So What's Up With This Cap

[vir_wie]

This is my second fountain pen and I've never seen this problem before.

 

Pen: Custom Heritage 92

Ink: J. Herbin

Edited June 17, 2017 by vir_wie

[Innosint]

That honestly looks like Mold Growth.

 

My guess is that the ink got between the cap and inner cap,

 

and J. Herbin is infamously known for not being mold resistant

[ParkerDuofold]

This is my second fountain pen and I've never seen this problem before.

 

Pen: Custom Heritage 92

Ink: J. Herbin

Hi Vir Wie,

 

DISCLAIMER: When I give advice; I like it to be something I've done myself, that I know works, but I've never had a problem like yours. I've never done this, but this is the best advice my feeble mind could generate...

 

It looks like you have some purple ink inside the inner seal... but it also looks like you have water trapped between the cap and inner seal that has become contaminated with mold or some other bacterium.

 

I would wash the cap with soap and water to clean out as much of the mess as I could.

 

Then let it soak in a 20% bleach/water solution for 2-4 hours to kill the bacterium.

 

Then give it a good rinse under a luke warm tap for a few minutes; shake out the cap either outside or into a tub/shower.

 

And then give it a full week to air dry.

 

Best wishes for success.

 

- Anthony

[Driften]

It does look like you have moisture trapped between the inner cap and outer one. As others said it might have developed mold. I expect you carry the pen around a lot in your pants pocket? Or if you are a warm person it could be a shirt pocket. On demonstrators you will notice from body heat a fog of moisture can form in caps from being carried. I use a paper towel rolled up to fit inside to remove that water. It normally only happens to me if I carry in my cargo shorts pocket. I have seen it happen in my F-C 45 pocket pen as well as my Pelikan m200. Both pens don't use a two part cap so its much easier to clean.

 

My Pilot 92 is a desk pen so it has not happened to me on that pen. I think there may be a way to remove the inner cap and then you could clean it out easily, but I have never done that. It screws into the final on the outside. I think it involves a pencil with an eraser for inside and a rubber gripper to hold the final to unscrew everything. You should look into disassembly videos on youtube. If you don't want to try to disassemble you could also a ultrasonic cleaner to be able to get water between the caps and help clear it out.

 

Good Luck!

[ParkerDuofold]

Hi Vir Wie,

 

Driften's idea of disassembling the cap may be the surest way of completely cleaning and drying it out.

 

To embellish on his second suggestion; if you use an ultra-sonic, place the cap inside a small glass filled with a 20% bleach solution and then place the glass inside your usc... this will prevent the contamination of your usc from whatever it is thats contaminating that cap.

 

(Sailor Kenshin taught me that trick).

 

- Anthony

Edited June 17, 2017 by ParkerDuofold

[Mech-for-i]

I have no idea what that might be ... but it does not matter cause there is only one sure way to deal with it, disassemble the cap and clean the parts, then re assemble it back to its state as one single piece. AFAIK, the cap can be disassembled.

[PS104]

I believe that Brian Goulet has a video on disassembling the cap and cleaning it