What pen(s) are you using today?

[brokenclay]

On 2/25/2022 at 12:57 PM, essayfaire said:

I hate pen flush.  I have a hyper-sensitive sense of smell and the ammonia odors of all the brands I've tried leave my reeling. I am open to any more sensorily harmonious cleaning suggestions other FPNs may have.  

 

Water?

 

Water and time?

 

Water with a smidge of dish detergent?

[AmandaW]

Today's Morning Pages were written with a Parker 45 Coronet with an extra fine nib and Diamine Writers Blood. The pen, as far as I can ascertain  is circa 1967 and in perfect condition. It has been a delight to use.

 

 

 

[essayfaire]

28 minutes ago, brokenclay said:

 

Water?

 

Water and time?

 

Water with a smidge of dish detergent?

Stronger than water.  Talking about when water fails to be the universal solvent it purports to be.  Maybe a smidge would do the trick.

[A Smug Dill]

On 2/26/2022 at 6:57 AM, essayfaire said:

I am attempting to use my Narwhal Nautilus …‹snip›… but I can't get the pen to start up. …‹snip›… I am open to any more sensorily harmonious cleaning suggestions other FPNs may have.

 

Well, not only does an ultrasonic cleaner make a bothersome, constant buzzing sound when working, but a piston-filler — or some other pen with a built-in filling mechanism — that you cannot fully disassemble for deep cleaning and drying (and then confidently reassemble), may not be what you'd want to dunk into cleaning tank wholesale and let the vibrations work the liquid into every nook and cranny of the object being cleaned. However, at the very least you should be able to unscrew the nib unit from a Narwhal Nautilus, and clean that part with an ultrasonic cleaner, then push pressurised jets of water (using a bulb syringe or some such) through its back end repeatedly.

 

If you're looking for a chemical solution that is not commercial pen flush, I suppose you could try ascorbic acid, or a fill of Sailor Shikiori Doyou ink.

[Pjake]

Pelikan Stresemann 805 with tuski-yo

Visconti Homosapien bronze with Ackerman Zuiderpark Blauw-Groen

Kaweco Brass Sport with Diamine Dark Forest

 

Peter

[Helen350]

Majohn A1 - Pilot VP Nib Unit - 18K Broad.  Ink:  Diamine Aurora Borealis

Jinhao 75 - F. nib.  Ink:  Thorton's Ink - Green

 

 

 

 

[ParramattaPaul]

Two pens -- Gravitas Entry & Onoto Magna.

[essayfaire]

14 hours ago, A Smug Dill said:

but a piston-filler — or some other pen with a built-in filling mechanism — that you cannot fully disassemble for deep cleaning and drying (and then confidently reassemble), may not be what you'd want to dunk into cleaning tank wholesale

I actually own an ultrasonic cleaner, but have been hesitant to use it because I picture all these little bits loosened and going into other nooks and crannies where I imagine they'd be up to no good!  Pulling the nib might be a less scary alternative.

14 hours ago, A Smug Dill said:

suppose you could try ascorbic acid, or a fill of Sailor Shikiori Doyou ink.

Are you being smug, or do you mean it?  I think I have the ink around here somewhere.

 

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone.

[A Smug Dill]

2 minutes ago, essayfaire said:

Are you being smug, or do you mean it?  I think I have the ink around here somewhere.

 

Sailor Doyou has a reputation for being an effective ‘cleaner’ ink.

[DvdRiet]

9 minutes ago, essayfaire said:

Are you being smug, or do you mean it?

 

FWIW, I find ascorbic acid is very useful for cleaning off the dark stains of (what I assume are) dried up IG ink on the gold nibs of some vintage fountain pens. I just use a tiny bit of Vit. C powder dissolved in water and dip a cotton swab (Qtip) in it to make sure I can control where it goes. It requires a bit of persistence because I only use a tiny amount rather than take the risk of ruining my pen. I've also used it to get the same stains off of ink windows when I have been able to get piston pens open enough to get in there with a cotton swab. I haven't dared to put the solution itself in the pen and let it sit for a while, mostly because I have been able to get done what needed to be done with the cotton swab, but surely one of our resident experts can say how safe that would be.

[essayfaire]

Grandfather's vintage Parker with Ina-ho to contrast with the color of the ink on the page I'm grading, which is blue:

[OldTravelingShoe]

3 hours ago, A Smug Dill said:

Sailor Doyou has a reputation for being an effective ‘cleaner’ ink.

@essayfaire, I second @A Smug Dill. Sailor Doyou, Noodler's Eel inks (Tourquoise, for example), and I believe a few others have been recommended here on FPN for a while, as approaches to clean ink remnants on feeds and inside piston-fillers. 

 

Here is an example: the thread What's Your "cleaner" Ink? by @Flaxmoore. 

 

Edited March 1, 2022 by OldTravelingShoe
Added a concrete example.

[OldTravelingShoe]

9 minutes ago, essayfaire said:

Grandfather's vintage Parker with Ina-ho to contrast with the color of the ink on the page I'm grading, which is blue:

Very nice, @essayfaire! Now we need to ask our students to pick up fountain pens as well. Not only their writing would improve, but maybe they may even start using technical terms like "correlation". 😄

[mizgeorge]

36 minutes ago, essayfaire said:

Grandfather's vintage Parker with Ina-ho to contrast with the color of the ink on the page I'm grading, which is blue:

You're braver than I.

 

I don't think I'd dare use an Iroshizuku with a latex sac, or have you switched it to something less vulnerable?

[PAKMAN]

3 hours ago, essayfaire said:

Grandfather's vintage Parker with Ina-ho to contrast with the color of the ink on the page I'm grading, which is blue:

Beautiful pen! Love those black and pearl Duofolds!

 

[HauntedMyst]

Today’s pen is my Opus 88 Koloro with Birmingham Penn State Ink and Pearl EX pigment.

 

[AmandaW]

My Morning Pages pen today is a brown Opus88 Picnic filled with Diamine Chocolate. Sorry no photo, I'm cosied up with a lap desk to visit here and write, while having a heat-pack draped across my cranky shoulder. Multitasking old-style.

[Chi]

Platinum Cherrywood Pocket fountain pen with Pilot Iroshizuku yama-guri

 

[essayfaire]

6 hours ago, OldTravelingShoe said:

Here is an example: the thread What's Your "cleaner" Ink? by @Flaxmoore. 

Thank you (and @A Smug Dill).  I was unaware of this.

6 hours ago, OldTravelingShoe said:

Now we need to ask our students to pick up fountain pens as well

Student did!  

5 hours ago, mizgeorge said:

don't think I'd dare use an Iroshizuku with a latex sac, or have you switched it to something less vulnerable

The sac has been replaced, but I confess I don't know what the current sac is comprised of.  

3 hours ago, PAKMAN said:

Love those black and pearl Duofolds!

It's actually a green one! I must admit that I like the look of it more than I care for the nib, but with the sentimental value I use it happily anyway.

[OldTravelingShoe]

4 hours ago, Chi said:

Platinum Cherrywood Pocket fountain pen with Pilot Iroshizuku yama-guri

Lovely pen. 😄 (I bid at some point an arm and a leg for one, so I believe it's also quite precious.) 

 

I am curious about both the wood body and the specific type of nib. How does this pen feel in hand? How does it write?