August 1, 2026

Fixing your Fountain Pen

I have another section on nib tuning, which is closely related.

My first tip up front. Clean the pen! Get all the ink out, rinse until no more color is visible in the rinse water. Then let it sit and soak overnight. Rinse it again in the morning. Let it dry, ink it up, and see if the problems have gone away.

I would only use soap (detergent) on the first wash of a new pen. New pens must always, absolutely be washed using detergent. They often have oil and manufacturing residues.

You have washed it out and are still having problems? On to other issues. I won't ask if it has ink (or dried out ink) because I presume you have taken the first step and cleaned it out. 
- Check the nib/feed alignment
- Make sure the nib/feed are fully seated
- check nib alignment
- see the "baby's bottom" discussion in the 13 tips video
- some pens have a weak feed, it may need to be replaced
- some converters won't feed ink
Get a loupe! (I have a nice microscope).
He warns about "canyoning" if you fool with wetness using the 7 stroke method.
Go slow. Check. Repeat if necessary.

Feeds may be made from ebonite or ABS. Ebonite tends to give more ink flow and may be what you need with a flex nib.

Feedback? Questions? Drop me a line!

Tom's Pen Info / tom@mmto.org