#copperplate

so i spent the whole saturday trying to get a clean line with my speedball 2000 nib on the new copperplate 0.8mm ink (the 2023 batch). every time i pull a stroke it just flubs out, like the tip's not catching. i even pre‑wet the nib with a few drops of sumi to no avail. i thought maybe it's the nib tension, but i already adjusted it to 3.2 on the micrometer (the spec says 3.0‑3.5). i even tried a fresh 0.5mm nikko nib and same drama. i swear the paper's fine—tested with a 0.6mm copperplate nib from my dad's old set, perfect flow. anyone else had this issue with the speedball 2000? or is it just me being a perfectionist with my strokes? tbh i was hoping the new nib would finally give me that buttery line i brag about in my portfolio, but now i'm stuck wondering if i need to upgrade to a pilot parallel or just accept the flaw.