How to get rid of baby's bottoms on a nib

[@lisaharris6944]

Just did this on a Mont Blanc that I think someone had tried to grind the nub on with a grinding wheel!!! I could see how bad the nib was with a lens. This worked an absolute treat!!!! Thanks sbrebrown.

[@souzajb]

Thank you for show me how to solve the problem. I'll try it first in an inexpensive pen and after that in my Waterman Expert.

[@nimbuslab1079]

THANK YOU SO MUCH! instead I picked up a 4 side nail buffer from the salon supply store and it workeddd

[@sbrebrown]

+Nimbus Lab I'm glad this was useful for you.

[@BugDude1]

OMG ! That worked so well ! My nib(MB149) is sooo smooth now ! Thank you !!!

[@ClaudiusSchmitt]

I was able to fix my TWSBI 580 B-nib thanks to this tutorial - great job!

[@sbrebrown]

Glad it was useful!

[@738polarbear]

This is a great explanation Stephen.I just fixed a TWSBI 580 thanks to you.

[@sbrebrown]

Great, I'm glad this was helpful for you!

[@bob963me]

Very well done video and I must admire you for doing this with such a high end pen. Truthfully though, I think a problem like this should be fixed by the manufacturer, at no charge. I would consider this a defective product. The same as if I had a computer or a lawn mower that did not start properly.

[@sonvfave]

Seriously u are NOT responsible ... what has become of us? Glad you do these.. hate the need to cya

[@koolpep]

And another happy watcher - fixed my Montegrappa with the help of nail files and buffing boards and LOVE the result now. Many thanks for the encouragement - I wouldn't have done it myself without this video and the positive results in the comments. ;-)

[@sbrebrown]

Ralf Peppekus I'm glad this was helpful!

[@koolpep]

Yes, indeed. And your reviews are very cool, love watching them, wallet is less happy. ;-)

[@jreckitt]

Great vid as always - the sound of the nib on the first grid sent shivers down my spine!

[@sbrebrown]

Yes, lovely scratchy sound, eh :-)?

[@evipingleihe9552]

I got a Lamy Medium Nib few weeks ago because the fine that came with the pen was too fine for what I like. So what I found is, the nib was a little bit scratchy on the right stroke. I modified,and over modified the nib and that was what I got, a baby's bottom. It became a lot smoother but skipped a lot. I followed what you did in the video with a 7000（I don't know what that unit is in english） sandpaper, and it works pretty well now. The only thing is that it writes broader than when I received it. But I love it. It's a really helpful video. Thanks for sharing.

[@sbrebrown]

I'm glad that this was useful.

[@richardalanduncan]

Love it! Boom Shaka Laka! Made me laugh! Thanks. I have a new (to me) 146 that has the start up problem. I'm going to give it a go.

[@kevinu.k.7042]

My goodness - Kudos for bravery. Nicely done. My limit is cardboard to remove micro-burs. Thanks for a great video.

[@m00nsplitter72]

I've had this problem on a few pens but I think I'd get pretty bent out of shape if it happened on an (overly?) expensive Montblanc. I was peeved enough when I discovered it on my Visconti Rembrandt. It is in one sense an irreparable flaw because the remedy will alter the geometry of a round tip. This isn't a problem for me because I reprofile all my nibs to cursive or stub italic anyway, but your advise to take things slowly is very important. A nib specified as 'M' will very quickly lay down a 'B' or 'BB' line otherwise.

[@sbrebrown]

Indeed it will: go slow and check the results often!

[@bdbop]

Another very well done video, Stephen, thanks. It's especially good that you warn about overdoing the process to avoid eating up too much of the tipping material. I'm wondering whether the horizontal figure-of-eight strokes don't actually exacerbate the problem, though, since the tine tip leading into the lateral stroke gets flexed, leaving the inner edge of the other tine tip to actually contact the grit surface and become rounded. I would think restricting the process to vertical strokes might be better, followed by smoothing on a very fine micromesh. I'm interested in your take on that.

[@sbrebrown]

You know, that makes a lot of sense. I'll think about that one a bit more.

[@AdityaShevade]

Thanks a lot for doing this video. It helped me fix an Edison medium nib for me. I don't know if I am unable to find it or if it does not exist but, I would love to see a video on fixing weird tine misalignment. V or inverted v shape and lateral tine overlap.

[@JohnNewtoneu]

you've given a forewarning a during warning and an after warning, if they still complain still then there is no hope. Thanks for the demo, keep up the good work

[@sbrebrown]

Thank you!

[@gonnfishy2987]

I really appreciate your content and knowledge Still don’t know how you got the prera feed loose, i will crack the plastic before mine comes out

[@ToOldToDieYoung333]

this totally solved the issues i had with a new Kaweko AL sport. thanks.

[@sbrebrown]

+ToOldToDieYoung333 I'm glad this was useful for you!

[@mysteryland01]

Thank you. I just did this with the broad nib of a cheap pen and now it works.

[@thecommonguru8028]

awesome.... I had a waterman that was too fine and I turned it into a 2 broad. Your videos helped me smooth it out and now I have another great pen that is smooth and juicy!

[@sbrebrown]

I'm glad this was useful!

[@jimmyystardust]

Did you really have to go through all the grits? Or will it work with using maybe half of the grits?

[@danielhill9231]

What brand loupe is that? it has the clearest and most even picture I've ever seen. Mine has a very narrow range of vision. It's a triplet loupe, but yours is like whoa...

[@sbrebrown]

Mr Daniel It's a BelOmo

[@Ali.Osman1]

Hello. İs the process of smoothing a stub nib the same?

[@MissMCwuffles]

Thank you so much! I had tried so many ways to fix my pen and was losing hope! My pen works again!

[@thuntz29]

Hi Steven! Do you know if this problem happens in 1.1 mm? I am having a very similar issue with my Kaweco 1.1 mm, hard starts and skipping. But also, I feel the tines open too easily, so I can't really press to make it write (I have a TWSBI and an Italix stubs and they are pretty rigid) I will give this technique a try!

[@BHASKARKRISHNATREYA]

Could you please post the link of page from where you bought the grits? Thanks.

[@sbrebrown]

Andersonpens.net

[@bikkies]

Excellent as always, shame it is even necessary in this day and age to have to include disclaimers, but I completely get why. Trash your nib? Tough. Fix your nib? Boom shackalacka.

[@lopezalehandro1666]

Didnt have time for any fine grit pads so just used a whet stone. The pen runs great. Thanks

[@neknim]

Worked better than I expected. So easy!!! Thanks you!

[@fredt6996]

Enjoy your videos very much. I purchased a pen. It skipped on the downstroke when I first used it a few days ago. After writing with it a few times, the skipping problem seems to go away on its own. It still skips once awhile but definitely not as severe. Has that happened to your pens? Thanks,

[@sbrebrown]

Maybe the feed needed to saturate completely?

[@lucharvey3661]

I have just bought a used MontBlanc 149. I have used a couple of inks and for the first line, there is no ink. The tip look like a baby bottom....but is it possible it's something else?

[@lucharvey3661]

sbrebrown Thanks...so I guess the safe option will be to bring it Chez Montblanc for a full nib service (they just changed the piston filler system).

[@lucharvey3661]

sbrebrown Call me crazy, but I took the risk of your solution, but only with finer pads (4000, 6000, 8000 and 12000)...and very smoothly. It now works perfectly.

[@sbrebrown]

Glad this was useful!

[@connorcoyle6592]

Would this still work if I used just the 1500 and the 1200 grit. Thanks for the video, you're the best.

[@connorcoyle6592]

I'll let you know how it goes, Thank you for all of your help. Happy Writting.

[@charlesmcguffy]

7:59 "Oops, I squirted a bit too early there" This is a problem I also have. Any chance of covering this in a future video? xD

[@sbrebrown]

That would be an interesting video indeed :-).

[@everydaybenjamins]

Hey Stephen, love the videos! Keep them coming. One quick question, you referenced two books in a video about everything to know about fountain pens, I can't remember the names of them, nor the video you should them?

[@sbrebrown]

One was probably Fountain Pens by Peter Twydle. I don't know what the other one was.

[@asteroidhopkins]

Thank You for this tutorial! Worked like a charm on an Italix Parsons of mine.

[@pr0n3]

Great Tutorial, you helped me fix a few of my old pens. Thanks much mang!

[@sbrebrown]

I'm glad this was useful for you!

[@IsaiahHoltBass]

Would you suggest the same, or similar, process if all I have available is 12,000 micro mesh?

[@sbrebrown]

Isaiah Holt Yes, but it may take a bit longer to fix it.

[@carlosdelgado4077]

I've watched a few videos and tutorials over there and I must say that YOU helped me fix my beautiful sheaffer pen :) it has baby bottom he hee thanks for those great videos!

[@sbrebrown]

Carlos Delgado I'm glad that this was helpful to you!

[@stresemann101]

I just ordered micro mesh thank you always for all the videos you make!

[@sbrebrown]

Stresemann You're welcome !

[@mockingbird_v3057]

If you do this with a F or EF nib, will it result in a bigger size nib like M?

[@sbrebrown]

Soe Wunna That depends on how much tipping you take off.

[@racerx1326]

What is the name of the website to buy the micro mesh?

[@kelseym.7187]

I love that ink! What kind is it?

[@sbrebrown]

Maybe Iroshizuku Yama-Budo; I'm not sure.

[@eggscelsior]

I bought an Italix Churchman's Prescriptor with an italic broad nib like yours, and it doesn't look to ME like baby's bottom, although I am very inexperienced in examining nibs. It writes every time, but it only writes from the middle of the nib tip and not the edges. If I keep writing, the ink flow will slowly spread along the width of the nib tip, but then the problem starts over again when I start a new line. Have you ever seen anything like that?

[@sbrebrown]

An italic nib does have a specific sweet spot. It will only write there and nowhere else.

[@aladdin91056]

Any experience of 'singing' nibs Stephen. I have a lovely conway stewart 27 that's flexy and smooth but so noisy I don't use it at work. Be great to turn the volume down a bit!

[@sbrebrown]

No, I've never done that.

[@sbrebrown]

M00nsplitter Sounds good!

[@m00nsplitter72]

Feeeeels good!!!!

[@sachaswindlehurst7241]

What material's that beautiful hairy white cloth with all the ink stains you've got there?

[@sachaswindlehurst7241]

Oh thanks, it looked cool to me with all the stains..

[@gabrieltorres7421]

Wow great video. Will definitely be trying this in the near future.

[@GenePavlovsky]

I think the finest micro-mesh is 12000 grade (which is their proprietary grading system, not the same as sandpaper grit), not 1200.

[@Barros_vbp]

Hi, Steve. I recently got a Pelikan M1000, and I'm experiencing some skipping from time to time, but it does not seem to be due to baby's bottoms. It writes very well almost all the time. But, after a few seconds with the nib off the paper, like a stop a little longer between words, the tip of the nib runs out of ink. I mean, when I start writing again, it doesn't write immediately. I have to touch the paper with the tip of the nib for, lets say, one second, in order to re-establish the ink flow and the pen writes again. Looking closely at the tip of the nib, I have noticed that the tines don't touch each other at the very tip. Do you think that this is the cause of the problem?? I'd love if you could tell me something about it. Thank you very very very much, anyway. Bye

[@sbrebrown]

There should be a small gap between the tines. If the gap is too big, you can have the issues you describe.

[@Barros_vbp]

sbrebrown Sorry I wrote your name wrong before. Today I got it right due to my visit to the page "About me" at sbrebrown.com. I really appreciate your tip. I'll check this out. Thank you very very much, Stephen.

[@sbrebrown]

Check in particular if the nib gap tapers away from the breather hole: that dries out a pen too.

[@Barros_vbp]

sbrebrown Yeh, I will. Thank you very much for your help. I really appreciate that.

[@jansencolella4284]

Valmidênio Barros

[@DaniRomano]

Hello. Did you empty the pen before rubbing? Because I see no ink on the pads but then when you try it on the paper it actually writes. Thanks for the tutorial, BTW. Great job.

[@sbrebrown]

+Dani Romano I always do this with the pen inked up, as the ink adds extra lubrication.

[@DaniRomano]

+sbrebrown thanks a lot.

[@AleksGutierrez]

..."waaaah!!! i ruined my 146 nib!!!" lmao :D good stuff!

[@sbrebrown]

Thanks, glad you liked it!

[@boomjonggol5757]

Lol I heard it "Mom, I ruined my 146 nib"! 😂😂😂

[@Bluebuthappy182]

Nice colour of ink what is it ox blood?

[@sbrebrown]

That's possible, I don't recall.

[@AresWarriorOfTheSun]

Stephen, have you ever heard of the nibmeister Nobuhiko Moriyama? It's said that he customizes a nib to fit the users writing style, would you know if this is even possible?

[@sbrebrown]

I have to admit I've never heard of him.

[@paullettefrancoeur6238]

You are very tactful Mr. Brown. Thank you for the information.

[@sbrebrown]

You're welcome!

[@gohyingler7980]

The Micromesh u got it from what pen website,i cant hear properly.

[@sbrebrown]

Andersonpens.net.

[@gohyingler7980]

Ok Thanks

[@MisterRorschach90]

At exactly 8 minutes into your video + "that's what she said"

[@fancyslayer99]

jordan secrist only the dirty minded would understand....

[@JRenee141]

lmao omg 😂😂😂😂😂 wow

[@BixbyConsequence]

It happens to everyone at some point.

[@MrJames_Bondage]

7:58 actually

[@bigbirdbigbird]

jordan secrist "I'll try to exercise some more control there." 😂

[@sumanngon]

I am an ardent viewer of your channel. Want to ask you a bit of a strange question on the micro pads which has no connect with your topic here. I ask because I see few katanas on your wall. I am an avid collector of knives, pens and watches. Do these micro mesh helps stropping knives too? Apologies beforehand if I have asked a question not fit for your topic here.

[@sbrebrown]

I have never done it, but I think some people do!

[@polksie]

Very, very informative video!! Thanks for showing this!

[@sbrebrown]

You're welcome!

[@TonyThomas10000]

Hmmmm...looks pretty aggressive to me. The coarsest micromesh grit is 1500 and that will remove a lot of material quickly. I think I would have started with one of the medium grits (probably 3600). Also, I notice that you didn't check your work with a loupe during the process. That is something I always do. I have had good success using a ceramic knife sharpening rod for this kind of stuff using very little pressure and checking often with a loupe as I work to see what is going on.

[@sbrebrown]

I don't take half measures :-). Seriously though: this was a fairly bad case. Your advice makes sense: maybe start with a lower grit and definitely check the results often.

[@mehmetpinarci1456]

would this problem go away if you keep writing ...

[@sbrebrown]

It might, but that would require a lot of writing.

[@mehmetpinarci1456]

thank you sir :)

[@EgbertWilliams]

Okay, I tried this and now the baby is extremely cranky. I tried your disclaimer with the wife, but she's still furious. Please advise.

[@sbrebrown]

Haha

[@SchlangeVonEden]

You mentioned sending more expensive pens to a nibmeister, but do you happen to know where one could find one in Europe? Also, great video and great channel, I'm an avid follower. :)

[@sbrebrown]

Serpent@Eden I have heard very good things about John Sorowka in the UK, but I have not personally dealt with him; Mr Sorowka does not have a website, but he is “oxonian” on the fountain pen network, so you can reach him there.

[@SchlangeVonEden]

Thanks a lot. I'll consider doing that.

[@hrnekbezucha]

Just a note for new users, sometimes your new nib/pen will skip and the problems is much simpler to deal with. There may protective oil residue on the tip, which prevents the ink from flowing. All you do is grab a lighter and move the nib over the flame for just split of a second. The quickest move is enough to burn the oil and suddenly, the ink flows beautifully.

[@Haru-oh2yg]

And remember before do this, that THE FEED IS MADE FROM PLASTIC GUYS. Remove the nib first.

[@MrFluffypoop]

Or flush the pen with soapy water. A bit or rubbing alcohol on the nib will also degrease it. - careful, some alcohols can dissolve plastics; not good for your feed. I think your solution is more appropriate for dip pen nibs. Some people use saliva.

[@some1won]

It's neat how you can hear the difference in how the pen writes at each step. Also at 7:57, that's what she said...

[@sbrebrown]

No, that;s what I told her...

[@bob963me]

It happens to some women too. Not as commonly, but it still happens.

[@sbrebrown]

bob963me I'll bear this in mind!

[@mfcoom9485]

My dad got me an MB classique red gold. Which writes super smoothly, i figured early on that it has this problem :,,,(.

[@steventrosiek2623]

Just a great video by a master!

[@ahschornjesus]

is that a burgundy 146?

[@sbrebrown]

'Tis!

[@ahschornjesus]

Jealous.

[@marcelofrancetich]

Geweldige techniek, zeer nuttig!

[@muskndusk]

I think my P45 has baby's bum. Will address this after chaos of move. By then I'll have a loupe and smoothing stuff. Thanks for the how to. Whoever invented the term "baby's bottom"? Very description, also weird.

[@gammondog]

Probably the same person who invented the term "ass-burn". A condition a hospital patient gets from sitting on a toilet seat that has been cleaned with an overly strong dilution of a cleaning soluction.

[@sbrebrown]

Good luck!

[@muskndusk]

sbrebrown Thanks. I've moved and have been practising nib smoothing etc with my cheap Chinese pens. I've discovered the amazing results which can be achieved just by adjusting misaligned tines. This turned a difficult-to-write-with Baoer 388 into one of the nicest pens I have. I've had mixed results with the micromesh. Still not confident enough to touch the Parker 45.

[@sbrebrown]

muskndusk Just go slow, use the finest grit of Micro-Mesh, and check the results often. You can do it!

[@mrbluenun]

Hi, Ans thanks for another great info video!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@PB877]

Very nice video!!! And very educational!!!

[@sbrebrown]

Thank you!

[@PB877]

You are welcome!!!

[@criscavi19]

Excellent tutorial. Thank.

[@baroquer]

When I ruin me nib, I am going to sue you Heh, heh, heh! (diabolical laugh)

[@siddi73]

Which MB is that ?

[@sbrebrown]

146 in burgundy.

[@jisa39]

How about an oil stone?

[@sbrebrown]

If it would be a very fine grit, that ought to work too!

[@MisterRorschach90]

Micro mesh grits are different from stone and sand paper grits. A 12000 micro mesh is not anywhere close to a 12000 water or oil stone. If I remember correctly Micro mesh's 1500 is the same as a 400 grit.

[@mhoward180]

Very enlightening- thanks.

[@sbrebrown]

You're welcome!

[@heynewgirl]

Another great informative vid

[@sbrebrown]

Thank you!

[@Lyander25]

Well this is timely! I was just noticing that my new pen had a mild case of baby bottom that made for a few hard starts! Creepy XD

[@sbrebrown]

I hope this can be of use, then!

[@Lyander25]

Definitely! Now I just need to figure out a place where I can find a complete set of micromesh pads locally. Thanks for all the awesome videos, Mr. Brown! Cheers!

[@ArDronee]

thank you very much!

[@Yoyochanny]

Very helpful, thanks!

[@sbrebrown]

Glad you found it helpful!

[@Volkmannx]

Thank you!

[@tristannoelmans]

"I turned my number 6 nib in a number 5" would be funny though.

[@romualdozwolinski6317]

Fantastic!

[@berryj.greene7090]

Thanks very good

[@jameschung6557]

Boohoohoo.... I ruined my 149........:_((((( lol jk great vid! You shall take zero responsibility.

[@sbrebrown]

I hope it was useful :-)!

[@AmusedToast]

Was that a laugh I heard at 8:00? ;-)

[@sbrebrown]

I need a laughing tape :-).

That's a very scared guy,

[@mhsvz6735]

Do at your own risk...

[@mysummertouch]

$100 pen and you have to do that????!!!!!!

[@davidgordon8099]

Red/ pinky ink? A bleeding baby, eeeewwww did I really just say that! Crikey that sounds horrible.

[@sbrebrown]

It's true though :-).

[@ElizaHamilton1780]

...I don't suppose it's good to have ink get stuck in a baby bottom's buttcrack. Thank goodness you didn't use some kind of brown ink for the demo, too. It, uh...it just wouldn't look right. x_x :P

[@charlesmcguffy]

Lol

[@ElizaHamilton1780]

Ewwww...or what about some mustard-y, olive-y brown ink? Like Noodler's "Rome Burning"? Normally, I like that color. But, uh...not in the context of "baby bottoms" and how ink gets stuck in baby's buttcrack. :P

[@charlesmcguffy]

Theresa A. Eurgh, that is truly disgusting!

[@ElizaHamilton1780]

No kidding! But, uh...I think this is what we get when we talk about "baby bottoms" and stuff getting stuck in something's crack. :P All of this is also reminding me of how I feel about Starbucks's pumpkin spice latte. Short answer: I don't like it. Yet every year, I do try buying one anyway, just to see if I might like it any better this time around. I drink it, hope I actually like it...and I don't like it after all...but I drink it anyway. Then I pop the top off and take a picture of the dregs of my latte because it has an orange-y brown "baby made a poo poo" look to it and post it to Facebook.... Uh...yeah. I'm an odd one, all right. XD

[@charlesmcguffy]

Theresa A. Aha. I do the same with normal coffee. Every time, I just can't stand the stuff!

[@asherray4969]

So cheap pens work fine, but when i want to buy a nice expensive pen, it doesn't work and I need to spend hours of time researching and do all this work just to get the damn thing to write. Makes sense....NOT

[@sbrebrown]

No, SOME pens will not work properly.

[@Khamomil]

What the hell are you talking about baby's bottoms on a nib? Forgive me for being a newbie but you should use language that's not too much for insiders.

[@josephvalentine2562]

It's explained 3 minutes into the video... Or 30 seconds on Google will tell you what it is.

[@Khamomil]

It's too gay for me.

[@vincent-of-the-bog]

How can you use anything other than the proper term if you don't want the title of the video to turn into a novella? Terms exist for a reason, you know.

[@ThePrince5623]

Wow. Arrogance accompanied with ignorance.

[@Khamomil]

Georgia S. They should have put a "LGBT" label in the title, because *only they* can find this expression cute. I find it creepy as hell.