What am I seeing? - Visconti Homo Sapiens 23k M hard starts?

[atbat82]

https://imgur.com/a/ObgY8FI

I put photos at the link. I’m using an iPhone, so I’m not sure they are sharp enough.

I’ve got a new (to me) Visconti Homo Sapiens with a medium 23k nib. It writes well, except that it hard starts and occasionally skips on a down stroke. There’s something about a downstroke that really befuddles this pen. I’ve tried various angles and pressures without luck.

I may well send this to a professional, but I wanted to get an idea of whether this was a repair I could even begin to undertake (I’m an utter novice).

Thanks,
Tom

[silverlifter]

Visconti nibs are notorious for their inability to do the one thing they are supposed to: write well.

Look at the nib from straight on and make sure the tines are aligned, like so: UU - if one is slightly higher or lower than its twin, you will experience skipping.

[carlos.q]

What ink are you using? Have you tried using another ink?

[Robert]

Tom - I bought a Visconti HS Bronze with a medium 23k Pd nib about 8 years ago. I, too, had problems with hard starts and skips. Eventually I sent the pen to Mike Masuyama, told him the problem and ordered a stub grind. The pen has written beautifully ever since and is one of my favorite writers. Mike or another nibmeister can to tune that Visconti nib to your satisfaction.

[guyy]

Hard starts and skipping on down strokes is a symptom of baby bottom.

[atbat82]

Tom - I bought a Visconti HS Bronze with a medium 23k Pd nib about 8 years ago. I, too, had problems with hard starts and skips. Eventually I sent the pen to Mike Masuyama, told him the problem and ordered a stub grind. The pen has written beautifully ever since and is one of my favorite writers. Mike or another nibmeister can to tune that Visconti nib to your satisfaction.

Thanks for sharing that. That's kind of the way I'm leaning now. I'd love to be able to fix something like this on my own, but I should probably practice on a $20 pen and not this one. I'll give Mike a look, appreciate the recommendation!

[atbat82]

Hard starts and skipping on down strokes is a symptom of baby bottom.

That was my suspicion too, based on what I've read. Too bad these pens have such poor quality control (this is my second, I returned the first one for even worse issues).

[atbat82]

What ink are you using? Have you tried using another ink?

I'm using Pilot Iroshizuku Tsuki-Yo right now, but I also tried Pelikan Edelstein Smokey Quartz. Both are inks that have behaved well in many other pens. I know some pens just don't like some ink, but this feels more like a pen problem than an ink problem.

[guyy]

Does the pen have sufficient flow? It should lay does a line without pressure. If not, giving it more flow may improve its performance.

[atbat82]

Does the pen have sufficient flow? It should lay does a line without pressure. If not, giving it more flow may improve its performance.

Oh, absolutely! It's actually really wet, which makes this all the more frustrating. Wet, but just misses spots on the page. I've also ruled out the paper trying Tomoe River, Clairfontaine, and Midori MD. Similar behavior on all (though a little better on the slightly more absorbant Midori paper).