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Post by vertolive on Jun 6, 2020 22:50:29 GMT
No, they all developed thin cracks early on, even though I never tossed them around...
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Post by radellaf on Jun 7, 2020 4:42:58 GMT
Have had a lot of (4?) TWSBIs have cracks near the section, once on the oldest (530) it was the barrel. I must have a dozen or more 5xx, 2 vacs, and a few minis. So 4 or 5 problems with mostly the older pens doesn't put me off (since they sent or sold me replacement parts). Also have maybe 6 Ecos that have all been fine. The weirdest issue was all the fins stripping off a feed where I gripped it to pull it out. I wasn't using too much force. The plastic had just become brittle. Probably the 530 or maybe a 540, so an old one. Past couple of years it's been 3 580AL (grey, purple, prussian blue) and the mint-blue AL mini.
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Post by radellaf on Jun 7, 2020 4:55:41 GMT
> d - Must have some length of cap past the > top of the clip (Sheaffer Balance is great, > Parker 51 is a nope)(I don't wear shirts >with pocket flaps)
I definitely don't have that requirement. My favorite shirt pen is a Pelikan M200 and it has very little cap above the clip. Have one 61 but it's not inked now. Didn't mind carrying it. Very few pens have the clip that far up the cap.
> seems fashion around here is working > against me, and most shirts I see have > short or no pockets.
What's annoying me is that I buy the same model of shirt every time. Land's End or LL Bean T shirts or mesh polos. The last batch from a year ago, vs say 5 years for the previous batch, has quite noticeably shorter pockets. T and polo. I didn't get many that time but it is really annoying and who knows what the next ones will be like. They've been consistent for 20 years or so before that.
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Post by radellaf on Jun 7, 2020 5:08:18 GMT
I am mortified that right now I use a ballpoint to address most envelopes. I don't have any waterproof ink in stock and I had a couple of letters returned to me where the address had become wet and smeared and splotchy, and drippy and indecipherable. Never actually had an address do that unless it also got the return so I never found out about it. I do always think about address smearing, though. Between that concern and some envelopes on the moon cards that were so weird that even a sharpie was hard to see, I've just given in and started to use my EDK V2 ballpoint to address most letters. If it's a light envelope and it's not been raining all the time and I have an ink I wanna use for it then I might address some letters water soluble-ly. I'm sure a couple of the 40+ colors I have inked must be at least water resistant. Maybe the pilot blue black. Lexington Gray is, but it's a bit light.
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Post by stompie on Jun 7, 2020 18:09:16 GMT
I am mortified that right now I use a ballpoint to address most envelopes. I don't have any waterproof ink in stock and I had a couple of letters returned to me where the address had become wet and smeared and splotchy, and drippy and indecipherable. Never actually had an address do that unless it also got the return so I never found out about it. I do always think about address smearing, though. Between that concern and some envelopes on the moon cards that were so weird that even a sharpie was hard to see, I've just given in and started to use my EDK V2 ballpoint to address most letters. If it's a light envelope and it's not been raining all the time and I have an ink I wanna use for it then I might address some letters water soluble-ly. I'm sure a couple of the 40+ colors I have inked must be at least water resistant. Maybe the pilot blue black. Lexington Gray is, but it's a bit light. I use dip nibs for addressing envelopes and then run a candle over them so water is not a problem, nor a sweaty pawed postman!
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Post by Lupine on Jun 7, 2020 22:32:36 GMT
Vertolive - My pretty little TWSBI does not leak one drop, but it comes with silicone grease, so I know the company acknowledges the possibility (probability?). I have not yet greased mine. I took it all apart once for fun and it fit back together snugly. I took a chance with not greasing the threads and so far, no problems at all. Ah! You also own a Nakaya desk pen and still have a few grails left (!). The Black Velvet is breathtaking. I like the whole cocktail series and would let any one of them eat crackers in my bed (as they say).
Reading other's comments, I see they can develop cracks!!! That would be awful. I hope it doesn't happen.
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Post by MKB on Jun 9, 2020 1:12:12 GMT
A couple of things about the TWSBIs. They had issues with their plastic cracking, but have since changed their process and/or plastic. The silicone that comes with the pens is not a thick grease like you would use for threads, but more like an oil for piston lubrication (should it ever need it, which mine haven't). I've had many ECO's galore since they first came out and not a single issue.
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Post by Lupine on Jun 12, 2020 22:31:47 GMT
A couple of things about the TWSBIs. They had issues with their plastic cracking, but have since changed their process and/or plastic. The silicone that comes with the pens is not a thick grease like you would use for threads, but more like an oil for piston lubrication (should it ever need it, which mine haven't). I've had many ECO's galore since they first came out and not a single issue. Oh! Thank you so much for this information.
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Post by InsomniaQueen on Sept 23, 2020 8:02:00 GMT
I bought a starter fountain pen and used it for the first time yesterday evening. It's a pelikano junior with a left-handed nib. It fatigued my hand so much that the other letters I wrote were done with my standby - Uni-Ball Jetstream 0.7. It also had an "ergonomic" grip, which I did not like. I don't hold my pen like a normal person (I hold it between my middle finger and ring finger - drove my teachers nuts, but it felt natural to me), so the ergonomic grip rubbed. I think the hand fatigue was a combination of the grip not fitting, the left-handed nib (I am left handed but I am not an over-writer - which I just read is the type of writer left-handed nibs are for), and the paper. I used regular paper from my printer and the nib felt like it was scratching and dragging along the surface. I know next to nothing about fountain pens. Does anyone have a suggestion on what I am doing wrong/how I can reduce my hand fatigue?
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Post by MKB on Sept 23, 2020 13:53:47 GMT
Sounds like the nib is scratchy, which can be adjusted. Is it a fine or extra fine nib? Any standard (non-lefty) nib should work okay for a lefty under writer. If you don’t smear across your writing, you are lucky as you have more options for inks and juicy nibs.
Okay, so I can give you some tips, but it’s possible to get you into more trouble depending on what the problem really is. If it’s just that the angled nib is catching because the angle is digging in with your under writing then this might not do much for you. If it were a more expensive pen I wouldn’t recommend the following. Okay, if you have a magnifying lens or similar functionality with your phone camera, you can inspect the alignment of the two tines at the tip. If one is higher than the other you can gently encourage them to align with your fingernails and test the feeling on paper. If aligned but still scratchy, then you can very gently pull the tip along the finest side of a four-sided foam nail buffer. The motion should be from a low angle to a high one (almost vertical) as you pull across. Just a few strokes. Also a couple with the pen slightly rotated to each side to smooth the outside edges (still going from low to high). Now test and see if better. This can be done more aggressively with a slightly rougher side of the buffer first, but it gets more risky that you might make things worse without experience. Doing this wears away the nib, so don’t make it a routine. Good luck and may you eventually find that glassy smooth writing experience with your fountain pens.
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Post by sails on Sept 23, 2020 13:57:42 GMT
People will tell you that the tripod grip is used for a reason; it's easier to control the pen and does reduce hand fatigue. I am a southpaw as well, own several Pel Jrs., and they SHOULD write a smooth, wet line.
'Left-handed' nibs might orient the nib in a way that's counterproductive. I never bothered with them. Do you overwrite, underwrite, or side-write? A photo of your hand holding the pen as if to write might be useful. I hope this helps a little; others are sure to chime in.
(I also stretch and shake my hands frequently when writing.)
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Post by stompie on Sept 23, 2020 18:35:43 GMT
I agree with all that has been said so far and, as an aside, how tight do you hold the pen? If you have it in a death grip then your hand will get tired.
Fountain pens can be held like a delicate flower and there should be no need to push the pen into the paper as it only needs a very light contact with the paper.
Oh yes, nearly forgot to ask - Is it a normal nib or an italic type nib?
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Post by InsomniaQueen on Sept 25, 2020 2:33:03 GMT
MKB , sails , stompieThank you all for your input. I don't know if I underwrite or side-write. I know the tripod grip is best for fatigue, so I will practice with it. I did notice when I was looking at the pen that the grip that is on it is for a right-handed person even though the pen is marketed with the left-handed nib. I am posting a photo of me and my pen so that everyone can cringe. I used the tripod grip and wrote a few lines and the ink flowed smoothly without scratching, so I do believe the problem lies with how I hold the pen. So, maybe a fountain pen will force me to use a correct grip where all of my teachers failed. (So, maybe I don't like being told what to do... How I hold a pen by Becky Long, on Flickr
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Post by MKB on Sept 25, 2020 3:19:58 GMT
I was imagining a pen position that was near vertical when you described your grip. That’s going to make it more difficult, especially with the finer nibs. There is a”fude” nib that might help. It’s got a little bend at the tip, which may help with a more vertical hold.
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Post by InsomniaQueen on Sept 25, 2020 5:01:31 GMT
I was imagining a pen position that was near vertical when you described your grip. That’s going to make it more difficult, especially with the finer nibs. There is a”fude” nib that might help. It’s got a little bend at the tip, which may help with a more vertical hold. I know that fountain pens are very serious business, but... I just cracked myself up with the mental image of you helping with writing in the same way my husband's golf coach corrects his swing. A pen coach, if you will, with video showing the flaws in the down stroke, etc. Idk, maybe I'm just delirious because it is midnight...
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