Fountain pens, as opposed to disposable pens, are constructed to last for years, if not a lifetime, of usage. However, you will need to put in a little bit of work to clean them in order to ensure that they continue to function correctly.
In this article, we illustrate how to clean all of the most popular filling systems and give recommendations and best practices on how to maintain your pens in great operating condition over the long term. This post can be found here.
Why should a fountain pen be cleaned?
Why should you clean your teeth? Why do you keep watering the garden? You need to clean your pen often if you want it to continue to write smoothly over a long period of time. In addition to that, it is neither as challenging nor as time-consuming as it would first seem. In addition to this, you do not need any specialized equipment to complete it. You just need a towel and access to water from a running tap.
Can I dip my fountain pen in ink?
When does a fountain pen need to be cleaned and how?
Even if you always use the same color of ink, you should clean the printer at least twice a year to get the most out of its capabilities. If you like experimenting with different color combinations, you will need to clean it before inking it with a fresh color. It is important to clean the writing implement before putting it away for storage if you do not intend to use it for some time.
Let's get started with the process of cleaning pens.
How to properly clean a fountain pen that uses cartridges
The cartridge fountain pen is one of the most prevalent forms of fountain pens used today and is also the easiest to clean of the several varieties.
Take the cap from the front portion of the fountain pen's barrel (usually by unscrewing the section)
By drawing the cartridge out from the feed post in the area, you may remove the empty cartridge that was previously there.
You may either throw away the ink cartridge or clean it and reuse it by refilling it with a syringe that has a blunt needle.
To clean the front section, nib, and feed, run them under water from a cold faucet while it is running until the water becomes clear.
Allow to air dry while resting on a paper towel.
You may either dry the components of your pen by setting them out on a towel to air dry or by using a paper towel to wipe them dry. You may also use a paper towel to line a cup and let the components to air dry vertically with the nib facing downward. This will allow you to take advantage of the capillary action and gravity to assist drain the residual moisture from the pen.
How to properly clean a converter for a fountain pen
The portion of a nib's feed and the feed itself may be cleaned with the assistance of a converter by repeatedly rinsing it with water. In a manner very similar to that of a cartridge, the converter may be detached from the section so that each component can be cleaned independently.
Take the cap from the front portion of the fountain pen's barrel (usually by unscrewing the section)
In a bowl of cold water, submerge the nib and the feed.
Fill the pen with water in the same manner as you would fill it with ink.
Eliminate any leftover ink from the pen in a sink or a separate cup.
Repeat the process until the water inside the converter is no longer cloudy.
To clean the front section, nib, and feed, run them under water from a cold faucet while it is running until the water becomes clear.
Allow to air dry while resting on a paper towel.
It may be helpful to first fill the converter with ink and then shake it vigorously in order to loosen any ink that may have adhered to the sides of the converter or the piston. This will make the process of cleaning the converter much simpler. It is possible that filling the pen with a pen flush solution, letting it rest for ten minutes, and then flushing it out would be the best way to remove stubborn ink blockages.
How to properly clean a fountain pen that already has a piston mechanism built in
Pens that include mechanisms for filling the pen from the inside might be a bit more difficult to get entirely clean. When writing, it is helpful to use a pen that can be disassembled so that access may be gained to the barrel or to the area behind the piston mechanism (like a TWSBI).
In a bowl of cold water, submerge the nib and the feed.
Fill the pen with water in the same manner as you would fill it with ink.
Eliminate any leftover ink from the pen in a sink or a separate cup.
Repeat the process until the water that is contained inside the body of the pen is clear.
Allow to air dry while resting on a paper towel.
To make the process of cleaning the piston pen go more quickly, fill it with water and give it a little shake to agitate the ink that is still contained within. Please refer to the user manual provided by the manufacturer for guidance on how to dismantle the pen in order to get access to the barrel either directly or behind the piston head.
How to properly clean a fountain pen that has a mechanism for vacuum filling.
Filling a fountain pen is made simple and enjoyable by a mechanism that only requires one stroke. Having a vacuum-fill fountain pen, on the other hand, makes it more challenging to get a spotless finish. The demonstration video will show you that it may be hard to get a vacuum-filling pen to appear like a fresh pen after it has been used to write for the first time after applying ink to it.
In a bowl of cold water, submerge the nib and the feed.
Fill the pen with water in the same manner as you would fill it with ink.
Eliminate any leftover ink from the pen in a sink or a separate cup.
Repeat the process until the water that is contained inside the body of the pen is clear.
Allow to air dry while resting on a paper towel.
Both the TWSBI Vac Mini and the TWSBI Vac 700R are intended to be disassembled at the front portion as well as the rear end (a wrench, o-rings, and silicone grease are provided for such operations), allowing for complete cleaning and maintenance to be performed whenever necessary.
How to properly clean a fountain pen using an eyedropper.
Because there is no filling mechanism to get in the way, eyedropper-fill fountain pens are simple to clean while having an exceptionally large capacity for the amount of ink they can hold.
Remove the front piece of the barrel from the barrel of the fountain pen by unscrewing it.
Perform a thorough cleaning of the pen's barrel until the water becomes completely clear.
To clean the front section, nib, and feed, run them under water from a cold faucet while it is running until the water becomes clear.
Allow to air dry while resting on a paper towel.
If the eyedropper-fill pen includes a shut-off valve (like the Opus 88), be sure to remove the blind cover and draw down the shut off valve rod before flushing the barrel of the pen. This will prevent the rod from getting in the way of the process.
Be careful to add a little amount of silicone grease to the section threads of an eyedropper-fill pen each time you refill it with ink. This will ensure that the pen maintains a watertight (or ink-tight) seal.
Additional Considerations with Regard to Sheening and Shimmer Inks.
If the pen has been sitting inked for some time in a drawer - hey, none of us are perfect, right? - then you could discover that rinsing it isn't enough to get rid of all the ink residue left behind by the previous user. A soak in some pen flush, such as that made by the Monteverde brand, may assist in the removal of obstinate ink blockages. You might use an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner to give the nib unit a "extra" thorough cleaning by placing it there for a few minutes at a time.
Inks that have a significant amount of sheen or shimmer may cause issues for fountain pens, particularly if the ink is allowed to remain in the pen for an extended period of time. You should probably disassemble the nib and feed so that you may clean them individually and then soak them in a pen flush for the most thorough cleaning possible.
Please let us know in the comments below if you are having problems getting a specific pen clean, and I will either offer a helpful response or create a new video on how to clean pens to solve the issue.
Friends, remember to keep the ink in your pens fresh and clean them often. Take precautions.
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