Cleaning pens...

[tryphon]

I keep reading of fellow pen collectors who soak pens overnight, take them apart and go to endless efforts to remove any trace of old ink from the collector, feed, etc.... Why?

Excessive cleaning adds wear to a pen and disassembly always carries the danger of damage.

In addition, some feeds need a light coat of ink in order to work at their best. That's why many pens will show better ink flow after having been inked overnight (or longer).

By all means, flush pens, especially if you are using red or burgundy ink (and teal/green inks, to a lesser extent), but a quick flush in cold water is sufficient!

Any thoughts on why penlovers have this obsession for virginally clean pens???

Edited April 17, 2006 by tryphon

[JimStrutton]

Hmm,

 

Some good thoughts here. I tend to flush a pen clean when I take it out of rotation as leaving it with a trace of ink in for months is not going to be good for it I assume.

 

The other major reason I have for flushing is the normal eBay purchase, where the pen has been around with who knows what in, for who knows how long

 

I tend to flush, then soak first, then strip as a last resort. What I will say is that I have a Vac "51" that was a bit troublesome with flow issues, and a sequence of flush, soak flush, repeated about three times, did cure it. I was able to flush the pen clean, but then after an overnight soak in enough water to just cover the nib opening in the hood, a residue stain was visible in the water and more came out on flushing. By the third soak, there was barely a trace, so I considered that enough was enough.

 

So I half agree here I think, flushing for flushings sake is not really good, but if a flush and soak cures a problem, it is probably a good first step and is less dangerous than an instant strip down.

 

Jim

[chrisb]

Since most of my FPs have come from ebay, I do a thorough cleaning. A properly cleaned pen out of the box (or padded envelope) is the exception. Other than that, I'll do that only if one of my pens has been sitting around for long time unused.

[Ink Stained Wretch]

I experiment with ink mixtures and I've learned the hard way that I'd better do my best to clean out the fountain pen between experiments. In fact I have a pen that I use which is especially amenable to having its nib and feed taken apart and I've found globs of ink taking up residence in the feed and I've found ink still under the nib even after serious soaking and flushing.

 

I think that if you're using the same ink in a pen, and it's never allowed to dry out or anything, that you can put off soaking and flushing it for quite a while. I had a pen that had Noodler's Black in it for almost two years and after I cleaned and flushed it it did write a bit better. It's probably also something that would relate to the kind of ink. I believe that a very water soluble ink like Waterman's Florida Blue flushes out more thoroughly than some others so it would need less maintenance.

[TMann]

Any thoughts on why penlovers have this obsession for virginally clean pens???

Alright, I admit it. I have an obsession about clean looking pens. Weird, huh?

 

TMann

[sonnenblume]

Here is an interesting link I googled...

http://www.bertramsinkwell.com/penstuff.html

 

He recommends once a month & also when changing inks.

[rwfreund]

It all depends on how much water has evaporated from the nib. I find that on those pens I use daily, and refill with the same color, I have menaged to get away with NEVER flushing, other than during the filling process I may fill, empty, then refill, causing a mini-flush with new ink.

I suppose that the ink in the bottle gets a bit more concentrated, but not to a severe degree.

 

I used to have more trouble with iron-gall inks developing precipitates, which if they form in the bottle, will also form in the pen. Those required monthly flushing to stay in shape.

 

Color change is a bit of a ritual for me. That is when the pen gets a complete flushing and an overnight soak.

-bob

[JRodriguez]

I generally do a quick flushing any time I change inks, and certainly if I'm going to store a pen for a while. But I've only ever felt compelled to try and clean two of my pens in the way that Tryphon describes - my Pelikan white tortoise and a new Visconti honey almond, both of which show ink marks in the caps pretty distinctly. I guess the reason I feel I ought to clean them is because I worry about them becoming permanently stained - but in all honestly I'm not exacty sure why I should care. And I have yet to go so far as to soak them and such, prefering to use a wet q-tip to try and clean out the caps, and a soft sponge to get the ink out of the nib section on the white tortoise.

[DrPJM1]

Mine get cleaned when I take them out of the rotation or when I change inks. Always leave them to dry overnight.

[antoniosz]

I was uninformed enough to soak feed/nib in my early days of FP usage. Until I saw the problems in couple of pens and I stopped. Actually I believe that much of the desire for extensive soaking is the fact that flushing a pen with a buld does not get rid of all the ink. So before I store a pen, I flush it with water and then I leave it filled with water overnight. That is enough to disolve 99.9% of the ink left in the feed. I flush one more time and dry before storing.

[Escribiente]

So before I store a pen, I flush it with water and then I leave it filled with water overnight. That is enough to disolve 99.9% of the ink left in the feed. I flush one more time and dry before storing.

I have a Pelikan 100 with a cork seal that needs to be store with water, and I realized that no matter how well I rinsed it, the water will always get dark. But after reading Antonos post, it just makes sense. I was content to flush a pen when I took it out of my rotation.

Great tip, Antonios.

[TheNobleSavage]

I am really anal about cleaning my pens but not to the extent of taking the pens apart. After my pen runs out of ink, I always or at least most of the time I flush out my pens with water until the water comes out clear. this is part of my pen rituals that make using fountian pens so enjoyable

 

TNS

[Elaine]

Interesting point of view Gio. I never thought about why I clean my pens obsessively. I guess part of the reason for me is that I'm obsessive about colors. I don't like to mix them (unless I'm doing it on purpose, and then the proportions are measured). I don't let people fill their pens from any of my ink bottles unless I know for sure that the same ink is in their pen. I don't want backwash from other inks to end up in the bottle.

 

The other reason is that when storing an empty pen, I don't want any remaining ink to gunk up the works.

[Ruaidhri]

I'm afraid I'm the 'world's worst'. Use them. Rotate them. Unless they are acting up I don't clean - not even when putting away for a while

[Guest Denis Richard]

I'm a non-cleaner also. When it's clogged, then it's time to flush.

[TheNobleSavage]

Interesting point of view Gio. I never thought about why I clean my pens obsessively. I guess part of the reason for me is that I'm obsessive about colors. I don't like to mix them (unless I'm doing it on purpose, and then the proportions are measured). I don't let people fill their pens from any of my ink bottles unless I know for sure that the same ink is in their pen. I don't want backwash from other inks to end up in the bottle.

 

The other reason is that when storing an empty pen, I don't want any remaining ink to gunk up the works.

Yup, you are in the same ballpark as I am!!!

 

TNS

[Grimoire]

I have a weakness for iron-gall ink (Montblanc blue-black), and so I flush my Pelikan every time I refill it. No problems with clogging yet...