Hello, I am a TOTAL newbie so I am sorry if this is
a question that has been asked. But what is the best
way to flush out a pen? Do you just hold the top part
under a faucet and run water through it or is there a
different way? Thanks for any input.

regards

mj

Probably the easiest thing to do is go to www.richardspens.com and read all you care to about fountain pen care. Also, just perusing this board, and using the search feature, can be real helpful. But in a nutshell, it depends on the kind of pen, as you would want to flush the converter, or whatever else too (unless you are using cartridges).

I typically clean pens (old ones I've just bought or ones I'm using) by filling them with plain cold water. Empty them by using the filling mechanism. Most "filling mechanisms actually "empty" the pen first by forcing the air out of the ink reservoir and create a vacuum that pulls the ink back in.
Fill with cold water. Empty. Repeat.
After the water fills and empties clean (which may take a long time) fill again with water and leave the pen standing nib down in the water overnight (I have an old plastic cup just for this). This will soak any dried ink out of the nib, feed, section and sack/barrel/converter system.
Lastly, I fill with clean water and stand the pen nib down on a folded soft paper towel to let the water draw out through the feed and nib. If the paper towel isn't clean the pen isn't.
Sooooooo
Fill with cold water. Empty. Repeat.

<you get the idea>

Richard's site has all you'll need. But as others say:

For storage, flush the entire pen, converter, cap and barrel with room temperature water. In the winter cold could really mean cold water and stray ink doesn't dissolve as quickly.

For daily use, I found that after filling a pen, let running water flush the nib. This removes small build up and keeps the pen very clean for a long time. You'll need to blot the nib a few times to get ink to the right color as its been diluted around the nib and feed.

Fountianhead, a good idea is to get yourself an ear syringe at your local pharmacy. It's a rubber bulb that fits in the cartridge/converter receptacle on most pens and all you have to do is fill it with water and use it use it to force the water out of the nib/feed giving it a good thorough flush.

Instead of the syringe, I've found simply blowing air is quite effective. However I recently had a nib leaking, and I've wondered if forcing air can have a negative effect.

Here's an idea which works great for me!

Buy a souvenir shot glass (for two shots) at any souvenir store. The design is ideal for cleaning a nib and feed because the shot glasses are relatively tall and thin, plus are bottom heavy. It keeps the nib pointed the way you want it because the shot glass is narrow.

Souvenir shot glasses (for two shots) are typically reasonably priced but if you find a tourist attraction that is changing its logo or going out of business, you can occasionally get them for a dollar or two.

Soaking parts overnight is still the best, most reliable, and cheapest way of cleaning a pen.

David

It shouldn't unless you have a faulty nib. Blowing air or using an ear syringe is just an effective way to flush out any particles that may be trapped.

Fountainhead,

I've used FPs for a while, but I'm still not familiar with cleaning methods, so I appreciate your question. Saved me from having to ask it.

My question is this: Can an ultrasonic cleaner be used, or am I now at risk to loosen up internal parts or adhesives?

Mike

Get two shot glasses - one for the pen and one for you

I tried blowing out through the section.
Tip - make sure you have done a good job of cleaing the threads where the barrel fits first if you don't wand little blue circles on your lips

Actually, it is quite amazing how much ink settles out from a clean pen when the nib is left overnight in cool (not ice cold) water.

Chris

In cleaning a pen that had Noodlers Aircorps in it, I have flushed it repeatedly, and it is clear. Flushing included filling the converter with water as well as blowing through the nib piece. But when I let it dry vertically on paper towels, a turquoise residual color keeps coming out on the paper towel. Where is that coming from, when I"ve repeated this process at least 4 times now?

The feed, which the nib wraps around, uses capillary action to take ink from the main ink holder (rubber sack, cartridge, converter, whatever) to the feed slot in the nib.
Filling and emptying passes water in and out through the fills slots (which are not necessarily the feed). When you empty the pen using the converter you may see the water coming out of the bottom of the feed, not at the nib.
Filling with water and letting it flush through the tip of the nib by capillary action passes water through the feed and tip of the nib, which is bypassed in the filling/flushing process.

Thanks, but I'm not sure what this means in terms of cleaning. How do you fill and flush the pen to get it to clean the areas like the tip of the nib then?

I 'd suggest cleaning the pens with distilled water if you live in a place like the town I live in, where the water is very hard and tends to leave salt residues over time.

When I flush pens for storage I always find a slow residue of ink streaming out of the nib, increasingly light and slow as the flushing progresses ... like logarithmic extinction.

I solved the problem mostly by filling the pen and converter with water after a good flush, and let it stand for a day. This gets most if not all visible residue out since it dissolves itself in the water inside the pen. If it still persists, fill the pen again and let it stand for another day, etc., until no discoloration occurs. I haven't had to do this for more than one day.

If you think your tap water is too hard, fill the pen with distilled water after a tap flush.

There is no need to totally clean a pen until clear water comes out of the point!
In fact, excessive cleaning puts wear on some pens (like piston fillers and button fillers) that will result in a lower time before failure. Only when using problem inks (reds and purples/burgundys) a thorough flush is advisable. MOst good inks (Quink, Waterman, Aurora, MontBlanc) contain cleaning agents that keep the pen in good working order. As I mentioned, Reds are the exception (I speak from 35 years of experience!)

Thanks T. Not to get to anal about cleaning then!

My oldest piston converter isn't more than 15 years, but haven't used it regularly, and my only leaks have been from old bladder style converters.

Do you have some piston converters that have started leaking from excessive use? If so, where does it fail?