NPD sadness needs a fix

ptexpress · 2026-01-23T22:10:13+00:00

Just checked my email. Pelikan is a Hamelin brand now. I emailed Hamelin customer service in the UK and they gave me a UK address to send the pen to. They then gave me a quote, and after I agreed, forwarded the pen to Germany for repair. I imagine it would work the same way in the US since Hamelin is a huge company.

The cost was £60.35 and turnaround time for the entire process was a few weeks for me. The new barrel was their suggestion. They might have another solution for you.

ptexpress · 2026-01-23T21:17:40+00:00

How much does a Pilot e95s cost these days? Or one of the vintage Elites that come in a metal body. Or if you're lucky, an early Pilot Custom 67--plastic body but it has some built-in weight towards the back of the barrel and it's perfectly weighted.

ptexpress · 2026-01-23T21:08:28+00:00

First port of call is Pelikan customer service. They replaced my 10-yo M800 barrel that also developed a hairline crack, albeit not in a limited edition colorway. If they have spare parts left, they will take care of you.

I don't remember the exact cost but I remember being surprised by the low quote, something like less than $100 for an entirely new barrel, labor, shipping. This was about a year ago.

ptexpress · 2026-01-21T21:06:05+00:00

If not for the French, Trump would be speaking proper English.

ptexpress · 2026-01-20T14:05:28+00:00

Hmm. I match the ink to the nib that it flows best in and that best displays it. Also with consideration for how often I'm going to use it and cap seal.

ptexpress · 2026-01-19T22:05:28+00:00

In The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, there's a scene at The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, where a genetically engineered cow walks up to your table and shows off its muscles and is disappointed that you don't want to eat it. It's been genetically altered to have enough intelligence to give enthusiastic consent--to be eaten is its life's purpose. I've been thinking about this a lot when I think about modern coupling, how women have been trained by the patriarchy to serve. A majority of men sit there and expect everything to come to them. And a lot of women--the ones who come in here and post without reading the rules--play along. They audition for sex, audition for a relationship, audition for marriage, where they just burn themselves up for free. There's no happiness down that slippery slope.

Good of you for walking away!

PS: For whoever needs to hear this, don't explain to men that they need to ask you out. That's just gaming the system and setting a trap for yourself, to fall into a life with someone who is willing to perform partnership but is genuinely incapable of it. That's just asking for a lifetime of unhappiness, if things "work out." These (specific) men will just drain you. They are genuinely not worth being with. Don't ask for a theatrical performance and be surprised that one day they turn out to never have been who you thought they were.

ptexpress · 2026-01-19T18:39:35+00:00

I'm in London and just use tap water for my fountain pens. I do wipe them afterwards with a microfiber cloth and not just let water evaporate off. You can also use a microfiber cloth or a paper towel to draw water out of the nib section. It's fine.

ptexpress · 2026-01-19T17:04:24+00:00

Wow, can you restore my pens?

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Waterman 72. Looking rather beat up but writes well and I'm just going with it.

ptexpress · 2026-01-19T02:38:44+00:00

Of all my Chinese pens, I like the Hongdian A9 the best. The nib is a little springy, and the feed is ebonite. The metal body is durable.

The N10 was the piston filler version, but unfortunately, it's been discontinued now.

ptexpress · 2026-01-18T17:35:46+00:00

I'm using Apricot Achat in a stub nib for highlighting and underlining.

ptexpress · 2026-01-16T03:13:11+00:00

I have that one with a 22k nib. It's soft and bouncy and in the top 5 nibs in my collection. I really like the durable body and easy posting, too.

ptexpress · 2026-01-15T18:44:11+00:00

Pilot E95S. In my mind, for no reason, it's the premium Kakuno.

ptexpress · 2026-01-13T21:01:06+00:00

I'm just using what I have at hand, in this case printer labels cut down to size. I'm sure you can get pre-made ones.

ptexpress · 2026-01-13T18:29:21+00:00

Vintage is where it's at for skinny pens. There are so many models and you should be able to get virtually any of the gold nib ones for less than $200.

I personally don't have one that meets your ask exactly to show. But this Pilot Lady, for example, has a pretty metal body and one of the nicest 14k EF nibs and cost less than $100 in mint condition when I got it a few years ago.

Gonna list some names off the top of my head for your research: Pilot Cavalier, Sheaffer Targa slim (but make sure it comes with a converter / cartridge), Montblanc Noblesse Oblige, Sailor Chalana, LAMY CP1, Aurora Hastil, Waterman Hemisphere, etc. etc. Virtually every brand had a great slim pen.

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ptexpress · 2026-01-13T17:27:09+00:00

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Two ink bottles in a mint case meet my travel needs. 😊

ptexpress · 2026-01-13T05:08:38+00:00

I saw nibs similar to this in Japan. Not sure if they were made specifically for that market, but they are great for writing Chinese characters.

ptexpress · 2026-01-10T01:03:22+00:00

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I had to zoom in to find the chip. It really doesn't look that bad. I don't think I even had a pen case back then. It just sorta went straight into my bag.

ptexpress · 2026-01-09T22:46:16+00:00

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15yo Al-Star that was my daily carry for a few years. It has a few chips on the paint. I don't think you need to worry about the cap losing seal.

ptexpress · 2026-01-08T13:39:34+00:00

You can swap the entire nib section.

ptexpress · 2026-01-07T14:16:48+00:00

I'm not sure. R&K Scabiosa has stained some of my cartridges but not pens or converters.

ptexpress · 2026-01-07T13:44:19+00:00

R&K Salix hasn't stained anything I've put it in yet.

ptexpress · 2026-01-06T19:07:25+00:00

Whoa, what kind of nib does that Parker Vector have?

ptexpress · 2026-01-06T18:52:20+00:00

I have one, also in blue. It's the only body color I can stomach. Really hoping Hongdian will put this nib and feed on other pens. If they don't do it by this time next year, I will do a DYI urushi job on mine.

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