Mould Parker Penman / Noodler's

[HyperCamper]

Hi,

 

This is my first post to this fine forum!

 

Yesterday I unscrewed the top of my Waterman Charleston and discovered some fluffy material ( ) on the backside of the black part (don't know the exact name) that supports the nib.

 

I searched Google (and that's how I ended up here) and found out that it could very well be mould. Is anyone around here familiar with this phenomenon? I recently used Noodler's Legal Lapis and Parker Penman Sapphire in this pen.

 

Best regards!

Edited November 13, 2006 by HyperCamper

[Richard]

The pen is moldy. The only way to deal with the mold is to disinfect the pen -- this means complete disassembly and cleaning with a fungicide followed by mechanical scrubbing. I use an ultrasonic cleaner for the fungicide phase to ensure that the fungicide gets into all the little crevices where mold's water-repellent qualities might normally exclude it. If you are not able to handle this, consider sending the pen to a qualified professional who knows how to deal with it. (I'm one such professional.)

 

Mold is also present in at least one, and possibly both, of the inks you have used with the pen, and using any other pen with moldy ink will transfer the mold to that pen and, if you put it into another bottle of ink, to that ink as well -- and then possibly to other pens. This stuff is really nasty.

 

You should consider disposing of the two bottles in question, but you might also be able to salvage them by using Ink-Safe, from Tryphon Enterprises. For what it's worth, the more likely suspect is the Noodler's, so if you haven't had the moldy pen in the Penman after the Noodler's, the Penman is probably okay.

[HyperCamper]

Thanks for your quick reaction!

 

Judging by the smell of it I would also consider the Noodlers to be the culprit! Futhermore I've never had this problem with Penman Ink and I've been using that for over three years. I'll certainly give the Ink-Safe (or even Ink-Sterile) a try.

 

Currently I'm cleaning the pen using Dettol. I'm not sure if it is for sale in the U.S. It's a desinfectant and fungicide (at least that's what the label says it is). If the mold returns I'll throw in the towel...

 

Best regards!

Edited November 13, 2006 by HyperCamper

[Jikan]

I have a bottle of Noodler's Ottoman Rose that smells like ammonia. Not so strong, but you can smell it clearly. I think the ink was in bad condition before opening it, because I bought it last Christmas and the other bottles are perfect. I found no mold though.

 

Best regards,

 

Juan

[HyperCamper]

Hi Juan,

 

I don't really know what inks are supposed to smell like, but my bottle of Legal Lapis smells like a plastic bag containing moldy bread (I do know what that smells like...).

 

I'm following up Richard's tip on InkSafe. I'll experiment a little with it. If there are any phenomenal results I'll post them.

 

Best regards!

Edited November 13, 2006 by HyperCamper

[forestfield]

I also had a problm with Legal Lapis bought from a US supplier, and got a helpful reply - and a free replacement bottle - from Nathan.

 

There was a problem with the fungicide in Legal Lapis; and it was reformulated. The 'correct' formulation smells of citrus.

 

My guess is your supplier still has some old formulation that they are (hopefully unwittingly) still selling. Contact your supplier for a replacement, and cc. Nathan.

 

-- Paul --

[HyperCamper]

I just got a reply from my supplier and he has very generously offered me a replacement bottle with my next order. Since I was contemplating ordering, that's just perfect!

Edited April 17, 2006 by HyperCamper

[wimg]

Hi Jos,

 

First of all, welcome to our little fountain pen nut hosue on the digital prairie . I hope you get at least half of the enjoyment out of this place that I got and get, and I am sure you will have fun.

 

When I saw you're from the NL, the first thing I thought was "Dettol" . Good choice that, there is nothing wrong with that.

 

It is best to take the feed apart, though, as indicated in some of the replies here. You can either do that yourself, or indeed send it to a pen/nib expert. In the NL we do have a very good pen and nib meister in Jan from the Pen Shop in Nijmegen. Just check him out if you want to make use of his services. he is listed in the telephoen directory. Disclaimer: no relation other than a very satisfied customer.

 

If you prefer to do this yourself, that is possible too. Just cut a piece from an old inner tube of a bicycle tyre, about 5 cm long, and clean and dry it. Put the nib between the folds on the inside, wrap the inner tube piece around the nib and feed a little, grab it firmly with the nib, and pull the nib and feed straight back. It should come out without a problem.

 

Clean all the parts, maybe with a very fine brush, and Dettol of course, including the inside of the section, etc., put nib and feed back together again, and stick it back into the section, in a reverse action. The section is slotted, and the nib/feed can only go in in 1 way, so make sure everything is aligned properly before doing so.

 

HTH, warm regards, Wim

[HyperCamper]

Once again a little update: added some drops of InkSterile (procured via Tryphon, no relation) to the contaminated bottle. The mouldy smell has decreased noticably and the ink seems to remain "normal". No strange chemical reactions...

 

I'll keep you up to date.

Edited May 6, 2006 by HyperCamper

[Viseguy]

I have a bottle of Noodler's Ottoman Rose that smells like ammonia. Not so strong, but you can smell it clearly. I think the ink was in bad condition before opening it, because I bought it last Christmas and the other bottles are perfect. I found no mold though.

I've had three (out of about 20) bottles of Noodler's go bad with that ammonia smell -- the latest a bottle of Iraqi Indigo which I discovered a few days ago. All predate the current citrus-scented biocide. (BTW, the bottle of Ottoman Rose that's the subject of a recent thread of mine was not one of the bottles that "turned".)

 

As a generally very satisfied customer of Noodler's, I take these occasional mishaps in stride, growing pains of a fledgling company, especially since Noodler's replaces the bad ink free of charge through the dealer (which is only fair to the customer, IMO). Nathan seems to have a great deal of confidence in the new biocide (which I'm told was developed by a large company especially for him), and I haven't heard any reports of these later inks going bad. I hope that future versions of the biocide will be milder-smelling, as I find the current scent to be rather strong, although not particularly unpleasant.

[Lloyd]

As long as there's a discussion on Noodler's aroma, I have a question. Should I be concerned that my El Lawrence smells like Elmer's glue?

[Ink Stained Wretch]

I've had three (out of about 20) bottles of Noodler's go bad with that ammonia smell -- the latest a bottle of Iraqi Indigo which I discovered a few days ago.  All predate the current citrus-scented biocide.

Wow, I guess I'd better start sniffing through my collection of Noodler's inks!

 

So if it smells like ammonia then what else is happening with it? Does SITB always accompany the ammonia odor?

 

I know that some of the Noodler's inks have an odor to them, but I don't think of it as particularly citrus-y. I've been buying the stuff for two full years now. I'm nearly through my first bottle of Noodler's Black so there's been no problem with that.

 

Oh well, something new for me to worry about. Hell, if one goes on me I wonder if I'll even be able to remember which vendor I bought it from?

[FrankB]

Welcome to the forum!

 

I am also a Noodler's fan, yet I also had a problem with a couple bottles of Noodler's ink. They moulded over. It was the first time in decades of fountain pen use that I experienced such a problem. I also contacted Giovanni (at Tryphon) and obtained some SerilInk (sp?) that I now add to every new bottle of Noodler's. I did not know Nathan had begun using a new fungicide. It is good to know and bolsters my confidence for my next ink purchase.

[Viseguy]

As long as there's a discussion on Noodler's aroma, I have a question. Should I be concerned that my El Lawrence smells like Elmer's glue?

Not to worry. In all likelihood, it's the biocide.

[Viseguy]

So if it smells like ammonia then what else is happening with it? Does SITB always accompany the ammonia odor?

I didn't see any SITB, but the smell was a giveaway that sumpin' was reactin' wit' sumpin'.

[patrickfp]

The pen is moldy. The only way to deal with the mold is to disinfect the pen -- this means complete disassembly and cleaning with a fungicide followed by mechanical scrubbing. I use an ultrasonic cleaner for the fungicide phase to ensure that the fungicide gets into all the little crevices where mold's water-repellent qualities might normally exclude it. If you are not able to handle this, consider sending the pen to a qualified professional who knows how to deal with it. (I'm one such professional.)

 

In the case of a Pelikan pen, do you remove the feed/nib and submerge both the body and the nib/feed parts?

[welch]

Just a sad note of times past: the original poster wrote, in 2006, "Futhermore I've never had this problem with Penman Ink and I've been using that for over three years."

Ah, to be back in a time when one could walk into a pen shop and get a bottle or two of Parker Penman Sapphire!

[SamCapote]

The pen is moldy. The only way to deal with the mold is to disinfect the pen -- this means complete disassembly and cleaning with a fungicide followed by mechanical scrubbing. I use an ultrasonic cleaner for the fungicide phase to ensure that the fungicide gets into all the little crevices where mold's water-repellent qualities might normally exclude it. If you are not able to handle this, consider sending the pen to a qualified professional who knows how to deal with it. (I'm one such professional.)

 

In the case of a Pelikan pen, do you remove the feed/nib and submerge both the body and the nib/feed parts?

 

Patrick, as Richard said you have to COMPLETELY disassemble the entire pen, so not just unscrewing the Pelikan nib/feed assembly, but the nib from the feed, the section, the body, the piston, etc. Then the parts ultrasound soaked in an effective biocide, scrubbed, soaked again, rinsed well, and re-assembled.

 

I take exception to anyone saying that Tryphon's Ink Safe or Steril Ink products will work to protect ink.

 

Since this topic from 2006 was resurrected, it is true that prior to 2006, Noodler's was using a less effective biocide that resulted in some cases of fungal growth. When I discussed Spicer's recent case with Nathan, he suspected it may have been one of those old biocide bottles, and continues to be quite confident in the new biocide that he uses. I have many hundreds of Noodler's bottles, and have never seen a fungal infection.

[patrickfp]

Patrick, as Richard said you have to COMPLETELY disassemble the entire pen, so not just unscrewing the Pelikan nib/feed assembly, but the nib from the feed, the section, the body, the piston, etc. Then the parts ultrasound soaked in an effective biocide, scrubbed, soaked again, rinsed well, and re-assembled.

 

That must be tough to do since it's hard to find information on how to disassemble a Pelikan pen. I will continue searching. I like to know these types of things before needing to do anything. It's always better to know where the toilet is before one needs it.

[watch_art]

Pelikan is easy to take apart. What kind do you have and I'll tell you how to take it apart.