Acceptable Water Used To Flush?

[SpinThePen]

Is it alright to use bottled water in order to flush a fountain pen? Or should I just use tap water? I don't have distilled at the moment

[Edwaroth]

I have always used distilled H2O. Very cheap from AbsoPure/gallon< 2.00USD @ Kroger. with a bit of clear, unscented, non-suddsing ammonia. 10 to 15 parts water to 1 part ammonia. This to good results. You should be able to find distilled water fairly easy at most supermarkets and it's cheap enough.

Edited September 11, 2013 by Edwaroth

[wallylynn]

I flush with tap. Occasionally with a dash of ammonia.

distilled goes in the coffee maker to avoid calcium deposits.

[Felix1]

I also use distilled water bought at a local grocery store...for ultrasonic cleaning as well as flushing.

[mbankirer]

Have always used tap water...never had any problems?

[ac12]

First is it depends on what is in YOUR tap water. Some places have a LOT of minerals and other "stuff" in the tap water, such that I would not want to use it. I remember living in Southern California and the aerator for my kitchen faucet would get coated with minerals in about a month. Other places you can smell the chemicals in the water. Oh and tap water may have particulants, including sand. Other places might be great. There is so much variability in tap water, that tap water is my last choice.

 

Bottled water is better but dicey because you don't know anything about it. It could be filtered tap water (so better than plain tap water), or it could be spring water with who knows what minerals. But it is probably a better choice than tap water. You need to read the label of the bottled water to see what it is.

 

The closest I get to tap water is tap water filtered through a Britta filter, so I know there is a certain amount of filtration through a carbon filter. However, good commercial filtered water would be better than Britta. It all depends on the filtration system used.

 

Distilled is the best.

 

Use the bottled water, once should not hurt.

But if you can, I would hold off for a day and pick up a gallon of distilled water tomorrow.

Edited September 11, 2013 by ac12

[pencils+pens]

I use tap water for the first flush. Tap water plus ammonia for the second and then tap water alone for the final flush. I never have any problems.

 

In the Golden Age what do you think they used, if they bothered to clean their pens at all? Those pens have held up for decades.

Edited September 11, 2013 by pencils+pens

[sargetalon]

Our tap is way too hard with minerals off the chart so I use bottled distilled water to prevent any problems that may occur. Could be overkill but better safe than sorry.

[JessR45]

Just plain old tap water for me. Used tap water for years and so far no problems (yet). Most inks I use (the Iroshizukus in particular) flush out so well very quickly. If a bit stubborn, I use tap water with a little ammonia and if this still does not work fast enough I bring out my 'nuclear' option -- my ultrasonic cleaner with Koh-I-Noor Rapido-Eze Pen Cleaner solution.

[MyriamV]

No tap water, we have too many minerals in it. I use distilled water.

[jar]

Rain water that falls on the south facing roof slope between 6am and 8:14 am on Thursdays only.

[Gloucesterman]

Using tap water for the first few flushes sounds reasonable to me. Then perhaps a flush or two with the ammonia blend depending on the color of the expulsion. Finally, once thoroughly cleaned, one or two flushes with the distilled. I little more effort but that's okay with me.

 

Here in New England distilled water is usually about $1.00/ gallon, sometimes less when it's on sale at Walgreens.

 

just my .02 cents worth...

[Ron Z]

Unless you have very hard water, plain tap water is just fine.

[Pterodactylus]

Sorry, but distilled water sounds really really ridiculous for me.

As pencils+pens said do you think in the old times somebody used destilled water (when even cleaned the pen)?

 

If tab water is good enough to drink it is more than good enough to flush a pen,

 

We have here quite hard water with many minerals directly from the Alps and I do not hesitate one second to use it to flush my pens.

 

What do you fear?

 

That you will get calcareous deposit inside your pen?

 

Come on......

 

You do not boil the water inside your pen until everything is evaporated.

 

You can also overdo pen care and be over careful....

[Chrissy]

I just use tap water too. I am fearless.

[Vendome]

Manchester tap water works fine for me.

[Pengrump]

Tap water since 1963 when I started using fountain pens.

[Wolverine1]

I have using the normal tap water from the faucet at home. I have been flushing my pens since about 1993, when I got my first nice pen. And so far, I havent noticed any ill effects on my pens.

[SteveE]

I'm with Ron Z on this one. They're just pens, and ink is mostly water - water about which we know absolutely nothing. For the first 30 or 40 years I used fountain pens, I don't think I ever heard of anyone flushing a pen unless ink was allowed to dry in it and it refused to work when refilled. Many of the old inks worked perfectly well when you simply filled a dried-out pen and just wrote with it. It might have been hard to start once or twice, but we never did the "sterilization" cleaning and flushing that seems to be so popular among today's newer (less than 30 or 40 years) enthusiasts.

 

As the late Frank Dubiel said (and I paraphrase), "Pens are pens. They are tools to write with, not to be babied." He may have been a bit rough at times, but Frank was spot-on (IMHO) in his opinion about why pens exist. I use my tools, then I clean them and put them away. I don't expect them to look showroom new into the next millenium. Normal wear is, to me, a sign of character.

[Pterodactylus]

I'm with Ron Z on this one. They're just pens, and ink is mostly water - water about which we know absolutely nothing. For the first 30 or 40 years I used fountain pens, I don't think I ever heard of anyone flushing a pen unless ink was allowed to dry in it and it refused to work when refilled. Many of the old inks worked perfectly well when you simply filled a dried-out pen and just wrote with it. It might have been hard to start once or twice, but we never did the "sterilization" cleaning and flushing that seems to be so popular among today's newer (less than 30 or 40 years) enthusiasts.

 

As the late Frank Dubiel said (and I paraphrase), "Pens are pens. They are tools to write with, not to be babied." He may have been a bit rough at times, but Frank was spot-on (IMHO) in his opinion about why pens exist. I use my tools, then I clean them and put them away. I don't expect them to look showroom new into the next millenium. Normal wear is, to me, a sign of character.

Very well said.

 

I also never flushed my pens in the past (ok used exclusively Cartridge pens) over 30 years except when I let ink dry in it (also not on a color change) and they simply functioned (and are in perfect health till now).

 

Ok I didn't used other filling systems then cartridges and used Pelikan 4001 almost exclusively.

But it never came into my mind to flush a pen when it still functions, and I also knew nobody who did this (and many guys used FPs)

 

These days when using highly saturated inks and different filling systems than cartridges I also flush my pens, but only now and then or on a color change.

 

As said previously we are talking about pens and some people seems to be on a extreme cleaning/maintaining trip