I have a Hero 100 that I hate because the one part doesn't screw in any more. But anyway, it doesn't write well - not since I left ink in it for more than a month. I've heard of ammonia-water solutions, but don't have any ammonia on hand. Would a light vinegar solution be acceptable to clean it with?

EDIT: I took some dental floss and ripped it and flossed a couple strands through the nib and it doesn't skip as much as it did. Now it only skips on the large flourishes, which it always did anyways. Not sure if that was a good solution to the problem but it worked a bit...

Your best bet is plain water. If you feel a bit more help is needed, then you can try a weak solution of dishwashing soap - a drop in a glass of water. You will have to rinse the soapy water out thoroughly, or you will find you first fill has ink that feathers badly.

Plain water left in the pen at least overnight perhaps longer, will loosen most dried ink clogs though.

Gerry

should i use distilled water to clean my pen ? I think it's better because water which we use everyday (to drink, for example) usually contain some impurities.

i've heart that to soak the pen in warm water (70-80oC) is more effectively than in cold water ? Is it true, and how long should we soak our pen in warm water to clean all ink inside it thorouthly

I use the sheaffer prelude. When unleash the ink cartridges from my pen, there seems to be a safety valve, a valve that only be opened when i attach the cartridges to the pen. So how can I clean the pen without attach the cartridges

Try blasting it with Dust Off compressed air.

For a really hard case, use InkSafe : one vial in a glass of plain water.

If you want to use ammonia just add a few squirts of Windex.

An ultrasonic cleaner can be a big help cleaning pens, up to petrified India ink. Get a cheap one as they are very low power and will not remove plating and other decor as really strong ones can. Usually one going about every four hours on eBay. Use an Auction Sniper bid group to get a low price, usually at about 4 am. Great for glasses, too.