Fountain pen care is important if you wish a for a pen to
last a life time. This goes with any item you want to last: you should take
care of it. Cleaning a fountain pen is just one part of caring for your pen. If
a pen is properly maintained and cleaned, it can last generations.
An active pen (a pen that is in use and has not been stored) should be cleaned about once a month, or if you know the pen will not be in use for a week or two. It is also commonly suggested to clean your pen before you switch to a new ink. It is completely fine to simply refill your pen with the same ink without cleaning it.
It is suggested to clean ink out of a pen before adding a new ink to the pen for multiple reasons. The biggest and most important issues is that most fountain pen users do not know the contents of the different inks they own. If someone goes about mixing different inks in their pens, bad reactions could happen. It is possible for two inks to congeal when they come into contact with each other. If this happens inside a pen, it can become a hassle to clean out.
To prevent this, simply clean out your pen before adding a new ink.
If you are interested in mixing inks, it is recommended to try small batches of ink at a time and mix them in a container outside of a pen. Lots of new colors and shades can be created if you have the patients to find what inks will work and which wont.
There are a few methods to cleaning pens depending on what type of filling system you have in the pen you have and what resources you have around you. I recommend having these items: a towel, paper towels, two cups of water, a bulb syringe, pen flush, cotton swabs.
To set up, find a table or a sink where you can have all of your supplies in reach. Set up a towel (in case of spills, ink can get anywhere and is hard to clean out of some surfaces) on a surface and put the two cups and the rest of your supplies on the towel.
The basic cleaning method to keep in mind is to run water through the pen to get rid of any ink that remains in a pen. If you still have ink left in your pen, either drain the ink from the pen into a sink or back into the bottle, depending on which ever you are more comfortable with. Next we will use the pen's filling system to our advantage to clean the pen.
For piston and piston filling systems such as a cartridge converter (c/c) system, twist the knob to the plunger to pull water from a cup in and out of the pen. This moves water not only into the ink capsule of the pen, but through the feed and the nib of the pen. Once the ink and water have formed a consistent color, wipe the nib on a paper towel until it is dry. Then pull clean water into the pen from the second cup of water, and drain it into the water that now has color. Keep the clean water clean and add water to the dirty cup until water flows clear from the pen. This may take a few minutes to complete. Once the water is running clear, touch the nib to the paper towel and make sure the feed is clear of ink. If it is, dry it off and store or re-ink the pen. If it is still showing color, repeat drawing clean water into the pen and discarding the colorful water into the cup with ink and water.
For a vacuum filling system, operate the vacuum to fill the pen with ink similar to the method above. These pens may take a bit longer to clean, so carefully shaking the water around within the pen may help.
In order to clean an eye-droppered pen, remove the body of the pen and fill it with water. cap off the end with your thumb or finger and shake the pen. Empty the pen and repeat until the ink is out of the pen. If there is hard to reach places, use a cotton swab to clean the pen. This, however, only cleans the barrel of the pen. In order to clean the nib and feed of the pen, you will need the bulb syringe. Fill the syringe with water by placing the nozzle end in a cup of water and squeeze then let go of the bulb, keeping the nozzle submerged in the water. Then fit the end of the syringe onto the back of the nib unit. Make sure it is a water-tight fit. Sometimes the nozzle of the bulb syringe may need to be trimmed to fit different nib units. Once it is fitted, squeeze the water through the nib of the pen into a cup or a sink. Test the nib for ink on a paper towel and repeat if ink is found. If no ink is found, dry the nib and put the pen back together, then either refill the pen or put it away for safe keeping.
If you have been using a stubborn ink, water may not be enough to clean all of the ink away. In these special cases, you can pick up or make a pen wash. My personal pen wash is 1 part household ammonia to ten parts water and a squirt of dish soap. WARNING: using excess chemicals in pens can damage the pen and void most warranties. If in doubt, purchase a well reviewed pen wash and risk it, or only use water in your pens.
To use the pen wash, first clean the pen with water, then repeat the same steps with the pen flush. Pen flush can be used multiple times and can be kept for future use. After you finish using the flush, it is important to rinse out all of the flush with water. Hopefully this will remove even the most stubborn stains on your pens. If it does not, you can try again. Make sure to always rinse a pen with water after pen flush is used on the pen.
If you are careful with your pens and clean them often, they can last for as long as you want them to. Follow the steps above and make sure your pens do not go neglected, or the ink in them can dry up and create problems, so be proactive and stay on top of your pens!
An active pen (a pen that is in use and has not been stored) should be cleaned about once a month, or if you know the pen will not be in use for a week or two. It is also commonly suggested to clean your pen before you switch to a new ink. It is completely fine to simply refill your pen with the same ink without cleaning it.
It is suggested to clean ink out of a pen before adding a new ink to the pen for multiple reasons. The biggest and most important issues is that most fountain pen users do not know the contents of the different inks they own. If someone goes about mixing different inks in their pens, bad reactions could happen. It is possible for two inks to congeal when they come into contact with each other. If this happens inside a pen, it can become a hassle to clean out.
To prevent this, simply clean out your pen before adding a new ink.
If you are interested in mixing inks, it is recommended to try small batches of ink at a time and mix them in a container outside of a pen. Lots of new colors and shades can be created if you have the patients to find what inks will work and which wont.
There are a few methods to cleaning pens depending on what type of filling system you have in the pen you have and what resources you have around you. I recommend having these items: a towel, paper towels, two cups of water, a bulb syringe, pen flush, cotton swabs.
To set up, find a table or a sink where you can have all of your supplies in reach. Set up a towel (in case of spills, ink can get anywhere and is hard to clean out of some surfaces) on a surface and put the two cups and the rest of your supplies on the towel.
The basic cleaning method to keep in mind is to run water through the pen to get rid of any ink that remains in a pen. If you still have ink left in your pen, either drain the ink from the pen into a sink or back into the bottle, depending on which ever you are more comfortable with. Next we will use the pen's filling system to our advantage to clean the pen.
For piston and piston filling systems such as a cartridge converter (c/c) system, twist the knob to the plunger to pull water from a cup in and out of the pen. This moves water not only into the ink capsule of the pen, but through the feed and the nib of the pen. Once the ink and water have formed a consistent color, wipe the nib on a paper towel until it is dry. Then pull clean water into the pen from the second cup of water, and drain it into the water that now has color. Keep the clean water clean and add water to the dirty cup until water flows clear from the pen. This may take a few minutes to complete. Once the water is running clear, touch the nib to the paper towel and make sure the feed is clear of ink. If it is, dry it off and store or re-ink the pen. If it is still showing color, repeat drawing clean water into the pen and discarding the colorful water into the cup with ink and water.
For a vacuum filling system, operate the vacuum to fill the pen with ink similar to the method above. These pens may take a bit longer to clean, so carefully shaking the water around within the pen may help.
In order to clean an eye-droppered pen, remove the body of the pen and fill it with water. cap off the end with your thumb or finger and shake the pen. Empty the pen and repeat until the ink is out of the pen. If there is hard to reach places, use a cotton swab to clean the pen. This, however, only cleans the barrel of the pen. In order to clean the nib and feed of the pen, you will need the bulb syringe. Fill the syringe with water by placing the nozzle end in a cup of water and squeeze then let go of the bulb, keeping the nozzle submerged in the water. Then fit the end of the syringe onto the back of the nib unit. Make sure it is a water-tight fit. Sometimes the nozzle of the bulb syringe may need to be trimmed to fit different nib units. Once it is fitted, squeeze the water through the nib of the pen into a cup or a sink. Test the nib for ink on a paper towel and repeat if ink is found. If no ink is found, dry the nib and put the pen back together, then either refill the pen or put it away for safe keeping.
If you have been using a stubborn ink, water may not be enough to clean all of the ink away. In these special cases, you can pick up or make a pen wash. My personal pen wash is 1 part household ammonia to ten parts water and a squirt of dish soap. WARNING: using excess chemicals in pens can damage the pen and void most warranties. If in doubt, purchase a well reviewed pen wash and risk it, or only use water in your pens.
To use the pen wash, first clean the pen with water, then repeat the same steps with the pen flush. Pen flush can be used multiple times and can be kept for future use. After you finish using the flush, it is important to rinse out all of the flush with water. Hopefully this will remove even the most stubborn stains on your pens. If it does not, you can try again. Make sure to always rinse a pen with water after pen flush is used on the pen.
If you are careful with your pens and clean them often, they can last for as long as you want them to. Follow the steps above and make sure your pens do not go neglected, or the ink in them can dry up and create problems, so be proactive and stay on top of your pens!
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