I've just acquired a green demonstrator that has been carefully used, but needs flushing as I'm no fan of emerald-coloured ink!

What's the best way to go about this? I can unscrew the nib and flush under a tap, but wonder if I should soak the body and cap in cold water for a while? Any possible damage?

Also, I note that there is some moisture underneath the piston (inside the mechanism).... is this normal? I have a Stipula Etruria demonstrator that does the same thing.... maybe you only get to see this on a demonstrator? And, when it has been flushed so that water get in at the 'screw' end?

Finally.... were these pens made in 1992 or 1999? I've found references to both dates. Oh.... and do they carry an LE number somewhere? I can't find one.

Thanks!!

The best way to get the pen cleaned is indeed to unscrew the nib. Soak and flush the nib until the water is clear. Flush the body until it seems to be clear. Fill it with water and let it sit for a while. Start again with flushing. If you have an ulttrasonic cleaner you can give nib and body some circles in the cleaner. But if the pen is not seriously clogged, the flushing should do.

Think, the moisture is normal. Have it with some of my pens, too.

I'm gathering that you have an M200 in transparent green? They are discontinued, and were made earlier this decade (maybe '99).

Yes, you should unscrew the nib, and let the body soak to get rid of some ink stains.
You can also fill the pen with water and drain as you would with ink, this will help clean the nib.
Keep in mind that it is a demo, and you may still have to live with ink stains!

As for the moisture inside past the piston, this is a silicon type grease to make the piston move up and down the barrel better.

Thanks for the advice... It's an M800 and I suspect on further inspection that it's earlier as it's marked W. Germany on the cap and reunification was in 1992.

As for the staining... At least it's a coloured pen.... my Stipula demonstrator is clear and it has some blue staining that's always going to be apparent!

It's a fact of life that transparent pens are going to pick up a bit of staining.

The best way to avoid this is prevention. Use gentle inks. Don't leave them sit filled for prolonged periods.

With regard to Pelikans, if you really want to keep thems clean you need to fully disassemble them, including the filler (requiring special tools on the 800 and not advisable on the 200s), and thoroughly clean the barrel interior using a test tube brush. The same goes for the caps, you need to disassemble and clean and dry.

On the Pelikan, no matter what you do you are going to get a dark ring right under the nib assembly. Not preventable unless you are really scrupulous in cleaning. But it is not horribly disfiguring.

Best advice I can give is use, enjoy and be careful in keeping it clean. That's what I do with my green, my Blue Ocean and my Chronoswiss.