Fountain pens are reliable instruments, but they do occasionally misbehave. The good news is that most problems have straightforward causes and straightforward solutions — and nine times out of ten, the fix takes less than five minutes. This guide covers the most common issues, from a pen that won't write at all to one that writes too much.
Work through the relevant section below. If nothing here resolves the problem, get in touch with us at The Journal Shop — we're always happy to help diagnose a pen that's giving trouble.
My fountain pen won't write at all
Start with the obvious checks before doing anything else. They solve the problem more often than you'd expect.
Check 1: Does the pen have ink?
Remove the barrel and look at the cartridge or converter. If the cartridge looks empty, it probably is — install a fresh one. If there's a converter, make sure it's actually filled with ink and that the piston is drawn up rather than pushed down. If the pen has a built-in piston filler, check the ink level through the barrel window.
Check 2: Has the pen been cleaned recently — or ever?
Brand new pens often contain machining oil residue or a small amount of test ink from quality control. Both can impede flow. If your pen is new and isn't writing, give it a quick flush with clean water before filling with ink. A five-minute rinse will solve this more often than any other intervention.
If the pen has been sitting unused for weeks or months, dried ink in the feed is the most likely culprit. Soak the nib section in clean water for several hours — or overnight for a badly dried-out pen — and flush until clear before refilling.
Check 3: Give it time
A freshly filled cartridge can take fifteen minutes to an hour for ink to travel from the reservoir down through the feed to the nib. If the pen is newly filled and not writing immediately, don't panic — cap it, leave it nib-down, and try again in an hour. This is not a fault; it's physics.
Check 4: Prime the feed
If there's ink in the pen but nothing is flowing, the feed may need priming — pushing a small amount of ink down to the nib to start the capillary action. For a cartridge pen: hold the pen nib-up and give the cartridge a very gentle squeeze. For a converter: twist the knob slightly in the "empty" direction, which pushes ink down into the feed. For a piston filler: operate the piston gently. You should see ink appear at the nib tip. A brief scribble on scrap paper should then get things flowing.
My pen has hard starts — it won't write after a short pause
A hard start means the nib dries out quickly when the pen is uncapped, requiring several scrappy strokes before ink flows freely. It's one of the more common and more frustrating fountain pen problems.
The most likely cause: evaporation
Fountain pen ink is water-based. When the nib is exposed to air, the water in the ink begins evaporating from the nib slit. A fine nib with a dry-running ink will hard start after just a few minutes uncapped. The solution is simple in principle: cap the pen between uses, always. Screw caps are better at preventing evaporation than push caps; if hard starts are a persistent issue with a push-cap pen, try storing it horizontally rather than nib-up.
The ink may be part of the problem
Some inks are inherently drier than others — they carry less water and evaporate faster. Lamy inks and Pelikan 4001 are famously dry-running and prone to hard starts in pens that aren't used constantly. If you're having hard start issues, switching to a wetter ink — Pilot Iroshizuku, Diamine, Waterman — will often resolve it without any adjustment to the pen. Waterman inks in particular have a reputation for reviving pens with flow problems.
Check the cap seal
If the inner cap has dried ink on it, or if the cap doesn't seat properly on the pen, it won't form an adequate seal against evaporation. Clean the inside of the cap as described in our cleaning guide. If the cap feels loose or doesn't click firmly, that's worth noting — it may be contributing to drying.
My pen skips or writes inconsistently
Skipping — where the ink flow cuts out mid-stroke and then resumes — is usually a flow problem rather than a nib problem. Work through these in order.
Check the nib alignment with the feed
The slit in the nib needs to align with the ink channel in the feed for ink to flow correctly. Hold the pen up to a light source and look down from the nib end — the slit and the feed channel should line up directly. If they're offset, the nib has shifted slightly. Gently re-seat the nib by pressing it down onto the feed until it's flush. On most pens this is a simple adjustment that takes seconds.
Check the angle you're holding the pen
Fountain pens are sensitive to writing angle in a way that ballpoints aren't. If the nib is rotating too far from the upright position — if you're writing with the pen nearly flat, or if it's twisting in your grip — ink flow will suffer or stop. Try consciously holding the pen with the nib face fully up and at around 45 degrees to the paper.
Clean the pen
Paper fibres and dried ink accumulating in the nib slit are a classic cause of intermittent skipping. If you haven't cleaned the pen recently, flush it thoroughly with water. A five-minute flush often restores a skipping pen completely.
Try a different ink
Some pen-and-ink combinations simply don't suit each other. A dry-running ink in a dry-running pen can produce persistent skipping even when everything else is correct. Try a wetter, more lubricating ink. Pilot Iroshizuku inks are known for excellent flow; Waterman is recommended specifically for pens with flow problems.
My nib feels scratchy
A scratchy nib is one where the writing experience has a roughness or catch to it — different from the normal "feedback" of nib on paper texture, which is mild and consistent. If the nib is digging into the paper, leaving scratch marks, or stopping mid-stroke, something is wrong.
First: is this feedback or scratchiness?
Finer nibs on textured paper always have some feedback — a gentle resistance as the nib moves across the surface. This is normal and many writers prefer it. True scratchiness is something harder: the nib catching on the paper, leaving an inconsistent mark, or feeling sharp in a way that's unpleasant. The distinction matters because feedback is a characteristic, not a defect.
Check the nib orientation
The nib must face upwards — the engraved, smooth side towards you. If the pen has rotated in your grip and you're writing with the underside of the nib on the paper, it will scratch. This sounds unlikely but happens more often than you'd think, especially with pens that have a round section and no grip texture. Reorient the nib and try again.
Check tine alignment
The two tines of the nib must be level with each other — if one has shifted higher than the other (from being dropped, knocked, or stored carelessly), the edge of the higher tine will catch on the paper. This is called misaligned tines. With good light and ideally a magnifying glass, look at the very tip of the nib. Both tines should form a smooth, level surface.
To correct a minor misalignment: with a fingertip on the top of the nib, press the nib tip gently down against a hard surface and rock slightly from side to side for a few seconds. Test. Repeat if needed. This is a gentle operation — don't force it. If the tines are significantly misaligned and this doesn't resolve it, contact us or the manufacturer for advice before attempting further adjustment.
The paper bag method
If tine alignment is correct but the nib is still slightly scratchy, the tipping material at the very tip of the nib may have rough edges. The classic approach is the paper bag method: with ink in the pen, draw figure eights on the slightly abrasive surface of a brown paper bag — not ordinary paper, which is too smooth to make any difference — at your normal writing angle and pressure. Test on regular paper every thirty seconds. This very gently smooths micro-burrs on the tipping. Stop if the nib starts picking up paper fibres from the bag.
If scratchiness persists after trying all of the above, the nib may have a manufacturing defect — a damaged tip or tine that's beyond home adjustment. Contact the retailer; nibs with genuine defects are covered under warranty, and most pen manufacturers are reasonable about replacement.
My pen is leaking or dripping
A leaking fountain pen is unpleasant. Understanding why it's happening determines the fix.
Ink on the outside of the nib ("nib creep")
A small amount of ink around the nib slit and breather hole is normal — it's called nib creep and is purely cosmetic. If the ink is travelling further up the nib or onto the section, the pen may be running too wet. Try a drier ink (Lamy or Pelikan 4001), or check whether the tines are slightly too far apart, which increases flow.
Ink in the cap
Some ink in the cap is normal — the cap absorbs a small amount from the nib when you cap the pen. A significant amount of ink in the cap suggests the pen is either flowing too freely or the cap isn't sealing properly. Clean the cap (dried ink on the inner cap disrupts the seal) and check whether it seats fully on the pen.
Burping — a blob of ink appearing mid-writing
This is most common with eyedropper pens and pens stored nib-down with a large ink reservoir. It's caused by temperature-related pressure change: the air trapped above the ink expands as the pen warms (from being held, or on a warm day), pushing ink out. To prevent it, don't store filled pens nib-down for extended periods. If it's happening with an eyedropper pen, try not overfilling the barrel — leave some air space.
Leaking on aircraft
Air pressure in aircraft cabins is lower than at ground level. The pressure difference causes air inside the pen to expand, which can push ink out of the nib into the cap (or, if uncapped, onto your hands and whatever you're writing on). To avoid this: fill the pen completely before boarding (leaving little air space inside), or travel with an empty pen. Keep pens capped during takeoff and landing.
My pen writes too wet
A pen that lays down too much ink produces wide, slow-drying lines that feather on ordinary paper and may bleed through. It can be the pen, the ink, or both.
First, try a drier ink — Lamy, Pelikan 4001, and Platinum inks are all known for dry, controlled flow. If the wetness persists regardless of ink, the tines may be slightly too far apart, allowing too much ink to flow. The fix — gently squeezing the tines together — is a delicate operation. Proceed carefully, test frequently, and don't over-correct. If you're not comfortable adjusting the nib, this is worth asking a pen specialist about.
When to seek help
Most fountain pen problems are solvable at home. But there are a few situations where professional attention is warranted: a nib with significantly damaged tipping, a cracked section, a filling mechanism that's stuck or broken, or a pen that continues to malfunction after everything in this guide has been tried.
If your pen came from The Journal Shop and the problem is a manufacturing defect rather than wear or misuse, it's covered under the manufacturer's warranty. Get in touch with us and we'll help you work out the best course of action. We've seen most pen problems before, and we're always pleased to help resolve them.
Where to start: browse our fountain pens and fountain-pen-friendly notebooks at The Journal Shop.
