Is this a broken nib housing?

[BayesianPrior]

Just received a new pen today. It fills fine by converter and doesn't leak or drip as far as I can tell.

However, when looking at the nib I noticed what looks like a gap in the collar of the nib housing. I believe the pen takes a JoWo #6. I haven't tried to remove the nib unit, but I wanted to ask the more experienced members of the community if this looks like a problem.

61636

[Chrissy]

Just received a new pen today. It fills fine by converter and doesn't leak or drip as far as I can tell.

However, when looking at the nib I noticed what looks like a gap in the collar of the nib housing. I believe the pen takes a JoWo #6. I haven't tried to remove the nib unit, but I wanted to ask the more experienced members of the community if this looks like a problem.

Yes the collar of that nib unit is broken and needs replacing. As it is now that nib can shift position around the feed. How easy it might be to remove probably depends on the pen model.

[BayesianPrior]

Just received a new pen today. It fills fine by converter and doesn't leak or drip as far as I can tell.

However, when looking at the nib I noticed what looks like a gap in the collar of the nib housing. I believe the pen takes a JoWo #6. I haven't tried to remove the nib unit, but I wanted to ask the more experienced members of the community if this looks like a problem.

Yes the collar of that nib unit is broken and needs replacing. As it is now that nib can shift position around the feed. How easy it might be to remove probably depends on the pen model.

Thank you Chrissy, I feared as much. This is most disappointing as this is the most expensive pen I have ever owned, bought to commemorate the birth of my daughter. I will contact the maker about this.

[Chrissy]

If it's a new purchase I would return it to the seller for a refund.

[wingwiper]

Not a big deal in removing, but need a good soak first to help loosen up? Might need some micro needle nose etc if it is stubborn, just becareful of not ruining the barrel threads.

[BayesianPrior]

Not a big deal in removing, but need a good soak first to help loosen up? Might need some micro needle nose etc if it is stubborn, just becareful of not ruining the barrel threads.

Thanks wingwiper. If it is just a screw-in JoWo housing as I suspect, then I believe it should be as easy as you say. The pen is new so there shouldn't be any dried ink anywhere to gum up the works. I have contacted the maker and won't be attempting any repairs unless I have to or am instructed by the maker.

[BayesianPrior]

After two emails and a week of waiting with no reply, how long is reasonable to keep waiting for a reply from the maker?

I am reluctant to post more photos of the pen because the maker is well known in the community and has a very recognizable style. And I would like to give him the opportunity to respond and sort out the issue before I give him any negative publicity.

However, apart from the issue with the broken nib collar, I am unhappy with the construction of the pen. The template for the pen is similar to an Oldwin Art Deco or an ASA Nauka. However, the outside diameter of the section is not the same as the outside diameter of the barrel where the two thread together, so the seam is not flush. Rather there is a visible and tangible sharp lip where the two parts come together. If ASA can make this seam flush on a $50 pen, I would expect the same on a $600+ pen. Am I being too picky?

[silverlifter]

FWIW, I don't think identifying the pen/maker is unreasonable. They should be happy to stand by their work, and nothing you have posted is denigrating or inflammatory.

And, yes, I'd expect more at that price.

[BayesianPrior]

Still no response from the maker. Maybe he's on vacation and forgot to set his out of office?

This is a photo of the seam between the barrel and section. I've tried threading them from different start points, but I always get the same result. It feels like the seam between barrel and section on a Lamy Studio.

Am I being too persnickety?

61803

[Chrissy]

I would find myself being quite pernickety about that pen. (Spell check changed the sp.....)

[Yazeh]

Still no response from the maker. Maybe he's on vacation and forgot to set his out of office?

This is a photo of the seam between the barrel and section. I've tried threading them from different start points, but I always get the same result. It feels like seam between barrel and section on a Lamy Studio.

Am I being too persnickety?


BP sorry to hear about the pen. Why not send your email with a tracking token...this way you know that your email has been opened. :)

[mizgeorge]

This is far too valuable (and expensive) a pen to be anything other than persnickety. It should be perfect, and if it isn't, you'll never really love it enough - which will make it the wrong thing for the occasion it commemorates.

If they have a social media presence, that's often a good way to ensure contact, otherwise, I think I'd be inclined to make a telephone call if I were getting nowhere by email.

[Jon Szanto]

Two things:

- if that is the section and the barrel, where are the threads for the cap to screw on? At the end of the section next to the nib, or way up high on the barrel?

- That looks to be someone's urushi work, which narrows down the likely makers quite a bit. I doubt the addition of the finish would add to the disparity in the size, causing the step, but a finish like that certainly adds to the complexity of a resolution of the complaint.

wishing you good luck on this.

[BayesianPrior]

Two things:

- if that is the section and the barrel, where are the threads for the cap to screw on? At the end of the section next to the nib, or way up high on the barrel?

The threads are next to the nib, like in an Oldwin Art Deco or ASA Nauka (see first post for photo).



- That looks to be someone's urushi work, which narrows down the likely makers quite a bit. I doubt the addition of the finish would add to the disparity in the size, causing the step, but a finish like that certainly adds to the complexity of a resolution of the complaint.

wishing you good luck on this.

You're right, Jon, it is urushi work. And I think any enthusiast with a sharp eye could take a guess at the maker. That is the main reason I didn't want to post photos, but the maker has ignored my emails and has subsequently been active on this site, which is frustrating.

I did wonder whether the layering of the urushi would result in the disparity in size, but I'm not an expert so that's why I wanted to get some input from more experienced members on whether my expectations were reasonable. I appreciate your contribution and wisdom.

At the end of the day, I could probably live with the step knowing that it is the handcraft of an artisan, rather than a highly calibrated machine. However the cracked nib collar and the lack of communication are leaving an increasingly sour taste.

[silverlifter]

That looks to be someone's urushi work, which narrows down the likely makers quite a bit.

Indeed. And makes somewhat more of a case for identifying the pen as now the shadow is cast on that very small group.

If it were mine, I would regard all of those defects, especially the disparity between section and barrel, to be grounds for a return/refund.

[Jon Szanto]

The threads are next to the nib, like in an Oldwin Art Deco or ASA Nauka (see first post for photo).

At the end of the day, I could probably live with the step knowing that it is the handcraft of an artisan, rather than a highly calibrated machine. However, the cracked nib collar and the lack of communication are leaving an increasingly sour taste.

Thanks for the first bit, as while it was my suspicion, I didn't want to guess. Now, as to the rest of it: look, that is not an in-house made nib unit but one that is plugged in from a big manufacturer (apparently Jowo). That should absolutely be a replacement, no questions asked, and I would expect the maker to simply send you a new one and have you return the broken one.

As to the barrel match issue... this *is* a bespoke pen in a custom finish. I have seen many, many pens in these type of finishes and the pens do not usually come across the was a factory machine-made pen does. In all honesty, that 'step' is about as small as one can get before being flush and I can't imagine that it would be truly uncomfortable. It is YOUR pen, so I can't tell you how to feel about that, but in many of my more out-of-the-ordinary pens, there are small elements that I accept as part of their personality, if you will. When I look in the mirror, believe me, I am no matinee idol. There are imperfections that I have become used to and accept. I look at my pens this way, as well: no one else has a pen exactly like my . Perhaps you might consider your pen in this light, a variant on the [I]wabi-sabi aesthetic or way of thinking. That, of course, is completely up to you.

Best of luck in however you resolve the issues.

[sworist]

This looks like a Aka-negoro finish...

To me, $600 is getting into Nakaya and namiki chinkin territory. I would expect flawless, or not to visible eye anyway. I have ordered custom stuff from Edison and Newton and never had any issues with the quality of their work…. and never had any issues from Hakumin, Bokumondoh, Isao Ota etc when they finished pens for me.

@Jon Stanton, you bring up good points, but this “character” seems to me more in the lines of the artist or craftsman didn’t properly take time to correct the uneven edges which can be done easily on a lathe if it was original, or did not correctly check the urushi/missed it altogether. Either of those conclusions are quite negative, and can be fixed …. There is another case, where the craftsman thought the uneven edges were "ok" to sell, and that this pen was a accurate representation of their work... which I find even worse. It is not like a difference in tamenuri colors which is more uncontrollable and can be explained by batch to batch differences, but rather something that can be fixed with time and care.

If it was me, and the artist was unresponsive... say 2-3 weeks at most, I would give the artist a notice saying I would chargeback using my credit card and that I would be returning the product if I did not receive a reply. Right now the artist has no motive, other than his reputation and morals, to fix the pen. One could say that the artist is away, or on vacation, but most artists would post or make a autoresponse saying the artist is out of office until x. I feel two weeks is plenty of time for a response, and doubly more so when a sale was just made…

I ve never experienced unresponsiveness outside of iguanasell within this community, and I wish that you can get your problems solved amicably

[Jon Szanto]

@Jon Stanton, you bring up good points, but this “character” seems to me more in the lines of the artist or craftsman didn’t properly take time to correct the uneven edges which can be done easily on a lathe if it was original, or did not correctly check the urushi/missed it altogether.

I don't know Mr. Stanton and I hesitate to speak for him, :D but I do agree. My point was not that the step was a purposeful or even casual attempt at a somewhat more 'crude' or simple look, and I agree that it appears that it *should* have been a smooth join. My point was that sometimes one can look at these flaws as a unique aspect to that particular pen. For instance, if I had received it and everything completely delighted me *except* that, I might consider embracing it - not saying I'd be able to seal the deal, but that it wasn't an absolute that I would return it.

As is often the case, the unresponsiveness of the maker is perhaps the most troubling aspect, as it is a human issue, not an issue of objects. I certainly hope this can all be resolved to the OP's satisfaction.

[BayesianPrior]

Thanks both to Jon and Sworist for your views.

In brief, I agree with you both. I hadn't even planned to contact the maker about the join, but as I was going to email him about the nib housing, I thought I might as well inquire about the join as well.

If he had dispatched a new nib unit, and explained to me why it is very difficult to get a smooth join with multiple layers of urushi, that would likely have been the end of the matter.

As it is, I have requested a refund from Manupropria and taken Yazeh's suggestion of requesting a read receipt on the email.

Unfortunately a credit card chargeback is not a possibility in this situation (silly, silly me).

[INeedAFinancialAdvisor]

a few things:
1) I'm sad your pen arrived broken, that sucks
2) I'm sad the workmanship is (IMO and I seem not to be alone...) WELL Below what I would expect at 600 clams!
3) I hope you get your money back! (you absolutely deserve it!)
4) CONGRATS on the birth of your daughter! :)

[BayesianPrior]

a few things:
1) I'm sad your pen arrived broken, that sucks
2) I'm sad the workmanship is (IMO and I seem not to be alone...) WELL Below what I would expect at 600 clams!
3) I hope you get your money back! (you absolutely deserve it!)
4) CONGRATS on the birth of your daughter! :)

Thank you INAF. #4 is the major story - everything else is annoying noise. She is healthy and happy, and that is my main focus.

Nevertheless, I see Manupropria has logged in to FPG and FPN as recently as Friday, yet I've heard nothing from him since 17 June. I certainly hope he responds to my messages soon and we can resolve this situation to our mutual satisfaction.

[INeedAFinancialAdvisor]

Glad to hear about the healthy kid :)
I hope you get the pen thing resolved. Good luck.