I just received a used blue translucent M200 from a seller here, and I want to clean it throughly.

I also want to silicone the piston, as it seems a bit hard to turn.

Also the cap on the end of the pen, the one you turn to activate the piston, seems loose, and Im not sure if its supposed to be that way...

Do you have to have the nib off of the pen to clean the barrel, and is there a good way to do that?

How do you silicone the piston/action, and where do you apply the silicone, and how? Do you do that through the hole in the barrel, once the nib is off?

Can anyone help me here? Im obviously new to FPs, and I dont want to screw up my pen by being careless.

Any help/pictures/tips would be appreciated!!!

Thanks!!

D

Already addressed the loose piston issue in the other thread - completely normal.

If you want to clean the barrel in any way other than just flushing the pen, then yes, you need to remove the nib. Just unscrew the nib and use a cotton swab or the like to remove debris if you think that is necessary. Usually just a flush with plain water or a mild water-detergent (hand dishwashing liquid) mixture is enough to clean a pen.

After you clean, move the piston about halfway up the barrel. Put a *tiny* bit of silicone on something like a flat toothpick or a de-cottoned cotton swab and gently drag the silicone around the inside of the barrel near the piston. I say "gently" because you don't really want to scratch the inside of the barrel though it takes some effort to do so. Then just move the piston back and forth a few times, then all the way up and down a few times to distribute the silicone. You shouldn't see any globs of silicone. You should only use enough to get better movement of the piston, not enough to cloud the window or create blobs.

Do you really want to go through all that trouble? Just send me your M200 and I'll relieve that troublesome pen from your hands.