OFTEN ASKED.

Thames Star, Volume LVII, Issue 15112, 22 December 1921, Page 7

OFTEN ASKED.

WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH YOUR PEN? Because fountain pens are about the moat ill-used of all devices in everyday use,-a pen-doctor's shop is usually kept working overtime. Many fountain-pen irregularities result from apparently trivial happenings (writes' a "Pen Expert" in the London Daily Mail.) For example, the man who lends a friend his pen must not be surprised if it never works quite as well afterwards. No amount of fair wear and tear will eause a nib to deteriorate so much as a sudden change of hands. This is because very few people possess precisely the same touch, be it light, medium, or heavy. -Again, the angle at which a pen is held varies with almost every individual. But for one pen spoilt in this way three will go wrong through being clogged with dirt, dust, and unsuitable ink, while twice as many more need "docking" through rough usage and accidents.

Of the millions of fountain-pen users in this country, it is surprising how few give them a thorough cleansing nsw and again. When in regular use a pen should be cleansed at least once a month. Begin by flushing the ink reservoir, and, after this, leave the pen in a, bowl of cold water until every trace of ink sediment is removed. That it pays to buy a first-class pen in the first instance goes without saying. Frequently a good nib is injured because its owner has substituted a new cap for one accidentally lost. Outwardly, the "spare" fits all right, but inwardly there is not sufficient clearance for the nib. Many a pen in constant use works all the better for a rest now and again. This is because the rougher surface papers cause the nib to "heat" slightly at times, which accounts for much of the "poker" writing and blots often experienced. The wisdom of using ink specially recommended by fountain-pen manufacturers cannot be emphasised too strongly. And once you get accustomed to a certain brand, keep it throughout. Unless you ~ have the option of changing, if necessary, never purchase a fountain pen as a present, without knowing beforehand the kind of nib and "build" most suited to the hand of the intended recipient. A man will spoil an unsuitable pen after a page of writing. And an advocate of "hair lines" to whom you send a "J" nib will have eause to remember you —'though perhaps none too kindly.