Washable Ink As Part Of Pen Maintenance?

[onetake]

When I first started using fountain pens in 1981, the only ink I was allowed to use was washable ink -- and since the only fountain pen ink brand that was readily available at the bookstore where I got my supplies was Parker Quink, Washable Royal Blue was it.

 

Around that time, I recall being told (not sure by whom -- might have been my uncle, might have been a teacher) that another use for that Washable Royal Blue was to keep a fountain pen running smoothly. Every few fills, particularly if the pen hadn't been used for a while or otherwise might have contained ink that had dried out, I was to load it with the washable stuff.

 

Now, all these years later, I'm wondering whether that is correct information. I'm also looking for alternative washable inks that might be used for this purpose. For example, would the Pelikan 4001 Königsblau or Waterman Serenity Blue work as well? I seem to recall seeing posts on the forums that mention the Waterman, at least, in such a context -- or for testing pens that are being worked on/repaired/restored.

Edited July 31, 2015 by onetake

[alexander_k]

I swear by Quink Washable Blue - not as an ink but as a cleaning product. Every second-hand pen I get is first cleaned thoroughly by hand and then inked with Washable Blue, which gets to the hidden stuff. After that, a second wash by hand and the pen is usually as clean as it can ever be. As for smooth operation, I wouldn't go so far as to alternate my regular inks with Washable Blue or similar. Many inks work well in terms of lubrication (my experiences with most Diamine inks are excellent) and if you use the pen regularly and the cap fits properly, then you shouldn't worry. People tend to flush their pens every now and then but with the exception of iron gall inks I haven't had the need yet.

[onetake]

Thanks for the quick reply. I have a P51 Special due to arrive tomorrow, hence my post. Your answer is exactly what I was looking for, in terms of the first question. Still wondering if there are other inks that might perform a similar function.

Edited July 31, 2015 by onetake

[dcwaites]

Years ago, all Parker Quink Inks came with Solv-X, which was a solvent that cleaned out a pen as it was written with. Current Parker Quink inks don't have Solv-X any more and are no more special than any other inks at cleaning out a pen.

I have several old bottles of Parker Quink with Solv-X (Permanent Blue-Black and Permanent Blue) that I use if a pen is misbehaving and I don't want to disassemble it. I keep the ink in the pen for a week, writing with it at least once a day, until the pen is behaving properly.

 

If you don't have any Parker Quink with Solv-X, then you will need to clean out the pen with standard methods, ie a flush and a soak using a 10% solution of clear ammonia in warm water, then multiple rinses with clear water.

Do not use bleach. Do not use more than 10% ammonia (i.e. 10 mls of clear ammonia in 100 mls luke-warm water). Do not use hot water.

 

As for cleaning out a pen, there is no difference as far as the pen is concerned between washable inks, water resistant/proof inks and permanent inks. These properties only affect how the ink reacts with paper, not the pen. A permanent ink with a lot of solvent/flow control agent will clean a pen better than a washable ink with no or little flow agent (which is just a mild detergent).

[Paddler]

Back in the days when I was restoring old pens from the wild (flea market jewels), I would sometimes get one with a constriction in the feed, probably caused by dried ink. I would fill the pen with a thin vintage ink like Peacock Blue Skrip and then write a few lines with it every day, keeping fresh ink at work dissolving things inside the feed. This would eventually clear the constriction. I did no comparisons with other inks or methods; maybe any fresh ink would work.

 

As for preventive maintenance, I don't do any. I just fill the pen when it is empty. If the feed shows signs of sludge buildup from evaporating ink, I rinse it off with tap water and keep writing. Beyond that, I have had no problems with washable, permanent, bulletproof, semi-bulletproof, or ersatz inks.

[Ruth Feiertag]

Onetake,

 

Have you looked into Noodler's Eel inks? here's a review that you might find interesting:

 

http://blog.gouletpens.com/2011/03/blue-ink-review-noodlers-blue-eel-guest.html

 

And there are about half a dozen colours available, so you don't have to restrict yourself to blue.

 

Ruth

[onetake]

Onetake,

 

Have you looked into Noodler's Eel inks? here's a review that you might find interesting:

 

http://blog.gouletpens.com/2011/03/blue-ink-review-noodlers-blue-eel-guest.html

 

And there are about half a dozen colours available, so you don't have to restrict yourself to blue.

 

Ruth

 

Thanks, Ruth! I'll have to order a sample next time I order from them.

[Flaxmoore]

Black Eel does work fairly well at keeping a pen happy, at least piston and vacuum fillers. Whether it keeps me happy (can't stand black as an ink) is a different story.

[Ruth Feiertag]

Flaxmoore,

 

I agree completely. My mother likes blue-black ink, and I tried that for a while, but I prefer to use a range of the wonderful colors out there. (I'm just starting to dabble in some of the amber shades.) I keep pens filled with different colours so I can change off easily.

 

I have the Eels in Cactus and a blue whose exact name doesn't come to mind right now, and both work well and have helped me get a recalcitrant pen to shape up.

 

Ruth

Edited August 4, 2015 by Ruth Feiertag

[amberleadavis]

OneTake,

 

Read here: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/258169-informal-review-noodlers-american-eel-rattler-red/

 

What is ink is amazing for ... getting out stains. With just one use, the pen went from this:

http://sheismylawyer.com/She_Thinks_In_Ink/Inked_Today/slides/20140706_195944.jpg

 

 

To this:

http://sheismylawyer.com/She_Thinks_In_Ink/Inked_Today/slides/20140713_211154.jpg

http://sheismylawyer.com/She_Thinks_In_Ink/Inked_Today/slides/20140712_165723.jpg

[amberleadavis]

So, to address what Paddler said, I used Skrip ink to take out stains. I recall NT saying at one time that the vintage Skrip inks were high in detergents (yes, they also washed out easily). Well, eel inks are made to lubricate the pistons and they do also get out old icky ink.

 

So, for maintenance inks, consider the eel inks from Noodler's, vintage Skrip inks, vintage Parker with Solv-X and Noodler's polar inks.

[amberleadavis]

Most importantly, OneTake and Ruth, welcome to FPN!

[onetake]

Thank you Amber, and quite timely -- I have an M200 clear demonstrator arriving soon. Is that what you have?

 

Good to know there may be a way to remove possible future stains.

Edited August 6, 2015 by onetake

[SeeksAdvice]

Rather expensive, but I had great luck with Iroshizuku Momiji getting out red stains in demonstrators. It even cleared out QSH stains !!! Sadly, never did find anything that would fix the stains from Diamine's Sargasso Sea.

[amberleadavis]

I wanted to love QSH. I don't.

 

I do love Sargasso, but it and Diamine Grape stain everything they touch.

[SeeksAdvice]

Sargasso doesn't do it for me. Like the color, but yeesh. I could think of several Noodler's inks that I'd take over it, and you know how I feel about a lot their products...