Looking For Pen Flush Recipe

[Arkamas]

I was under the impression to use 1 part ammonia to 2 parts distilled water with a few drops of soap...? Something tells me now that's way too strong.

[Arkamas]

Okay I ran across this link in the forums from 2009. Definitely throwing that solution out and starting over.

[virgilio]

I have never used anything but warm tap water to soak pens in, and frankly see no need for more expensive methods.

 

The only exception I can think of is if the pen is obviously covered in mould, in which case I use 99% rubbing alcohol to soak it in.

 

If it's a new pen and won't write, a flushing with some warm tap water and a little detergent might me advisable to remove industrial oils, but I add detergent (and distilled water) to my ink anyway to make it flow better.

 

If you are just cleaning a clogged cartridge pen or even a converter pen, suck some water up thu the feed with you mouth. The suction almost invariably cleans out the clogs, no soaking needed. Piston fillers clean themselves most of the time, but also benefit from an occasional flush with warm tap water.

 

Once on this site a few people were absurdly scandalized that I would suck water up into my mouth thru a feed, but the human mouth is a lot dirtier than any pen you are ever likely to encounter... Of course, a black tongue is rather unsightly, I admit. But there is no other convenient way to really clean a cartridge pen in a hurry.

 

One should not be in a hurry to clean a vintage pen; it is more important to avoid doing harm.

[crescent2]

A warning about using rubbing alcohol: Several sources have said that alcohol will dissolve some pens. I have a couple of pens (TWSBI maybe?) that came with a warning to never use alcohol for cleaning them. Therefore, I don't use alcohol on any of mine.

 

Not that chlorine bleach is good for pen parts, but for mold a very weak bleach/water solution could perhaps be used. I've read a few posts that discussed using a weak bleach solution to remove stains from clear demonstrators. So far, I've never had any mold or any need to use bleach.

 

I have a bottle of Goulet pen flush, and I can smell the ammonia, but it's not very strong. If I were going to make my own pen flush, I'd probably put a few drops of clear household ammonia and a drop or two of liquid dish detergent in a cup of room temperature water, and go from there. I don't have a recipe, but I'd be comfortable doing that. I'm a "better safe than sorry" type. If that didn't work, I might go slightly stronger on the ammonia, but would probably spring for a bottle of commercial pen flush just for the stubborn pens.

 

When I use pen flush, I put some in an empty ink sample vial. I have used it several times until it was discolored. None of my pens have ever had dried ink in them, though.

 

For extended soaking, I'd try plain water first, and then water with a drop or two of dish detergent if needed.

 

I'm not an expert; these are just my thoughts. But I'm sure about alcohol not being safe for some pen materials--I can't remember which, though.

[Arkamas]

What about hydrogen peroxide?

[virgilio]

I am willing to believe that there are some pens allergic to rubbing alcohol, crescent2. I have used alcohol on only a few moulded vintage pens, mostly Marlowes from the 40s. I would however be MUCH more comfortable using alcohol than any bleach solution, unless the manufacturer specifically counsels against the use of alcohol.

 

Or maybe ethyl alcohol? It is also a good disinfectant. Fortunately, mould infections are pretty rare in my experience.

[Komboloi]

Anyone know what the ammonia concentration of Windex is? I sometimes dilute Windex in distilled water (4 parts Windex to 1 part distilled water). I assume that's a very dilute ammonia solution, but I'm just guessing because I don't know what percentage of ammonia is Windex.

[jar]

one part water 99 parts patience.

[LizEF]

Anyone know what the ammonia concentration of Windex is? I sometimes dilute Windex in distilled water (4 parts Windex to 1 part distilled water). I assume that's a very dilute ammonia solution, but I'm just guessing because I don't know what percentage of ammonia is Windex.

 

The concern with Windex is that it's got more than ammonia in it. How good, bad, or otherwise those other ingredients are, I don't know. Plain ammonia is not that hard to find, and is not generally needed - water + repetition is almost always sufficient.

 

ETA: I sometimes use Windex to clean ink off my fingers. I never use it in / on a pen or converter.

Edited January 20, 2017 by LizEF

[crescent2]

I ran across a pen flush recipe on some pen website yesterday, but I forgot to bookmark it and don't remember which site it was. IIRC, it called for a cup of distilled water, a teaspoon of clear household ammonia (I'd probably use less), and a few drops of liquid dishwashing detergent--about what many have said.

 

Brian Goulet has stated in some of his videos that a dilute bleach solution will remove BSB stains from clear demonstrators. I agree that a bleach solution is likely not good for pens and would only use it if absolutely needed and would rinse to the point of overkill, but I trust Brian on this. None of my clear pens have been stained.

 

I went back to one of my TWSBI boxes, and found the tag that was attached that says in large letters to not use alcohol on the pen, a clear demonstrator. (Score one for my less than perfect memory!)

 

I have no idea about hydrogen peroxide. I tend to be an "if in doubt, don't do it" type of person. I'd spring for a bottle of Goulet pen flush if I were having cleaning problems that a drop of dish detergent in water wouldn't solve; it's not that expensive. I have a bottle, but usually don't use it. I've never let ink dry in a pen, though.

Edited January 23, 2017 by crescent2