May I just ask, with a couple of near new Parker 51's on the way, is Quink blue black ok to use?
What are good chemicals to use to clean a pe inside and out?
I just read about 30 of the posts in this section - I had no idea that ink could vary so much and play so important a role in your pen working properly!
Thank you for your feedback!
John
Full Version: Is Quink Blue Black OK to use?
If it is the current Quink made without Solv-X, then yes.
If it is older Quink with Solv-X, then the answer is a definite maybe.
So long as it doesn't have any growth, sludge or bad smell, then yes. Not forgetting that older Quink with Solv-X has a definite smell that is normal for that ink.
If it does have any of the problems, then no.
As for cleaning out your pen, start with warm water, flush it a few times and then leave it soaking overnight.
If it needs more, then using a 1:10 solution of household (not industrial) ammonia in water can help.
If you have the Quink with Solv-X, then that will help finish the job of cleaning out the inside of your pen.
If it is older Quink with Solv-X, then the answer is a definite maybe.
So long as it doesn't have any growth, sludge or bad smell, then yes. Not forgetting that older Quink with Solv-X has a definite smell that is normal for that ink.
If it does have any of the problems, then no.
As for cleaning out your pen, start with warm water, flush it a few times and then leave it soaking overnight.
If it needs more, then using a 1:10 solution of household (not industrial) ammonia in water can help.
If you have the Quink with Solv-X, then that will help finish the job of cleaning out the inside of your pen.
If it isn't, I'm stuffed because I just bought a bottle of it and filled two of my pens with it.
...I kid, I kid...Yes, Quink Blue-Black should be fine.
...I kid, I kid...Yes, Quink Blue-Black should be fine.
I have a bottle of Super Quink in Blue/Black with Solv-X that must be nearly 50 years old that I am still using sparingly, because it belonged to my Dad and he used it exclusively in his "51" 
Usual caveats apply, but as the old Quink contained Phenol aka Carbolic Acid I have yet to see a bottle that has gone bad, guess the gunk just can't survive in such a toxic environment. The concentration is quite small, but take care should you get any on your skin and don't inhale too much directly from the bottle. Having said that I have been using it for over 45 years and there is nothing wrong with me
Usual caveats apply, but as the old Quink contained Phenol aka Carbolic Acid I have yet to see a bottle that has gone bad, guess the gunk just can't survive in such a toxic environment. The concentration is quite small, but take care should you get any on your skin and don't inhale too much directly from the bottle. Having said that I have been using it for over 45 years and there is nothing wrong with me
When my first (and only) Nakaya, a Piccolo Roiro fitted with a soft/flexible M nib arrived middle of last year, I filled the pen with Platinum's own Blue-Black ink that I ordered along with the pen.
Now I like the colour of this ink - unfortunately, the Piccolo turned out to be a dry writer. As I write with the lightest of touch, a relatively heavy flow is must for me to write comfortably and smoothly. So I went to have its flow tuned, but after numerous attempts (even with the help of the local nib expert) this pen's flow is never to my satisfaction. All the while I thought it's the Nakaya's fault, while never even once considering the role the ink might play in it.
Getting frustrated, one day I decided to take the Nakaya apart. Now this pen's nib and feed (and other Platinum #3776's too) are not as easy to remove as the typical Bock ones. These components are very tightly fastened to the section, so considerable force need to be applied, and one needs to pull 'em out straight along its axis. This of course puts one at risk of damaging/misaligning the nib and breaking the feed, so dismantling the nib/feed as part of one's routine pen cleaning procedure (which I do as SOP with my Bock-nibbed ones) is not recommended with Nakaya/Platinum #3776 pens. Anyway I digress.... after pulling out the nib, I found that the Platinum ink had dried, hard, on the nib beneath the section on its surface facing the feed. So this explains the poor flow. Funny for Platinum's own ink to inflict this on its sister company's pen, and amazingly so as this pen has been in constant use (left unused at most, 2 days) since the day I received it. And even more so considering this pen's age
I then decided to fill it up with Quink Blue-Black (with Solv-X - this is a NOS bottle I found at a stationery shop) and I'm happy to say the Nakaya's flow has never been smoother - in fact it's great . And its dark blue hue is beautiful too - it's slightly darker than Platinum's. Looks like it will be the ink of choice for my Nakaya Piccolo from now on 
Shahrin
Now I like the colour of this ink - unfortunately, the Piccolo turned out to be a dry writer. As I write with the lightest of touch, a relatively heavy flow is must for me to write comfortably and smoothly. So I went to have its flow tuned, but after numerous attempts (even with the help of the local nib expert) this pen's flow is never to my satisfaction. All the while I thought it's the Nakaya's fault, while never even once considering the role the ink might play in it.
Getting frustrated, one day I decided to take the Nakaya apart. Now this pen's nib and feed (and other Platinum #3776's too) are not as easy to remove as the typical Bock ones. These components are very tightly fastened to the section, so considerable force need to be applied, and one needs to pull 'em out straight along its axis. This of course puts one at risk of damaging/misaligning the nib and breaking the feed, so dismantling the nib/feed as part of one's routine pen cleaning procedure (which I do as SOP with my Bock-nibbed ones) is not recommended with Nakaya/Platinum #3776 pens. Anyway I digress.... after pulling out the nib, I found that the Platinum ink had dried, hard, on the nib beneath the section on its surface facing the feed. So this explains the poor flow. Funny for Platinum's own ink to inflict this on its sister company's pen, and amazingly so as this pen has been in constant use (left unused at most, 2 days) since the day I received it. And even more so considering this pen's age
I then decided to fill it up with Quink Blue-Black (with Solv-X - this is a NOS bottle I found at a stationery shop) and I'm happy to say the Nakaya's flow has never been smoother - in fact it's great
. And its dark blue hue is beautiful too - it's slightly darker than Platinum's. Looks like it will be the ink of choice for my Nakaya Piccolo from now on Shahrin
I've got a 51 Special desk set with one pen that has had current Quink blue-black in it just about non-stop for about 9 months (figure 3, maybe 4 flushes with water as regular maintenance in that period) and it's doing fine. The other pen in the stand has had modern Skrip red in it for just about as long, and likewise no worries.
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