Flow problems

[SkyCyclePilot]

I have a new Pilot Heritage 92 with medium nib. It writes unevenly. I get a nice wet line on down strokes, but almost nothing on up strokes. Before I delve into tinkering, cleaning, aligning, etc. I thought I'd ask if there is a common problem that causes this. Anybody?

[stub]

My Pilots generally wrote better after a really good cleaning.

& I stubbornly insisted on not putting Pilot in in any of them at first only to discover with each of the last 3 pens (2 CH912, and a C74) I bought on trips to Japan wrote much better with Pilot or Pilot/Iroshizuku ink in them.

There must be something about the way those plastic feeds are manufactured and how those inks are formulated that mate up well. All three of those pens have Iroshizuku in them even though I am not a big Iroshizuku fan (the few inks I like, I like a lot, the others are a box of meh).

Last, I noticed that the pens were better on the second or third fill after the cleaning. Maybe it takes a while for those feeds to saturate but after initially being a little disappointed with the ink flow in my a few of newer Pilots, I am now perfectly happy with them.

Clean them good. Rinse them good (if you used dish soap) and dry them good

& then fill them with Pilot ink and see where that gets you.

[SkyCyclePilot]

My Pilots generally wrote better after a really good cleaning.

& I stubbornly insisted on not putting Pilot in in any of them at first only to discover with each of the last 3 pens (2 CH912, and a C74) I bought on trips to Japan wrote much better with Pilot or Pilot/Iroshizuku ink in them.

There must be something about the way those plastic feeds are manufactured and how those inks are formulated that mate up well. All three of those pens have Iroshizuku in them even though I am not a big Iroshizuku fan (the few inks I like, I like a lot, the others are a box of meh).

Last, I noticed that the pens were better on the second or third fill after the cleaning. Maybe it takes a while for those feeds to saturate but after initially being a little disappointed with the ink flow in my a few of newer Pilots, I am now perfectly happy with them.

Clean them good. Rinse them good (if you used dish soap) and dry them good

& then fill them with Pilot ink and see where that gets you.

Thanks for the advice! The ink currently in the pen is basic Pilot blue. I also have some Iroshizuku crimson red. I'll soak the feed and nib in soapy water, rinse and dry them thoroughly, then try the ink again. I'm also going to floss the nib channel, just in case. It's strange that the nib is almost too wet on downward strokes, and dry on upward strokes. Makes me think something it wrong with the nib, or its alignment...

[stub]

Thanks for the advice! The ink currently in the pen is basic Pilot blue. I also have some Iroshizuku crimson red. I'll soak the feed and nib in soapy water, rinse and dry them thoroughly, then try the ink again. I'm also going to floss the nib channel, just in case. It's strange that the nib is almost too wet on downward strokes, and dry on upward strokes. Makes me think something it wrong with the nib, or its alignment...

Pilot Blue should be good. Not the wettest ink on the planet but I am surprised. I did feel like my recent Pilots might have had some manufacturing residue on them or something right out of the box. They wrote pretty inconsistently on first fill but all wrote like champs after a bath & refill.

Try a super sloppy wet ink like Iro and see. I have Asa-gao in all three of mine now and they are writing better than ever.

[SkyCyclePilot]

Thanks for the advice! The ink currently in the pen is basic Pilot blue. I also have some Iroshizuku crimson red. I'll soak the feed and nib in soapy water, rinse and dry them thoroughly, then try the ink again. I'm also going to floss the nib channel, just in case. It's strange that the nib is almost too wet on downward strokes, and dry on upward strokes. Makes me think something it wrong with the nib, or its alignment...

Pilot Blue should be good. Not the wettest ink on the planet but I am surprised. I did feel like my recent Pilots might have had some manufacturing residue on them or something right out of the box. They wrote pretty inconsistently on first fill but all wrote like champs after a bath & refill.

Try a super sloppy wet ink like Iro and see. I have Asa-gao in all three of mine now and they are writing better than ever.

I have a bottle of Iroshizuku Momiji (Crimson), and a bottle of Waterman Purple. Both are supposed to be super wet. I'll probably give the Iro a try first - after the bath. Thanks!

[Flounder]

Changing nothing - same paper, same ink, nib & feed undisturbed - will the pen write under its own weight flipped over (feed facing up rather than the nib as normal)?

[SkyCyclePilot]

Changing nothing - same paper, same ink, nib & feed undisturbed - will the pen write under its own weight flipped over (feed facing up rather than the nib as normal)?

It's a brand new pen, and it's never really written well. I've given it a thorough cleaning, and it's better. I'm going to give it some time, and maybe make some slight adjustments to the nib. It barely writes when upside down, though.

[SkyCyclePilot]

Changing nothing - same paper, same ink, nib & feed undisturbed - will the pen write under its own weight flipped over (feed facing up rather than the nib as normal)?

Well, after cleaning, and some time, it's still writing unevenly. Some parts of words are wet and wide, and some are very thin. It won't write at all under its own weight, upright, or upside down. In fact, it won't write upside down, even with pressure. What's wrong with this pen???

[dr.grace]

I typically have to open up the tines a tiny bit with Pilot nibs. They typically write too dry out of the box.

[SkyCyclePilot]

I typically have to open up the tines a tiny bit with Pilot nibs. They typically write too dry out of the box.

I did lift each tine a bit, then check the alignment with a loupe. When writing, some strokes are almost too wet, and others are dry - all when writing one word. Line width is just uneven. Upward strokes are especially dry. I'm not sure what's going on, but I'm beginning to dislike this pen.

[dr.grace]

I'm not talking about aligning the tines, although that's also important. What I mean is widening the space between tines, ever so gently, to increase ink flow. You can determine whether the tine spacing is too narrow by noticing whether the ink flow becomes generous enough when you press slightly harder as you write (of course, I'm not saying you should press so hard that you damage the nib.)

[SkyCyclePilot]

I'm not talking about aligning the tines, although that's also important. What I mean is widening the space between tines, ever so gently, to increase ink flow. You can determine whether the tine spacing is too narrow by noticing whether the ink flow becomes generous enough when you press slightly harder as you write (of course, I'm not saying you should press so hard that you damage the nib.)

I think you nailed it. I have to write more firmly than I do with my other pens - more so than I expect from a good fountain pen. Using a loupe, I can see that the tines are touching at the tip. So, what do I do about it? Should there be a tiny, tiny gap between the two halves of the tip? If so, how do I adjust the tines to get that gap?

[dr.grace]

Yes, I typically prefer to have a slight gap between the tips of the tines. I know there are web sites and videos out there that describe this in detail, but I can't list them offhand. To widen the gap, some people like to insert a brass shim between the tines. But I prefer to use my thumbs and forefingers to pull the tines apart, very very gently. You have to be careful not to overdo it, because it's harder to make the gap narrower than it is to widen it.

[Giovanni Abrate]

http://www.newpentrace.net/articleGA04.html

Try these tweaks

[SkyCyclePilot]

Yes, I typically prefer to have a slight gap between the tips of the tines. I know there are web sites and videos out there that describe this in detail, but I can't list them offhand. To widen the gap, some people like to insert a brass shim between the tines. But I prefer to use my thumbs and forefingers to pull the tines apart, very very gently. You have to be careful not to overdo it, because it's harder to make the gap narrower than it is to widen it.

I think I'll stick to the shims idea. I can't afford to destroy an expensive nib! Thanks!

[Giovanni Abrate]

Don't use brass, it will mar a gold nib. Use a piece of acetate, as I suggested in the linked articles.

[SkyCyclePilot]

http://www.newpentrace.net/articleGA04.html

Try these tweaks

Excellent. Thanks!

[SkyCyclePilot]

Don't use brass, it will mar a gold nib. Use a piece of acetate, as I suggested in the linked articles.

The Heritage 92 nib is gold, so thanks for the warning. But where can I find a piece of acetate of the right thickness?

[Sailor Kenshin]

Old film negatives is what I've been using.

[SkyCyclePilot]

Old film negatives is what I've been using.

OK, thanks! I think it can be bought at craft stores as well. I was just hoping to find some "around the house".