Ink building up underneath nib.

[Quantum Sailor]

So I have a Mabie Todd that the ink is building up underneath the tines of the nib until it will drip ink on the page. When the pen first came to me it was super dry to the point of not functioning. So I adjusted the feed/nib gap the correct paper not fitting between width and that cured the problem. So will adjusting the feed/nib gap back open a little bit cure this problem as well?

The other issue with this pen is that the nib tines are pressed against each other so hard that when I was trying to get them aligned they slipped off each other and will make an x. I haven't figured out what to do about that, or if I need to do anything about that.

Thanks for the help.

[D Armstrong]

It sounds like you have a couple of issues:

1) Ink dripping from the pen. This is usually evidence of air leaking into the reservoir. In the case of a lever-filler, check the sac for holes, or the seal where it is shellacked on to the section. Usually replacing the sac is the easiest way to check it.

2) Nib adjustment. The dryness, and then tight tines, are all a part of tuning the nib and feed. To properly do this reuqires that we see the nib, how the tines are aligned, and how it sits on the feed. Assuming that the tines are straight (not twisted in relation to each other), and properly symmetrical, there are a couple of basic tweaks you can do. You can gently push the tines upward so that they only just touch together at the tipping. The slit should gently taper from the hole toward the tipping (this is vital for good ink flow). After this, the feed should touch the nib along it's entirety. You may have to soften it by warming it to about 180 degrees, then gently push it snugly into the underside of the nib.

The sac is not a difficult fix. The nib adjustment is not only more difficult, but also involves greater risk. I suggest trying it out on a sacrificial pen before you do anything to as nice a pen as a Mabie Todd. There are some excellent suggestions for nib adjustment in some of the service manuals from the 40s and 50s. You can get these from the PCA library, or from archive.org.

[ainterne]

What a great pointer David....thanks for the suggestion of archive.org. I found some great service manuals that demonstrated the nib adjustments.....that stuff is worth so much to learn.

Phil.

[Kurt S]

I'm not sure if this will help in your situation, but I had a similar problem with a brand new Jinhao 159. It was doing the same exact thing, building up ink under the nib, then dripping onto the paper. In my case, I simply flushed the ink that I had in it and put a slightly thicker ink in it. Problem solved in that case! Worth a try!

[Quantum Sailor]

I'm not sure if this will help in your situation, but I had a similar problem with a brand new Jinhao 159. It was doing the same exact thing, building up ink under the nib, then dripping onto the paper. In my case, I simply flushed the ink that I had in it and put a slightly thicker ink in it. Problem solved in that case! Worth a try!

I have had that work before as well. I find that J. Herbin Perle Noire is a very thin ink and has dripped from a few of my vintage pens.