I have a waterman phileas which I may not be using for awhile (a few months).

what do I need to do? can I simply empty it or is extensive cleaning required. Also, I may ship the pen in a box full of related office/writing supplies, so do I need to make sure the phileas is empty if I decide to ship it?

thanks!

inkfan

First welcome to FPN! Yes I would empty and flush out your pen before shipping or any extended storage. You can just pull and toss the cartridge and take the section with the nib to the sink and let the cool water run over it for a while. If you are going back to the same ink it doesn't matter that it is perfectly clean, so just rinse until it is runs mostly clear. I wrap mine in tissue for a while to let it soak out the rest of the moisture. (You'll be surprised at how much color still comes out of a "clean" pen) Hope this helps!!

Yes, you did help me, esp. stressing the importance of cleansing all that ink out.

I neglected to mention that I am not using the disposible cartridge but that refillable piece that came with my pen...the one where you fill the pen by screwing down the black plastic part with nib in the ink, then screwing it the other way to draw ink up into the reservoir.

Any tips on cleaning THAT beastie? or is it pretty much the same thing.

and are we talkin water-only, or is some kind of soap advised/acceptable.

inkfan

(PS: thank you for welcoming me to this great site! I almost couldn't believe my luck that there IS such a site until I googled and...here I am!)

Inkfan, welcome from me too!

And yes, we're talking water only, and you can clean the converter, which is what that insert is called, the same way. Actually, it is very handy to use that when cleaning the pen, as it will go a lot faster that way.

An alternative for cleaning the pen with, is an ear bulb. If you look into the part of the pen where the converter fits (that part is called the section of a pen), you'll see something sticking up, which is called the nipple, and which is connected to the inkfeed by means of a capillary channel of some sort, as a conduit for the ink from the ink reservoir (the converter, or cartridge, or any other ink container). If you cut of a part of the front of an ear bulb, so that it fits within the top part of the section, over the nipple, you can use the ear bulb to suck up some water, and squirt that through the section and ink feed, so that it squirts out from the nib end. This is the fastest way to clean a pen.

You need to clean a pen until the water that runs out is completely devoid of any colorant.

HTH, warm regards, Wim

Use the converter to "fill" the pen with water, just as you would ink. Then reverse and empty it.
Repeat several times until water runs more or less clear. If you plan to use with same color ink,
not really critical. This cleans the converter and the whole feed.

Another way is to remove the converter and use an ear syringe (rubber bulb with rubber nozzle)
to push water through the feed from where the converter mounts.

Wrap in tissue to help "pull" any water remaining in feed.

OK..I have a complete picture of the procedure and what the goal is...thanks to all of you for your most informative answers!

inkfan

the pen must be uninked and absolutely clean, no matter if you won't be using it for a few days or a few centuries.

I want to say welcome, too.

It sounds like Wim and I have a lot of the same FP habits. I have found those ear bulbs to be extremely useful. I can find no other way to flush a nib feed with sufficient pressure. In my house the ear bulbs are a bit of a family joke. I have those little blue rubber thingies in the study, the kitchen, the dining room and at least one bathroom. They all get used. I can't recommend them enough.

Did you say why you are storing the Phileas for so long?

Is there any particular reason why the advice for storage is always empty instead of full of water? I definitely understand why you wouldn't want ink in the pen because it might dry up, but what is the concern with water? If it dries up, so what?

I totally get why you wouldn't want to transport a water-filled pen, so I'm strictly talking storage here.

Depends on how long you do not intend to use the pen. Store your pen with water and over time it will start to grow mould and mildew.
Mould grows best when there is lots of moisture. A good way to avoid mould growth on any surface is to keep it dry.

Wow...even for a few DAYS?? I have gone for a few weeks at times not using it and have had no problems with it yet. Not that I'm trying to tempt fate...

I had no idea it was so critical and so little time necessary for problems to happen...


inkfan

Excellent advice above. If a stored pen seems to be clogged when re inked you might consider an ultrasound for dislodging the blockage.

The problem I've noticed is that some inks tend to clog more quickly than others. Highly saturated inks, like Noodler's, can dry out in the feeder in less than a week, depending on the pen, of course. So, it's better not to take any risks, in my opinion.

my ink with Phileas must be more forgiving...I'm using waterman ink.....


inkfan

I keep about 9 pens inked & don't always use them all each day. No problems yet with clogging...

Same here. But I do try to use them at least once a week, even if it's just to write my name on my desk calendar. Ones that will be sitting longer than a week will get flushed and allowed to dry with all the pieces apart. tcheuchter gave some excellent mold advice!

Welcome aboard, inkfan!!