In Part 1, we took a look at the relationship between the nib and the feed. But what if the feed itself is behaving badly? A few answers follow...

Almost any feed will perform well after it has been dipped in bottled ink for the first time, at least for a little while. To test a feed I fill the pen up, blot the nib and feed by pressing a paper towel around both the nib and feed, top and bottom. This draws off any excess ink that may be captured in the fins or collector. Then if the pen writes well, I know that at least the metal nib is performing well.

First, some basic physics. In order for ink to continue to come out of any fountain pen with a supply of ink, air must go in to replace that volume. Otherwise there will be a partial vacuum in the reservoir which will prevent ink from descending. All well-made feeds have small ink channels and larger air channels, as air moves through the ink in the form of bubbles and requires a wider path. So close inspection of any feed will reveal a small path for the ink to flow, and a larger one for the air to return.

Contemporary feeds are made of two different kinds of material. Originally there were only feeds cut from hard rubber. (See the Aurora red feed below.) Rubber feeds have the advantage of being friendly to ink; the ink likes to be drawn along this rubber surface. They have the disadvantage of being expensive to make, as they have to be machined one slit at a time. This technology was developed through the late 19th century, and was improved in the early 20th century.

Some of the "improvements" ended up being compromises, but some of the early rubber feeds can deliver more ink faster than any feed made today. Of course, the downside of ample delivery is that they can be very messy, often employing straight-through channels that can serve as a squirt gun if one gesticulates exuberantly pen in hand, a potential for laundry bills for your friends. Contemporary examples of hard rubber feeds can be seen on Montegrappa, Aurora, and the Namiki Emperor, as well as every original Parker Duofold and pre-1940 Waterman's, Sheaffer's, and Wahl Eversharp.

The second type of feed is made from plastics injection molded into a form (see the complex Pilot grey feed bottom and top images here.) In the manufacturing process this thermal plastic runs as a hot liquid to fill intricate form, fins, and fissures.  This kind of feed makes up 90% of what we see today. They can be elaborate in the way ink and air flow through them, as they are not limited to the straight cuts required by hard rubber. They also are inexpensive to make, but require special acid etching in order to be changed to a more friendly material to ink. This gives them a matte, hydrophilic surface rather that the gloss of most plastics.

Depending on the design, they have a greater control and metering of the ink than most hard rubber feeds. They rarely wet the walls with grand gestures, but they can be stingy with ink, especially with bold points and flexible tines, a common complaint. This is particularly true of cartridge-converter pens such as those that use the international system, which restricts ink and air flow to one narrow area at the back of the gripping section where both ink and air must pass each other (though not international size, see for example the long thin tail on the contemporary Aurora feed). 

Other problems arise when there is any little particle plugging the very fine ink channels of the feed. Some inks made without antifungal agents will grow threadlike skeins of mold which can plug. Or if a pen is left filled with ink for a long time, the feed will dry out, leaving ink clumps and dust which can be hard to dislodge without taking the nib and feed out of the section. The best preventive measure for these ink stoppage problems is the regular use of your pens.  But for those who have a rotation of pens, or only use them occasionally, flushing the pen with fresh water will prevent problems later on. 

Attempts to alter ink flow which go beyond simple cleaning should be approached with caution - I have seen far too many cases where the fissures were crudely opened up in an effort to gain more ink flow, with results worse than the original problem. Then there is the job of re-setting the nib and feed in the section, which can require patience, care, and skill. Those truly wishing to devote the time and energy (not to mention ruined feeds) necessary to learn this craft would be well-advised to start from one of the few available references, such as Jim Marshall and Laurence Oldfield's Pen Repair, or the late Frank Dubiel's Da Book.

For most pen users, however, purchasing your pens from a retailer who tests and optimizes for ink flow prior to shipping, as we do, will be your best bet to avoiding issues with skipping. Pen repair services, such as those we offer here, can also offer an alternative to self-surgery if you have an existing pen with an ink flow issue. So don't leave that problem pen tucked away in a back drawer - with some careful attention, it can be made to write as well (or better) than it ever did when new...

The coming Fountain Pen Skipping? Causes and Cures - Part 3 will deal with the OMAS feed issue common in the early 2000's...