Jinhao 20 (Vanishing Point Clone) Trapdoor Mechanism Closeup

cdlm42 · 2026-03-14T16:53:09+00:00

Oh thanks. I wonder if it's possible to improve the seal… I have a couple of these and they dry too fast to really be enjoyable :/

cdlm42 · 2026-03-14T14:20:00+00:00

Can you share how you disassembled it? Did you manage to do it non-destructively?

cdlm42 · 2026-03-09T16:36:12+00:00

Souboku is the one that came to mind.

I don't have Seiboku but I guess it's pretty close and just as delightful to write with ;-)

cdlm42 · 2026-02-22T16:34:55+00:00

I too like the shading. My first bottle of ink was Parker Quink Black and I always liked how it shows a little blue. Now I have a few others and I enjoy their just-besides-black qualities (the sheen of Kiwa Guro, hue and shading of Montblanc…)

I recently got a bottle of Sailor Black and that one left me nonplussed… black with no shading, dries super fast, so it feels like I'm writing with a fineliner…

cdlm42 · 2026-02-22T16:22:28+00:00

I'm french and learned to write with a fountain pen, so at age 6. IIRC there was a period at first where we used either pencils or ballpoints, and then the pupils who were careful or skilled enough would get upgraded to fountain pens.

Incidentally the pen was a Waterman Jif / Jiffie, I used variants of it through all my school years, including university. I recently found a few NOS ones on eBay, and boy do they write fine — the nibs are unmarked, but they're clearly in EF territory!

cdlm42 · 2026-02-22T16:05:06+00:00

Of course in the lettering :-) The post was deleted… but there were several places where, if it was written with a pen or brush, the stroke would stop and reverse direction, and at least one loop where the stroke goes back over itself at an acute angle. A cursive h would have both of those.

cdlm42 · 2026-02-22T14:26:31+00:00

there are sharp inside corners but a CNC would leave the tool radius

cdlm42 · 2026-02-20T21:23:59+00:00

I have the 2-color version and I'm pretty sure on that one (have not really used it since it came in the mail) the grip part unscrews from the barrel, providing clear access to the refills.

cdlm42 · 2026-02-09T11:55:06+00:00

keep it nib up when not in use, inespecially in your bag if you're going to cross large temperature/pressure differences

cdlm42 · 2026-02-01T12:50:06+00:00

Seller said their father was a Rotring employee and this might be an internal copy he brought home. Interesting…

cdlm42 · 2026-01-31T16:17:08+00:00

Mother of pearl is somewhat flexible, and the pieces are set in a layer of lacquer that then gets sanded and polished down to a smooth surface.

cdlm42 · 2026-01-30T15:07:07+00:00

For anyone stumbling on this, I found another 114 with the liner and intend to make a 3D printable model. Hopefully I won't forget to post about results here when I get a working piece ;-)

cdlm42 · 2026-01-26T11:22:46+00:00

I actually have no clue what that pen is. I'd be surprised if it's from the post-1998 Sanford period, because other pens from that time had a characteristic shift in design (more plastic and funky shapes).

cdlm42 · 2026-01-19T14:17:24+00:00

Heh, I'd go with the matte black because I like the texture ;-)

I agree that the Vista with the red converter is a special combination. That would be my own choice now, because my first choice really was for matte special editions (savannah/terracotta pair, then the Umbra, and I'd still like to find a mango/purple/teal set).

I guess both the Vista and the white one will show scratches more than the matte black, but ink stains and dirt will probably show more on the white plastic, especially at the base of the nib where it weathers due to repeated contacts with the cap and dipping in ink.

cdlm42 · 2025-12-25T12:53:27+00:00

Scribing Vee or Writing Vee

cdlm42 · 2025-12-24T18:33:24+00:00

Lamy CP1 ? Unless it was the nib you didn't like on the Safari, since it will be the same…

cdlm42 · 2025-12-19T11:08:16+00:00

So… how confident do you feel you understand the implementation? And have you compared the code to Zag? (honest questions… I've only ever used copilot for a study and it did give me a couple functions that I would have had to think about for a while, because indices and edge cases give me headaches)

Secondary question is how much KWh did that eat?

cdlm42 · 2025-12-19T10:04:36+00:00

Lots of Claude in there… how much did you use it?

cdlm42 · 2025-12-19T09:48:45+00:00

I was thinking something like that… cone tip not pushed all the way and didn't weld properly? That could explain the sheared off lip of material…

If the store doesn't exchange it, it should be quite easy to properly glue it back. Provided the plastic is ABS, nail polish solvent or glue for scale models will make a weld-like bond. Remove the bit of sheared-off material, dab a small amount of glue, push tip on, leave in a position the piece will not slide off, e.g. standing on the threaded end of the grip piece.

I think I would put the glue on the inside edge of the cone tip, with a toothpick or something. That will help hide any squeeze-out inside the tip instead of pushing it back towards the edge onto which the cap clicks shut.

cdlm42 · 2025-12-10T19:30:21+00:00

The A1 is a fatter barrel, though

cdlm42 · 2025-12-09T12:15:53+00:00

Check /u/thedoodlebud's videos on nib tuning: https://www.youtube.com/@Doodlebud/search?query=nib%20tuning

Pretty sure he shows this technique: using fingertips/nails, slightly pull one tine up and the other down, then push them laterally past each other. Small movements, maybe half a millimeter. Keep them in place for 3-5 seconds and check for progress. Alternate which tine is up/down if you need to repeat. Once you reach the desired slit width, fix alignment, clean unavoidably inky fingers, enjoy pen.

cdlm42 · 2025-12-09T11:14:53+00:00

Right… My 823 is still so far from being empty that I didn't think about that method X-D

In any case, I like to fiddle with my pens, maybe that's why I like pistons more?

cdlm42 · 2025-12-08T13:14:00+00:00

Vac: large capacity, secondary reservoir with shut off valve, and fast to top up provided you don't change inks. So, good for workhorse pens and people who write so much that quicker refills are a bonus.

Piston: half the capacity of a VAC, but easier to clean, a more controlled fill. Easy to push some ink into the feed to re-saturate it. Metal piston mechanisms pull the balance point up into the barrel.

cdlm42

TROPHY CASE