Ink Flow

[AnnieQ]

Hello~

Would love a suggestion on the best way to get ink to flow in a pen that is clean but has not been used in years.

 

Thank you.

[tinta]

First of all .

Even if it is clean, it would not hurt to have the pen flushed out & dried before inking.

What kind of fountain pen is it?

A cartridge converter or an old piston filler?

[virgilio]

Add some Ivory dish detergent to the ink, 1 to 4 drops dripped in from a small veterinary syringe. If the ink seems unusually thick, maybe add a little distilled water as well to the bottle.

[OCArt]

As tinta said, a good first step would be to thoroughly clean the pen by filling and flushing it several times with water. Some pens take a few minutes to start after filling with ink. You can hasten this a bit by capping it and placing it nib down in a coffee cup for a minute or two. Please keep us posted with your progress.

Edited October 25, 2017 by OCArt

[Jamerelbe]

As tinta said, a good first step would be to thoroughly clean the pen by filling and flushing it several times with water. Some pens take a few minutes to start after filling with ink. You can hasten this a bit by capping it and placing it nib down in a coffee cup for a minute or two. Please keep us posted with your progress.

 

Just make sure the coffee cup is empty first!

[mhguda]

Were you having problems getting the ink to flow? that's not clear from your post. And if so, either 'prime' the nib by forcing some ink into the feed, or dip the nib into either ink or water to get some liquid into the nib&feed system, both actions to get the ink channels to fill up with ink and get the process started. Once the ink flows, you should not have a problem (especially if you also followed the suggestion of cleaning your pen before filling with ink).

Good luck and please keep us posted.

[AnnieQ]

First of all .

Even if it is clean, it would not hurt to have the pen flushed out & dried before inking.

What kind of fountain pen is it?

A cartridge converter or an old piston filler?

Tky.... it is a MontBlanc small retractable nib with cartridge filling and a small blue stone on the clip.

I did what you suggested and ran some water through it and it is writing beautifully!

I am just getting back into my pen collection after having put them away for to long. So nice to have this forum read and learn.

[AnnieQ]

Were you having problems getting the ink to flow? that's not clear from your post. And if so, either 'prime' the nib by forcing some ink into the feed, or dip the nib into either ink or water to get some liquid into the nib&feed system, both actions to get the ink channels to fill up with ink and get the process started. Once the ink flows, you should not have a problem (especially if you also followed the suggestion of cleaning your pen before filling with ink).

Good luck and please keep us posted.

Yes, was having trouble getting the ink to flow. I did follow Tinta and your directions to “prime” the nib and it was the perfect advice. Thank you

[mhguda]

Happy to hear that... and yes, Enjoy your time with us, and of course, enjoy your pens (again)!

[siamackz]

Tky.... it is a MontBlanc small retractable nib with cartridge filling and a small blue stone on the clip.

.

Sounds like a Boheme

[AnnieQ]

Thank you one and all!

[tinta]

Nice pen, AnnieQ. Enjoy!

I'm glad your problem is solved.

 

One other thing,...if your pen only takes cartridges, then it should be flushed out more often than say a pen that has a piston filler, or a converter filler.

 

When you pop in your cartridge, the ink only flows in one direction, through your nib. There is more of a chance, over time, for ink sediment to build up in your feed system.

 

(I regularly use an ear syringe to force water through the feed & nib of my cartridge-only Kaweco Lilliput.)

[AnnieQ]

Oh Zoe Thanks again! That’s on the top of my list... Can’t believe I had not figured that out!!!

[Bo Bo Olson]

You will need a rubber baby bulb syringe to quickly clean out your nib, and feed in your section...shove it over the spike and flush water through it until clean.

You can suck water both ways and or suck water up and stick it on and final clean with fresh water.

Can help with the converter too, but I favor a needle syringe for that.

Edited November 1, 2017 by Bo Bo Olson