Cleaning Ink Inside Cap

[GreenVelvet]

My apologies if this topic has been addressed before.

 

What's the best method for cleaning old, dried ink out of the cap? I just got a gray SJ and a green purse pen, and both have pretty dingy cap innards.

[gillyohan]

My sj had tons of old ink in it. I just soaked in water overnight. Dried and swabbed inside with qtip next day. No problems now; old ink was getting on the section before.

[FarmBoy]

For those recalcitrant globs I use a bottle brush and scrub.

 

T

[jszh]

Oh, I read somewhere on FPN that one should not use water to clean the inside of the cap. I wondered why...

 

 

 

My sj had tons of old ink in it. I just soaked in water overnight. Dried and swabbed inside with qtip next day. No problems now; old ink was getting on the section before.

[FarmBoy]

Oh, I read somewhere on FPN that one should not use water to clean the inside of the cap. I wondered why...

On many pens the hardware will rust or corrode if left to sit in water for a long time. Esterbrook used stainless steel so that problem is of lesser concern. When you soak a cap you can also get water behind the blind cap and that can take a long time to dry out causing corrosion problems from the inside out.

 

Not to mention some pens are made from materials that do not behave well when exposed to water for long periods of time.

 

Esterbrooks are just special. (Like I had to say that here.)

 

Todd

[MrClegg]

I doubt this is new to anyone but as it's not been stated here...

 

There aren't many cleaning jobs that can't be done with a toothbrush, I bought a cheap soft bristled child's toothbrush for cleaning the threads on the cap and the body. A firm bristle would have cleaned it quicker but I chose safety over speed.

 

Craig

[GreenVelvet]

I doubt this is new to anyone but as it's not been stated here...

 

There aren't many cleaning jobs that can't be done with a toothbrush, I bought a cheap soft bristled child's toothbrush for cleaning the threads on the cap and the body. A firm bristle would have cleaned it quicker but I chose safety over speed.

 

Craig

 

Wow - thank you for stating the obvious, because it seriously hadn't occurred to me. This seems more likely to get deeper into the threads than my q-tips.

[Lee Dawson]

On 5/29/2010 at 4:29 PM, FarmBoy said:

On many pens the hardware will rust or corrode if left to sit in water for a long time. Esterbrook used stainless steel so that problem is of lesser concern. When you soak a cap you can also get water behind the blind cap and that can take a long time to dry out causing corrosion problems from the inside out. 

...

Todd

OK, new person so don't scream to loud but if you wanted to get the water out and not let it set, could you simply put a little isopropyl rubbing alcohol in it and then wipe out with a q tip? 

[FarmBoy]

On 12/13/2021 at 6:24 AM, Lee Dawson said:

OK, new person so don't scream to loud but if you wanted to get the water out and not let it set, could you simply put a little isopropyl rubbing alcohol in it and then wipe out with a q tip? 

Probably not a good plan with celluloid pens.