Okay, well, after using it some more today, it stopped and is back to it's old tricks again. I called CSUSA and they are sending a new nib assembly out. The tech guy I talked to, Brian, I think it was, said he was going to try the new nib for a bit and make sure it worked.
No, I don't use India ink. I have run the ink that came with it, Waterman Black and Waterman Blue, Pelikan Black, Blue Black, and Brown through it. All do the same thing... write a bit and that's it. Yes, those listed I use are all fountain pen ink.
When I talk about the pointy out bit, I mean the pin, yes. After doing some more looking at it, it is not damaged, but, I could not see how in the world any ink would get through it. Granted, some has to, but it just doesnt look like much could get back through it. I did find a document here on this site showing that the feed comes apart, so I took it apart. Everything looks totally fine. I can see the small channels where the ink is supposed to run, and they look clean, and since it has done this since the first container of ink, I don't see how crud would be in there (specially since I clean the feed/nib every time I change ink).
When I said "smooshed" i meant the very top of the pin, not the pin itself. It looked like, at the time to me, that it had been rounded over when I looked under the desk magnifier. I went and bought some 10X reading glasses today (sheesh, I swear 20 years ago I could look at this stuff close up!) and examined it really close. It is not "smooshed" at all. I was not sure exactly what it was supposed to have looked like until I got the feed apart and saw the very small ink channel that runs up the pin.
I have also done the squeeze bulb trick - using one of the old Radio Shack solder sucker bulbs to force water into and out of the feed. First, flushing out, then sucking in, and only letting the water go one way at a time (not in out in out, but out out out, in in in) to try dislodging anything that may be stuck in there, such as flashing from the manufacturing process. No luck there, and, as I noted, I did not see anything when I got the feed apart.
I let the pen sit tip down all last night, plus all day today. It has been in that position constantly. Still running dry.
That said, I don't know if I buy the nib up thing - For the price of this thing, it better darn well work whether I keep it up or down!
Will see what happens when I get the new nib assembly.
I will note that when I attach a cartridge and leave it for a few minutes, no nib, then pull the feed apart, it is pretty bone dry in there still. There is some ink, but it does not seem to make it down much on the underside of the nib. It just kind of congregates under it near the top and does not go much farther down. Granted, it could be going down farther, and when I remove the nib I am actually wiping it back towards the top - I think that may be what is happening here.
Will keep you all posted.
