Smoothing Scratchy Nibs

First published in the PENnant magazine in February, 2006.

The PENnant is the magazine of Pen Collectors of America.
© John Mottishaw 2006

If a person enjoys writing with a fountain pen, it is probably for several reasons.
High on the list is the feel of pen on paper, as it glides effortlessly across the
surface. Writing with a scratchy nib, on the other hand, is a less than pleasing
activity. Anyone who uses fountain pens regularly has had this other experience. I
have often been asked if there is anything that can be done at home to cure a
scratchy nib and know that there is, but am concerned that the cure sometimes
creates more problems than it solves. The following discussion is based on the steps
that I take to troubleshoot a scratchy writing pen.
If a nib that previously wrote smoothly has suddenly turned scratchy, it has
probably suffered some sort of trauma. The most common being misalignment. If
bumped or dropped one of the tines can move in relation with the other. This is the
first thing to look for. Misalignment puts one tip ahead of the other on the paper,
exposing a sharp inner margin of the tipping to the paper. It also can play havoc
with consistent ink flow. In order to see the out-of-alignment tipping, a ten-power
loupe is necessary for those of us with mortal eyes. The following procedure is only
for the brave, who realize that the pen might end up in other hands for the problem
to be solved.

This nib is sprung up on the left tine.

Or it is for a pen that is a "trainer pen" not necessarily a "writer".

Hold the loupe close to your eye while pointing the tip of the pen toward the loupe.
This all occurs within a few inches of your face. Look for a close symmetrical
arrangement of the tipping, with both tips at the same level and little or no space
between the "iridium" shapes. (A very firm nib will have a very small gap, where a
flexible nib will be touching.) If you see one side more than 5% above the other, test
the tips by gently moving the low side up with your fingernail. If it moves up an
equal 5% amount above the first side, try the other side to see if it moves up again
to its original position. If this is what occurs and the tines are of the firm kind, you
have a well-balanced nib.
By pushing up on the right tine and the left in succession, we see if the
tipping is balanced.
If one side is well above of the other and always averages there, you have isolated
the likely reason for scratchiness.

OK, if this is the case, look to see if the nib is centered on the feed. If it is pushed off
to one side, the cure could be simple. Gently push the nib back to center on the
feed. Push from the middle of the curve of the tine, not from the shoulder and not
from the tip. If you have gone too far, gently push again from the other side, this
time taking care to move the nib only a small amount. Repeat this process until the
slit lines up with the center of the feed. (There are some nibs and feeds that write
best when they are not lined up, but that discussion is for another time.)

This is a well balanced nib

Always, the test of a well-adjusted nib is on paper and with ink. The ink acts as a
lubricant and the paper offers resistance.
If the nib still feels scratch, it may have sharp corners or edges that are catching on
paper. At this point, I like to draw big circles and ask myself where on the circle the
scratch is the most pronounced. I put an arrow to show the direction of the circle
and, using pencil, mark the part of the arc where the scratch occurs. Then,
returning to the loupe or to a microscope if you have one, look for that leading
edge. It is most likely on the inner margin, where the slit meets the writing surface.
Now comes the tricky part. You will need some Micromesh 10,000. It comes as 3" by
6" sheets of abrasive on a rubberized fabric backing. I like it, rather than a hard
surface abrasive, such as an Arkansas stone or Mylar disks, because it gives, sinking
under the weight of the tipping. I like to put the Micromesh on a small stack of
newspaper, to add to the cushion and the sinking effect. With ink in the pen, move
it on the Micromesh two or three times in the direction of the scratch. Return the nib
to the paper and draw that circle again. If you have caught the sharp edge or corner
against the abrasive, it should have gone away. Repeat the process taking care to
observe the effect of the smoothing with your ten-power loupe.

Warning: Micromesh, even though it leaves a polished surface, is extremely

aggressive. Overusing it can remove the tipping material from the end of the nib.
This smoothing process can yield the exact opposite from the intended result. It can
create a flat foot on the tip, making sharp edges in all directions.

Because another person does often not like one person's tastes in the tip of a pen,
the process of smoothing is more art than science. Below is a list of attributes that
various tips may contain which will appear positive in one light and negative in
another. Understanding these parameters will help the writer in choosing their own
compromises.
1. Extra-fine point. Because it is capable of very small marks it is capable of
making notes in margins. Currently there are several kinds of throwaway pens that
make extremely fine marks and they are not difficult to use. These pens operate in
a different way from fountain pens and may be the best solution for some writing
situations. But we all know our own reasons for choosing to write with these
instruments. Preferred by most of our grandparents, the extra-fine point can be
very legible. But, if used with all but the lightest touch, the extra-fine point will have
excessive "tooth" and be experienced as scratchy.

2. Round inner-margins. Many pens tips today are sold with rounded inner
margins. This is roundness at the place where the slit meets the paper.
Manufacturers do this to insure smoothness. However, skipping can result. If ink
does not reach the paper when the tip touches, the writing can be frustrated with
skipping, especially on the initial stroke. Some work with Micromesh can "break in"
the tip so that it does not skip. By removing some material from the tip, the slit is
brought closer to the writing surface, making the intimate contact between ink and
paper possible. (But, see warning above.)

This factory Pelikan M800 BB nib suffers from a couple problems. First,
the tipping is not perfectly aligned and second, notice that the place
where the ink would touch the paper is concave and would not touch.

3. Creating a foot. The foot will act as a plane under which the ink will flow. When
working with a light pressure, on the right paper and at the right angle, the nib will
hydroplane. This effect can happen for one person and not for another. It also can
be elusive. The "flat" necessary for this effect, if it has sharp edges can catch and
drag. A tip with a foot can be heaven or hell.

A scratchy flat-footed tip

4. High-angle foot or low-angle foot. Nibs are created and pens are sold with the
average writer in mind. Because the smoothest point will have a rounded but flat
"foot" at the angle where the writer tip touches the paper, each person's foot is
slightly different. Most people write holding the pen at about 55 degrees above the
paper. Those who prefer a higher angle or lower angle may find that the way the tip
is cut is not good for them. Again, using smoothing cloth, a new foot can be
customized at home, which feels right for the writer. (See warning above.)
Side view of a flat-footed nib

5. Wet nibs write smoothly. All things being equal, a wet writing nib will feel
smoother than a dry one because the ink acts as a lubricant and the more ink under
the tip the smoother the pen will feel. A pen that delivers too much ink can be a
nuisance, leaving a wet mark that takes a long time to dry and bleeding into the
paper. The bleeding reduces legibility and can be less than attractive. A simple
adjustment can be used to increase the ink flow of a nib. Decreasing is more
difficult, so beware of overdoing this adjustment. This adjustment is not for the faint
of heart, as the nib can easily be made to write more scratchily if the tines do not
balance. (See paragraph 2 at the top of this article.)

Increase the ink flow: Holding the pen on a large open desk with the nib pointed
upright, and looking at the underside of the nib (the feed), catch each shoulder of
the nib with your thumbnails. Pull gently apart while pressing down gently on the
top of the nib. It is best to have light coming through from the back so that one can
see the slit gap open. Proceed with caution, testing the pen after each effort.
Because the nib will need to be tested after each try, you will want to have paper
towels at the ready and not be headed for a dinner engagement, as you will most
likely get ink on your fingers.
Increasing ink flow

Decreasing the ink flow is more difficult, as the nib may have to be removed from
the pen. Some minor decrease of the ink flow can be accomplished by pinching the
shoulders together evenly.
As may be noted from the above, a smooth nib is the result of several dynamics.
The process of balancing a nib requires skill and patience. The rewards are great,
but pitfalls abound.
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Bought a Jinhao x450, a Chinese pen with an otherwise good reputation, from
ebay a couple months ago. Haven't been able to get it to write more than a couple
sentences before it dries up & won't write again unless I push ink into the nib from
the converter. Interestingly enough though it writes upside down fairly well. After I
write with it upside-down for a sentence or so I flip it again & it'll write *then* right
side-up but only for a few words before it stops entirely!. My other chinese pens
work very well & I really don't want to consign this one to the junk pen drawer. Any
ideas, suggestions?

If the pen writes upside down, but stops writing when held the usual way, that
suggests the nib and feed are too far apart and/or you're pressing too hard. When
the pen is upright, pressure on the nib pushes the tines up away from the feed,
which (if the gap is already on the wide side) can break the capillary flow path and
cause the pen to quit writing once the ink in the slit is exhausted (a few words, to as
much as a line or two). Turn the pen over, however, and the nib is pushed closer to
the feed, letting ink flow freely.

I had a couple pens with this problem. The solution is to set the feed and nib closer
together. With old hard rubber feeds, this could be done by soaking the nib and
feed (but not the section) in hot water, then pressing the two parts together and
holding until cold or chilling with cold water while clamped. With modern plastic
feeds, it's probably safer to pull the nib and feed out of the section and gently
rebend the nib so it conforms to the feed, then adjust the tine gap (which will have
closed up during the rebending) to suit. I've done this with three of my pens, and
was successful with all three, using my fingers to pull the nibs and feeds, and the
butt end of a bamboo skewer as a burnisher to ensure the bend was distributed
along the nib, while pressing the point against a table top with my thumb and
finger. This will probably horrify the experts, but for very inexpensive pens, it's the
only method that makes sense if you don't have their tools (sending a $5 pen for
$30 in service plus shipping is folly).

One does need to approach the rebending cautiously, take it slowly, and compared
the nib profile against the feed frequently; reversing more than a couple times
could cause a stainless nib to work harden and become brittle, then snap. Once the
work is done and the nib profile matches the top of the feed, I've reassembled the
pen and inked it before adjusting the tine gap -- being able to test with ink flowing
from the reservoir is better than dipping; my experience is that many pens write
differently on a dip than they do when filled. A little ink on your fingers from

adjusting the gap on an inked pen won't hurt you...