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I'm Crying: I Flushed A Nib Down The Sink!


the_gasman

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I spotted a Parker 45 with a lovely "R" medium oblique nib on Ebay. The pen was sold as the usual "Vintage Parker pen" so I don't think that anyone had spotted the oblique nib. I won the pen for £20 and it arrived this morning. I had a few minutes before I had to go out so went to the sink to flush it out and clean the nib and feed.

 

Argh! The nib slipped out of my hand and went sailing away down the plug. I turned the tap off straight away, but it was too late. I dismantled the U-bend but no sign of the nib. Short of digging up the road to investigate the local drainage system, I think my ownership of a beautiful nib has been short-lived.

 

The best lessons are the hardest ones. But I could still cry.

 

Onwards.

 

Cheers,

David.

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...which is why I have a screen in the drain opening.

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Or atleast close the drain. I absolutely know better than to do this and Yet I've done it several times. I've even lost a MB nib down the drain.

Oh yeah, that reminds me...

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Always put the plug in the sink before starting to clean a pen of any sort. I'm not sure why your one wasn't in the sink trap though, but lesson learned. :unsure:

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Sad story indeed. Maybe an archaeologist will be happy about your mishap some day...

 

I recommend these when cleaning small party in a sink.

51PRmHgnsIL._SY355_.jpgThey come in many shapes. I'm sure there is one fitting your sink. Don't let it happen again.

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I have lost a pilot tank (eyedropper) nib about 8 years ago in the same way and it is still paining a lot. Feel sorry for you.

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I keep worrying that I would do something like that. The bathroom sink I use does not have a stopper. Guess I better stop risking it before I learn like you did.

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Oh I feel your pain. Still, you will never make that mistake again, but what a painful lesson.

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I feel your pain although this is one of the few mistakes I haven't made.

Yet.

Maybe this will help you feel better. It's the January 9, 1949 episode of the Phil Harris and Alice Faye radio show that involves a lost engagement ring.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3puBRA0o8iE

Dave Campbell
Retired Science Teacher and Active Pen Addict
Every day is a chance to reduce my level of ignorance.

fpn_1425200643__fpn_1425160066__super_pi

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I clean over a small tub in the sink.

So if the nib or object slips out of my hand it lands in the tub.

 

Second line of defense is a screen that I always keep on the drain.

San Francisco Pen Show - August 28-30, 2020 - Redwood City, California

www.SFPenShow.com

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This is one good reason not to remove nibs or nib units unnecessarily. A good soak and (for c/c pens like the 45) pressure bulb flushing or a similar method is often enough to clean a nib and feed. The P45 nib units and especially the loose nibs are especially risky since they are so small.

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http://des.gearbest.com/uploads/pdm-desc-pic/Clothing/image/2016/06/16/1466059820984995.jpgThis type is what I use. It can even catch that tiny little rod which looks like a thin piece of pencil lead found in a parker 51 collector.

 

Looking for a black SJ Transitional Esterbrook Pen. (It's smaller than an sj)

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A few beers provide the perfect therapy for a flushed nib! Hic!

 

I happen to have bought an "R" nib a couple of weeks ago – it is absolutely fabulous, hence the desire for a second. At least my count has gone from 2 to 1, not 1 to 0.

 

Right – no more moaning, I have lost a tiny piece of functionally formed metal through my own stupidity. Compared with the problems that many people face, my loss just doesn't even register on the scale! First world problems.

 

I now have this perspective: "I wish it hadn't happened, but it has".

 

Thanks for the empathy, guys.

 

I move on.

 

Cheers,

David.

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Oh I feel your pain.

I was lucky in that the times I've dropped stuff down the drain they were still in the trap -- and one of them was PART of the clutch ring assembly for a Parker 21, and it was after several days.... But yeah, that really bites.

You're absolutely positive it wasn't in the trap? Because when I realized that I was missing part of the clutch assembly I was frantically looking online to see if I could find a complete replacement (I hadn't realized that it wasn't a single ring until I tried putting the hood back on...).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

"It's very nice, but frankly, when I signed that list for a P-51, what I had in mind was a fountain pen."

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http://des.gearbest.com/uploads/pdm-desc-pic/Clothing/image/2016/06/16/1466059820984995.jpgThis type is what I use. It can even catch that tiny little rod which looks like a thin piece of pencil lead found in a parker 51 collector.

Thanx for showing this, Larry. I'm going to look for one the next time I'm at the Home Depot.

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Did you look in the P-trap?

San Francisco International Pen Show - The next “Funnest Pen Show” is on schedule for August 23-24-25, 2024.  Watch the show website for registration details. 
 

My PM box is usually full. Just email me: my last name at the google mail address.

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This is why I use a portable sink to wash all my stuff. The small suitcase sink stores all my distilled water and stores all of my used water.

 

If you can't find one of those use a portable oil pan. It prevents certain mistakes like this. Or Ink staining the sink. As with certain inks can stain the sink so I would add more water to dilute the washed ink.

#Nope

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