Ink Flow

[jetsam]

I've been rotating my fifteen or so pens because I really don't have a favorite, but although I rinse in distilled water, by the time a pen comes up for use, I almost always have to drag the brass sheet through the nib to get it going again, even my broad nib Parker Duofold. It flows like a tap but it just needs that brass sheet to get going.

My inks are limited to Quink and Skrip, so I'm dreaming of a pen that has a reputation for easy flow, whatever the ink.

Maybe if I find one, it'll be my favorite after all.

The Shaeffer Intensity comes to mind but I don't know why.

My question is whether there is a pen that provides the solution rather than an ink.

(Sorry to say, my Parker 51 is also guilty.)

[ac12]

A dry pen needs to be primed to get the ink flowing, especially if it is cartridge loaded, rather than filled from an ink bottle. Some times just leaving it nib down for 30 min will get the ink to where it should be. Or a quick dip of half the nib into a small cup of water, then nib up to let the water flow back into the feed.

With a converter, lever or piston pen, you just work the ink mechanism a few times, and it should pump ink into the feed. You still sometimes need to let it sit, nib down for a bit, to get the ink into the nib.

 

I use Waterman ink for my standard ink.

I used Sheaffer Skrip and Parker Quink in high school and college. But back then the only time I had a dry pen, was when I ran the pen dry, and had to change the ink cartridge.

[jetsam]

I guess flushing with distilled water can still leave some ink residue which hardens between the tines.

I was surprised that even bottle filling my old restored Duofold still required the brass sheet.

Before I try the 30 minute patient approach, I need to know whether dry Quink ink can soften and dissolve.

Many thanks for your patient suggestions ac12.

[BillPorter]

I'm a relative newbie, but I have never heard of having to use a brass shim every time you bring a pen into use. When I started the pen hobby a few months ago, I had a few pens that hadn't been used in years and which had been left with ink in them. I had to flush them with water for a while to get out the dried ink, but never flossed the nibs. They all returned to being fully functional. Even if there is dried ink between the tines of your pens, it shouldn't cause a problem if you fill the pens with a converter or other filling mechanism that involves submerging the nib in ink during the filling process. Your 51, for example, has the nib in the bottle of ink during filling, so I would imagine that even if there is a bit of dried ink in the nib it would dissolve as the pen is being filled. I wish I could help with your problem, but without any understanding of what could be causing the problem I'm just mystified.

[akustyk]

Please, do not use that brass shim any more. It's not doing anything at this point. It's quite possible that you made the space between the tines too broad as a result, and that may impede capillary action thus causing hard starts.

 

Here are a few things you can try.

Get a few samples of inks that are know to have good flow (Pilot Iroshizuku line, Diamine, among many). Try to see if flow improves. If it does not improve, then the nibs are probably set incorrectly, or there may be another reason altogether. It's hard to speculate. Either way, you should consider sending the pen out for a tune-up.

 

Finally, I frequently notice decreased ink flow in really dry conditions, particularly indoors with an air conditioner and/or dehumidifier working.

 

Good luck.

[pepsiplease69]

Maybe try to store the pen nib-down and see if that changes the behavior when you pick it up to use it again.

[tinta]

As akustyk suggests, do not use a brass shim on your nibs.

 

The brass shim is the very last resort.

This is after you have done thorough cleaning with plain water & maybe an ammonia solution. After you have tried different well behaved inks, though Quink & Scrip are not high maintenance.

 

Aggressive flossing or employing brass shims have the potential of changing the flow characteristics of your nibs (even stopping the capillary action), spreading the tines, maybe even bending them out of alignment.

 

I believe that many of today's DIYS nib-tuning supplies may have been in the tool kit of professional nib technicians & are now available to anyone who can access a web-site. Just because these "tools" are available to today's pen users, does not mean that they "should" be used.

[ac12]

If you cleaned your pens well, you should not have dry ink in the ink channels.

If you do have dry ink, the dry ink will dissolve, but it will take a while to dissolve.

 

When you flush to store the pen, you flush till you see NO INK coming out of the pen.

Then put the pen nib down in a glass and fill the glass with water, to just below the top of the section. This will help to draw out liquid ink from the feed fins and collector. Leave it to soak overnight. If you find a cloud of ink, flush the pen, then repeat the soak.

 

Depending on the pen, when you load the pen from a bottle, the pen takes ink in through an intake channel (at the base of the feed next to the section), not from the ink channel to the nib. So you may still require time for the ink to flow from the back of the feed down to the front of the nib.

 

Where do you live?

Maybe you need to meet with some more experienced pen folks who can look at your pens and help you figure out what is going on?

 

BTW, what thickness brass shim are you using? And WHERE are you flossing the nib; between the tines and/or between the nib and the feed? As others have said, you may have spread the tines apart too far, or pushed the nib too far from the feed. If so, the pens may need a trip to a pen tech to reset the nib.

[jetsam]

You're absolutely right. I've been playing around with these professional tools in my very amateurish way as a quick fix.

I shall stop using the brass shim and try some of the more acceptable suggestions in this thread.

Thanks. You may have prevented some unwitting damage to some very nice old pens.

[jetsam]

I just saw your last post ac12. The shim has no thickness listed, only 1 1/2 x 2 inches dimensions.

I drag the brass corner from the nib hole down to the tip.

I'll spend more time flushing and soaking and resist the urge to start writing prematurely.

I'm glad dry ink can dissolve so I I can substitute the brass shim for some patience.

[ac12]

If the brass sheet/shim was more than .002" thick, you may have already damaged the nib to where you may need a pen tech to adjust the nib.

I would be especially careful of your expensive pens like the duofold and P51.

Experiment and learn on cheap pens, where a mistake is not costly.

 

The P51 is notorious for being difficult to clean. It can and does take a LONG time to clean out the old ink, especially the Vacumatic model. So when I ink up a 51, it STAYS inked.

[jetsam]

So when I ink up a 51, it STAYS inked.

 

But then it has to be used, doesn't it? If you put it aside for a few months, doesn't it develop fungus in the ink which then clogs the pen?

[Buzz_130]

Pens should not develop fungus or other growths. The most likely exception is a pen that is filled with a bad batch of ink.

 

From your discussion thus far, you have too many pens inked. We probably all made this mistake in the early days of our fountain pen usage as we want to try every nib and ink combination we can imagine (or afford). If you have a pen sitting for months, you will certainly have dried out nibs and clogged feeds. The solution, as most are mentioning above, has nothing to do with mechanical force. Instead, you should be using water to clean out the ink. For stubborn clogs, you can purchase a pen flush (or make your own).

 

Start by filling just two or three pens and take the time to use them daily and throughout the week. I'll bet you will find that your pens work effortlessly, and you'll begin to develop a feel for the types of pens and nibs you enjoy. You'll see how the nib and ink interact with the different papers you use. The pen should fade from your mind and be a tool in your hand. These are fine tools to capture and record great thoughts (or even just the silly ones).

 

Slow down, enjoy the ride, and don't let your pens sit for too long (you should never have to use a shim except for repairs).

 

Buzz

[ac12]

 

 

But then it has to be used, doesn't it? If you put it aside for a few months, doesn't it develop fungus in the ink which then clogs the pen?

 

My 51s are use several times a week. IOW, they will never go more than a week without use, unless I am on vacation.

 

I do not put an inked pen aside for months. If I am going to put a pen aside, it will be cleaned for storage.

 

The only time a pen goes for more than a week without use, is when I have too many inked pens in use, or I have a new ink that I am using a lot so will write with my other pens less.

[Brianm_14]

Unless your tap water has a high mineral content (hard water), the use of distilled water is unnecessary, At most, use it for a final rinse in water to remove the tap water. I say this from decades of critical washing of lab glassware. We wash and do the initial rinses in tap water, only using distilled water for final rinsing.

 

When you rinse your pens, are you flushing thoroughly? Preferably, you should use a rubber bulb (of the type used to rinse out ear canals) to push water through. Also, if you can, pull and push rinse water both ways through the nib/feeder assembly. While I don't pretend to know enough to advise you concerning vintage pens, with your newer, less valuable pens you also might try rinsing first with a few drops of Dawn detergent in about 4 - 6 ounces of cool water. Clear ammonia solution in water (1 to 10 dilution) as another possibility. Then rinse completely with plain water. Follow with one or two rinses of distilled water if you wish.

 

Whatever is causing the problem is something in common to all the pens, which suggests perhaps drying storage conditions or something similar. If you obtain a cheap Platinum Preppy pen -known to resist drying- you could keep it with your other pens and see if it does or does not develop these problems. Also, try storing some point down and some point up, as someone suggested, and write a few lines with your inked pens everyday for a few weeks, starting the flow if needed by dipping the point in the ink.

 

Keep looking for whatever is in common to all the pens. Use your less valuable pens as test subjects.

 

The possibility remains that excessive use of brass shims might have made the problem worse, not better, in all the pens. Let us hope not! Good luck!

[Bo Bo Olson]

There were times when I had 17 pens inked. The ones that got no play got dry unable to start...but the ink was still wet inside.

I have a stamp sponge in a rubber bowl....used once in the US before the no lick stamps....and in countries like Germany were they still have lick stamps.

 

If you wet the sponge every three days, it's wet enough to get the ink going in pens that sat too long.

 

You can also put 1/4th a shot of water in a shot glass and just dip the pen.....works also.

[jetsam]

When I started this thread I never imagined that I was doing so many wrong things.

Thank you all for sharing the benefit of your experience and all the personal tips, before I had time to do any serious damage!

If this thread doesn't solve my problem, nothing will.

I think Buzz summed it up well when he said "Slow down, enjoy the ride, ...." I need to rediscover that enjoyment I used to get from just flushing a pen.

I don't want to turn into one of those people who doesn't deserve to use anything better than a Platinum Preppy.