Thread: How do you carry a fountain pen?

Originally Posted by Milton Man

Jockey, I agree wholeheartedly with your explanation - except for your recommended solution - since the passageway on most fountain pens is VERY tiny, and since it is susceptible to temperature change, always use COLD water to flush out a pen - you eliminate the risk of cracking the ink feed, as well as have the added benefit of opening up the passageway through contraction of the (most likely) plastic.

Waterman won't even warranty a pen that has been rinsed in warm water for this reason - it completely ruins the pen. Rinse at your own risk...

Mark

Greetings!

Are you certain that this information is accurate? I have a fair amount of experience with fountain pens (typically vintage) and when I ask about special care instructions they mention tap water and warm water interchangeably. As Jockeys correctly said, you don't want to use hot water, but warm is quite acceptable to use. If you look at John Mottishaw's website you will find his instructions for cleaning a gunked/poorly functioning pen also includes soaking in a mixture of 1 part ammonia to 2 parts water. This is generally reserved for fairly gunked up pens, but can be used as part of a normal cleaning ritual. I personally prefer a weaker ammonia to water ratio.

There are of course certain makes and models of pens you cannot do this with, just as there are certain pens that cannot go into ultrasonic cleaners such as ones made from BCHR. However, from my experience (save extreme water temp) pen feed systems are pretty resillient. My primary desk fountain pen is a 1925 Waterman Ideal with a flex fine nib...writing with that puppy is pure heaven and I flush it with warm water every time I clean it (going on 4 years now).

As for the warranty being voided for using warm water, it piqued my curiosity enough that I sent an email off to Waterman customer service and will hopefully have a response shortly. I will post it here when they do respond.

I also strongly agree with Jockeys about heat causing the ink to spatter inside the cap. I have seen that happen many times to my own pens. It could also be that the nib is slightly loose, causing just enough gapping to allow an additional avenue for ink to expand/escape.

Warmest regards!

Charles

Thanks from me also. I occasionally had this problem with my fountain pens at school. (I don't have this problem any more because some b@$t@rd little s*&t of a student stole them)

Originally Posted by welshwizard

I'm interested to know why anyone would carry a fountain pen these days.

Now how do you suggest I write my signature?

As for the original question: heat may be a problem, but don't forget the best pens are made for being worn on your person (eg in a waist coat pocket) so they're bound to be able to stand at least body temperature. This goes for the rinsing as well: luke warm. In case of pressure issues: remember these are less of a concern in case of fully filled convertors/cartridges/fixed containers than when a lot of air is present (so if you plan to fly: make sure your fountain pen is either completely filled or empty!).

Usually however, there is either a problem with the nib (in build or use: even tiny hairs/paper filament trapped between the nib split can be culprits) or the problem can be solved using a different make of ink.


O, and risking to be superfluous: you do carry your pens in an upright position, don't you?

Some pens are worse than others for sweating in the cap. The cap (the inner cap, actually) seals against the section when closed so that the ink will not dry out in the feed. When the cap is opened, a slight vaccuum is created that pulls the ink off the feed and it splatters against the inside of the cap.

If the cap is opened or closed with the nib pointed up, gravity helps keep the ink in the feed. If the nib is down, gravity and vaccum act together to pull the ink from the feed. Opening and closing the cap nib-up solves most of these problems. Some pens (e.g., Lamy Safaris) sweat in the cap no matter what.

Body temperature will cause the air pressure to build in the reservoir, however this is unlikely if the pen is a cartridge / converter (c/c) filler. The reason is that there is an air space between the reservoir and the pen barrel, which insulates the ink quite well.

Try this -- Clean out your cap with water and several Q-Tips (it will take a while) and see if capping /uncapping with the nib up doesn't help. If this doesn't help, then send it to a good pen repair person.

Also, it is easy to check to see if the breather is plugged with a c/c filler. Fill an ear syringe with water (drug store for a dollar or two and they are great for flushing your nib / feed), fit the nozzle of the syringe on the fitting for the cartridge, and blow the water throuh the nib/feed. If the water squirts out of the breather hole on the nib, the breather is clear.

Hope this helps.

Originally Posted by clehman67

As for the warranty being voided for using warm water, it piqued my curiosity enough that I sent an email off to Waterman customer service and will hopefully have a response shortly. I will post it here when they do respond.

Warmest regards!

Charles

Greetings!

Here is the response I received from Waterman Corporate:

"Good Morning Mr. Lehman,
We recommend that you flush your pen with cool water. It would not void the warranty if you used warm water. If you use hot water, ammonia, or other solvents this would void the warranty. Waterman ink is water soluble so any dried ink in the nib and feed section will dissolve when you soak your nib section in cool water.

Kind Regards,

Lynn"

Originally Posted by clehman67

Greetings!

Here is the response I received from Waterman Corporate:

"Good Morning Mr. Lehman,
We recommend that you flush your pen with cool water. It would not void the warranty if you used warm water. If you use hot water, ammonia, or other solvents this would void the warranty. Waterman ink is water soluble so any dried ink in the nib and feed section will dissolve when you soak your nib section in cool water.

Kind Regards,

Lynn"

I never used a fountain pen but I make them now and then. I usually sell them with a few ink cartridges but now I am confused. Why would you want to use water soluble ink?

As far as the pen sweating, you may be having the following problem if you fill with a converter and dipping it into a bottle of ink.

If you look at the underside of the nib, you should see some black plastic with deep notches cut into it. See picture. The purpose of these notches is to catch ink that would ordinarily run out of the feed, inhibit and prevent it from leaking out of the pen. If you fill with a converter and don't thoroughly clean these notches after filling, the ink will get everywhere, including into your cap.

Originally Posted by icedog

I never used a fountain pen but I make them now and then. I usually sell them with a few ink cartridges but now I am confused. Why would you want to use water soluble ink?

Water is a great solvent. I believe you are thinking that water soluble means non-permanent and that is not the case. As noted earlier, Noodler's makes permanent "bullet-proof" ink and it is water soluble. Many permanent, water-proof inks for dip pens are water soluble, e.g., acrylic inks are water soluble, but water-proof once dry. Many fountain pen inks are very permanent once they dry.

Note: do not use dip pen inks in fountain pens. Fountain pen inks use a dye for color and the dye dissolves in the water, allowing clean passage through the feed channels. Dip pen inks use pigments for color and the pigments do not dissolve in the water, they are suspended. Pigments will quickly clog a fountain pen and probably require nib / feed / section disassembly and cleaning.

Hope this answers your question about water soluble ink.

Originally Posted by majurey

Ha ha, yes, indeed, why would anyone carry a fountain pen these days?

To write like how our founding fathers did?

Well, I've tried many of your suggestions, and thanks to all for them. But nothing has worked. I rang the dealer in the UK who said it has to be sent to Paris (UK centre closed down some times ago). They said that if the pen was effectively NOS and hadn't been used in years (bought in 1994, not used once until this last Christmas), then most likely it needs fixing.

It's a shame because it writes like a dream. Great flow, nib moves smoothly over the paper, no blots to deal with, no scratching, it is a beautiful pen to write with, but after carrying it (nib up in my jacket pocket) there is always ink inside the cap and over the grip of the pen.