Clean Up After Eyedropping Franklin-Christoph Ice Finish

[tokyobay]

Hi, I am fortunate to have a Franklin-Christoph 02, Smoke and Ice, and thinking about eyedropping it. I wonder how easy it is to clean up. Does the ink get off the ice finish easily? Does it leave stain inside the barrel?

 

I use Iroshizuku Kon-peki, Ku-jaku, Yama-budo, Tsutsuji, and Noodler's Apache Sunset, 54th Massachusetts. This will be my first eyedropper.

 

Thank you for sharing your experience!

 

Sue (1st post)

 

[Slider20]

I have the Emerald and Ice 02, used Kon Peki in it as an eye dropper, the ink cleaned out easily. The Silicone Grease on the other hand did not come out easily, particularly on the inside of the section where the feed screws in, I would not to it again, C/C for me with this pen.

[NobleDel]

Hello tokyobay,

 

I had the same question. Here's what has been posted:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/312014-how-hard-is-it-to-clean-an-f-c-ice-pen-after-it-has-been-eye-droppered/

 

I haven't eyedroppered my 02 yet. However, I have eydroppered a Franklin Christoph pocket 66 with the antique glass finish. I had Franklin Christoph blue/black in it for months before I decided to clean it. It is smoother inside than the 02 in the Ice finish. It cleaned up very easily with cold water and a Q-Tip. On the greased threads I used a small brush in addition to the Q-Tip, and water.

Hope this helps.

Edited September 25, 2016 by NobleDel

[LuckyKate]

_Hi,

 

_{I have a F-C 66 in antique glass with a metal section that I eyedroppered with KWZI IG turquoise. It cleaned up okay after I soaked it in water with bit of vinegar. But after I refilled it with Montblanc Irish Green the barrel and threads turned rust red. I soaked all the parts of the pen over night in a water/ soap/vinegar solution. The rust disappeared from everywhere but the threads and the metal section. When I tried scrubbing the rust out of the section with a q-tip, I realized it was coming from a a deep hole that had been corroded into the metal section.}

 

_{I now am using a converter. I realize that this pen does have a metal section so it's my fault for using it as an eye-dropper. I won't be doing that again with a pen that has metal in it. Live and learn.}

 

_{But I do plan on getting this pen in all plastic and using it as an eyedropper.I wouldn't hesitate.}

[rafapa]

I suggest the J.Herbin cleaning fluid for stubborn ink stains.

[tokyobay]

Thank you all for replying. After my initial post, I bought another F-C, this time p66, Italian Ice. Given its smooth inside, I will eyedrop this one first and see how it goes.

[Mister5]

I have the exact same pen. I've eyedroppered it a few times.

 

The first time I eyedroppered it, I used Noodler's Squeteague and it left a very subtle blue tint near the bottom of the barrel - its barely visible - not sure why that happened but maybe there's extra texturing there. Once I have ink in it I don't notice it. The rest of the barrel is totally fine.

 

I've also used Noodler's Red Black. I was really worried that I permanently tainted the barrel - once I cleaned it with just water there was a hint of grey along the barrel. However, after some scrubbing with a thin cleaning brush (they sell some that can be used to clean straws, and I also have some that are used to clean those horrible Dr. Brown's baby bottle parts), the grey disappeared and its back to normal. It takes a bit of work! I imagine I had an ultrasonic cleaner the grey tint would come out without as much elbow grease. I've also used R&K Scabiosa without a problem.

 

I imagine the Mass 54th would be the one of your inks to taint your pen but I'd think that Apache Sunset with a red component may also stain - I've read that red tends to stain more than other colors (keep in mind I used Noodler's Red Black without any problems ... I think the Black component was what was lingering.) I like Mass 54th a lot and will likely use that next.

 

To be honest I didn't realize I was so OCD about cleaning these things, so I think if I did it again I wouldn't get Smoke & Ice, though it is pretty with the Squeteague. The vintage green is tempting.

 

Hope this helps!

 

P.S. Eyedroppering is very simple! I actually didn't apply silicone grease before when I first got the pen and had no problems. I now apply silicone grease - a very light amount - to the threads connecting the section to the barrel with a Q-Tip. I got the silicone grease from Home Depot in the plumbing section. Since I clean the pen pretty thoroughly after every

 

The silicone grease has more than one use... you can also use silicone grease to lube up a piston filler if you can access the walls of the barrel - I just did it on a Pelikan M200 Café Crème that was stiffening up. I've also heard that you can use it on squeaky or tight threads if you have a twist off cap.

Edited October 18, 2016 by Mister5

[inkfade]

I have a pocket 66 in solid ice finish that I eyedroppered.

 

Used De Atramentis Aubergine first. When I eventually cleaned it out, there was still some purple ink left near the bottom that I could not get out, but it was barely noticeable and it didn't bother me. Other than that, the rest of the barrel was very clean. The threads were admittedly hard to clean because of the silicone grease and ink, but using multiple wet Q-tips eventually cleaned it enough to where I was satisfied.

 

I switched to Iroshizuku Fuyu-Syogun next. Due to a problem with the feed and section (ink was leaking into the cap), I sent the pen back to Franklin-Christoph and told them what inks I had used. They told me they did not recommend Iroshizuku inks as "they tend to stain." I had never heard that before, but they were right. In a surprising turn of events, Fuyu-Syogun had stained the barrel much more than my Aubergine had. The entire barrel had a grayish tint to it. I was able to eventually get it out and looking clear again, but it took a lot more work than just shaking water inside the barrel.

 

My leaking problem is fixed now and I will be sticking to only Aubergine in my pocket 66 and Fuyu-Syogun in my much cheaper, eyedroppered Nemosine Singularity demonstrator.

Edited October 26, 2016 by inkfade

[svery]

I have a pocket 66 in solid ice finish that I eyedroppered.

 

Used De Atramentis Aubergine first. When I eventually cleaned it out, there was still some purple ink left near the bottom that I could not get out, but it was barely noticeable and it didn't bother me. Other than that, the rest of the barrel was very clean. The threads were admittedly hard to clean because of the silicone grease and ink, but using multiple wet Q-tips eventually cleaned it enough to where I was satisfied.

 

I switched to Iroshizuku Fuyu-Syogun next. Due to a problem with the feed and section (ink was leaking into the cap), I sent the pen back to Franklin-Christoph and told them what inks I had used. They told me they did not recommend Iroshizuku inks as "they tend to stain." I had never heard that before, but they were right. In a surprising turn of events, Fuyu-Syogun had stained the barrel much more than my Aubergine had. The entire barrel had a grayish tint to it. I was able to eventually get it out and looking clear again, but it took a lot more work than just shaking water inside the barrel.

 

My leaking problem is fixed now and I will be sticking to only Aubergine in my pocket 66 and Fuyu-Syogun in my much cheaper, eyedroppered Nemosine Singularity demonstrator.

 

It seems that Iroshizuku tends to leave a sort of residue in any pen, and while that normally gets flushed out easily with water, it's difficult to get out of the solid ice finish. Certainly possible to clean completely though plus I only use blues in mine so it doesn't bother me, but it may be a point of concern for others.