How to Fix Skipping and Hard-Starting Pens

[@davidottman9501]

Your giant nib prop is a simple work of genius! That's so much better and more effective than trying to show a real nib under a microscope. Great video, short and to the point. Thanks Drew!

[@Gouletpens]

I can't take all the credit. I saw a fellow named Ralph Reyes use something similar at a pen show one year, and thought that it was a great idea. - Drew

[@tommccafferty5591]

I have had some skipping / hard starting issues with my Visconti Manhattan, (circa 1995.) I just found out that the nib wasn't fully seated in the pen. That seems to have solved the problem. Since that issue wasn't mentioned in your video, I thought I would comment on it. Great video.

[@MillieVanillie92]

The Great Big Foam Nib is back! ❤ I would love to know who on the team came up with the idea for this genius prop... they deserve applause! 👏

[@Gouletpens]

I got the idea from a gentleman and nib wizard named Ralph Reyes, who used a poster board rather than foam, but I immediately thought it was a brilliant idea! - Drew

[@bbrachman]

Large models. Clever idea. Perfectly clear on what you are describing. Who made the giant models? Will the giant nib fit in Brian's large, nibless Lamy display version?

[@mellow-jello]

Syringe filling a pen, and not allowing the ink flow into the feed. Just invert the pen with the cap on for 10-15 minutes for a dry ink. Also, some inks are not mixed well, so shake the bottle before fills. Make sure friction fit nibs are aligned with the feed.

[@kristiw.1823]

I love the giant nib! You did such a good job creating a tool that helps us understand the intricacies of nib structure.

[@Gouletpens]

Thank you! I was inspired by nib wizard Ralph Reyes, who used one made from a different material to demonstrate nib tuning at a live event. It was brilliant! - Drew

[@pambikes6030]

Thank you for this video. You explained why my nib was scratchy and it's all fixed now!

[@KendallW]

I love the huge nib demo so much. Really good information, the best I've ever seen on the issue of baby's bottom. Thank you!

[@Gouletpens]

Thanks, Kendall! - Drew

[@krys6461]

How often do giant demo pen battles happen and why don't we get to see them?

[@genelo6890]

Hi drew, Great demonstration with the foam nib and 😂 Styrofoam tips. It makes it easier for people to visualize what you are explaining 😂👍👍

[@JosephDickson]

That props budget is on point.

[@JerryBearry]

Good pun! 👍

[@JefferyHall-ct2tr]

Hi Drew!: Thanks for another instructive nib episode!! I am really glad you stressed being GENTLE with your adjustments, flossing, etc! I was flossing a gold sheaffer nib and broke the left tine about a sixteenth of an inch from the tip end. (ARRGH!) Maybe one day I will find a feed for it (broke that too!) and fix the pen up. Found a nib for it. Also glad you mentioned changing the ink. I recently bought a new pen, and it was KIND of doing the skipping thing. I was using the Private Reserve Infinity blue in it and I heard somewhere that these inks are a tiny bit more viscous than most other inks. Change to some good old Parker Quink, and it writes much better! Going to check the nib next.

[@Gouletpens]

Thank you! - Drew

[@nope8535]

I recently got a very powerful loup. Figured I would look at my excellent nibs that are ultra smooth and fantastic writers to see what a good nib looks like before I did some more nib grinding, oh boy loup showed none of my tines are perfectly even. Zero problems and yet the tines are slightly uneven.

[@DanielPierce]

One of the most useful thing I started doing to my pens was priming the feed by pushing a drop of ink through it after filling. The other thing is keeping the tine width correct, I use a loop to look at my pen tines every few months, to move them apart laterally I use a strong, thin piece of plastic sheet that I can wrap around one side and pull on while I hold the other with my fingers.

[@RobotPorter]

Before you do any of that, test the pen sitting at a desk, making sure the paper or notebook is lying flat in front of you. So often I find people complaining about flow issues, when they're writing at such odd angles, expecting the ink to defy gravity. A well-saturated feed will write at odd angles for a time. But not indefinitely. The only pens that can do that are ones with pressurized refills, like Fisher Space Pens.

[@Gouletpens]

Absolutely! - Drew

[@jboyd8224]

My left handedness! I was holding it at an angle. I don’t have that problem with my pilot metro and it was driving me insane with my twsbi eco!

[@manuelsalazar3938]

Hew Drew, just to point out that unlike your foam nib, an actual nib is round, not flat. If the tines are splayed apart its most probable cause was that the user pressed so hard on it that it just sprung out, to fix it you just do the opposite, when you try to do as in 6:23 you are messing with the curvature and might cause the nib to not have proper contact with the feeder anymore. Other than that, your giant nib is a brilliant idea 👍. By the way, the (probably) first person to illustrate how to diagnose a nib was Richard Binder, there's a PDF on his website illustrating how to do this properly, everyone should take a look at it before attempting anything else.

[@spadecaller6300]

This episode is priceless!

[@paulmchugh1430]

Great video. How about nibs that gush and leave blobs of ink on the paper?

[@Gouletpens]

I got you! That's the exact topic that'll get covered in the next troubleshooting video! Stay tuned! - Drew

[@jakesong266]

Thank you so much for your great video. Could you recommend another video about the pen writes well at the first time but goes dry or even stop flowing?

[@mikedavis979]

Oh my goodness, now I understand "baby's bottom", thanks for the prop! Awesome video!

[@maxvanbalgooy]

Whenever I encounter a hard-start or skipping, I have to remember if it’s a pen I’ve been using for a while (sorry Drew, I have a dozen pens inked at one time). The usual problem is that I’ve run out of ink and my converter needs to be refilled. If it’s a new pen, it’s because I’ve filled the converter with a syringe and haven’t allowed the ink to charge the feed. If I fill via the feed, I’ve not encountered hard starts (not that it may not happen to others; I may lucky).

[@Gouletpens]

A dozen isn't too scary. I've heard scarier! Haha! - Drew

[@sohagbr]

What a demonstration ❤❤❤

[@pambikes6030]

I can't find the video about the leaking or gushing pens. Where is the link? Great videos!

[@anthonybruno2069]

Great Video ! Is there a possibility of getting parts for fountain pens ? Say an Accordian filler sac ?

[@nope8535]

I have flow issues a bit with my Preppy, finally figured it's because I carry it nib up and move around so much that I force all the ink out of the feed into the cartridge or barrel.

[@ina_lina]

Thanks, Drew, that was very informative. And the prop is giving me Archer Halloween costume vibes! 🎃😂

[@Gouletpens]

That's why I had some extra foam laying around! Haha! You called it! - Drew

[@user-gl5ld9vm7i]

Drew! A bad cap seal also will make that nib not write. I've found out that my Visconti Mirage Mythos, with its magnetic cap closure, it does not seal the pen right. Also, my Faber Castell e-motion cap doesn't keep the nib inked. In this case, what do I do??? Sell the pens???

[@Gouletpens]

Private reserve Infinity Ink is great for pens with caps that don't seal super great. - Drew

[@dtaggartofRTD]

I love B and BB nibs. I had a couple years where every pen I bought had an over polished tip. Some nib sizes seem to be particularly vulnerable. The softer the nib the more likely it is to happen. I fixed quite a few of them with a light touch and some micromesh. If you haven't voided the warranty, is it really yours?

[@portillope]

Hi Drew!, first thanks you for all the information and content you share (greetings from Chile) I have a question, does it impact on writing, that the cut of the tip sphere of the nib, is off-center?

[@Gouletpens]

Sometimes, but not always! - Drew

[@Allen-hq8ct]

Hay can we disassemble the pilot's con-40 converter?

[@Gouletpens]

Not easily! - Drew

[@Suha2270]

Hi, my Montblanc skips during upward strokes only. Side and down strokes seem to be ok, but are scratchy. How do I fix this?

[@jimkrieger776]

Here's a question that's nagged at me for years. If one tine is lower than the other, how can I tell which one needs the adjustment? The differential I've seen on several nibs is normally too small to know which one is too high or too low with respect to the feed. My guess is that the higher tine has been bent upwards because writing presses the tines upwards. But is this always the case? On my Platinum Music nib, the left tine is lower, the other two in perfect alignment with one another but higher than the third. Very confusing.

[@Gouletpens]

It's generally best practice not to move the tines away from the feed, but it's ok if it's just a tiny tiny tiny bit! - Drew

[@nrs6956]

THANK YOU.

[@Saymyname1.2]

Hi there! Here I am with a kind request. Tell us some about "nib creep" please! I have Lamy and there are many articles in quota, however no videos. Would be great to know what is creep or leak... should user be concern or not. Thank you

[@JasonReimink]

Hi Drew. I just saw your mention that if the nib is bent forward or backward don't try to straighten that out. Ummm... how about when it's bent... about 15° to the right? 😮 😅 Had a pen that's just been sitting cleaned in the bottom of my drawer that ran into a doorway trying to extricate myself from a room that was triggering a panic attack and I'm wondering if a nib tech or a replacement is the more likely solution.

[@Gouletpens]

If it's a legit bend, I'd suggest going straight to a nib technician. - Drew

[@JoséOrtega-h6d]

Very instructive, many thanks! Does anyone know of any Europe (or UK :)-based nibmeisters?

[@pattiel1108]

Ok, here's one for you. I have a Lamy Al-star. Have had it approx 6 yrs. Been using their cartridges. Recently, it writes about a paragraph and then dries up. Have cleaned it umpteen times, tried using different inks with the converter. Since it is writing at first, I don't understand why it stops after a short period. Any ideas are much appreciated since I am at wit's end with this....Thank you.

[@pattiel1108]

So just ordered two new bottles of ink. Trying the new Lamy ink after soaking the feed in soapy water for 24 hrs. Once again, the pen writes about a paragraph and then dries up. What the heck? This is sooooo frustrating. Any ideas appreciated!

[@yrknutzreek]

6:55 tried this with my Visconti homosapiens midnight in Florence, hasn't worked. I'm gonna try and have a nibmeister do something about it.

[@Coyotehello]

At 06:00 aren't showing a Waverley type nib? What is wrong with adjusting the tines? Personally I am having an issue that I never had before. I have a Sheaffer Silver Imperial Sovereign, that has been sitting for decades... With ink in it and I think it might have been permanent ink. Completely dry, nothing comes out of the nib even after a 24hr soak and even when pressurized with a syringe, I do not get a drop not even wet. Otherwise the nib looks nice. Any suggestions?

[@mindpoacher4732]

Hey Drew!!! Great demo and big kudos for the oversized nib. I'm assuming the doctor said you no longer have to wear that sweater....which I'm assuming is a good thing. Do you know your prestations are soo much better when you don't have your " coffee " on set?? It's true....ya know. That is all.

[@Gouletpens]

Not sure what you're talking about, sorry! - Drew

[@mindpoacher4732]

@@Gouletpens oh ....I was referring to the Christmas sweater with the two deer on it. I made a comment in the video that you were wearing it. But seriously I do enjoy your videos.

[@plechaim]

Just putting my fingernail in the nib and widening it slightly fixed my issue, thanks so much!! Now off to wash my hands!

[@TheWanderingFire]

We now know Drew's feelings about tapers but what about tapirs? 😬

[@Gouletpens]

Tapirs are awesome! - Drew

[@Jason-L-Ledford]

If your pen is skipping and hard starting then, it is a perfect excuse to go from the factory Nib to a 14K Gold Nib from The Goulet Pen Company.

[@stephenaustin3026]

Hard starting/skipping is much harder to fix by simple manipulations with palladium nibs than gold in my experience.

[@Stettafire]

Gold is a soft metal so easy to manipulate. On the downside also less durable as a result

[@shannonmariehauck]

Hard starts and skipping. Sounds like my first car! 🤣

[@Soyokaze404-yc1dt]

A product that is nearly 200 years old, is getting the most clear and concise version of explanations in their usage and workings in the entirety of their existence...in 2023. Think about that before you think this is a dying hobby/market. Go go go Goulet! Write on!

[@monkpato]

Hey, you forgot to tell me whom I am!

[@Gouletpens]

You're you! Keep up the great work! - Drew

[@wendymartin6479]

Yeah and it could just be an annoying Noodlers pen.

[@oskarmorgan9278]

Second

[@chilldude2242]

i like you guys but you have to quit it with the multiple 5+ min youtube ads

[@elisabethryder4719]

Perhaps try some free adblocker extensions or apps. There's at least a handful of tutorials online to show you how, too. I believe KZbin is also much more responsible for the ads and their length than any channel would be, unless they're just too small to show ads for their videos. Hope this was helpful. 🙂

[@TheJigglypuffGuy]

First