Pelikan m200 nib

[Silverbreeze]

Is it possible that a M200 fine nib has a lower sweet spot tolerance then a Masuyama steel neddle point?

Slowly going nuts trying to figure out why it is so inconsistent even after flushing correctly

[carlos.q]

Maybe a little more information is in order. Is the nib new? What ink/paper combination are you using? Pictures?

[Silverbreeze]

Not new, bought it pen used
Caran d'Ache Infinite Grey ink
A mix of papers including Leuchtturm, Rhodia pad, Franklin-Christoph notebook and Tomoe River

Part of what prompted my post is the smoother paper the more I notice the skipping.

[ChrisC]

Tine misalingment could be the problem.

http://www.richardspens.com/pdf/workshop_notes.pdf

[jackwebb]

Not new, bought it pen used
Caran d'Ache Infinite Grey ink
A mix of papers including Leuchtturm, Rhodia pad, Franklin-Christoph notebook and Tomoe River

Part of what prompted my post is the smoother paper the more I notice the skipping.

I noticed my M600 had hard starts on Rhodia and Clairefontaine even when using a sheet of paper on top to protect the paper from oils off of my hand, but the issue went away with a switch to Tomoe River. My pen came with a slightly misaligned nib and feed as stated by ChrisC, I was able to correct this issue before I ever inked it up though. This may be something to have a look at.

[Jeph]

I am surprised to say this, but yes a Masuyama steel needlepoint does indeed appear to have a larger sweet spot than a Pelikan M200 F. In fact, mine does not appear to have a sweet spot at all. It will write well at almost any insane combination of contact angle and rotation that I subject it to. In general I find the Pelikan nibs to be very forgiving, and still at most "reasonable" attitude should work without any issues. I don't have a fine M200 laying around, but I tried a medium M100 that puts down a fine sized line and actually it was almost as forgiving as the needlepoint, working well from as near horizontal as possible without dragging the feed to straight up and down, as long as the rotation angle did not exceed about 45 degrees. With the contact angle between 30 and 60 degrees and very little rotation it should work fine. These are not finicky nibs when set up properly. Something else is the issue.

[Silverbreeze]

I will take out a magnifier and check this weekend. Does anyone have a suggestion on ink to try it may be the formula is not helping either. I know I have some different pilot, some Noodler's and Parker quink


Thanks
Tom

[Jeph]

The commonly accepted "standard" ink is Waterman Florida Blue (now Serenity Blue). I have a bottle but have never bothered to try it. I probably should.

Parker Quink should be very well behaved as well. I find the Quink black to be slightly dry and tends to dry out a little faster when left uncapped than my normal (subjective) but the ink is still well behaved.

I would also expect any of the Pilot inks to perform very well but I have no personal experience.

I have tried some Noodler's inks that worked flawlessly and some that could be quite persnickety at times. Some Noodler's inks appear to be more sensitive to pen/nib/feed/paper/price of tea in China variations than others.

I use mostly Diamine inks and other than ink boogers from Ancient Copper (and to a lesser extent the other reds) I have no issues.

Have you tried the same ink on the same paper in a different pen?

I agree that you should check out the nib under magnification, and maybe even remove the nib unit and give it a good soak soak if the alignment and tipping looks to be ok. I have no Pelikan nibs that give me skipping problems.

[Silverbreeze]

My ancient copper lives in my metal falcon.

I have tried the ink in my sailor young profit with no noticeable issues. Which doesn't mean the pelikan doesn't just hate the ink of course

[TimGirdler]

Is it possible that a M200 fine nib has a lower sweet spot tolerance then a Masuyama steel neddle point?

Slowly going nuts trying to figure out why it is so inconsistent even after flushing correctly

Not new, bought it pen used
Caran d'Ache Infinite Grey ink
A mix of papers including Leuchtturm, Rhodia pad, Franklin-Christoph notebook and Tomoe River

Part of what prompted my post is the smoother paper the more I notice the skipping.

Since this pen is not new, my thought is that it may have a foot worn in the tipping. It depends on who used it before and how heavy their hand was. Many suggestions have been offered--and it may be misaligned, too. But, a footed nib, if held at a different angle than the previous writer, will likely write very poorly.

I wouldn't be able to tell without looking at the nib myself. In addition to the other suggestions, however, the foot is something I'd look for...

Blessings,

Tim

[Silverbreeze]

If it's footed should I just source a new nib unit from Richard Binder?

[Silverbreeze]

I want to thank everyone, for the suggestions. The nib is seated left of the feed slightly. Since I don't have a nib block, I might just check nib unit compatibility and upgrade myself to a gold unit from Richard :-)

Would have never of noticed without your suggestions

[TimGirdler]

If it's footed should I just source a new nib unit from Richard Binder?

Yes and no... It depends on what you want. Also, a foot can usually be removed with a bit of nib tuning.

I want to thank everyone, for the suggestions. The nib is seated left of the feed slightly. Since I don't have a nib block, I might just check nib unit compatibility and upgrade myself to a gold unit from Richard :-)

Would have never of noticed without your suggestions

That, too, can be fixed, and you don't need a nib block to do it.

Contact me, if you wish, through my signature below. Or, if you'll be around the Chicago Pen Show this weekend, stop by and see me. In any case, though, I wish you the best getting your M200 to be more to your liking.

Blessings,

Tim

[Jeph]

I agree with Tim that I would not give up on that nib just yet. I have gotten M200 Pelikan nibs from Richard Binder and I am sure that you will have no issues doing that if you need to.

But a feed only slightly offset from center should not make a noticeable difference in your writing experience. If the nib is loose on the feed, however, that is a different story. That would indicate to me that the nib unit collar is cracked. That would definitely give a horrible writing experience. Unfortunately the source of a replacement nib unit collar is to buy a replacement nib unit. So if that is the case I definitely would order a nib unit. That is very easy to check. With the pen rotated so that the feed is facing up, GENTLY grasp the tip of the nib (not the feed) and try to give it a little wiggle side to side. If you are worried about applying too much force, use your thumb on top (the feed side now facing up) and your pinky on the bottom (top of the nib now facing down) instead of your thumb and forefinger to wiggle the nib. If it wiggles easily then you have found your problem. If it stays put I would keep looking. Of course you could always just screw out the nib unit and look at the collar if you are comfortable doing that.

And, as always, pictures may very well help. We are trying to guess mostly in the dark here.

Best of all would be to take someone like Tim up on the offer to take a look at it if you have someone close.

[Silverbreeze]

Oh I am not tossing it, just may buy a Binder nib now and bring the pen next time I am around a pen show, I want to get a gold unit for this body anyhow, bought the pen for the body not the nib. I doubt I am alone in that type of purchasing

Especially on a M200