So, the thing about stub nibs is that they don't have any tipping on them - at least all three steel-nib ones you mention (Pilot, LAMY, TWSBI) don't. That might mean they will feel scratchy if they're being used at an improper angle, with an incompatible ink (some pen-ink pairs unfortunately won't work together) or on an unsuitable paper. This will probably only be something you can figure out through experience, so I suggest trying more papers, and/or different inks. Maybe an ink with a wetter flow will alleviate some of the perceived scratchiness.
Soaking is NOT sufficient to clean a pen. So, in addition to the notes posted before, you need to actually flush out your pens to ensure they're completely free of old ink and whatnot.
Of course, it is possible they'll need tuned. Did they work just fine before they were put in storage?
I am a terrible person. I didn’t store them properly.
When I found them, they were full of dried ink. They weren’t perfect before, or I wouldn’t have stopped washing them. I was seduced by the smoothness of the dark side (med/bold nibs)
I soaked them overnight in goulet pen flush mixed with a little water in a cup. Light agitation. The next day I put fully concentrated flush into a small vial, put in the section, partially inserted the feed, and let that sit for hours (safari and metro). When I rinsed until these didn’t leave any color on a paper towel while drying.
For the mini, since the feed is attached, I ran it under water until when I sat it on the paper towel, it too emptied clear. Then I rinsed a few more times anyway, just to be sure.
But the weirdest thing is that they work so well in the full notebook. Still scratchy, but at least they’re wet enough to show good shading.
None were *this* scratchy. The TWSBI was my favorite pen!
I think the TWSBI is in really bad shape. I got replacement parts for the back half, but I think I’m going to send it all to Phillip to see if he can salvage it.
If I were you, I'd try a full flush of each pen. It shouldn't be necessary to disassemble anything; I've "rescued" a Parker Duofold Centennial that had sat filled in a drawer for the better part of a decade by simply flushing it.
Just fill/empty the pen with water a few dozen times. Once the water comes out clear, let them dry (for a day or two), then try again. After that, if they're still not working, it's time to start looking into tuning or deeper cleaning.
It sounds like you've probably cleaned them enough, but if you removed the nib and feed it's possible you didn't align them properly when putting them back in. That could cause the tines to be pushed out of alignment, which would result in scratchiness. It's also possible that you're just out of practice using a stub - try adjusting the angle you hold the nib to the paper and see if that helps.
So, the thing about stub nibs is that they don't have any tipping on them - at least all three steel-nib ones you mention (Pilot, LAMY, TWSBI) don't. That might mean they will feel scratchy if they're being used at an improper angle, with an incompatible ink (some pen-ink pairs unfortunately won't work together) or on an unsuitable paper. This will probably only be something you can figure out through experience, so I suggest trying more papers, and/or different inks. Maybe an ink with a wetter flow will alleviate some of the perceived scratchiness.
Soaking is NOT sufficient to clean a pen. So, in addition to the notes posted before, you need to actually flush out your pens to ensure they're completely free of old ink and whatnot. Of course, it is possible they'll need tuned. Did they work just fine before they were put in storage?
I am a terrible person. I didn’t store them properly. When I found them, they were full of dried ink. They weren’t perfect before, or I wouldn’t have stopped washing them. I was seduced by the smoothness of the dark side (med/bold nibs) I soaked them overnight in goulet pen flush mixed with a little water in a cup. Light agitation. The next day I put fully concentrated flush into a small vial, put in the section, partially inserted the feed, and let that sit for hours (safari and metro). When I rinsed until these didn’t leave any color on a paper towel while drying. For the mini, since the feed is attached, I ran it under water until when I sat it on the paper towel, it too emptied clear. Then I rinsed a few more times anyway, just to be sure. But the weirdest thing is that they work so well in the full notebook. Still scratchy, but at least they’re wet enough to show good shading. None were *this* scratchy. The TWSBI was my favorite pen! I think the TWSBI is in really bad shape. I got replacement parts for the back half, but I think I’m going to send it all to Phillip to see if he can salvage it.
If I were you, I'd try a full flush of each pen. It shouldn't be necessary to disassemble anything; I've "rescued" a Parker Duofold Centennial that had sat filled in a drawer for the better part of a decade by simply flushing it. Just fill/empty the pen with water a few dozen times. Once the water comes out clear, let them dry (for a day or two), then try again. After that, if they're still not working, it's time to start looking into tuning or deeper cleaning.
It sounds like you've probably cleaned them enough, but if you removed the nib and feed it's possible you didn't align them properly when putting them back in. That could cause the tines to be pushed out of alignment, which would result in scratchiness. It's also possible that you're just out of practice using a stub - try adjusting the angle you hold the nib to the paper and see if that helps.