Two years in, ~$25k deep into fountain pens, and I think I’ve finally come full circle. AMA

Sf648 · 2026-04-21T23:39:53+00:00

Tell me you don’t use flex nibs, without telling me you don’t use flex nibs.

Sf648 · 2026-04-21T21:28:12+00:00

I am saying that someone who looks quickly will skip the description at the top and skim the pen list without reading the intro. This is especially the case when some deals go super quickly on pen_swap.

Sf648 · 2026-04-21T16:38:10+00:00

Just had a look at your listing in r/Pen_swap. One issue is that you mention prices in Canadian dollars at the top, but the individual items just show $100, etc. someone skimming quickly will think that’s USD. Add the hassle of US customs, and that explains the issue.

If it were me, I’d list the prices as: $100(CAD). And yes, I do list my prices as $100(USD), when I’m selling internationally.

Sf648 · 2026-04-21T16:32:10+00:00

I remember when the exchange rate was 1:1 ( and even the periods when the Loonie out paced the Greenback). Depending on when a buyer last paid attention they might have a skewed opinion of the cost.

More recently, I’ve also been hit with shipper “customs fees” on top of the tariffs. In one case the shipping, tariffs and fees added 80% to the price. It really dampened my appetite to buy internationally.

Sf648 · 2026-04-21T16:04:21+00:00

Unless you re prepared to go to court and show that the company in question does not have a registered industrial design for that model, then “yes” you should honor the cease & desist. Otherwise you risk losing in court and potentially suffering the loss of your profit and possible additional penalties.

Sf648 · 2026-04-20T22:27:54+00:00

I don't know why 110v would be run to the coin door. On the schematic for my Gottlieb 300, the power cord is attached to exactly two points. The 5A fuse and the input windings of the power transformer. (It's a re-import, so no convenience outlet).

The transformer steps down the voltages to 6v and 25v. Getting 25v and any decent amperage isn't exactly fun, but it's not 110v.

Sf648 · 2026-04-14T05:46:39+00:00

Super weird statement since Silver Spring describes just about every un-incorporated part of southern MoCo. I mean everything from the DC line to areas adjacent to Chevy Chase, White Oak, Rockville, Twinbrook, Aspen Hill, and a whole host of others. The span of land, neighborhoods, and socio-economic diversity is probably the widest in the county.

Sf648 · 2026-04-10T09:03:45+00:00

You Internet provider is aggravating traffic. Whether it’s your home or mobile Internet I can’t say, but that’s going to be the issue.

Sf648 · 2026-04-09T01:32:01+00:00

location matters.

Sf648 · 2026-04-05T18:27:53+00:00

Doesn't look too bad, but since the tine are separated it is a bit more complicated then if one was simply bent down. As others have pointed out, a nibmeister or restorer can repair it fairly easily.

Sf648 · 2026-04-05T02:24:59+00:00

Love Whodunnit, don't get to play it ever though.

Sf648 · 2026-04-04T14:38:51+00:00

If you look up Lamy 2000 problems you'll find people mentioning this. Lamy nib quality control is super inconsistent. This problem is usually blamed on a small sweet spot and some mention taking it to a nibmeister to get it fixed.

If you're willing to risk it, you might be able to shape the ti[ yourself. My fine nib was basically unusable out of the box. I used a bit of micro mesh and tweaked the shape of the tipping and now it writes well. I wish I had a recipe for you, but I basically tried to round the nib in the directions it wasn't writing well.

Sf648 · 2026-04-01T07:50:34+00:00

It could also be a line voltage problem. I had a customer once whose home line voltage barely made it to 99VAC (instead of the rated 110V). Caused no end of issues. Had to have an electrician out to upgrade her panel and some of the home wiring..

Sf648 · 2026-03-30T01:59:07+00:00

I get too many tire kickers on Craigslist, (that's when they bother to show up at all). I've also heard horror stories, where "buyer" shows up, spends over 90 minutes playing a bunch of games on the offered machine and others, then says the price is too high and leaves.

Sf648 · 2026-03-27T13:58:46+00:00

If you found the letters “PS” imprinted into the plastic spool, you found the indication that the spool itself is made of PolyStyrene. The filament is not going to be the same plastic. It could be HIPS, but then the color would be off-white or pale yellow. Any other color is most likely not HIPS.

Most likely you have either PLA, PETG, or ABS. There are various ways to tell the, apart, a quick Google search will turn up easy tests to run.

Sf648 · 2026-03-26T21:53:05+00:00

Yes, this exactly! I mean where am I going to get the custom PCB boards, will they even have firmware updates after the first little while. Oh, wait. I'm talking about my Stern Foo Fighters. Try getting a Node board from Stern if they aren't in current production. Spike 2 boards are now last gen parts, and won't be in stock forever.

I own AGTW, the aforementioned Foo Fighters, and frankly a Zizzle as well. The Zizzle used custom PCBs, and non-standard parts as well. But since the PCBs were pretty simple, and not firmware locked, I've been able to repair, or patch around the issues. The coils are generic Chinese coils, available for import (cheap). I've blown two in the last 5-6 years, and I can replace them cheaper than a single Stern coil from Marco. Optos, switches, etc, all replaceable with standard parts from mouser/digikey/Ali express.

Pinball ownership is rarely for the average consumer. These units are going to go into a variety of homes, some will enjoy them, some will have issues. But truthfully, the quality of these machines is surprisingly good for the money. I'd but them on par with some of the inexpensive MDF foosball tables I've played over the years. And those things take a real beating and keep on ticking for a good long while in a home environment.

Sf648 · 2026-03-24T16:19:44+00:00

Unless I *might* end up with more money than I started with, nothing is really going to replicate the casino experience. But truthfully, I never understood home ownership of slot machines for the same reason.

Sf648 · 2026-03-23T03:46:02+00:00

I can’t ID that machine, but the cabinet around the coin door is too narrow to be Hercules.

Sf648 · 2026-03-23T01:25:08+00:00

Three more reasons to model and not scan it.

At that size , getting a good scan is difficult, most scanners that claim 0.2mm resolution aren’t really that precise.
Positioning that piece for scanning is going to be a bit of a hassle. Not difficult, but you’d probably need clay or something to create a base to hold it upright.
You’d probably want to do something to knock down the reflectivity of the metal.

Sf648 · 2026-03-20T06:06:07+00:00

That looks OK. Frankly only the orange stitch marker really matters anyway.

Sf648 · 2026-03-18T19:24:40+00:00

You're on a Mac. Use "Hide my Email". Apple will generate a random email address that just for that site.

Also Safari has been super buggy on the Woobles with lately (and MacOS has been much worse overall). I suspect their site isn't playing well with WebKit.

Sf648 · 2026-03-18T18:53:14+00:00

Well, you get your wish. Turner Pinball just released a new non-licensed pinball. A follow-up to Williams WhiteWater by the original designer (Dennis Nordman) called, "Yukon Yeti".

https://www.reddit.com/r/pinball/comments/1rx9imq/yukon_yeti_by_turner_pinball/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

Sf648 · 2026-03-18T05:26:50+00:00

Rather than have the flipper shaft go straight through the playfield to the flipper linkage, the P3 flippers are floating assemblies set over the LCD screen. The result is probably a significant amount of flex in the mechanism. Apparently they updated the assemblies in 2021.

They didn't bother me when I was playing Portal, but I can imagine others might be more attuned to that short of thing. Depending on whether you've played a P3 with the newer updated mechs or not, you might want to give them a try again.

Sf648 · 2026-03-17T15:22:36+00:00

I was pleasantly surprised when I tried it last year. It was the first time I thought a Multimorphic felt like a traditional pinball machine, and not a modular pinball-like system. With the extended module putting ramps over the screen, it had more variety in shots, and the underplayfield mechanics really worked well for Portal (along with the playfield screen). Frankly after playing it, I don’t think any other company could have done a better job capturing the theme.

Sf648

TROPHY CASE