New fountain pen owner and I'm having a little trouble.

I think it's tough to start with a stub Italic. That nib demands different writing movements. I would have (did) start with a Kaweco Sport Classic, fine nib. Bar none, the best nib ever. And I edit for a living, pen on paper

age the VAC 700 nibs the same ?, if they are i have a spare medium nib for twsbi I could send you... swapping them out is easy enough, it's the old nib but will work for you to try in the pen

I just finished putting my nib and feed back together after cleaning it out and am about to fill it with some ink. I don't doubt that it may be operator error, it's just weird that I was able to write a page, front and back, and then I could barely get it to write at all towards the end.

Syngent I'm unsure if they are the same but I should be getting my medium nib in the mail by Saturday I figure.

Oh question do all of TWSBI's replacement nibs come with the small cap insert? I saw a video from goulet pens of a replacement 1.1 stub that came with one, but I was wondering if the medium will come with its own as well.

Thanks everyone for your input.

Well my pen writes again. Idk what exactly was causing it to act up but something fixed it.

Writes better than when it was new lol

Glad you got it straightened out! I picked up a Franklin-Christoph pen with a Medium Stub nib at the DC Pen Show and it took me a couple of days to really find the sweet spot and best writing angle. Once I played with it long enough, it became almost automatic and writes like a dream!

So glad to see the results, always great to see something work itself out. Happy writing !

I seem to only use my stub nibbed pens and I write on lots of cheap copier paper. (middle school teacher) I was having similar issues with skipping and hard starting. Someone here at B&B recommended gently cleaning the nib with a piece of tissue paper or chamois. That's all it took to fix the problem. Seems many of the copier papers are coated. The "waxy" coating can scrape off and clog the tip of the nib.

I periodically wipe the nib down (with ink in the pen) with a tissue. No more skipping and no flow starts...

Thats why I like this place......so many helpful people

Rock on !!!!

Congrats Trent! I am an FP noob as well so I was following along with your thread. I found some info here to put away in my memory bank. Glad yo got your pen working! Enjoy!

Should I have to wash every new pen that I get super thoroughly? Or was this just a freak accident that doesn't normally happen? Taking apart the nib and feed wasn't hard at all so I may just do it for giggles every time I get a new nib, like today I will have my medium nib waiting for me at home.

I clean all of my new pens before inking them up. It gets rid of any oils or debris from the manufacturing process.

I guess I was just too excited and impatient the first time. Whoops.

Usually a good flushing is all a new pen needs ... no need to take the nib & feed out usually. (There can be oils and debris left over from the manufacturing process in side the pen, which can gum up the works if left to its own devices and not washed away.)

That may or may not have been the only thing wrong with your pen ... but now that it's fixed ... full steam ahead!!

I just finished writing a page on the Clairefontaine Triomphe with my new medium nib and I have two thoughts, I can't see myself going any finer than this. And wow this paper feels NICE. I mean I know I'm a noob, but just wow. Makes just about everything else I've felt feel like "bleh" now.

Also I had asked earlier if the new nib would come with its own cap insert, and I'd like to let those that didn't know but would like to that the medium nib did not. But as far as I can tell I can't tell if there is anything bad going on in my cap.

Bob L. said:

I seem to only use my stub nibbed pens and I write on lots of cheap copier paper. (middle school teacher) I was having similar issues with skipping and hard starting. Someone here at B&B recommended gently cleaning the nib with a piece of tissue paper or chamois. That's all it took to fix the problem. Seems many of the copier papers are coated. The "waxy" coating can scrape off and clog the tip of the nib.

I periodically wipe the nib down (with ink in the pen) with a tissue. No more skipping and no flow starts...

Click to expand...

I seem to remember a YT review where the reviewer mentioned that very thing!

Good reminder.