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PEN
FAQ
If
you have a question about pen repair, or a tip you would like to
pass along, please email us at charals@charals.com
s My
fountain pen only works intermittently, and sometimes leaks a lot
of ink onto the page.
i
Your pen probably needs cleaning. This is a very simple process
and will help make your pen last a lot longer. Most of the time
all that is required is running the pen under cold water. This rinses
out any dried ink that might be stuck in the nib or the front of
the filler mechanism. If the pens still gives you trouble, rinse
water through the pen using your bladder or ink convertor. Watch
the water that flows out of the pen - If you see little pieces of
dried ink then that was probably the problem. For really clogged
nibs you can fill the frontspiece with water and leave it soaking
in a glass of water overnight. If this doesn't solve your problem
then the pen should be sent in for service.
NOTE:
Some articles I have read recommend various mild solvents for cleaning
pens. I am always wary to recommend anything other than cold water,
as I know that cold water can not damage your pen. Also, anything
else may void your warrantee. Keep in mind that if a service person
damages your pen then they have to replace it. You probably do not
have that luxury.
s
The manufacturer's instructions that came with my pen told me to
only use their ink. Why?
i
For a long time I was convinced that pen manufacturers did this
in order to ensure that we all wrote in the same colour. The reason
that I am usually given for using manufacturer's ink has to do with
the tolerances of the filler mechanism. Inside the front section
of a fountain pen are a number of very fine tubes or coils, through
which ink flows in one direction and air passes in the other. Ostensibly,
manufacturers formulate their ink to flow as efficiently as possible
through whatever size they have decided that these tubes should
be. Whether or not this is always the case is questionable, but
do you really wish to take the chance? There are definitely differences
between certain inks - Compare Parker Quink to Sheaffer Skrip and
you will notice that the Skrip has much larger particulate and the
Quink takes longer to dry. Whether or not this affects writing performance
is probably dependent upon the pen you are using, but whether it
affects your warrantee is dependent upon how closely they examine
your pen when you send it in.
NOTE:
Under no circumstances should you ever mix inks - even if the label
says that you can. Sometimes the pigments and dyes in the inks can
interact, causing particulate or evaporation or all manner of other
problems. If you are going to change colours in your pen, make sure
that you rinse the pens carefully before putting the new colour
in.
s
I am looking for my first better quality fountain pen, but I am
baffled by all the different brands. What's the difference between
pens? Is the one of them the best?
i Different
pen manufacturers have different ideas of how pens should be made,
how they should be balanced and how they should write. Most better
known brands of pens are of similar quality at the higher end (Please
take note of the first word of this sentence), and so the decision
of what pen works for you is purely subjective. At the basic level
there are a few different approaches to the fundamentals of pen
design, and it is the combination of these elements which will make
up the pen you want. Have a look at the Background
Information Page to get an idea about pen construction.
A
better quality fountain pen should last you a lifetime, and it should
become more enjoyable to use over time as it molds to your handwriting.
For this reason, you should make sure that you are getting the pen
that you really want. I truly wish that one pen was indisputably
the best. Not only would I be able to stop buying pens for myself,
but CHARALS would not have to carry anywhere near as much inventory
and my life would be much less complicated. Unfortunately, there
are several manufacturers out there who insist on making excellent
writing instruments, so the only thing that you can do is try them
until you find the one that is right for you.
Things
to keep in mind when buying a fountain pen:
1.
Make sure that you try several pens before you decide. If the
shop that you are in will not let you do this, go to another shop.
If nothing else, the more you learn about the pens you don't end
up buying the more you will know about the one you do buy.
2.
Try not to base your entire decision on price or aesthetics -
Remember: You are probably going to be writing with this pen for
the rest of your life.
3.Let
the person working in the shop dip the pens for you - If someone
is going to bounce the nib off the bottom of the ink bottle it
may as well be someone else.
4.
DO NOT TAP THE NIB ON THE DESK TO GET THE INK TO FLOW! This should
be common sense but you would be surprised....
5.
Write with each pen - You learn almost nothing about a nib by
scribbling or drawing little waves across the paper. Try writing
the word "Egypt" in script. This forces the nib to write
in every direction, so you can see if it will work with your hand
writing.
6.
Work backwards, eliminating pens that you don't think are right
for you. Ultimately it will come down to two or three pens, and
by that time you will have such a good idea of what you don't
want that all that will be left is what you do.
s
My roller pen seems to run out of ink a lot faster than my ballpoint.
Also, I find that the refills sometimes skip and blot after very
little use. Is this normal?
i
The liquid ink used in roller pens soaks into the paper, and for
this reason the pens use a lot more ink than a ballpoint to write
the same amount. While a good quality ballpoint will write at least
250 pages, the average roller refills lasts about 50 to 60 pages.
The advantage is that the roller makes a much darker line and is
much smoother to use. Most roller refills are also less expensive
than ballpoint refills of the same brand.
You
should never use any pen on a hard surface without at least three
or four sheets of paper underneath it. With a fountain pen there
is the risk of splaying or at least deforming the nib. With ballpens
there is the chance of the ball scratching across the paper, which
can cause a flat spot. Flat spots can catch, causing the pen to
skip. They can also allow ink to leak out, causing blots. Ballpoints
are fairly resistant to this, but it is not unusual for this to
happen with a roller, probably because the thinner ink in a roller
does not protect the ball as well as the oil-based ink of a ballpoint.
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