HELPFUL HINTS FOR YOUR WRITING INSTRUMENTS & FAQ

 

Ballpoint Pen

To Change the refill, rotate cap counter-clockwise beyond the retraction point to expose the refill.

Take the used refill out of barrel and replace with new refill. REMEMBER; always remove the extender (the plastic colored piece on the end of the refill) from the refill before replacing the cap.

Always retract the refill when not in use.

Always write on a padded surface. Writing on a hard surface may cause a flat spot on the ball of the refill and may cause premature skipping of the ink.

 

Mechanical Pencil

To advance the lead, twist the cap 90 degrees several times. Lead will advance by itself.

To return the lead to the pen when finished writing, turn the cap 90 degrees and hold. Press the lead back into the pen by pressing the lead tip onto a writing surface or by using your finger. 

To replace the lead

 

Remove cap and unscrew the refill housing unit to expose the metal tube.

Remove the cleaning needle from refill. Remove any broken or small pieces of lead and dispose.

Replace with proper lead width, 0.5mm, or 0.7mm. (Lead width is identified on the metal refill tube) Insert a maximum of 5 leads at one time. More than 5 leads at one time will cause the lead to jam.

To clear the lead jams, insert the cleaning needle into the tip, dislodge any broken pieces and discard.

To change the refill, unscrew the front section of the pen, and unscrew the used refill. Insert a new refill and turn to tightly secure the refill into forepart.

Characteristics of a Rollerball:

~ The Montblanc rollerball has the appearance of writing with a fountain pen, but the advantages of a ballpoint pen.

~ The rollerball refill contains a liquid ink. Therefore, write-out will be comparable to a fountain pen.

~ Always cap the rollerball when not in use; this will prevent the refill from drying out or skipping.

~ Always write on a padded surface. Writing on a hard surface may put a flat spot on the ball of the refill and cause premature skipping.

~ When the rollerball refill begins to skip, replace with a new refill.

 

Fountain Pen

Piston Filling System (Le Grand and 149 Montblanc Fountain Pens)

 

To fill, make sure you rotate piston mechanism counter-clockwise to move the piston to the down position.

Immerse nib completely into inkwell or bottle of ink.

Rotate piston mechanism clockwise to completely fill reservoir. Make sure nib stays completely immersed. (Do not over rotate the piston mechanism.)

Allow 6 to 8 drops of ink back into inkwell or ink bottle by turning piston mechanism slightly counter-clockwise.

Turn fountain pen with nip facing in the upward position and rotate piston mechanism to clockwise.

Wipe any excess ink from the pen with lint free cloth. (Do not wipe black ink feeder located on the underside of the nib.)

 

Cartridge Filling System

To fill, remove cap from the fountain pen and unscrew the forepart from the barrel.

Always insert two cartridges into the fountain pen. IMPORTANT; after inserting the first cartridge into the forepart of the fountain pen, place the flat side of the second cartridge to the flat side of the inserted cartridge. The reserve cartridge provides the pressure to engage the main cartridge.

Should the pen not begin to write immediately, open the fountain pen and gently squeeze the inserted cartridge to begin the flow of ink to the ink feeder. Once there is visible ink, close the fountain pen.

 

Converter Filling System

To fill, place/screw the converter mechanism firmly into to the forepart of the fountain pen.

Fill the converter mechanism as you would the Piston Filling System, as mentioned above.

 

Helpful Reminders

~ You should flush out your fountain pen frequently.

~ Use only cool water to clean your fountain pen.

~ Always use an ink with a cleaning agent in it. (Montblanc, Waterman)

~ Never lend your fountain pen to anyone.

~ Keep the pen capped properly to avoid drying out of the ink feeder system.

~ Always carry your fountain pen in a leather case to prevent damage.

 

Writing Instruments - Fountain pens

More and more people are rediscovering fountain pens. It's a good thing too, as a fountain pen is still the most satisfying way to write. Essentially a fountain pen is a tube full of ink with a nib at one end. The nib has a slit in it. When pressure is applied to the nib, the slit opens slightly and ink is drawn down to the page by capillary action. Behind the nib is the filler mechanism - a series of tubes or coils which allows air to flow into the pen and ink to flow out. This mechanism must be carefully balanced, otherwise the pen will not write (not enough air coming in/ink coming out) or flow too fast (too much air coming in/all the ink coming out). A fountain pen is filled either by cartridges (convenient but more difficult to regulate ink flow) or some form of bladder. Most modern pens use a piston bladder mechanism, which allows for much better control of ink flow and larger ink capacity. 

Pens can be divided into two very rough categories - Heavy and light. Heavy pens usually have bodies made of metal, which may be covered with lacquers or enamel or some other decoration. Light pens are made of precious resins, wood or celluloid. Some people prefer a light pen because it seems easier on the hand, while others find that a heavier pen does not require as much downward pressure to write smoothly.

Nib design varies wildly from company to company, but the basic dichotomy is formed by whether the nib is made of steel or gold. To understand this, you have to look at why nibs are made of steel or gold. Early inks were usually made of metals dissolved in acids. People using the pens found that the ink would eventually eat away the steel nibs of their pens, so manufacturers looked for another material that was workable enough to form nibs but not affected by acid. Gold is the perfect material on both counts. Unfortunately, soft gold nibs wear out quickly, which is both frustrating and costly. Eventually this problem was solved by placing a ball of hard alloy such as iridium or rhodium on the tip of the nib to take the wear. This basic design is still used by most pen manufacturers and preferred by most pen aficionados. A gold nib will, over time, mold itself to the user's writing style, eventually becoming a truly personal writing instrument.

Steel nibs have generally been associated with lower quality pens, as they are less expensive to manufacture and traditionally lacked the flexibility, smoothness and intrinsic value of gold. As technology and manufacturing techniques have advanced, the quality of steel nibs has steadily improved. The main complaints about steel nibs on fountain pens were the lack of flexibility and the tendency of the nibs to dig into the paper. To a large extent both of these problems have been solved. Nibs are now made from more flexible alloys and machined to such a fine degree that great variances in nib flex are possible. A better quality steel nib fountain pen can be a pleasure to write with, particularly for those who are moving up to a fountain pen after years of writing with a ballpoint or roller. Most pen users will agree however, that there is no better writing experience than using the right gold nib. 

Writing Instruments - Roller Pens

Roller pens combine the ball of a ballpoint pen with the liquid ink used by a fountain pen. The result is a pen which writes very smoothly, leaves dark clear lines and can still be used to make copies. Roller pens are fast approaching ballpoints in popularity as they are generally more comfortable to use, easier to read and they fax and photocopy much more clearly.

Writing Instruments - Mechanical Pencils

Mechanical pencils have been in existence longer than almost any other writing instrument. Their main advantages over wooden pencils are that they don't need sharpening and always provide a uniform point. They also last a lifetime and look better as well. A mechanical pencil is essentially a clutch mechanism which feeds lead when activated and holds the lead in place for writing. The three most common sizes of mechanical pencils are .5 mm, .7mm and .9 mm.

Writing Instruments - Ballpoint pens

The most common style of pen is the ballpoint. The ballpoint pen uses an oil based ink which is spread across the paper by a polished steel ball. Ballpoint ink only sits on the surface of the paper, so very little is used in writing. For this reason ballpoint pens will write the farthest on a refill. In addition, the ballpoint can take the most abuse of any writing instrument, and is useful in applications where the pen will be under a lot of pressure, such as making multiple copies. Ballpoints are also available with pressurized refills which allow them to be used at odd angles or upside down.

 

PEN FAQ

If you have a question about pen repair, or a tip you would like to pass along, please email us at info@charals.com.

Q ) My fountain pen only works intermittently, and sometimes leaks a lot of ink onto the page. 

A )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 converter. 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 front space 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 manufacturers warrenty. Keep in mind that if a service person damages your pen then they have to replace it. You probably do not have that luxury.

Q) The manufacturer's instructions that came with my pen told me to only use their ink. Why?

A) 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.

Q) 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?

A) 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. 

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 will damage the nib. Allow the sales associate to get the ink flowing for you.

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.

Q) 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?

A) 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.