Montblanc Ink Clogging

[pranav.bhatnagar]

Hello Everyone,

I wanted to ask you all about the issues i am having with Montblanc Inks for few years now.

At multiple instances i have noticed that while using MB inks, even though I clean the pen regularly, the flow of ink reduces after using for 2 months and then stop causing clogging in the pen (of course with cleaning in between). I then had to go to local pen shop and get it cleaned.

These inks were bought from various MB boutiques as well as authorized pen shops. These inks were not expired.

Pens it has caused issue

- Jinhao X450

- Parker

- Sheaffer Prelude

- Montegrappa Fortuna

Inks used

Mont Blanc Toffee Brown

Mont Blanc Winter glow

Mont Blanc Black

Mont Blanc Blue Black

I am not sure if I am doing something wrong or if these inks tend to clog the pen after some time of usage.

Please help !!!

[Uncial]

Can't say I've experienced a problem with any of those inks.

[Michael R.]

Toffee Brown and Winter Glow are darker, higher intensity inks which tend to get sticky when left in pens which are not close to air-tight when left unattended for a longer time.

 

I like Montblanc Blue Black but it is not the wettest ink from my experience.

 

Do your pens dry out quickly?

 

Cheers

 

Michael

[pranav.bhatnagar]

Toffee Brown and Winter Glow are darker, higher intensity inks which tend to get sticky when left in pens which are not close to air-tight when left unattended for a longer time.

 

I like Montblanc Blue Black but it is not the wettest ink from my experience.

 

Do your pens dry out quickly?

 

Cheers

 

Michael

 

 

Hello Michael,

 

Thank you for you response.

 

For your question - do you pens dry out quickly -> with MB inks yes, the ink does not tend to flow. But once cleaned and used, they don't dry out. Anyhow i clean them regularly as possible.

[niksch]

 

Hello Everyone,

I wanted to ask you all about the issues i am having with Montblanc Inks for few years now.

At multiple instances i have noticed that while using MB inks, even though I clean the pen regularly, the flow of ink reduces after using for 2 months and then stop causing clogging in the pen (of course with cleaning in between). I then had to go to local pen shop and get it cleaned.

These inks were bought from various MB boutiques as well as authorized pen shops. These inks were not expired.

Pens it has caused issue

- Jinhao X450

- Parker

- Sheaffer Prelude

- Montegrappa Fortuna

Inks used

Mont Blanc Toffee Brown

Mont Blanc Winter glow

Mont Blanc Black

Mont Blanc Blue Black

I am not sure if I am doing something wrong or if these inks tend to clog the pen after some time of usage.

Please help !!!

 

Modern Blue Black or Vintage Blue Black?

[mhguda]

I was wondering, while reading your story, how do you know the ink is clogging the pen? Have you seen ink clots come out when you clean the pens? Is this the same problem for all the pens, or is the only common thing that the pen stops writing after a time?

Does dipping the pen in a little water help? I keep a small jar with water on my desk, and if a pen has trouble starting (for instance on a new day) I dip it to get it started. The water tends to get inkier and inkier, it evaporates and also, of course, leaves the jar on the nib and in the feed of the pens I dip in it. (In fact this has given me some interesting new inks to play with.) But it does the job, and only if I have to dip the pen every time I want to use it, I will clean the pen.

Also, do you have this problem with other inks? or specifically, only the Montblanc?

[FredRydr]

Time for a thorough pen cleaning.

[pranav.bhatnagar]

Modern Blue Black or Vintage Blue Black?

 

Modern Blue Black (Midnight Blue)

[pranav.bhatnagar]

I was wondering, while reading your story, how do you know the ink is clogging the pen? Have you seen ink clots come out when you clean the pens? Is this the same problem for all the pens, or is the only common thing that the pen stops writing after a time?

Does dipping the pen in a little water help? I keep a small jar with water on my desk, and if a pen has trouble starting (for instance on a new day) I dip it to get it started. The water tends to get inkier and inkier, it evaporates and also, of course, leaves the jar on the nib and in the feed of the pens I dip in it. (In fact this has given me some interesting new inks to play with.) But it does the job, and only if I have to dip the pen every time I want to use it, I will clean the pen.

Also, do you have this problem with other inks? or specifically, only the Montblanc?

 

Dear Mhguda - thank you for taking time to help me on this.

 

For the clogging part - i don't see any ink clots coming out while cleaning but the pen stops after some time. I even tried to jerk but then it will stop after writing one line. This is evident that there is no ink flow from feeder to nib. I tried cleaning and refilling it but again same story. The serious part is it happens only with Montblanc Inks. I tried 4 different pens at different times and different ink but tin vain.

 

Once i get it cleaned by the pen shop and refill it with other ink, it does not stop like this. I did not try the MB's then.

[mhguda]

 

Dear Mhguda - thank you for taking time to help me on this.

 

For the clogging part - i don't see any ink clots coming out while cleaning but the pen stops after some time. I even tried to jerk but then it will stop after writing one line. This is evident that there is no ink flow from feeder to nib. I tried cleaning and refilling it but again same story. The serious part is it happens only with Montblanc Inks. I tried 4 different pens at different times and different ink but tin vain.

 

Once i get it cleaned by the pen shop and refill it with other ink, it does not stop like this. I did not try the MB's then.

Hi - you're welcome. I'm thinking maybe your problem is not clogging - although it might be - but some other reason for the ink not flowing from reservoir to feed and nib. There might be an air bubble preventing the ink from flowing out. You say there is no flow of ink from feed to nib - does the ink flow from the reservoir (cartridge? converter? other?) to the feed?

Also - what is the difference between your Montblanc inks and the other inks you are using in the same pens? such that other inks flow, just not the Montblanc.

[pranav.bhatnagar]

Hi - you're welcome. I'm thinking maybe your problem is not clogging - although it might be - but some other reason for the ink not flowing from reservoir to feed and nib. There might be an air bubble preventing the ink from flowing out. You say there is no flow of ink from feed to nib - does the ink flow from the reservoir (cartridge? converter? other?) to the feed?

Also - what is the difference between your Montblanc inks and the other inks you are using in the same pens? such that other inks flow, just not the Montblanc.

 

 

How do we determine it is always air bubble only causing this issue? It could be 1-2 -3 times but not always.

 

For the ink flow - i am not sure it is flowing from cartridge to the feed but not till the nib. The cartridge / converter is always connected to the mouth of feed which is in direct contact with ink. Hence the flow should be there.

 

True for the last line, not sure why they are not flowing, or may be its clogged and that is the reason they don't flow? Deep cleaning in always an option for me and then i don't want to try out the ink again.

 

Are you able to understand the root cause of the problem? I checked with MB store, and they said they have never heard of this issue.

[meiers]

The root cause could be a faulty cartridge converter. Dont laugh. I have lived that experience.

 

Air bubbles in the cartridge converter will reduce or interrupt ink flow. Here are two strategies for ascertaining whether the cartridge converter is the cause of your problem.

 

1. Try using cartridges and see if that improves the problem.

2. Replace the cartridge-converter. They fail easily.

Edited June 2, 2020 by meiers

[mhguda]

I heartily second those two options to try.

What I find really puzzling is that only Montblanc ink is showing this behavior, in all his (?) pens. But there may be some assumption there - pranav are you using the same converter with all the inks? and if so, do you clean the converter before filling with a new ink? or, are you just using a similar converter and assuming its behavior to be identical. If yes, see meier's suggestion. I too have had faulty converters not passing ink to feed or nib, and getting frustrated trying to find out why.

You may even have a converter that is slightly too large for the nipple of the pen, but not so large that you can see that there is not a good match.

[gerigo]

Also are these inks fresh, or have you had them for a few years, maybe even longer than 10? I see the inks are ones that were around probably in 2012 or so or even earlier. Inks evaporate and they get thicker and darker. If the inks are thicker and darker, it does not take much for them to become problematic inks. I am guessing that's why manufacturers have due dates. Not because the ingredients will turn bad, but the water would have evaporated to a point that would cause pens to clog.

 

Also I learned from conversations with another ink maker in the US that all dye molecules are not the same size. Blue tends to be easiest on pens. They seem to have smallest molecules. Reds and blacks are particularly problematic. Most of your inks tend to have the larger dye molecules.

[Parker51]

I hate to say this, but perhaps the problem is due to a combination of the pens you are using, the altitude and humidity level where you are in comparison to were Monblanc formulated and tested the inks, likely in Montblanc pens.

 

Based on this idea as a working hypothesis, please identify which inks flow well with your pens.

 

If they are highly viscous inks, that is ones known to flow maybe a bit too well, but for you they are well behaved, then the problem may simply be that the ink is rather dry. Adding some surficants might solve the problem.

 

I have had the opposite problem with some pens, way too much flow. I turned to Montblanc inks to address this problem when a repair was not able to be successful in cuting back the flow and it worked.

Edited June 3, 2020 by Parker51

[pranav.bhatnagar]

The root cause could be a faulty cartridge converter. Dont laugh. I have lived that experience.

 

Air bubbles in the cartridge converter will reduce or interrupt ink flow. Here are two strategies for ascertaining whether the cartridge converter is the cause of your problem.

 

1. Try using cartridges and see if that improves the problem.

2. Replace the cartridge-converter. They fail easily.

 

 

Noted Meiers. but the question remains the same, when i use the same cartridges or converter for other inks, it works fine.

 

What do you think this could be ?

[pranav.bhatnagar]

I heartily second those two options to try.

What I find really puzzling is that only Montblanc ink is showing this behavior, in all his (?) pens. But there may be some assumption there - pranav are you using the same converter with all the inks? and if so, do you clean the converter before filling with a new ink? or, are you just using a similar converter and assuming its behavior to be identical. If yes, see meier's suggestion. I too have had faulty converters not passing ink to feed or nib, and getting frustrated trying to find out why.

You may even have a converter that is slightly too large for the nipple of the pen, but not so large that you can see that there is not a good match.

 

Hello Mhguda,

 

Yes, i use the same converter with other inks. It is working perfectly fine. Yes i clean the converter and cartridge always and dry them before i fill in the new ink. Even the pen is thoroughly cleaned till it runs clear and dried.

 

OK one question here, in these cases, even though the pen was not writing, i see that when i dip it in water, the ink starts to clear from the pen, which means the ink was flowing into the feeder system.

[pranav.bhatnagar]

Also are these inks fresh, or have you had them for a few years, maybe even longer than 10? I see the inks are ones that were around probably in 2012 or so or even earlier. Inks evaporate and they get thicker and darker. If the inks are thicker and darker, it does not take much for them to become problematic inks. I am guessing that's why manufacturers have due dates. Not because the ingredients will turn bad, but the water would have evaporated to a point that would cause pens to clog.

 

Also I learned from conversations with another ink maker in the US that all dye molecules are not the same size. Blue tends to be easiest on pens. They seem to have smallest molecules. Reds and blacks are particularly problematic. Most of your inks tend to have the larger dye molecules.

 

Dear Gerigo, thank you for your answer.

 

Yes, all my inks were new inks and i can say they were within 8-12 months of the manufacturing date.

 

For your next question, regarding the size of molecules, i think this could be the reason? May be for my pens they are too thick for the feeder system that i cannot allow them to flow smoothly causing a stoppage of ink? ofcourse with clogging after some time.

 

Hello Mghuda, do you think this could be a problem?

[pranav.bhatnagar]

T

 

I hate to say this, but perhaps the problem is due to a combination of the pens you are using, the altitude and humidity level where you are in comparison to were Monblanc formulated and tested the inks, likely in Montblanc pens.

Based on this idea as a working hypothesis, please identify which inks flow well with your pens.

If they are highly viscous inks, that is ones known to flow maybe a bit too well, but for you they are well behaved, then the problem may simply be that the ink is rather dry. Adding some surficants might solve the problem.

I have had the opposite problem with some pens, way too much flow. I turned to Montblanc inks to address this problem when a repair was not able to be successful in cuting back the flow and it worked.

Thank you Parker51.

 

I think you are right, may be they are more viscous that it is causing a problem in the flow and hence in your case it worked to stop the flow.

 

Can you help me on how we can check which inks are better suited for our pen? do you have a methodology or is it only by trial and error method?

 

Adding some surficants might solve the problem. - can you please give more details on this?

[mhguda]

 

Hello Mhguda,

 

Yes, i use the same converter with other inks. It is working perfectly fine. Yes i clean the converter and cartridge always and dry them before i fill in the new ink. Even the pen is thoroughly cleaned till it runs clear and dried.

 

OK one question here, in these cases, even though the pen was not writing, i see that when i dip it in water, the ink starts to clear from the pen, which means the ink was flowing into the feeder system.

Okay this would suggest to me that indeed what you are seeing is a bit of clogging. And adding water (via dip) loosens up the ink. Maybe with this ink, try adding a little water so it is a little diluted. And a little bit of dish detergent, for example by dipping a toothpick in the detergent, then into the ink in the converter. But I have to tell you I often have to dip my pens to get them started, and afterwards they are fine. It may just be that the ink is drying up in the channel of the feed. If it bothers you overmuch, scrape out the channel the ink goes through and see if that helps.