How to troubleshoot your fountain pen - quick pen tips

What do you do when your fountain pen runs dry? Tom offers some quick suggestions to get your ink flowing again.

[archivist]

Sometimes, and I don't know why, reverse writing often still works, and draws a little more ink down into the nib. For wetting the nib, I often hold the nib over my cup of tea. The steam is often enough to get things going. This is what I used to do with my Parker IM.

[toodleloos]

i wish id known this before. i usually go right for the "flood" and you can imagine the disaster of that for a novice 😂❤ thanks for the tips!

[Zathauntie]

specifically, a tap-tap-taparoo. not a tap-tap-tap. must include a respectful flourish.

[truenoae]

When I got my first fountain pen I didn't understand why it wouldn't write despite being full. So I just messed around and dipped the tip into my ink bottle and then it started writing and never stopped

[TeamFish]

I see you using that Noodler’s ink, Tom.😁😉

[dingusdangus]

can you show your top 10 regular use fountain pens?

[Johan-vkyd]

Many Noodler’s inks come over saturated in the bottle, and has to be diluted to work well.

[mrcrackfish]

0:15 I just dip my pen in jar of water, helps every time without issue

[sluggytube]

YMMV on this but I sometimes "floss" the nib with the sheet of paper I'm writing with too, after using one of other methods. I don't know why but it feels like the ritual isn't complete until I do that.

[GearShifter]

What about for " cartridge " one... ??
Would it be helpful.. To shake it ?? ??

[ChunkyManRacer-uhbe]

what's the pen with the pull vacuum filling mechanism?

[x-ballpointuser]

I always prime my feeds every new page

[mollymollie]

Sooo…if we shoudn’t press down on it like a ballpoint, I’m guessing running it through the flame of a Bic lighter for a few seconds isn’t a good idea either 🤨 (flashing back to the dark days of yore when those dreadful ballpoints were all we had…) and, I was a dumb teenager, so don’t put pens into fire.

[skmgaming]

Thanks sir I thought that my pen is damaged 😂

[mixedmediaartgirl]

Got the majohn wacai mini today and it's skipping and sometimes will write and sometimes not...very inconsistent and I think it's my ink. I have a bottle of india ink and although it says it will work for fountain pens.... I think I need a better ink. Can you recommend one that won't break the bank, but will provide optimal flow?

[izzatfauzimustafa]

The last resort will be ordering a cheap fountain pen or calligraphy pen set from AliExpress. 😆

[johntaylor]

Hi. Using Baystate-Blue can spell trouble.🤣

[rgcainmd]

Ewww, is that Noodler’s ink?!?!? Nathan Tardiff is an anti-Semitic conspiracy theorist!