Nib and converter issues

[Marco63]

Good day everyone!!
My wife got me a 'hand crafted' pen for Christmas. Since day one the pen has had skipping problems while writing. I got in touch with the artisan and he sent me a new nib and converter. The situation hasn't changed. I got myself a different converter, this too doesn't work.
The pen needs constant priming, pushing ink via converter into the nib, as the ink does not flow out of any of the converters I have. I have WASHED the nib+feed assembly multiple times but this too doesn't change the situation. At least I have been told the the nib is a Boch #5.
I've now contacted the supplier of the nib the guy uses, Beaufort, asking for advice. Next I'll be extracting the nib and feed from the encasing as they are friction fit but although I tried I can't dislodge the two pieces from the encasing.
I'll buy myself a new nib assembly and see how it goes. This thing bugs me though !! Not buying other pens from this guy though.
Technical ideas ?

 

[luvmysuper]

There are a lot of folks churning out pens pieced together from various suppliers and just turning blanks to make them look nice.
Unfortunately, many just are not up to the job.
If you're not buying a fountain pen from an established brand, either new or vintage, then you really need to wade through some reviews of the folks you are buying from, both in terms of functionality but also in terms of how they handle problems when they occur.

 

[TexOkie Shaver]

Bear in mind that I’m a neophyte and I only learn from asking.

What ink are you using?

 

[Hercule]

Bloch nib units are screw in.

 

[tankerjohn]

It might help to post some pictures. @Hercule is correct that Bock nibs usually screw into a housing. The housing is likely friction fit into the section, but you should still be able to unscrew the nib and feed. Make sure the nib is sitting flush with the feed and there isn't a gap. Additionally, make sure the nib is centered on the feed; you should be to see the feed channel running right though the center of the nib's breather hole if it is aligned correctly. Also, check the nib tines to ensure they are both the same length and not crossed. Finally, check the tipping on the tines for baby's bottom, where the tipping is double humped like a little tush instead of rounded or straight across. A loupe or magnifying glass helps alot for inspecting the nib. Depending on what you find, there are varying DIY remedies. Goulet Pens has some very good videos on YouTube about diagnosing skipping and how to tune it out, if you want to try that. If you're not comfortable doing the tuning yourself, simple tuning is usually between $20-30 plus shipping to a have a nibmeister to it.

 

[jar_]

Secret. Don't tell ANYONE!

Fill any one of the converters then take it out of the fountain pen.

Take a toothpick and just briefly dip the skinny end in some dish detergent and the very briefly poke it into the ink in the converter.

Reassemble.

Enjoy.

 

[Marco63]

My wife didn't think of searching for customer feedback on the pen 'turner' or maybe she did. I have no idea. She did something nice, on top of all the other things she does for me. Anyway the Bock nib is screwed into a section, so I can take it out and replace with another one, and this I did. The nib+feed are friction fit into the encasing that then screws into the section. What puzzles is me is that of the 3 converters I've tried none work, i.e. ink does not flow to the tip of the nib, I have to twist the converter to get ink out. The same happened with a cartridge and this is why I think the problem lies with the nib, but I may be wrong.

 

[Hercule]

Bock #5s are ~$15-20. Well worth ordering a new one.

I find it difficult to believe the nib unit housing is friction fit. I don't know of any custom/boutique pen makers using friction fit nib housings. Everything is threaded these days. Such is a thing of vintage pens. One can swap out the nib on a commercial nib unit but it can be difficult to do given that they are compression fitted with the feed into the modular unit.

Certainly a picture of the pen, or a link to the maker and model will answer a lot of questions.

I should think that the pen should have been tuned and ready to go before leaving the shop.

 

[Marco63]

@TexOkie I've used Parker and Waterman's

 

[Marco63]

@Hercule the Bock nib+feed+encasing, complete set, screw into the section. It is the nib and feed that are friction fit into the Bock encasing.

 

[tankerjohn]

@Hercule the Bock nib+feed+encasing, complete set, screw into the section. It is the nib and feed that are friction fit into the Bock encasing.

That it. I had it backwards in my head.

 

[Hercule]

@Hercule the Bock nib+feed+encasing, complete set, screw into the section. It is the nib and feed that are friction fit into the Bock encasing.

They can be pretty tight and not so much friction fit as they are press fit (not really intended to be taken apart) so not at all worth fussing with in my opinion. Just buy a new nib unit. Or, as I would be inclined to do, send it back to the maker and tell him to make it work. Surely he should stand by what he produces.

 

[Eutychus]

@TexOkie I've used Parker and Waterman's

You won't go wrong with either of those.

 

[Marco63]

Beaufort has replied asking me to send them the nib so that they can have a look at it. Tomorrow I'll post it and wait for their analysis. I'll report back. Thank you for your support folks!

 

[Marco63]

Followup. The nib never arrived at Beaufort. They were willing, as a gesture of goodwill, to replace the nib if I paid for shipping cost. I asked for a broad nib and they said they were going to do only a like for like swap. I ordered a broad Bock nib unit myself, obviously didn't fit into the pen's section so swapped the present nib with the new Bock broad. It now works. Never heard from Beaufort since they told me they were goign to charge me for nib or shipping. Another supplier out of my list. Hurray !!!

 

[mtcn77]

Hi, since the topic is a Bock #5 nib found in my Kaweco Classic Sport, I will report on my findings.

The pen came with a certain kind of feedback and wetness. It would also dry up when capped. I narrowed the tines down and it got really smooth and expressive, but it was frequently clogging up.

I reopened the tines up by flexing them down, then the line variation got wider and scratchiness was noticable. I looked through under the camera lens under 4 times magnification with flashlight and the left tine was certainly looking bent inward and was a step down lower than the right.

I opened up the tines by pressing on the wings, lifted the lower tine on the inside a few times, pressed the nib on its reverse a couple of times and then rolled it side to side facing down normally.

It still has BBS, but the ink flow is okay. It has some skipping starts on downstrokes and left strokes, but the pen picked up on rolling motions due to less feedback, so not bad for a moment's work.

 

[Marco63]

The seller is an 'artisan' pen assembler. Some of his works look nice but his attention to detail and post sale are really bad. Yes he originally sent me another nib but it performed worse than the previous one. Never again from this person I'll buy a pen
Marco