What Did Parker Say? - How To Clean A 61

[jebib111]

I think they are pretty neat, inky finger wise. But pens weren't disposable and Parker must have had some notices to customers on how to clean them. Did they sell a "Parker ear-syringe"? Just kidding but I haven't seen anything in that regard. Is there anything?

[BT-7274]

As far as I know of, not really. I'd guess the Parker centrifuge, aka salad spinner they used for 51's might have worked, but nothing beats the ear-syringe. Takes all of a few minutes to clean one out almost completely.

[OcalaFlGuy]

Oops. Thought I saw 51.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

Edited November 22, 2014 by OcalaFlGuy

[inkstainedruth]

A guy at one of the tables at the Ohio Pen Show said to soak capillary fillers in (IIRC bleach -- possibly bleach water). Personally I was a little dubious about that -- A) because it's bleach (I'm worried about damaging the filler and/or the feed); and because I don't know if the capillary fillers are detachable -- that is to say, whether they are technically a sort of cartridge, the way the squeeze fillers on older Parker 45s were).

I have gotten two 61s since August. The first one was at DCSS, and the seller said that the best thing to do was to flush the capillary filler from the back end (so it would run through the nib. For me this has been a slow process; I don't want to just stick the pen under the faucet, because we have such hard water (i.e., there's a very high mineral content -- I don't want that stuff gunking up a nib). So I have been using a ear bulb to flush the filler from the back with distilled water, until I get get color coming out the nib. At this point, the black 61's previous ink is pretty diluted and hard to read). But the one I bought since then on Ebay still has a fair amount of ink in it. And I figured (in both cases) that as long as I can have something relatively legible and visible, I'm too much of a cheapskate to do a thorough flushing out....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[welch]

I don't think Parker had a cleaning recommendation for the P61. People refilled their pens every day with the same ink -- Quink, Parker hoped. I never learned about "pen hygiene" until I read this forum about six years ago, 55 or 60 years after I'd started using fountain pens.

 

Parker Service had "salad spinners" because P61s went bad. Had to be repaired. Customer was not expected to repair a pen themselves. Not before the P45 and P75: all component design. Parker Service shrank.

[Matlock]

It is another example of a company coming up with a great idea without carrying out enough research. It gave the 61 a bad name from which it never recovered even when the c/c version was released. The best 61 is the Argentine version with aerometric filler.

[pen lady]

I'm visiting the UK at present and had a conversation with a relative recently that confirmed something that I thought I remembered. We both had P61s and ours filled by dipping the nib end in to the ink, not the end of the Teflon coated filler unit as is the case here. They were still a PITA to clean out (I hated mine) but I wonder, does anyone else in the UK remembered these ''pointy-end'' fillers?

[Matlock]

and clogged.

I'm visiting the UK at present and had a conversation with a relative recently that confirmed something that I thought I remembered. We both had P61s and ours filled by dipping the nib end in to the ink, not the end of the Teflon coated filler unit as is the case here. They were still a PITA to clean out (I hated mine) but I wonder, does anyone else in the UK remembered these ''pointy-end'' fillers?

Those would be the later c/c version although I know of several people who thought the capillary pens could be filled that way. I even came accross a capillary 61 that had the filler wrenched out by someone who thought it was a converter . The 61 capillary version was fine if used regularly but if left for any length of time it dried out and clogged.

[Vintagepens]

Regarding bleach: NO NO NO NO NO NO

Even in dilute form, it has no place in pen maintenance. It will attack much more than just plastics -- it will also attack metals, including alloy gold.

 

Parker did have a big rubber squeeze bulb with a threaded fitting that allowed it to screw on in place of the barrel, so the pen could be flushed out. It was a dealer/service center item, though, not something offered to consumers. The centrifuge was good for emptying out a 61, not so useful for flushing out one that had gotten gunked up.

[pajaro]

Perhaps someone who bought one new would remember the instructions.

 

I have never had reason to clean my Parker 61. I think hobbyists tend to mess with things too much.

 

Neophyte entusiasm. Get a new toy, mess with it. A million reasons why you have to do it.

Edited November 23, 2014 by pajaro

[KBeezie]

Diluted Ammonia is usually the most you'd ever want near some pens. Never any solvents or 'mixed' cleaners.

[inkstainedruth]

Regarding bleach: NO NO NO NO NO NO

Even in dilute form, it has no place in pen maintenance. It will attack much more than just plastics -- it will also attack metals, including alloy gold.

 

Parker did have a big rubber squeeze bulb with a threaded fitting that allowed it to screw on in place of the barrel, so the pen could be flushed out. It was a dealer/service center item, though, not something offered to consumers. The centrifuge was good for emptying out a 61, not so useful for flushing out one that had gotten gunked up.

Yeah, I was pretty sure that bleach seemed like a bad idea. So, it sounds as if the best idea is for me to just keep flushing and working through the ink in the capillary filler.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[KBeezie]

Yeah, I was pretty sure that bleach seemed like a bad idea. So, it sounds as if the best idea is for me to just keep flushing and working through the ink in the capillary filler.

 

 

 

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

Diluted (1:5 or 1:10) Ammonia flush would help a bit, and it's the most you'd normally use. Followed by several flushing of just clear water. If you can't get flow to move at all, then a diluted Ammonia soak for about an hour or so, then try flushing. (I once had a pen that looked like someone ran India ink or something containing Gum arabic thru it that required 5 days of soaking in water and ammonia with occasional rinsing before the feed would finally move enough for me to clean the feed by itself).

Edited November 23, 2014 by KBeezie

[rskorbas1]

I own a Parker 61 set, including the original instruction insert. There is a section titled "Long term care" which contains the following:

"Every fountain pen will function better if flushed out every 6 months. Immerse the point end of your 61 (up to the metal ring) in the ink you use for 5 minutes.

 

For a more thorough cleaning, remove barrel and hold your 61 pen point down about 3 inches below faucet, in a moderate stream of cold water... allowing port openings in end of filling unit to take in water. After flushing, remove excess water by blowing through filling ports. Or, replace barrel, hold pen point down and shake out water.

 

Note! If ink or liquid does not drain off reservoir, wipe lengthwise several times with soft tissue, to remove finger prints or foreign matter that may accumulate on reservoir."

[Matlock]

I own a Parker 61 set, including the original instruction insert. There is a section titled "Long term care" which contains the following:

"Every fountain pen will function better if flushed out every 6 months. Immerse the point end of your 61 (up to the metal ring) in the ink you use for 5 minutes.

 

For a more thorough cleaning, remove barrel and hold your 61 pen point down about 3 inches below faucet, in a moderate stream of cold water... allowing port openings in end of filling unit to take in water. After flushing, remove excess water by blowing through filling ports. Or, replace barrel, hold pen point down and shake out water.

 

Note! If ink or liquid does not drain off reservoir, wipe lengthwise several times with soft tissue, to remove finger prints or foreign matter that may accumulate on reservoir."

 

That's very interesting, My 61s all have UK instructions which do not include that. Perhaps that is why we having been going wrong all these years?

On second thoughts most people don't read instructions anyway.

[OcalaFlGuy]

Yeah, like a Brit is gonna listen to anything a Yank has to say.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl-probably some vicey versi in there too

[Matlock]

Yeah, like a Brit is gonna listen to anything a Yank has to say.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl-probably some vicey versi in there too

 

Come on, it's not just Yanks we don't listen to

Peter.

[KBeezie]

Come on, it's not just Yanks we don't listen to

Peter.

Some even have a hard time listening to themselves.

[FarmBoy]

Yeah, like a Brit is gonna listen to anything a Yank has to say.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl-probably some vicey versi in there too

 

 

 

Come on, it's not just Yanks we don't listen to

Peter.

Gators?

[OcalaFlGuy]

No one listens to a Gator.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl