669 and 630 and the Montblonc 146 are all screw cap pens.

Most are adjusted to give a nice wet line and the ink I use in Parker Quink black which is known for being a rather wet ink.

I am about to start testing them all by filling them all from a fresh new bottle of Quink. Once I have tested to ensure they all write OK, I will put them away for 2 weeks, then test again, eliminating all those that failed to start, then what's left will be put away for 4 weeks and then tested again to see if any would last that long.

Would anyone be interested in seeing the results.
 
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