Just joined today after looking at various fountain pen forums.

I have been INTERESTED in pens for over 30 years, always insisted on using nice pens and not cheap ones. Lately I have found myself wanting to start collecting.

I have over 30 what I call nice pens, all kinds Lamy, Sheaffer, Mont Blanc, like them all. Recently went to China and bought a Hero and 2 Duke Germany fountain pens. I am really getting into just using fountain pens.

3 questions if anyone cares to oblige.

Right now I rotate 1 fountain pen a week just to keeps the ink flowing. Is that the best way, or should I just use one fountain pen until the ink runs out. They get clogged if I don't use them often; however I have enough that I can not use them all sufficiently.

I have a Lamy with a 1.1 mm nib and another with a 1.5 mm nib. They are fun to write with. Is there and pen out there, say $30 to $70 with a flexible nib? I would like to try one before I really invest in a good one. Right now I have my eye on the Namiki Falcon. However, I would like to try an entry level model first.

I am also looking for an orange pen; right now I have the Conklin All American in mind. Any ideas.

Thanks

I regret that I have no suggestions but wanted to extend a word of welcome. Glad you're here.

Welcome!

1. I think the way you are doing it is probably fine. Some people just keep a few inked at a time and clean them out when they run dry, and move on to others. It's really up to you, as long as you don't let them dry out.

2. I don't know of any $30-$70 flex pens, and believe me, I have looked. You might be able to find a vintage user-grade pen with flex or semi-flex in that range, but it would be a lucky find on eBay most likely.

3. Orange pens are out there. I think there is a Sailor Sapporo in orange, the ever popular Parker Duofold, and some Harley pens.

Welcome to FPN.

Hi and pleased to meet you. My favorite orange is an old Parker Duofold (as already mentioned above, so I guess I'm not the only Duo freak here...)

Mike

Hi,
Welcome to here.

I really like orange pens and orange ink. I have not seen many orange pens that strike my fancy, though. I do have a wildly cool orange Romet Asia Tangerine, which I bought from www.swisherpens.com. However, I think these pens have been discontinued, but you could call them and find out. Oh yeah, I have an orange Waterman Harley Horizon, which can now be found on eBay for 15 bucks or less.

Where is Ghost Plane? can't she get Waterman to do an orange Carene?

Greetings and welcome! I also love orange pens. I have a Pelikan 320 (very small pen) the VP in orange and a Delta Dolce Vita mini. They are all beautiful pens and I use either Noodler's Apache Sunset or Visconti Orange ink in them.

Thanks to all for the courteous and prompt replies.

I will look up the suggested orange pen and for sure get one.

Thanks again

Since I am now starting to use the fountain pens, what is the best way to clean them? I like your suggestion on using a few at time and keeping the rest clean and empty. After, I finish using and the pen is empty how should I clean the pen to store for a couple of months?

Thanks

Unless you let the ink dry out inside, you really just need to flush them repeatedly with clean water until all the ink is gone. (That is, rinse out the components, or if they don't come apart, repeatedly fill and empty the pen)

If one of your pens does happen to get dried out, a soak overnight, point down (against some kind of padding like a clean sponge) in water with a small amount of dish soap will usually loosen it up enough to be flushed out.

If that doesn't work you are into the land of ultrasonic cleaners and such, and might want to send it for service.

Thank you, this was most helphul.

Regrettably, due to my ignorance I have a hand full of pens I need to go REALLY clean.

Hello and welcome to the club. I hope that you enjoy belonging to FPN, the world's greatest group of fountain pen fans.

I just bought a couple of Duke and Hero pens myself and am very pleased with them. Given a couple of recent experiences with ill-adjusted European pens, which were much more expensive, I think that it's hard to beat the value the Chinese pens represent.

In answer to your question about the care and feeding of your fountain pens I'm afraid that you're asking for trouble, eventually, if you do not thoroughly flush out your fountain pens prior to putting them back in storage. Even though the pen may have "run out of ink" there is still a lot of it hidden in the nooks and crannies of the pen's feed which will dry up and clog the works if not removed. When I take a pen out of use, and I've got a couple of dozen fountain pens at this point, I always do the following:

- unscrew the nib (still attached to the section) from the body of the pen,
- remove the converter or cartridge from the section,
- run water through the section and nib to flush ink from the feed,
- if using a converter flush water through it until the water comes out clear (just use a glass of water for this),
- put the converter back on the section and repeat the flushing process, you'll get out more ink because you'll be drawing water into the pen instead of simply letting it run through the section and nib,
- once the water comes out clean carefully dry the nib and feed using a soft cloth. Do not use tissues as they will shred and leave little bits of paper in places where you don't want paper to be - don't ask how I know this.
- reassemble the pen and put it in storage confident that when you take it back out it'll be ready to write.

One of the things which you should avoid if possible is the use of ink cartridges in your pens. This is because the ink in the cartridges gradually evaporates through the plastic and may be somewhat sludgy, which will lead to the ink not feeding through the pen properly. If you must use cartridges don't buy a bunch and stockpile them. Buy in small quantities that you'll use reasonably quickly, which will help make sure you're getting fairly new ink, though there is no way to be positive about that.

I don't know of any pens with a flexible nib in the $30 - $70 range, new. However, if you're willing to take a chance on eBay (I've had very good luck there recently) you can almost certainly find a used pen with the type of nib you're looking for in your price range. Do some research ahead of time so that you will know what you're looking for when poking around auction sites. Also, if you're willing to spend a few more dollars the Pelikan Souveran 200 is often available for around $80. I have one of those and it has a very nice semi-flexible nib that is very smooth.

In regard to orange pens I have an Aurora "Ipsilon" fine point that I acquired several years ago. It's a nice looking pen with a pretty good nib on it. I think the color is still current in the Aurora catalog. If not, there are almost certainly some of them out on the used market; check eBay, you may be surprised at what you can find there.

I hope all of this helps.

Take care,
Ron

Welcome to FPN from down I40 over here in Arkansas!

Greetings and welcome! *I have a good friend in OKC*

I find if I don't write with a pen for a while, it gets cranky and won't start, but dipping the nib in water usually works. If I've forgotten about a pen for a while and the ink dried out, a soaking overnight in a glass of water gets the old ink out (careful not to drink it!).

If you ever find a semi-flex for the price range you mention, buy two and I'll take one off your hands!

Ron,

Thanks so much. All is very helpful.

I am now in the process of re cleaning all my pens. I always was apprehensive of cleaning the body and interior of the pen too much as I was concerned of getting it all dry. I also like the tip on cartridges. A few more questions if you don't mind.

I have a Mont Blanc over 20 years old, still in good shape. The old style, black resin, I think. On the body of the pen, down close to the nib, it seems sticky. Plus when I close the pen, it sometimes feels stuck. What do you recommend I clean with?

Also, you can run water right through the nib and section, it will air dry OK right?

Yes, the Duke Pens are particularly fun and beautiful pens. I have the model 992, tortoise shell brown and model 116 black with red (red has black carbon fibers running through). My Hero is polished steel with a intricate design etched in, I haven't used the Hero as yet.

Thanks again,
Fred

No disrespect intended, but this is, IMHO, a bit over cautious. There is no need to avoid using cartridges in your pens, unless you just don't like them or the pen doesn't like them - i.e. won't write as well with them. Obviously, if a cart is 3/4 evaporated, you might want to flush it out and re-fill it. That's my favorite part about cartridges - filling them with a ink I prefer using a syringe (buy a couple from a veterinarian with the larger needles and blunt the ends a bit). It takes a long time for a cart to evaporate to the point it isn't useful and to my way of thinking, even then, you just get a more intense ink.

My experience is, many c/c pens write better with carts than converters and so I use and refill carts with my preferred ink.

The notion of old ink being unusable is something ink merchants tell you to sell you more ink. I routinely use vintage ink from the 1940's, both Quink and Skrip, with no ill effect. You do need to make sure there is no sediment in the ink and that the ink smells "normal". Vintage ink has a naturally strong smell because of the biocides used at the time - you will know when you run across spoiled ink. Ink is, as the late Frank Dubiel used to say, only colored water and it shouldn't be over complicated.

I would also advise against over cleaning your pens. You likely will never be able to get all the ink out of your pen once it's been inked. You should flush your pen and let it dry before storing, but don't worry about every last bit of ink - you'll likely do more damage to your pen - as it gets dropped in the sink (from experience) - than you'll ever get with a tiny spec of ink remaining in the pen.

My routine is as follows:

If the pen is a c/c filler, remove the barrel and c/c (clean it separately); use a rubber bulb syringe to flush water through the nib/feed - I flush both ways. When the water runs clear, let the nib/feed set a few minutes and then flush again. Reinstall the c/c, fill the pen with water and wrap the nib in paper toweling (lightly); set the pen nib down in a juice glass and let the water wick out of the pen. This will pull the recalcitrant bits of ink out. Let the pen dry without the cap for 24 hours and you're done. I usually take this opportunity to swab out the cap as well.

Your pen won't be ruined if you don't get it pristine - many vintage pens are found in the wild full of dried ink and they are almost always easily cleaned and usable without resorting to serious repair.

These aren't really complicated tools and with reasonable care will last several lifetimes.

Most of all, have fun with your fp's.

Hi Fred,

To take your questions in reverse order - the nib and section will air dry fine if you flush them with clean water. You can always use a soft lint-free cloth to dry the outside of the nib and section, and even dab the interior of the top of the section dry. When I clean a pen prior to putting it into storage I leave the pieces out overnight on a paper towel to dry - just be sure they're where the cat can't get them.

In regard to your Mont Blanc - I'm not an expert, but I suspect that the stickiness may just be a buildup of oils and dirt from your fingers over the years. I just got done looking at my copy of Frank Dubiel's book on fountain pen repair and restoration and didn't see anything specific about cleaning resin barrels and sections. I suspect that cleaning the body and section with a soft cloth soaked in just plain water would work. Also, I don't think that putting a little dishwashing detergent in the water would do any harm, but, as I said, I'm not an expert on resin pens.

The stickiness you note when closing the pen may be due to the buildup of small amounts of ink that have escaped from the feed over the years. You can easily check this by dipping the corner of a soft cloth, or even a paper towel, in water and running it around the inside edge of the cap. If it comes out discolored, then it is almost certainly just dried up ink causing the problem and a good soaking or repeated passes with the cloth should take care of the problem.

Except for the case of old pens with hard rubber barrels, caps, etc. just plain water should not hurt anything. However, be aware that water can cause discoloration of hard rubber pens, so if you have any truly antique pens be careful. Just by way of general information about pens, tips on repairs, nib adjustments, etc. I highly recommend Frank Dubiel's "Fountain Pens: The Complete Guide to Repair & Restoration" (known as "Da Book" in pen circles). It's available from Pendemonium, the Fountain Pen Hospital, and other good fountain pen stores. For roughly $20 it is an incredible value and contains a wealth of useful information. If you're serious about starting to collect fountain pens this is a "must have" book. I wish I'd known about it several years ago when I was getting started.

I hope all of this helps and that I haven't inadvertently passed along any bad information. If I have someone here will be sure to correct me.

Take care,
Ron

I agree with you about not overcleaning one's pens: it is impossible to get every last bit of ink out of them. Also, in regard to cartridges I should perhaps have made it more clear that I was speaking of unused cartridges that are obviously not full of ink. Refilling cartridges as you recommend is certainly not a problem, and, as you note can be fun. However, one thing to note about the regular use of cartridges is that they are a "one way" device; that is the ink only ever flows out of them. Using a converter, at least occasionally, will exercise all parts of the feed because of the pumping action when you fill them.

Also, you are definitely right about vintage inks. I routinely use ink from a couple of bottles that I know are at least fifty years old and have had no problems. However, it is important to check such ink for sediments before using them. Also, ink that doesn't smell "clean" (it's hard to describe the order) should probably be avoided as it may be breaking down and not flow reliably. The folks at Pendemonium have a nice page or two devoted to this subject and I recommend that anyone interested in using vintage inks check them out.

Finally, I have to agree that the pens are to be used and enjoyed for the wonderful instruments that they are.

Later,
Ron

Thanks to all for the very informative responses. It is obvious that I have joined a forum with members that are knowledgeable and passionate about fountain pens. I am making every effort to catch up and to hopefully be just as helpful to future new members.

Hello and welcome to FPN.