How long does every one spend cleaning their 51's prior to an ink change?

I currenlty been flusing and soaking my p51 for three day and its still spewing the waterman green it contained!

Should i just fill it with another coplour and hope the green tinge will eventually dissapear??

kitch

I've rarely needed more than 30 minutes. Did you use the pen with the green in it for a few years? If so, once that's gone, the next flush should be much quicker as most of the solidified deposits will have gone.

Regards

Richard.

thanks for you reple

yeah i've had green in the pen for about three years, and yes i'd not used it for a month or two. But i want to use for work and therefore have to use a more somber and photocopy-able colour.

I always fully flush to clear water (well, relatively clear) before every refill, even if I'm putting the same ink right back into the pen.

Here is my technique, although it can be risky, I guess.
First, empty as much ink as you can by slowly depressing the plunger. Then, holding it like a thermometer you are shaking down, shake it into the trashcan or sink until it is no longer letting fly with ink. At that point, fill and flush with cold water using the same technique you did with the ink until it is no longer sending out inky water. Repeat as needed until the water is clear. This usually takes a couple of fills and emptying. Wipe the nib with a soft cloth to clean up the last of the water in the pen, even holding the nib down into the cloth while you work the plunger a few times. Fill with your new choice of ink.

There are multiple threads with tips to get the water out. I think the most effective is the salad spinner. But just as effective is the sock full of paper towels and the pen inserted with the nib in the toe... then twirl the sock.

I do what KCLaw does - just shake it over a trash can. I put a piece of paper in the trash to I can see and hear the water stop splatting.

I also use the old shake over a trash can or sink method. My last step before refilling is stuffing a bunch of paper towels in the bottom of a cup and poking the nib down into them and letting it "dry out" overnight (or over a weekend).

One day maybe I'll get ambitious and make myself a salad spinner contraption.

yeah, the salad spinner contraption is the fastest way I know the empty the pen. The trick of using long sock with a paper towel in the toe, putting the pen nib into the paper towel, grasp the other end tightly and spinning it around like crazy works too.

Of course, in another thread there were suggestions of attaching it to the lawnmower blades, helicopter blades, etc..