Hi everyone,
I recently began using bottled ink as opposed to cartridges which are sooo expensive. Anyway, whenever I fill up one of my pens I can never seem to get all the ink off the nib. Even if I use the tip of a soft damp cloth, the ink just seems to stick. Is this a normal part of using bottled ink, or is there a way to clean the pen after filling it? By the way, this is a particular problem with my Pelikan M805 (bottled only) and Mont Blanc Meiserstuck which both feature the standard engravings on the nib.

What ink are you using?

Regards,
David.

I'm using Levenger bottled ink. I bought it a while ago when I first got my Pelikan, but haven't used it very much. Could this be the problem?

Hi Thonton from Indy,

This may sound odd, but...

If your nib is really clean (no oils, or any contaminants), ink will tend to stick to it a bit more easily than if it is somewhat oily. For instance, people that practice pointed pen calligraphy, using dip pen nibs in holders, know to remove all traces of oils from their nibs before inking them. It's the only way to get ink to stick to a nib so there's enough on it to use.

So, one thing you might try is this: When your pen is empty, gently rub a bit of skin oils onto the top surface of the nib. After filling, hold the pen with the nib up and use a dry cloth to blot the excess ink. This should minimize the amount of ink left on the surface of the nib.


Cheers,
Tom

Actually, I think that makes sense. If the surface of the nib is slippery than the ink won't stick. I'm up for trying anything. Thanks for the tip!