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Soaking Vintage Pens In Water


TheRealMikeDr

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I'm pretty new to the game but interested in tinkering with vintage pens. I've read that some pens can be damaged by soaking them in water. Curious - what materials should I look for that can be damaged if left exposed to water for too long?

 

Thanks!

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neither will casein. In fact you shouldn't immerse any pen in water - dry heat only - from a hair dryer preferably.

Edited by PaulS
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galalith = casein, it is the same material.

 

Resin will accept soaking without problem, ebonite, too but not as a routine otherwise the colour will fade.

You can clean celuloïd and galalith with water ( never to let it soak) but you better dry it immediately after, and rapidly.

 

Generally speaking, to clean a pen you don't necessarily need to put it to soak.

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thanks for the explanation - is this another of those 'depending on what side of the pond you're standing' words? I get the impression the OP has more than just cleaning in mind, but would agree that unnecessary to soak for cleaning.

Edited by PaulS
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Thanks for the quick responses!

 

Actually I was thinking of soaking (I soak all my new pens (just the nib and a bit of the section) in water when cleaning them prior to storage. I've just recently purchased some restored vintage pens and want to be sure I don't damage them while cleaning (I intend to WRITE with them!) - and secondly I would like to purchase some vintage pens in need of repair to learn on and was thinking that soaking the nib/feed was the first step.

 

Thanks for educating me on this!

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I'm in a bit of a dither myself about this too. I love old Waterman pens many of which have ebonite sections and feeds. If I soak the nib unit to dissolve old ink prior to knocking the nib out to further clean it and the feed, I run the risk of fading the section. Is it advisable to just take the risk and then polish off the fading at re-assembly please? How do the pros handle this?

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assuming the section to be a really good 'black' to start with, then you could take the risk, and if it oxidises a little when emerging from the water you could spend time removing this to get back your black......... but, wouldn't it be less intrusive to the section to simply attach a flushing bulb to the back end of the section and pump some warm water through until it emerges clean?? - perhaps a little ammonia or detergent in the water would help.

Then with the section up on a block you should be able to knock the feed and nib out without damage - start with gentle blows, and increase the thump until you sense things 'moving'.

 

Sorry, I'm not a pro, just using a little common sense :)

Edited by PaulS
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Also the resin of Omas tend to absorbe water.

having a pen for one night soaked in water, the day after the cap was n9t more fitting the body.

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Celuloïd and galalith will not like it.

Celluloid doesn't care. If it did, Vacumatics would have failed ages ago as would the Sheaffer plunger fillers, which hold the ink directly in the barrel, so therefore in contact with the celluloid barrel wall.

 

Having said that, there are some cases where you want to soak a pen, but relatively few applications where soaking is any advantage in repair work. Soaking a pen doesn't loosen dried shellac for instance, but it will soften dried ink. Dry heat is usually a much better for opening a pen.

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probably of importance too, when knocking out the feed and nib, is to make sure that the drift is square and smooth at the business end - if not you might get unequal pressure when you whack, with the potential of distortion and damage to the bits you're knocking out.

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Soak a hard rubber (Vulcanite?) black pen in warm water and it will come out an interesting olive green black, moving towards light brown

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Soak a hard rubber (Vulcanite?) black pen in warm water and it will come out an interesting olive green black, moving towards light brown

 

Very true. Knowledge of materials and their behavior is important in pen repair.....

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Water + ferrous metal = rust

What is ferrous metal, here are some: lever, C-ring, J-bar, button, pressure bar, clips, etc.

 

Also water will tend to get where you do not want it, like between the inner and outer cap.

 

Try as you might, you will likely NOT get ALL the water out.

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The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.

 

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Not to hijack the thread, but, my experience, limited though it is, is that knocking out the nib and feed from a vintage pen is only advisable if there is obvious blockage. Most dried ink can be removed by flushing with water and/or a water/ammonia mix if needed; or a short dip in the ultra sonic cleaner (nib and section only). Routine nib/feed removal can lead to problems. Think improper nib/feed fit, cracked section, broken feed, etc. I knock out the nib/feed as a last resort rather than a first choice.

 

Good luck with your pens!

May we live, not by our fears but by our hopes; not by our words but by our deeds; not by our disappointments but by our dreams.

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would agree very much with Kelly's suggestions - I think those who routinely remove feeds and nibs are probably the purists who want the pen to look as though it's just come out of the factory. It is a fact that whilst removal of the bits is fairly easy, putting back correctly in exactly the correct location can be a problem, and with the potential of damage.

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... but, wouldn't it be less intrusive to the section to simply attach a flushing bulb to the back end of the section and pump some warm water through until it emerges clean??

 

Not always possible. For instance, a Parker "Lucky Curve" feed extends out the back of the section and curves downward. Lots of variation in vintage pen designs over the years...

"When Men differ in Opinion, both Sides ought equally to have the Advantage of being heard by the Publick; and that when Truth and Error have fair Play, the former is always an overmatch for the latter."

~ Benjamin Franklin

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It is a fact that whilst removal of the bits is fairly easy, putting back correctly in exactly the correct location can be a problem,....

 

Not really. If you have a light overhead as I do (I work under a magnifying lamp) and you put a piece of white paper on the bench, the light from the lamp will reflect up from the paper and you'll be able to see where the impression left by the nib is. It makes it fairly easy to then get the nib into the same spot.

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