# FP Skips



## fernhills (Oct 23, 2008)

I have just started to make FPens and something about them has me puzzled.  I have been using the Classic American from PSI. They are nice size, operate very nice, caps screw off and on tightly and they look classy and they are priced right.  Now the nibs, are they real cheap that they don`t operate better ? How about the $50 and $60 kits,would i expect the same ? i wouldn`t want to sell a high end FP and have this happen, or am i using the wrong ink.  I am using the cartridge type that comes with the kits plus ones i bought from PSI.  Should i be using bottled ink with the pump ? Just wondering.


----------



## Firefyter-emt (Oct 23, 2008)

IMHO, the cart ink is just a cheap junky ink.  This "may" be your problem, but first flush the pen.  Mix water (90%) to household ammonia (10%) and use the converter to dip the pen nib into this mix and flush the pen.  (Fill and dump into something other than the cup you filled with the mix)

Some inks will make a poor writing pen flow wonderfull, some inks are really bad.  Is this pen for you?  I could send you a sample of an ink for you to try that might work nice.  What color range do you like?


----------



## Russianwolf (Oct 23, 2008)

general consensus is that the stock inks supplied with the kits (all kits) are pretty bad. I've used one in my baron without much issue, but I did notice a difference when I swapped in a cartridge of Private Reserve Ink that I got from Lou. Not all cartridge inks are created equal.

I use the cartridges as I travel a good bit and I don't want to worry about ink spills in my bag.

Oh, also go to the tutorials and read Lou's behind the quill series. you might find that tweaking your nib a bit may improve things too. And if nothing can help your current nib, Lou sells some very nice ones to replace it with.


----------



## jskeen (Oct 23, 2008)

I have several of these FTA fountain pen kits on my desk right now, and I have had consistant problems with them skipping, not feeding, needing to be reprimed and such, even using PR cartridges or Noodlers bottle ink, and even after I replaced the Chinese made nibs with Lou's SF nibs.  I have picked up barons and Jr. Gents for the first time in weeks, and had them write immediatly and perfectly using the same ink and nibs.  

I just dissassembled one of the FTA sections, one of the $4.50 black and gold sections from CSUSA (discontinued :-( ) and a black ti section from a new Jr. Gent Kit.  

The section/feed supplied with the FTA kits is different from the ones that come with the higher end kits and from the ones that csusa used to sell separately.  The section body is one piece plastic, instead of the epoxy coated brass housing with internal threads and the separate externally threaded feed section.  The interior is round, not keyed with a flat spot to positively locate the bottom channel of the feed.  However, the black ti jr gent kit feed section is not keyed either, which is new to me.  

The feeds themselves are minutely different, but I can not imagine these tiny differences would effect the performance to this degree.  

I would love for somebody to explain this issue, or possibly offer a solution, since it has rendered 10 berea kits unuseable and unsellable.   And as they are chrome kits, I can't even swap in the csusa replacement nibs :-(


----------



## DCBluesman (Oct 23, 2008)

Suggestions:


Throw away the cartridges that come with the kits.  They are available in bulk at $.01 US.  How good do you expect them to be?
"Tune" each nib.  It's a one or two minute process which is detailed in an article in the Library.
Upgrade cheap nibs.  It only costs a little more to go first class...or at least business class.


----------

