Question on nib tweaking

[sharmon202]

When I see the tips are not perfectly aligned, how to I know or decide which one should be moved? Which side might be in the correct spot and which side is not? How can I tell they are too far or close to the feed just by looking? I would like to adjust nibs without trail and error if that is possible, less messy that way. I am also nervous about doing it to start with but cannot pay someone else to do it.
Thanks

[KrazyIvan]

You want to err on the side of the feed. If you have one tine further from the feed than the other, move it towards the feed, don't move the other tine away to match it.

[Ernst Bitterman]

The old test for feed/point gapping was to try to slip a piece of regular writing paper between them (when the pen isn't inked). If it goes in without great difficulty, but isn't loose, it's where it should be. If you can't get it in, or it just drops right back out, the gap's wrong.

Of course, this was in the age of rubber feeds, when you could adjust that by heating.

[Farmboy]

As it was explained to me, you want to apply a restoring force equal in magnitude and opposite in direction as the force that damaged the nib. Sometimes this force is complicated, multi-dimensional, and non-linear.

[sharmon202]

Farmboy, I appreciate the response. And what did your Yoda say as to how I know the equal force required or the magnitude of force that damaged it? I would not even say it is damage, I would hypothesize that it was made that way or carelessly handled before shipping. QA tech called in sick that day or hung over? I could probably analyze that in Minitab, so it would be quadratic then?

[Wile E Coyote]

sharmon202: Equations and computers will do you no good in nib tweaking. To fix the nib you need to use the Force.