If a person appreciates writing with a fountain pen, it is generally for various reasons. I can't think of many things more satisfying than the way a pen glides across paper. However, writing with a scratchy nib is a frustrating experience. If you often use a fountain pen, you've probably had this other experience. Despite the fact that we have our own repair services and provide free nib tuning with the purchase of any pen or nib unit, I am frequently asked if there is anything that can be done at home to fix a scratchy nib. The answer could be yes, but I'm worried that the solution could end up causing more issues than it fixes. The following talk is based on the measures that I use to troubleshoot a scratchy writing pen.

This nib has a sprung up left tine.

If a nib that used to write smoothly suddenly becomes scratchy, it likely experienced some kind of trauma. The most prevalent being misalignment. One of the tines can shift in relation to the other if bumped or dropped. This should be your primary priority. When the tips aren't aligned properly, one of them will be ahead of the other on the paper, revealing the sharp inner margin of the tipping. It also poses a threat to steady ink flow. A ten-power loupe is required for those of us with mere mortal vision to make out the crooked balancing. Only the courageous should proceed; it will require passing the pen to others before the problem can be fixed.

Or it could be a "trainer pen," as opposed to a "writer," that you're looking for.

When the right tine is raised, then the left, we can tell if the tipping is even.

Keep the loupe near your eye and the pen's point aimed towards the loupe. Everything takes place within touching distance of your face. Look for the "iridium" forms to be closely spaced and in a symmetrical arrangement with the points at the same level. (A flexible nib will touch the paper, whereas a hard one will leave a tiny space.) Test the tips by lifting the low side with your fingernail if you see one side is more than 5% higher than the other. Try the opposite side to see if it rises back to its original position if it rises by an additional 5% over the first. If this happens, and the tines are sturdy, the nib is perfectly balanced.

If one side consistently averages more than the other, you know exactly where to look for the source of the scratchiness.

This nib is just right.

Then check to see if the nib is centered on the feed, if this is the case. When put aside, the solution may be straightforward. Carefully realign the nib with the feed. The best place to apply force is at the curve's center, rather than at the shoulder or the tip of the tine. If you find that you've gone too far, try pushing from the opposite side, taking care to move the nib very slightly this time. Keep doing this until the slit meets the middle of the feed. (Some nibs and feeds work better when they aren't perfectly aligned, but that's a topic for another day.)

A nib's readiness for use is determined solely by how it performs on paper and in ink. This is because the ink works as a lubricant and the paper provides friction.

It's possible that the nib has rough edges or corners that are sticking on the paper, causing it to feel scratchy. To determine exactly where the scratch is most noticeable, I prefer to draw large circles and examine the results. I use a directional arrow to indicate the arc's pointing direction and a pencil to indicate the precise location of the scratch. Check your loupe or microscope again to locate the cutting edge. Most likely, it can be found near the inner margin, wh

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