Is It Risky To Use Scented Ammonia In A Cleaning Solution?

[unigami]

I made up a 10% solution of ammonia and water, and yes - I used scented ammonia. I couldn't find the "pure stuff".

The ingredients for these solutions always recommend using unscented. I'm wondering why - it is because the scenting agent can damage the pen?

[Runnin_Ute]

Have wondered the same myself.

[Wheatflower]

I used lemon-scented ammonia to make my pen-wash for about a year because that's what I had on hand and somehow the "non-scented" part of the directions hadn't sunk in. Nothing bad happened to my pens, BUT--

 

Keep in mind that

 

1. All of my pens are sturdy modern pens, I don't do the vintage thing,

 

2. I don't let let my pens soak for more than an hour or so in pen flush.

 

 

 

(I was also using a lemon-scented dish soap at the time. Don't tell anyone, ok?)

[KBeezie]

Probably because you don't want to introduce additional smells or colors to your materials.

 

I'm surprised that you could only find scented, around here the unscented stuff is very easy to find, an usually it's in very large containers for a couple dollars.

 

Same with clear dish soap (Which in a very small amount in 10% diluted ammonia is your basic 'pen flush')

Edited March 23, 2015 by KBeezie

[Charles Rice]

Try a hardware store. But you'll most likely have to buy a gallon.

[sombrueil]

Ammonia is so widely available -- anywhere that carries cleaning supplies -- it is hard for me to imagine one can only find scented.

[Jamesbeat]

It is possible that the scented ones contain essential oils or synthetic equivalents that could theoretically damage some plastics.

 

I doubt it would happen, but I guess you never know.

 

I was experimenting with nasal snuff, and I spilled a couple of drops of an essential oil (I want to say it was bergamot, but it was a while ago and I can't be sure) onto a cheap calculator.

 

It made the rubber buttons swell, and the plastic parts became crazed and frosted in appearance, similar to what acetone would do.

 

This did not happen instantly. I can't say exactly how long it took for it to happen, but it was a couple of days before I noticed it.

I only put two and two together because I smelled the calculator when trying to figure out what happened to it.

 

As I say, I can't see this happening with a very dilute solution over a short period of time, but the incident has made me be more cautious around strongly-scented products.

Edited March 23, 2015 by Jamesbeat

[torstar]

Ammonia is so widely available -- anywhere that carries cleaning supplies -- it is hard for me to imagine one can only find scented.

 

I can purchase it at any grocery store that sells cleaning supplies.

[Lou Erickson]

It was hard to find in the SF Bay area. Everyone only had the lemon. ACE Hardware had it in 10% super-strong unscented. They had gallon and quart bottles. It's cheap - if you can find it.

[JimCouch]

It appears to be very regional. Here in Portland, OR the only thing I have been able to find is the scented stuff. You can special order the plain stuff through ACE hardware, but it is a 6 pack of gallons - yes SIX gallons! It used to be very easy to find the plain stuff, but not so anymore.

[OcalaFlGuy]

I am not a chemist, nor did I play one on tv or stay in a Holiday Inn last night.

 

If I were using a modern, plastic feed, C/C pen, I don't think it matters the flavor of Ammonia. You're already going to do a stupendous rinse job to get every remnant of the Ammonia out so I think you're good to go there.

 

However,

 

Vintage Ebonite feeds and latex sacs are porous to some degree. There IMO, an issue could arise. To Me, it is not beyond the

realm of possibility the latex could get enough of the fragrance oils on it to affect it and possibly the feed absorbing some of the oils

wouldn't be good either. I'd Especially Not use the flavored stuff on a vintage pen or a pen with an Ebonite feed and/or latex sac.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

[canibanoglu]

Since we're talking about ammonia and pen flush, I would like to ask a question too. I bought 25% "pure ammonia" from a pharmacy and then used that to make my own 10% pen flush with a couple of dishwasher dropped in it. Now the thing is that, I can still distinctly get the smell of ammonia from the pen flush and it is disturbing me very much. I keep thinking that maybe I have put in more ammonia than was required but everyone seems to be using 10% solutions. My question is, does everyone get this putrid smell that is native to ammonia in their flushes? Put another way, am I safe using that flush in my pens or should I dilute it even further?

[Bo Bo Olson]

I use 25% from the pharmacy too, in I must have been looking in the wrong place in Germany. In I didn't find any pure stuff.

I diluted it the few times I used it, with no 'smell' that lasted...in I washed the pen out a lot.

Mostly I use 100% water.

[honza]

Since we're talking about ammonia and pen flush, I would like to ask a question too. I bought 25% "pure ammonia" from a pharmacy and then used that to make my own 10% pen flush with a couple of dishwasher dropped in it. Now the thing is that, I can still distinctly get the smell of ammonia from the pen flush and it is disturbing me very much. I keep thinking that maybe I have put in more ammonia than was required but everyone seems to be using 10% solutions

 

Note that, unsless I'm completely wrong, FPN members from US talk about household ammonia diluted 1:10. Since household ammonia in the US is a 10% (may be less) solution of NH3 in water, that leaves you with a 1% solution (tops).

 

Yep, calling it "10% ammonia solution" is wrong and confusing At least the scientist in me is having hard time ignoring it

Edited March 24, 2015 by honza

[OcalaFlGuy]

Honza, your understanding is also mine. FWTW.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl-boy that 90% Ammonia must be some nasty stuff

[Pickwick]

I use 25% from the pharmacy too, in I must have been looking in the wrong place in Germany. In I didn't find any pure stuff.

I diluted it the few times I used it, with no 'smell' that lasted...in I washed the pen out a lot.

Mostly I use 100% water.

 

I use 25% from the pharmacy too, in I must have been looking in the wrong place in Germany. In I didn't find any pure stuff.

I diluted it the few times I used it, with no 'smell' that lasted...in I washed the pen out a lot.

Mostly I use 100% water.

I'm always interested in reading your posts about fountain pens, and I'm trying to figure out why there are so many topics regarding the seeming necessity to the use of chemicals in order to flush out pens. I've been using fountain pens since the early 1940s. My first fountain pen gifted to me when a boy was a brand new lever fill pen {the brand name escapes me}, recall the instructions that came with it was, if the need to change the ink color or not to be used for a length of time then just flush with clean water.

 

I've done so ever since without experiencing any problems. Mind you my ink colors and brands are confined to the ones I've always used and have caused no problems.

 

So the question I need answered: Is this necessity resorting to drastic cleaning measures due to the formulation of certain brand inks?

[Regulateur]

I am living in Montreal. I couldn't find un-scented ammonia anywhere, so, I stopped looking a long time ago and I am using lemon scented ammonia, diluted in a propotion of 10% in regular tap water.

 

I have not seen any impact whatsoever on the performance of my pens.

 

My reasoning is that pen manufacturers are telling us to rinse our newly acquired pen in mild dishwasing liquid solution to get rid of any residual oil grease . Now, I have never encountered an un-scented dishwasing liquid.

 

So, why nobody wonders about scented dishwashing liquid???

[Sasha Royale]

Honza, your understanding is also mine. FWTW.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl-boy that 90% Ammonia must be some nasty stuff

 

As I understand it, ammonia is highly attracted to water. It attack and rupture the cell

membranes of living tissue to get at the water. A dilute ammonia will attack eyes and

mucus membranes and respiratory areas. In high concentrations, it can compare to

trench warfare stuff.

 

The vapors travel. If they find a chlorine source, LOOK OUT ! ! !

[Lou Erickson]

Interesting. I thought household ammonia was only 3%. If it's 10%, my pen flush is weak, as I diluted my stronger stuff to that level before going 1:10...

[Djehuty]

Probably because you don't want to introduce additional smells or colors to your materials.

 

I'm surprised that you could only find scented, around here the unscented stuff is very easy to find, an usually it's in very large containers for a couple dollars.

 

Same with clear dish soap (Which in a very small amount in 10% diluted ammonia is your basic 'pen flush')

 

Woops... must it be clear dish soap? All I had on hand was standard green Palmolive. I only used five tiny drops in ten ounces of water and one of (unscented) ammonia, but still, if there's some risk from it, I'd rather avoid that.