Best Easy To Disassemble Chinese Pens (Or Any Very Cheap Pens)?

[civil]

Hello, I have had good success with certain brands of chinese pens on ebay (Hero, Jinhao), very smooth nibs on some of them (even the xf nibs are sometimes much smoother than Pilot nibs), but the latest trend seems to be pens that cannot be easily disassembled (large pens like the Jinhao x450 are a notable exception). Among these pens that apparently cannot be disassembled for cleaning are the Hero hooded pens (the Hero 9296 is an easy favorite).

 

I am trying to avoid having to buy a separate pen for each ink that warns you not to mix it with other inks, or that can clog a pen, etc, I want to simply thoroughly clean the pens as needed, while using a cheaper pen just in case I goof and damage the pen with an ill fated ink sequence..

 

Any ideas on either how to disassemble the ornery pens, or choosing good cheap pens that can be disassembled? I have a current preference for accounting, extra fine nibs, but will consider any cheap fine nib pen suggestions.

Very smooth nib, disassembly, fine or xf nib, and very low price, are my main considerations. I also don't care for the bladder pens much because of the disassembly issue.

 

Yes, I have considered to simply use a pen that is a step up or two, but when I think of using Baystate blue ink on my Kaweco Sport, for example, I cringe.

 

P. S. I have found that the hot water trick which works on some chinese pens like the Hero 616, doesn't work on the newer models.

Edited March 20, 2015 by civil

[Pickwick]

It isn't necessary or advisable to completely dismantle a pen for cleaning on a frequent basis. Wear on parts for one will eventually cause problems. I've used fountain pens since the 1940s and never had to dismantle a fountain pen. Just flushing out is all that's required.

[civil]

It isn't necessary or advisable to completely dismantle a pen for cleaning on a frequent basis. Wear on parts for one will eventually cause problems. I've used fountain pens since the 1940s and never had to dismantle a fountain pen. Just flushing out is all that's required.

I hear you, but my experience with BayState blue and similar very sticky or high residue inks, suggests that at least in some exceptional cases, it maybe warranted.

 

Plus, experience has shown me that some pens are never fully clean when you simply flush them until the water runs clear, some ink doesn't come out until at least a day or two of soaking, even with more normal ink.

I discovered this quite by accident while learning how to disassemble pens, was surprised how much ink was still caked inside, the very thing that would cause major problems with an ornery ink like BSB.

Edited March 20, 2015 by civil

[Crewel]

Though BSB has it's issues (still love the ink), it would be better if you dedicate one pen for use with that ink instead of frequent disassembly.

 

If you did not know already, a solution of bleach and water (~1:10 ratio) is an easy way of getting rid of stains. I've used this with great results on a previously dedicated TWSBI 540. Now it's clear as glass.

[ancalagon]

You can get #6 nibs and put them in pens like the Jinhao X450 and X750. The Baoer 388 and Kaigelu 356 fit #5 nibs, if you want a slimmer pen.

 

The nib that comes with the Baoer 388 is pretty nice, and it would be significantly cheaper not to replace the nib, but it is not even close to an xf.

 

Another option is to get a bunch of cheap pens, and treat them as semi-disposable. 10-packs of hero 616s tend to run about $20, for instance.

[musicman123]

The way I clean out difficult pens is very efficient. First off, I take the converter out and blast water through it with a 6mL syringe. Then, I pull the water back out of the converter with the same syringe, drying the converter easily. Then, I take a large bulb syringe (used for babies and to clean ears) and stick it in the cartridge nipple, like a converter. I push and pull water through that till it is clear. That process takes no longer than 5 minutes and can be used for any cartridge/converter pen.

[civil]

Though BSB has it's issues (still love the ink), it would be better if you dedicate one pen for use with that ink instead of frequent disassembly.

 

If you did not know already, a solution of bleach and water (~1:10 ratio) is an easy way of getting rid of stains. I've used this with great results on a previously dedicated TWSBI 540. Now it's clear as glass.

I have a Jinhao x450 dedicated to BSB, and a Hero 9296 dedicated to Hero carbon ink. While I don't always have those pens inked, I use those inks in only those pens.

Recently I realized I wanted to use my Hero 9296 for more than just carbon ink, but the vendor I bought the ink-pen combo from warned me not to use any other inks on the pen once I put the Hero carbon ink in it. I could just get another Hero 9296, since it cannot be disassembled, but I am about to try some IG inks in the next few weeks, and I am starting to think dedicating a pen to each troublesome ink is just getting old.

 

Currently I have dedicated a Pilot Prera to X-feather ink, because that ink clogged two other pens I tried first (working well on the Prera so far, though that pen is rather on the high end of my price range, so I don't want to limit its use). Fortunately I was able to do a thorough purge of the clogged pens, if I had not been able to disassemble them I would be in a bit of a bind right now.

 

No, I had not heard of using bleach on a pen, but even a diluted bleach wash would seem to be harsh on a pen overtime, wouldn't it? Just thinking what would be a more damaging solution. A professional pen repair person would disassemble the pen at any rate, if I went that route to repair a pen, so I figure I might as well do it myself, preferably with a pen that is designed for that.

Edited March 20, 2015 by civil

[civil]

The way I clean out difficult pens is very efficient. First off, I take the converter out and blast water through it with a 6mL syringe. Then, I pull the water back out of the converter with the same syringe, drying the converter easily. Then, I take a large bulb syringe (used for babies and to clean ears) and stick it in the cartridge nipple, like a converter. I push and pull water through that till it is clear. That process takes no longer than 5 minutes and can be used for any cartridge/converter pen.

Thanks, I use a very similar method with a 6ml syringe, converter, and bulb syringe.

I have found that with some pens and inks (maybe Noodlers?), I can still extract extra ink out of the pen by soaking for a day or two, regardless of the initial wash, and even if I take apart the pen, soaking for a couple of days still tends to do the trick.

In a couple of cases, washing and soaking was not enough, disassembly did it (one was a Hero 616, I think the other was a Preppy, was fairly clogged, both pens were gifted to me when I was a newbie).

Edited March 20, 2015 by civil

[I like mango cheesecake]

The Jinhao 159 is easy to disassemble. So easy sometimes the entire sleeve and feeder case comes apart too ( which it should not).

[civil]

The Jinhao 159 is easy to disassemble. So easy sometimes the entire sleeve and feeder case comes apart too ( which it should not).

Thanks, will keep it in mind, although it seems much like the x450, which I own, though it seems a bit more attractive.

Ideally I prefer fine nib chinese pens rather than medium nib (I did find one fine nib x450, rather unusual, which I bought for my daughter, seems decent).

[inkyfingr]

You could also consider getting a small inexpensive sonicator. Ten min in a sonicator can loosen up a lot of the ink hiding in hard to reach places. I think you should be able to pick one up for about 30 dollars.

[civil]

You could also consider getting a small inexpensive sonicator. Ten min in a sonicator can loosen up a lot of the ink hiding in hard to reach places. I think you should be able to pick one up for about 30 dollars.

You have opened a can of worms, I didn't know such devices were affordable.

 

I have been reading about people discouraging the disassembly of fountain pens, do you run the pen whole in the device, with some soap? Is it really harmless to use such devices frequently, as opposed to taking the pen apart as needed?

[inkyfingr]

You have opened a can of worms, I didn't know such devices were affordable.

 

I have been reading about people discouraging the disassembly of fountain pens, do you run the pen whole in the device, with some soap? Is it really harmless to use such devices frequently, as opposed to taking the pen apart as needed?

For most pens it should be fairly harmless. Just don't sonicate for so long that the water heats up. I'd be very careful with anything with a delicate finish though. For the easily replaced inexpensive pens, I wouldn't worry about it. Plus, it's cool to watch the swirls of ink coming out of the pen!

[civil]

Just don't sonicate for so long that the water heats up.

I was reading the reviews on the sonicator, some suggest to start with hot (or at least warm) tap water and soap, I guess not with pens, huh. Though I did see a Hero 616 disassembly video that involved using hot faucet water, I suppose it depends on the pen?

Edited April 3, 2015 by civil

[inkyfingr]

The home use sonicators may not heat the water up as much as my laboratory sonicator... I may be more cautious because of the more powerful sonicator that I use at work.

[civil]

The home use sonicators may not heat the water up as much as my laboratory sonicator... I may be more cautious because of the more powerful sonicator that I use at work.

Hmm, then are the results you have seen mainly based on high power models? Are the home types any good for stubborn pens, say affected by carbon or IG ink, or maybe even BSB?

Edited April 3, 2015 by civil

[inkyfingr]

Not sure. There's bound to be some prior discussion on "the best sonicator for the price" or something similar in the archives. Otherwise I'm sure they're plenty of household sonicator users that would be happy to pitch their two cents in.

 

My guess is that the household units probably work just fine -- perhaps just take a little bit longer.