Jinhao 159 will only write using reverse side

[Jeph]

If the pen writes upside down i.e. the feed is above the nib, check to see if the feed is in contact with the underside of the nib. The feed allows the constant flow of ink to the nib. Ther could be a problem with a 'contaminated' feed that flushing will take care of. Or, the feed may not have been made properly or damaged. Tweeking the pen is required and part of the 'fun' of fountain pens. Esterbrook pens are great, inexpensive, durable vintage pens. I learned on them in grade school, they take abuse.

This is my bet. The real question is why does it write upside down but not normally? The only answer that I can think of is the gap between the nib and the feed. Writing upside down, with pressure, would close this gap enough to form a functional capillary path.

The manufacturing oils being present in the works does happen but I do not think that it is the problem here.

[gbryal]

If the pen writes upside down i.e. the feed is above the nib, check to see if the feed is in contact with the underside of the nib. The feed allows the constant flow of ink to the nib. Ther could be a problem with a 'contaminated' feed that flushing will take care of. Or, the feed may not have been made properly or damaged. Tweeking the pen is required and part of the 'fun' of fountain pens. Esterbrook pens are great, inexpensive, durable vintage pens. I learned on them in grade school, they take abuse.

This is my bet. The real question is why does it write upside down but not normally? The only answer that I can think of is the gap between the nib and the feed. Writing upside down, with pressure, would close this gap enough to form a functional capillary path.

The manufacturing oils being present in the works does happen but I do not think that it is the problem here.

Yeah, I think this is a problem with the set of the nib. Make sure the feed is in all the way, the nib is pushed in so the shoulders are even with the part where the feed narrows (for a starting point) and make sure the nib is pressed against the feed, there should be only a small gap. The Jinhaos are pretty forgiving of nib/feed position but if you take them out you might need to reposition them.

[Dreck]

I am tired, tired, TIRED of people putting forth Noodler's pens as a first pen!!

People! There are sooooooooo many stories of problems out of the box, and there are so many other, completely problem-free pens for the same money that it is just ludicrous to keep pushing that Noodler's bandwagon down the street. It isn't nearly the case of Noodler's haters so much as fanbois and grrls.

Hater :P

Seriously, though, Jon, I think this may be a case of 'to each their own.' Like I said, all of mine have worked wonderfully, as have those I bought as gifts. I personally know one person who had problems with theirs. C/C are another animal altogether. My very first fp (decades ago) was a Sheaffer demonstrator that gave me fits. My next three pens were all lemons. Two of these were "reliable replacements" chosen by the vendor as replacements for the first lemon! Not only have I had issues with C/C, but so have people I personally know; to the point where I would neither buy nor recommend one. I still can't wrap my head around what would even prompt someone to pay $100 or more for one.
There was a thread some time ago in which the merits of a fountain pen from the clinical perspective of simply being reliable were discussed and debated. There is a certain aspect, in addition to reliability, which attracts us to some pens. I've never used a Lamy, but I think they're the ugliest, cheapest-looking thing on the market, and if they were the only fp available, I'd give up writing with a fp before even trying one. Perhaps I am a Noodler's "fanboy," but the weight, length, and diameter of the Konrad pens are ideal for me. I think the acrylic ones are gaudy, but many of the other color patterns are conservative enough for me to find them attractive.
As far as the Neponset goes, I cannot speak to that. While I absolutely believe Noodler's pens are worth $20-40, I certainly wouldn't pay $75 for one. Or for any pen, for that matter

[manoeuver]

sounds like baby's bottom or inverse canyon syndrome to me.

I second the Metropolitan recommendation.

Noodler's pens are for tinkerers. I like em. Too risky for a newcomer I'd say.

[Sailor Kenshin]

You can afford multiples.

But as I said, I don't like using them. They could be free, and I personally would not be the one recommending them. If you want to recommend them, be my guest.

Personal taste enters into this, of course. But what I have found is that the lightweight Preppy 'disappears' to my hand when I use it, leaving me free to concentrate on the job itself. It's thick around, too, which also suits me.

[gbryal]

sounds like baby's bottom or inverse canyon syndrome to me.

It's true that a lot of Jinhao nibs seem to have a very generous blob of tipping and could stand some roughening up on some mylar. It's certainly possible that is the case.

[kmanic]

Seems that the problem ended up being the converter after all. I got a random ink cartridge from the dollar store it is writing better than ever on both sides haha. Now I shall just order a standard international conerter from goulet or something.

Thanks for all the help!

[Silverbreeze]

Amazon, Goulet, Anderson heck Edison Pens. Pretty much any shop will sell you a Standard convertor, I don't have a spare at the moment or I would ask you for a shipping address

[Jon Szanto]

Hater :P

It's all good, Dreck, we're just balancing out the yin/yang of it all. I still prefer to recommend other pens for new users, mostly because I'll be the one helping them if things don't go well, and I don't want to mess with the N pens. But if what you found works for your people, that is fine - all that counts is that they enjoy using a split piece of metal to apply ink to paper in a controlled manner.

[oldstoat]

I can't help feeling that the best pen for a beginner is a Pilot 78G. Cheap, reliable, and a good writing experience. I have a Jinhao X750 and it arrived with the nib at an angle to the feed, slightly to the right, with a huge gap between feed and nib. It was easy to fix but had it been my first pen, I'd have bailed out

[VertOlive]

I am tired, tired, TIRED of people putting forth Noodler's pens as a first pen!!

People! There are sooooooooo many stories of problems out of the box, and there are so many other, completely problem-free pens for the same money that it is just ludicrous to keep pushing that Noodler's bandwagon down the street. It isn't nearly the case of Noodler's haters so much as fanbois and grrls.

Hater :P

Seriously, though, Jon, I think this may be a case of 'to each their own.' Like I said, all of mine have worked wonderfully, as have those I bought as gifts. I personally know one person who had problems with theirs. C/C are another animal altogether. My very first fp (decades ago) was a Sheaffer demonstrator that gave me fits. My next three pens were all lemons. Two of these were "reliable replacements" chosen by the vendor as replacements for the first lemon! Not only have I had issues with C/C, but so have people I personally know; to the point where I would neither buy nor recommend one. I still can't wrap my head around what would even prompt someone to pay $100 or more for one.
There was a thread some time ago in which the merits of a fountain pen from the clinical perspective of simply being reliable were discussed and debated. There is a certain aspect, in addition to reliability, which attracts us to some pens. I've never used a Lamy, but I think they're the ugliest, cheapest-looking thing on the market, and if they were the only fp available, I'd give up writing with a fp before even trying one. Perhaps I am a Noodler's "fanboy," but the weight, length, and diameter of the Konrad pens are ideal for me. I think the acrylic ones are gaudy, but many of the other color patterns are conservative enough for me to find them attractive.
As far as the Neponset goes, I cannot speak to that. While I absolutely believe Noodler's pens are worth $20-40, I certainly wouldn't pay $75 for one. Or for any pen, for that matter

For the record, knock-off Lamys are far uglier and cheesier looking than the real thing....

[Dreck]

For the record, knock-off Lamys are far uglier and cheesier looking than the real thing....

UGH!! Perish the thought! I can't even imagine...

[Neo]

For the record, knock-off Lamys are far uglier and cheesier looking than the real thing....

UGH!! Perish the thought! I can't even imagine...

No need to imagine


http://cdn2.bigcommerce.com/n-arxsrf...0.1280.jpg?c=2

[Sailor Kenshin]

Hey....I resemble that!

[Lady Onogaro]

The Hero Purple Safari clone I bought from someone on this list is actually a pretty nice writer.

[Neo]

What about the neon green Lamy Safari for this year?