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So this lovely Estie that I was given has been clogged and I have not been able to get it to write for a number of months. It had been leaking a little bit (which I ascribed to my inexperience with eyedropper-filling a used cartouche), and I had put a bit of silicone grease around the places where the body connects to the nib unit. Then I couldn't get it to write at all. Usually, when I am doing my pen maintenance, I will fiddle with it a bit. Yesterday, on a lark, I placed its nib on a paper towel that I had just used to blot up a bit of ginger tea. Although I had previously tried capillary action, for some reason this time the ink began to flow again. I don't know if it was the ginger, time or something else, but I am quite grateful to have this pen working again as it is a pleasure to use and had been very reliable.

Has anyone used Platinum Carbon or another permanent micropigment ink in a Parker 51, and what were the results? How insane is this idea? I am concerned about particles clogging the finely finned collector.

Hello everyone. I'm new to this. Is there a permanent ink that does not clog or dry in the pen (nib?) if the pen is not used for a week or more? And, a permanent ink that flows well, is "wet", and easy to clean out of the pen? If I only use the pen several times a month for check writing, etc, is that enough? I have several Pelicans, a Sailor 1911, and a couple cheapies. Thanks so much for your help. Newbie here. Aloha jim

I got a sample of Sailor Sei-Boku from the Writing Desk. I love how it looks on reviews, so I figured it would be nice to try it. So I filled my Esterbrook J (9550 nib) with it. It did not write, so I thought maybe I forgot to clean that pen. So I pulled out my other Esterbrook J (9461 nib) and filled that. It wrote nicely. But next day when I tried to write with it, I noticed that the nib unit is clogged. It did not write at all. So I emptied the pen and cleaned it thoroughly. Now the pen works, but I'm not sure what to do about Sei-Boku. I have not dared to try it with other pens. What do you guys think? Is it normal for Sei-Boku to clog a pen, or does it just hate Esterbrook Js? What kind of pen would you try Sei-Boku with?

Gday everyone, Long time lurker first time poster I'd like to jump straight into it and go ahead and say that I've been having problems (or should i say A problem) with my Noodlers Bulletproof black. It's an absolutely wonderful ink in pretty much every way, except one. My 'Online German: Event' Pen doesn't seem to agree with the Noodlers ink. (I have a Noodlers Flex pen inked up in Noodlers black which works perfectly fine) I've inked it up through a converter and for about, I would say the first page and a half of writing, it writes fine. It flows well with no skipping etc. However once that 1-2 page thresh-hold has been passed the problems occur: The flow becomes weaker and the nib starts to dry outMinor skipping occurs (some shaking and tapping remedies this)Flow becomes near non-existent Every second stroke skips (No amount of shaking or tapping or wetting the nib remedies this)​I've went back and talked to the boutique owner and he says that he's not surprised that an American ink, especially the 'Bulletproof' line, works poorly with a European pen. At first I thought that maybe there was a problem with the nib/feed. However after purchasing some J-Herbin and Mont-Blanc inks I'm starting to think he may be right. MY PEN WRITES PERFECTLY!! It's a very wet writer and has never skipped or been prone to dry or anything of the sort. I decided to brave the Noodlers in my Online German again, but alas, the same exact problem. I've recently read a post somewhere that the Noodlers 'Bulletproof' line is not a very well lubricated ink and is prone to flowing problems. Anyway tell me what you guys think of my situation and if you've had any similar problems with any of the Noodlers inks. ​

I've found a Parker 51 in a eBay pen lot and seems to be clogged of what it seems to be india ink. It's in really good conditions and i want to restore, it.. some advices on how to proceed?

Hi All, I'm new to fountain pens; I recently bought a fine tip Lamy Safari after having tried out a few and loved them. After only a few days of ownership, it started to have trouble writing, with the ink sometimes not coming out and me having to squeeze the cartridge to make it flow again. This happens frequently. I have rinsed it twice, including once right after purchasing it (to clear out the ink I used when trying it out in the store). I have used it almost every day, so it hasn't been sitting around for long, and have not left it sitting uncapped. Does anyone have an idea of what the issue could be? Thanks! Darin

I hope this is the right place for this. :-) I only recently got into fountain pens and I purchased a TWSBI Mini. It's been smooth sailing for the past couple of weeks, and I've tried out a handful of types of inks in my pen with no problems, until today. I put some J Herbin 1670 Stormy Grey in my pen after reading that, while people are worried about clogs, if you're careful, it won't clog. So, I've been lightly rolling/shaking, etc. After writing maaaaybe half a page this morning, the nib clogged and it seems like nothing's working. I let it sit a bit, I tried wiping the nib clean on a damp cloth. I'm wondering if I need to fully drain and clean the pen, or if there's something else I could do to help it write again. Any suggestions? Thank you so much!

A couple of days I put Faber-Castell TG1 Drawing Ink in an Art Pen (1.5 nib) by rotring. It seems to work just fine, for now. It writes divine. How long does it take to clog?

In my quest to replace the dearly departed iron gall Montblanc Midnight Blue, I bought a bottle of Ecclesiastical Stationery Supplies Registrars’ Ink. As a usual matter, I ran Midnight Blue from my daily writer, a ‘60s (resin) 149, and never had problems with clogging or staining. I’ve tested ESSRI with dip pens, I like what it can do, and I want it to be my new Midnight Blue. However, I’m a bit concerned about clogging and staining, taking into account the normal extra maintenance recommended when dealing with iron gall ink. I must confess, ESSRI’s low price and frowzy packaging do not inspire confidence. How about it -- does anybody have successes, failures, clogs, or stains to report as a result of using ESSRI in a Montblanc piston-filler?