How To Clean A Fountain Pen If Its Not Working

A snowy view out my window. — A snowy Thursday forenoon.

We had our first measurable snowfall of the season before this week. It stuck around longer than I expected, thank you to the cold temperatures. But, Sat'due south rain washed it all abroad. I really am turning into an old man. Inappreciably a significant snowfall, yet all I could recall of was starting my travels and heading south, away from snow. At least it was easy enough to castor the snowfall off my car, no need to scrape off water ice.

A lot of fountain pen usage this week. I kept my novel transcription going which helped a lot. I changed things up a scrap, in that I'll transcribe whatsoever book I'm reading and simply pick up where I left off. I transcribed over 20 pages since concluding Sunday. That's a lot of ink, enough to write 2 pens dry out. Although one went dry out early in the week, so most ink reached paper the week before. The second went dry on Sat.

I besides got back into journaling on a regular basis. I did skip one day, merely I'm OK with that. My volume is low, only one page per solar day, when I wrote.

My two main pens this week were the newly arrived Pilot Elite, with a fine nib, and a Lamy Safari with an oblique-medium nib. The Aristocracy was my journaling pen. Not for any reason other than I wanted to use it, and for some reason I now want consistency in my journalling pen, despite consistently alternating in the past.

NaNoWriMo (which I did as NaNoTraMo) changed the way I recall about what pens to ink upwardly. In the past I tended to take a lot of pens inked up at one fourth dimension, a dozen wasn't uncommon. I had two dozen inked upwardly when this year began.

Now, I'thousand much more than focused. During NaNoTraMo I decided to option a pen and write information technology dry, at least for the most part. I really enjoyed it, and continue to stick with a pen until it's empty. Of course, if a fountain pen/ink does annoy me I will certainly move on. Of form, exceptions are allowed. I wanted to requite the new Elite a workout, and so it did both journaling and transcription duty for a day. I have no dubiety I will eventually want more variety and start swapping my pen on a daily basis.

I inked up my Pilot Custom 912 with a posting nib, but I've even so to use information technology. I was missing a nice thin nib, fifty-fifty my Lamy Fine was a wide, moisture fine nib. I held off because the Pilot Elite was expected. Then the Elite got delayed in the mail. I tried property out a petty longer, merely and so relented and inked it upwardly. Naturally, the Elite arrived the next day.

The Bang-up Ink Purge of 2021

I've been slowly reducing my ink stash throughout the year. Well-nigh have been given away locally since I don't similar the hassle, take a chance and expense of shipping ink bottles. I also brought my Fountain Pen Companion (FPC) ink folio completely upwardly to date for the first time.

I've ben moving to cartridges for a lot of my ink, so cartridges outnumber bottles 38 to 15. Fifty-three inks is a lot, except when compared to what I used to have, and what others have. I never entered all my inks into FPC, fifty-fifty so, FPC has 73 inks in my archive. There are over 800 FPC members with more than ink than me, and the leader has nearly 2700 inks, with 996 of them existence in bottles.

I like having fewer ink choices, decisions are less complicated and stressful.

Despite the purge, I yet have two inks on guild — Pilot Blue-Black and Waterman Mysterious Blueish. Both of these are inks I like to utilise in vintage and tedious to clean pens. They are prophylactic for all vintage pens and very easy to clean out. Both are blue-black inks, although some folks don't classify Mysterious Blue as blue-black. In defense force of information technology existence blue-black I submit that Waterman called it "Blue Blackness" before they renamed all their inks, but didn't actually modify the ink formulas. So Waterman considered it blue-black.

I was quit happy to encounter I have 4 mostly full bottles of Montblanc Bordeaux. I had a 5th, quarter total canteen that I was able to distribute amid the other four. I wasn't very skilful at sticking to one bottle at a time. This volition last me awhile.

Plus, I thought I was down to my last bottle of British Racing Dark-green, but I uncovered some other one. I really am disorganized.

Heartbreak then Joy

Pilot Elite Lined Stainless Steel (posted)

My Pilot Elite Lined Stainless Steel neb arrived mid-week, after existence slightly delayed in the USPS system. I popped in a cartridge to become information technology going. The ink was slow getting to the nib. I decided to avoid doing or using anything except gravity to go information technology going, so I left information technology pecker downward in my Penwell.

I didn't time it, but I guess it sat at that place most xxx-45 minutes. When I went back to use it, about half the cartridge had flowed through to the cap. For some unknown reason I uncapped the pen with the bill pointed down. (Usually I pull the cap off nib upward, cap opening down.) This avoided making a mess and I inverted the cap over an ink cloth when I noticed the nib and section were messy.

And then I cleaned it out and allow it dry a bit. Then earlier turning in for the dark I popped on some other cartridge. Once more, the ink was slow reaching the nib. Since it was bedtime I left the pen sitting flat on my desk, well technically on an ink cloth that was on my desk, simply in case.

I oasis't been brave plenty to put information technology nib down in the Penwell over again, fifty-fifty to soft-cap it while writing, just it's been absolutely fine in normal use. This includes normal treatment, no coddling, and spending fourth dimension clipped to my shirt pocket. Well, I coddled information technology a bit the first twenty-four hours, until my confidence grew.

I'yard thoroughly enjoying the pen. I dearest Pilot nibs and this is a nice fine Pilot nib. The nib is house, only does accept some absorber to it. Nada close to flex.

It was listed a cartridge only, and I haven't tried any of Pilot'southward smaller converters. I plan to clean out this ink cartridge once it's empty so I tin use Montblanc Bordeaux ink in the pen. I skipped that outset cartridge (where the inked ended up in the cap). While I doubt the cartridge was the problem, I have bad vibes associated with it.

Current Reads, Watches & Listens

Reading: Out of Sight by Elmore Leonard. Once I stopped transcribing this one, I finished information technology pretty speedily. It was one of those ebooks where the last 25% (literally) was promotion of other books. When I was near (what ended upwards being) the terminate I was thinking please, not more, it'south time to finish, and then it did finish. This ended upwardly existence one of my least enjoyable Leonard books. It probably wasn't helped by taking a calendar month to get through (since I was transcribing it exclusively until the end of Nov.

Reading: Aurora: EV-01 (The Frontiers Saga – Part 3 Book 1) past Ryk Dark-brown. The current volume of the series, of which 75 volumes are planned beyond five parts.) I'm about 25% through information technology, and then far it's only been re-introducing united states to the characters, bringing us up to engagement on their lives, and briefly recapping (or alluding to) past events.

New Arrivals

Pilot Elite Stainless Steel Lined Pocket Pen (F). It was a rough start, but every bit expected, I dearest the fine Airplane pilot nib.

Incoming

I think it's time to retire this department, at least for a while. I desire to rediscover the pens I already have and non add any more than.

Outgoing

None

Out of Rotation

Lamy Safari Nighttime Lilac (14k EF) ran dry of Montblanc Bordeaux.
Lamy Safari Terra (14k OM) ran dry of Lamy Turmaline

Into Rotation

Pilot Elite Stainless Steel Lined Pocket Pen (F) with a Pilot Black cartridge.
Pilot Custom 912 (Posting) with R&G Blau-Schwarz LE ink

Links

The currently inked Inkvent claiming, calendar week one — mnmlscholar

Consult the Medico Episode 35 | Hey at that place! SBREBrown

Swan Leverless L330/threescore – Goodwriterspens's Blog

Vintage Pen News: An appreciation of stubby pens

ukfountainpens.com is five years old! | UK fountain pens

FPUK 2021 awards and year in review | UK fountain pens

Roundup: comparing pocket pens from Kaweco, Schon, Ensso and Namisu | UK fountain pens

Atlas Stationers – And so Many Aisles, And so Piddling Fourth dimension — The Pen Addict

Using An Ultrasonic Cleaner With Your Fountain Pens | Fountain Pen Honey

Vintage Pen News: A statuary-nibbed dip pen from 11th-century Ireland

Guest mail service: fountain pen truths, function two | UK fountain pens