Old Cartridges

[Manalto]

I have a question for those more knowledgeable about inks than I. I just got a nice Targa brushed stainless with a gold nib (seems to be a bold). With it came a maroon box of five Jet Black cartridges. (I describe the packaging to possibly estimate the age of the cartridges; it appears the new Sheaffer nib packaging is a hang card with the black-and-red logo.) For the most part, the pen is performing well, but at times it appears the nib gets starved. Could this be because the cartridges are old and partially evaporated, making the ink more viscous? Or is this typical of a broad inlaid nib? I read somewhere here on FPN that feeds in many pen modelss are all the same; that is, they're not calibrated to accommodate the different demands of an XF compared to a BB nib.

 

I have a Sheaffer converter on the way.

 

James

Edited April 4, 2015 by Manalto

[Sailor Kenshin]

Could be you'd need to add a drop or two of water to your carts...but also take a lighted magnifying glass and have a look down the section to make sure nothing is interfering with how the cart seats.

[Barkingpig]

I have stubs on both my Legacy & Targa & they neither suffer from starvation so I doubt a "broad" nib would be a problem for your feed. Mine are both fitted with convertors (the Legacy using the "touchdown" built in) so I have not used a cartridge in either. Certainly wouldn't hurt to add water with a syringe into the cartridge or try the addition of the "pin head" drop of dish detergent. I have NOT done as I cannot trust myself to achieve such a minuscule measure as I admit I am from the school of "more is more!" but many people have said that small addition can increase flow. I have resorted to keeping an old inkwell filled with distilled water for my pens that start poorly. ( Most of them are my fault for keeping more inked than I use with frequency but it has worked to diminish the starting difficulties.)

[Manalto]

Didn't people touch their pens to their tongues before they began to write? If I do this will I die a slow, agonizing death? (Full Disclosure: I've already done it several times.)

 

I need to get a syringe; should I shop for hydroponic (10 ml) reusable? What do you recommend?

Edited April 4, 2015 by Manalto

[lectraplayer]

I know Goulet sells pipets (eyedroppers) for filling cartridges, but if you can get insulin syringes easily, why not?

[thatotherguy1]

Goulet sells 5 ml syringes in packs of two... they come in handy for many inky things other than diluting old cartridges too. I've used mine for everything from filling sample vials for a friend that recently got into pens to filling eyedroppers much quicker than I would be able to if I was using an actual eyedropper to filling cartridges to transferring Sheaffer Skrip Blue from a Sheaffer cartridge I got somewhere to my Lamy converter so I could try it out. Ink syringes are indispensable tools in any fountain pen user's toolbox.

[Lou Erickson]

The licking of a nib was generally for dip pens. I forget what it did, and it was only when they were clean. You won't die a horrible death, though.

 

Was this a NOS pen? If so, you might try a flush with slightly warm water with a drop or two of liquid dish soap in it, then rinsing it really well. If there were machine oils left from production, they can interefere with ink flow and the soap will get them out.

[Manalto]

The licking of a nib was generally for dip pens. I forget what it did, and it was only when they were clean. You won't die a horrible death, though.

 

Was this a NOS pen? If so, you might try a flush with slightly warm water with a drop or two of liquid dish soap in it, then rinsing it really well. If there were machine oils left from production, they can interefere with ink flow and the soap will get them out.

 

Interesting. Maybe the ink clings better? It works to get a loaded fountain pen flowing too; I'm just glad I can't see my South Seas Blue tongue.

 

It was not a NOS pen. I did a dish detergent and warm water soak and flush before I inserted the cartridge. Old blue ink came out of the pen. There very well could be residue still left behind; I don't have a super-sonic cleaner, and the soak was only an hour or so. I suspect that semi-evaporated (thickened) ink in the cartridge is the culprit. If I can coax a drop or two of water into the cartridge from an eyedropper, I'll re-rinse the nib and feed and see if flow improves. It's pretty good as is; it's just that my expectations of Targa nibs has become high. I think they're terrific.

Edited April 4, 2015 by Manalto

[Lou Erickson]

 

Interesting. Maybe the ink clings better? It works to get a loaded fountain pen flowing too; I'm just glad I can't see my South Seas Blue tongue.

 

It was not a NOS pen. I did a dish detergent and warm water soak and flush before I inserted the cartridge. Old blue ink came out of the pen. There very well could be residue still left behind; I don't have a super-sonic cleaner, and the soak was only an hour or so. I suspect that semi-evaporated (thickened) ink in the cartridge is the culprit. If I can coax a drop or two of water into the cartridge from an eyedropper, I'll re-rinse the nib and feed and see if flow improves. It's pretty good as is; it's just that my expectations of Targa nibs has become high. I think they're terrific.

 

You're probably right; do a full clean until no ink comes out and use a new cartridge or converter and fresh in and you might be set.

 

I agree with you, though, the Targa nibs are great.

[Manalto]

A two-pronged approach seems to have solved the issue: 1.) More thorough cleaning, and 2.) Diluting the ink in the cartridge.

 

Old ink had built up at the base of the piercing post for the cartridge (I wonder if this unevenness is sometimes the cause of leaks?) so another soak and a little scribbling around with that most sophisticated of fountain pen repair tools - the toothpick - dislodged the dried ink residue. Soaking and rinsing got it clean.

 

I don't have a syringe on hand, so I force-injected a couple of drops (or more) of water into the cartridge with an eyedropper. I was mistaken; the cartridges are not opaque. The ink must have been coating the walls of the cartridge. Since the water is not distilled, I will write a resignation speech for our lousy mayor and then toss the cartridge. The nib is now writing like a dream in an ever-deepening dark gray!

 

The remaining unused cartridges, when held up to the sun, reveal themselves to be about half filled. Diluting the the concentrated ink to 3/4 - 7/8 full should do the trick. Is there a real danger in not using distilled water, if you continue to actively use the pen?

 

ETA: Curious about the age of the cartridges, I found a calligraphy set for sale that had cartridges with the same packaging, and included the book "Using Calligraphy: A Workbook of Alphabets, Projects, and Techniques" by Margaret Shepherd, which was published in 1979. Here is the box for the cartridges ("Classic" became such a popular buzzword in the 80s after Coca-Cola's fiasco with its new formula, and subsequent scramble to win back its customers with "Classic Coke." In this case, "classic" distinguished this size from the slim cartridges Sheaffer made.)

 

Edited April 5, 2015 by Manalto

[Sailor Kenshin]

Glad to hear things worked out. Always check the cart-piercing apparatus!

 

I've never personally used distilled water to refresh old, dried ink and haven't had a problem.

[Roseofsharon]

Glad you found what worked For your pen. Personally I had a similar problem with a new pen and I used tap water to flush the pen thoroughly and simply used a vacuum principle to add a drop of water to the ink, it now writes absolutely fine. I also have a bottle of water that I use to wash my nibs after using the pens as dip pens and for getting any non starters going.

[amberleadavis]

Don't toss the old cartridge. Use that syringe to flush it out and then add a different ink and use the cartridge with the new ink. You should have a lot of fun. The old black ink will not dry out so much as become super sticky inside the cartridge. The fact you are only seeing gray and not purple means that it still hasn't mixed well. Try other colors, I predict you will come to love this pen.

[Barkingpig]

I have some cartridges that are probably from the 1960's & many are 1/4 filled @ present. I just received a small packet of Skrip Peacock Blue ones that are in a very vintage looking packet that obviously predates the Textron acquisition & they appear to be "empty." I imagine they will hydrate successfully. My first Peacock blue was from a similar cartridge (probably 1/2 full) and did fine when water was added. I am very glad to hear you have your pen back to it's glory!

[Manalto]

I have some cartridges that are probably from the 1960's & many are 1/4 filled @ present. I just received a small packet of Skrip Peacock Blue ones that are in a very vintage looking packet that obviously predates the Textron acquisition & they appear to be "empty." I imagine they will hydrate successfully.

 

Instant ink! (Do the Japanese already occupy that market niche?)

 

Just remember to shake them like you're making a 007 martini. It leaves a little Peacock Blue dot on your index finger, but that's a small price to pay.