Great video, thanks! One tip I have for you - if you are saving the ink, put it in a clean sample vial instead of back into the ink bottle. You are introducing dirt/bacteria/mold into your ink bottle if you're putting the ink back into it. Instead, stick it in a vial and then use your syringe to put it into your converter or fill from the sample vial. I'm a biologist,, so I am very conscious of keeping things clean, so I even use a syringe to take the ink out of the bottle and fill either with the syringe or through a vial. I know there are antibacterials in the ink, but I also have heard of people's ink going 'off'. So for me, prevention is worth the extra effort! :)
Question: where is the dirt/bacteria/mold present at that is being introduced to the ink bottle? By the nib touching paper that has say bacteria on it? If so, when one dips their nib into a bottle to get new ink, even if the pen has been rinsed out, doesn’t anything such as dirt/bacteria/mold get introduced into the new bottle of ink? Can you walk me though a detailed scenario of how something like bacteria got to the pen/ink being used and how it wouldn’t transfer to the new bottle of ink if the pen was empty when refilling? Thanks.
I won't dump ink back into a bottle by passing that ink through the nib, because the nib may be holding paper fibers or other contaminants. However, I will occasionally dump ink back into a bottle if I can dump it straight from the converter. More often, I'll put removed ink into a sample vial, but I will use it again. The old "dipping ink well" was good enough for our ancestors, so I've decided not to worry about it too much and instead enjoy the rituals of writing.
@@marilyngardner4269 okay so question: the instructions with my Aurora say there is no need to flush the pen out at all if one is refilling the same ink. So wouldn’t the paper fibers that carry anything be contaminating the bottle still?
@@marilyngardner4269 it says you only need to flush the pen with “warm water every time you change ink colour, or if the ink should stop flowing.” Doesn’t that contradict the advice of fancyfaceb who is a biologist?
Yes, they would. I tend to use an Ink Miser if I'm refilling a pen without giving it a good cleaning first. The Ink Miser allows you to put a small amount of ink in the receptacle and then either toss the rest (if you gauge amounts really well, you'll only have a few drops left at the bottom) or put the rest in a sample vial. I know this sounds like I'm stressing about contamination, but I try to strike a happy medium. Also, I used to be reluctant to toss even the smallest amount of ink. I started putting the leftover ink in sample bottles and noticed it was often just a few drops. Less than I'd ever put in a pen. So, unless it's the last drops of a cherished discontinued ink, down the drain it goes!
That cookie sheet is a great idea. I usually put mine in a Dixie cup lined with a paper towel and will add the silica packets that come In medicine bottles to help the contents dry. (At 71 with a senior dog, there are a few regular medications around, but these also come in regular packaging to help keep contents dry). My 823 never wants to dry in humid Florida. Takes at least a week. More importantly, I use Brian Goulet’s advice to check the nib with a paper towel since sometimes the water will flow clearly, but ink will still come off on the towel from where it’s hiding. When that happens I usually let the nib soak in a cup of water. Now, I might well invest in a sonic cleaner.
I put my cleaned pen parts in small super fine mesh bags before setting them aside to dry - each pen in its own bag. (Organza gift bags) I don't have to worry about misplacing small parts, especially if I've taken a pen apart, or getting them mixed up when there are similar parts. I accidentally bumped a tray of cleaned pens once and mixed things up. Oops.
I have very hard water from the tap where I live so I generally use bottled distilled water to clean my pens out. I don't want scale to build up in the converter, feed, etc.
I do the same. I have hard water here, so I do the last rinse or two using distilled water. And when I get a new pen, assuming it has not been inked for testing, I flush it with distilled water only. I keep a plastic deli container filled with clean distilled water handy at all times.
@@FigbootonPens If you put your thumb on the end of the bulb and squeezethe end rather than the sides of the bulb, it apparently will help the bulb last much longer. You're not stressing the seam that way.
@@N1inSK That is a good pointer! I've been using mine in the same manner you described with no problems. It never occurred to me to squeeze mine from the sides. I'm glad I've been doing it the right way all along!
I'm repeating a comment I just made above, but yes, I have a seamless one too. Pretty sure I found it in the infant section at the drugstore. And yes also to squeezing them from the top, not the sides.
Good video! I have three TWSBI 580s that I tend to use for specific colors (purple, green, and orange). For whatever reason I find the 580s really tough to get *fully* clean, so I wind up just kind of shrugging it off if (for example) there’s still a faint hint of Iroshizuku Muraski Shikibu in there - I’m just going to be filling it with Diamine Monboddos’ Hat anyway. So I’m glad to hear I’m at least in good company on that little bit of laxity. :)
Yeah, I could never bear to flush half a cartridge/converter's worth of fresh ink down the drain. I have no interest in cycling my pens out every week for ones I haven't used for awhile though. I've even drawn ink out of one eyedropper pen and transferred it to a Pilot Parallel cartridge which I use at work, because the Parallel was running dry and the eyedropper still had plenty. Don't waste ink!
At first I hated dipping my nib, and wiping off all that ink, I would only use a syringe, and I waited until the pen couldn't write before cleaning it, or topping it off again but then I realized that ink lasts a super long time, and for what I buy, its not terribly expensive so I came to accept that with each bottle there is a portion that will be waste. I learned that for me at least, I would have to accept that I will have to wash a pen when its halfway inked and it doesn't bother me so much. Even then I'm pretty cautious and I have yet to finish an ink bottle .I have way more inks than I do pens.
I've heard that squeezing the bulb syringe with your thumb pressing in on the back rather than side to side squeezing will make them less likely to split along the seam.
The idea of tucking each converter into its corresponding barrel is brilliant. I usually clean one pen at a time as it runs out of ink, but I'll be keeping that in mind if I clean multiples. Also, I found a bulb syringe at my local drugstore that is one piece, with no middle seam. And I was once told that we are meant to squeeze from the top, not the sides, which would reduce blowouts. I know bulb syringes are cheap, but why create more plastic waste? Finally, the tip about cleaning the CON-70 and CON-40 converters is much appreciated.
Dave, your content is such an inspiration and positive exposure as to "why a fountain pen." Looking forward to your next upload in my feed is what makes RU-vid, for me, such the pastime that it is. So much more than an occasion for just (luxury/super) car reviews and self-help, and other do-it-yourself discoveries, your videos, for at least six years, have become a thing for me like any essential in my daily routine. I so appreciate your time and the elements of production and creativity you take and share with those of us that make up the 40-plus thousand subscribers that, well, for any would be still trying to justify: "why a fountain pen?" to others that, while they may never spend a few or several hundred (and even thousand, for still some) dollars (pounds, yen, euros, etc.) on these incredible marvels that are at the center of our worlds (l.o.l.), may yet glean a little more understanding why we do.
David, nice informative video. I use the bulb syringe a lot, but sometimes I use a desoldering bulb for a better fit when the bulb syringe won’t fit. Thanks.
Great video. I find cleaning pens relaxing and clean all pens when ink runs out, a few pens at a time. I have nicknames for the steps: the “spa” is the felt lined tray where pens wait for their spa treatment, i.e., cleaning. “Dry Dock” is a towel-lined melamine tray where they sit to dry for a couple of days. 😊
David, is there any concerns about minerals or calcium fluoride in unfiltered tap water? I know I use distilled water for my humidors, my clothing iron and steamer. Just curious.
It should likely be mentioned regarding disassembly of piston filler pens that it is important to remember about reverse threading. I have irretrievably ruined a Narwhal Schuylkill pen while distractedly turning the fastening nut the wrong way. No fixing that.
As always a great video, David. I learned years ago to clean out my pens regularly, but I still learned a bit from you, as I always do. Putting a drain screen over the sink is definitely a worthwhile idea, one I also learned the hard way. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge and experience with us
Do you not use de-ionized water for the nib/feed etc.? Have you noticed any residue or scale buildup on any pen over the years? Thank you for another great video!
Now I know more about how to clean my Sailor Ebonite King of Pen,should I actually be able to own one someday! Seeing the Classic LB5 pens lying mixed in(actually touching!) with other pens in a pile gives me no small amount of anxiety. Just me? Love all your videos,Figboot! Me write letter.
I bought one of those bulb syringes and it split on a second pen cleaning. I would advise getting desoldering bulb. It goes on outside of the grip section and fits all my pens.
Great video Dave. But do you really empty ink from a converter back into an in bottle?? Aren’t you afraid of cross contamination? I ruined a bottle of R&K alt goldgrun 😢 that way.
Thank you for the structured approach … Question, if I may; would you put a Montblanc into an ultrasonic cleaners (would such a cleaner cause damage to the seals?) … thanks once again
I'm not fond of ultrasonic cleaners because I've seen pens damaged by them. I had it happen to me once, and I stopped using the cleaner. Even once is too often with an expensive pen. I won't even clean a pen with soft water. Over years, I've seen buildup from whatever is in the water. Distilled water at Walmart is ninety-eight cents per gallon, and this is all I've used for years, and I always put a drop or three of bleach in it. Mold is no laughing matter, and many inks do not contain biocides. Even when an ink does contain a biocides, it may not protect from every form of mold. I've had monsters grow in ink bottles, and in fountain pens, which is why I started using a bleach solution. I always have too many pens inked up. I average fourteen, but when I get a bunch of new inks in I often ink up a pen for each new ink, so sometimes I have thirty or more pens inked up. But I don't fill them completely, just enough ink to test the pen, and cleaning isn't too much of a chore. I don't try to clean them all at once, but stretch it out over a week. The fourteen I usually have inked up really aren't a problem to keep clean. I don't clean a pen until it runs dry, and they run dry at different times, so I almost never have more than a couple of pens to clean each day. That's no problems. For me, with many pens it's easier and much faster to pull the nib and feed during cleaning. The disassembled parts just rinse free of ink. I can't do this with every pen I own, but when I can, I do, and I know the pen is thoroughly clean and ready for a different ink.
I have a little leather 4-pen case. So, I'm carrying my week's worth of pens with me. If there are issues, I can always just pull out one from later in the week. Unless it's Friday and I'm down to one!
I use the Cookie Sheet approach. I usually put the sheet, paper towel, and disassembled pen parts in the very old oven where the pilot light keeps the temperature at about 85°F. Probably NOT a good idea if anyone in the house uses the oven for other purposes. But I live alone and never use the oven for anything else! Yeah, kind of a waste to have a giant heat box to only dry out fountain pens. (c;
In the 60s we used fountain pens every day in school, were our work was not accepted unless written with fountain pens We used Parker Quick ink that was called the self cleaning ink We never ever cleaned our pens
Would you advise against using a q-tip for the barrel and the cap? So far I haven't had any issues with but I only have about seven pens that I regularly use.
