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Advice On Ultrasonic Cleaners


Marcwithac

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I feel like I am reading more and more about people using ultrasonic cleaners to clean old ink out of fountain pens. I understand they work great, but my only experience with one - some 25 years ago - was close to catastrophic. A fellow vintage pen collector demonstrated an ultrasonic to me and offered to let me try it out. Being unaware of the potential danger, I decided to test it with a Pelikan 100 where it seemed that dried ink had gunked up the turning knob. But this was no ordinary 100; it was a bandless 1929 first-year model. Within a minute all of the black hard rubber turned to a sickly greenish-brown. With time and effort, I was able to return the cap and most of the turning knob to its original color, but the pen was no longer pristine and I decided to stay away from ultrasonics.

 

My question is - where can I learn which pens (or pen parts) can safely be cleaned with an ultrasonic, and which should never come within spitting distance of such a machine?

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I would say that the problem you experienced was not with the ultrasonic. The problem was with the material, its age, and exposure to/contact with water. The hard rubber had already be damage by exposure to UV light, and then the water reacted with the damaged HR. You likely would have seen the same problem if you had simply soaked the back end of the pen, which is sometimes necessary to get a Pelikan apart without cracking the barrel.

 

I use an ultrasonic to clean pens and pen parts all day every day in the shop and have for a very long time. I consider it to be an essential tool for pen repair. There are few parts that can not be cleaned in an ultrasonic. I do not immerse barrels of lever fill pens because I do not want the internal parts to rust. I generally do not immerse caps, but I do use the ultrasonic to clean nibs, nib assemblies and other parts that come in contact with ink, which are the parts that need the "penetrating action" of an ultrasonic.

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I would say that the problem you experienced was not with the ultrasonic. The problem was with the material, its age, and exposure to/contact with water. The hard rubber had already be damage by exposure to UV light, and then the water reacted with the damaged HR. You likely would have seen the same problem if you had simply soaked the back end of the pen, which is sometimes necessary to get a Pelikan apart without cracking the barrel.

 

I use an ultrasonic to clean pens and pen parts all day every day in the shop and have for a very long time. I consider it to be an essential tool for pen repair. There are few parts that can not be cleaned in an ultrasonic. I do not immerse barrels of lever fill pens because I do not want the internal parts to rust. I generally do not immerse caps, but I do use the ultrasonic to clean nibs, nib assemblies and other parts that come in contact with ink, which are the parts that need the "penetrating action" of an ultrasonic.

 

I have a Sheaffer Targa that has had J.Herbin 1670 Rouge Hematite version 1 ink in it. It caused loads of red crud on the nib and feed. I've soaked it several times in water, and have been wondering whether it would be safe enough to put the section into my USC. It's not a heated version, but the liquid does get warmer in there the longer you leave it running. No matter how many times I soak this section in pen flush or water, there is always a pink spot on the kitchen towel, so I know there's still ink in there coming from the breather hole.

 

I'm starting to wonder if the nib will lift off of the section before it is properly clean.

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Hi Chrissy,

 

Naturally, I'll defer to Ron's expertise, but I have a Targa with the inlaid 14k nib and I put it in my usc w/o any problems.

 

My advice would be to set it on the minimum setting and repeat as necessary... but by doing it on the minimum setting; it will hopefully prevent the risk of overdoing it.

 

 

- Anthony

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I would say that the problem you experienced was not with the ultrasonic. The problem was with the material, its age, and exposure to/contact with water. The hard rubber had already be damage by exposure to UV light, and then the water reacted with the damaged HR. You likely would have seen the same problem if you had simply soaked the back end of the pen, which is sometimes necessary to get a Pelikan apart without cracking the barrel.

+1 :thumbup:

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I think Ron nailed the essentials. It depends on the materials and how water resistant they are. I use my ultrasonic cleaner a lot, usually adding some dish washing detergent to lukewarm water. It helps removing crusted ink and other debris so that nibs/feeds, sections, piston mechanics can be removed without damage. But one should know what materials the pen is made of. Hard rubber might suffer if it's not in good condition. I usually avoid putting HR pens in the ultrasonic cleaner. But I had no bad experiences with ebonite feeds so far, ebonite being nothing else but a hard rubber. The material that really gets totaled by water and thus USC is casein (Galalith).

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Chrissy - While an ultrasonic helps and Rapido-eze helps, it often takes more.

 

The collector in a Targa nib is completely enclosed, and the collector fins and ink channel are really fine. The combination often makes it really difficult to get dried ink and crud out of the collector. I disassemble the nib unit, pull the feed, clean everything in an ultrasonic and reassemble with a new 0-ring inside.

 

You need to be careful. Sheaffer used a couple of different adhesives over the years, one an adhesive (like Locktite) to secure the thread bushing. If you aren't careful, you can crack the shell trying to get it out. DON'T try to remove the thread bushing on a Legacy nib unit. I was told by a Sheaffer engineer that they are glued in using an epoxy cement.

 

One other "DON'T" is to use a solvent to clean the nib unit. I've seen where this was done, and the collector/feed is fused to the shell.

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...One other "DON'T" is to use a solvent to clean the nib unit. I've seen where this was done, and the collector/feed is fused to the shell.

Hi Ron,

 

In technical/scientific terms, even water is classified as a solvent... can you please be more specific; e.g., does this prohibition include ammonia?

 

 

- Anthony

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I would say that the problem you experienced was not with the ultrasonic. The problem was with the material, its age, and exposure to/contact with water. The hard rubber had already be damage by exposure to UV light, and then the water reacted with the damaged HR. You likely would have seen the same problem if you had simply soaked the back end of the pen, which is sometimes necessary to get a Pelikan apart without cracking the barrel.

 

Thinking about it some more, I have two follow up questions:

 

1. Is there anyway to know in advance whether BHR has been exposed to UV light in order to avoid the fate I sufferered?

 

2. What should one look for when buying an ultrasonic cleaner specifically for pens?

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2. What should one look for when buying an ultrasonic cleaner specifically for pens?

 

As far as buying a USC for fountain pens, there have been several threads on here over the years that suggest exactly what to look for. I can't remember the details offhand but a search will bring them up.

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I was advised to look for a model that did NOT have controls on the lid-- I suppose the thinking is that moisture will accumulate there and could cause electrical problems. I wish mine had a removable tank so I wouldn't have to unplug and carry the whole thing to the sink to dump it.

2. What should one look for when buying an ultrasonic cleaner specifically for pens?

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Thinking about it some more, I have two follow up questions:

 

1. Is there anyway to know in advance whether BHR has been exposed to UV light in order to avoid the fate I sufferered?

None that I know of it yet. My approach is never to put in a USC any hard rubber that is exposed when the pen is closed. That leaves only the section and the feed, of which I feel comfortable only when cleaning the feed.

X

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The reason to avoid ultrasonics with button in the lid is that the very thing wire goes through the hinge, and the darn things break rather quickly. I had one, and ended up taking it apart and putting buttons on the front.

 

Anthony - lets stick to the practical definition of solvent - acetone, MEK, alcohol, etc. Water and ammonia are what you use to clean the pen.

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Hi Ron,

 

In technical/scientific terms, even water is classified as a solvent... can you please be more specific; e.g., does this prohibition include ammonia?

 

 

- Anthony

 

 

Anthony,

 

In technical/scientific terms one substance is called a solvent if it dissolves another substance called solute to a certain degree (usually at least 100 ppm). So, water is a solvent for sugar or salt (NaCl) but not for ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene stryrene) or barium sulfate (BaSO4). ;)

Sorry, I couldn't keep my mouth shut.

 

One issue with switches in the lid of USCs is corrosion due to water vapor. These cheapies are not made for extensive use but may be OK for an occasional clean up. The professional USCs I know are rather expensive, the lids are not attached, and those are built like a tank.

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Anthony - lets stick to the practical definition of solvent - acetone, MEK, alcohol, etc. Water and ammonia are what you use to clean the pen.

 

Anthony,

 

In technical/scientific terms one substance is called a solvent if it dissolves another substance called solute to a certain degree (usually at least 100 ppm). So, water is a solvent for sugar or salt (NaCl) but not for ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene stryrene) or barium sulfate (BaSO4). ;)

Sorry, I couldn't keep my mouth shut...

That's okay, Omassino... :) ...

 

Yes... I know I was being particularly and deliberately obtuse... :D ...but it isn't w/o good reason... you read a lot of conflicting "expert" opinions about proper hygiene for vintage pens... including NOT to soak them in water OR ammonia solutions... and I wanted to hear Ron's opinion right down to the gnats-ass.

 

Be well all... if that's possible here. :D

 

 

- Anthony

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I've read warnings elsewhere on the FPN not to put a Parker 61 section in an usc as it may dislodge the inlaid arrow.

"If you want to succeed in the world, you don't have to be much cleverer than other people. You just have to be one day earlier." -- Leo Szilard

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No worries! As a scientist at a chemistry faculty I simply couldn't resist this answer.

 

I'm not aware of a hygiene debate regarding vintage fountain pens. Maybe, my subconscious steered me away from such a topic. Mostly I do with my vintage pens what has been done for decades - use them and refill them without much thought about cleaning. I flush them when they go out of rotation, though.

 

A different topic is cleaning a cruddy pen that spent the past 60 years uncleaned at an attic. You often have to soak them for an extended time in water with some mild detergent if the material permits. I also use an ultrasonic cleaner to remove the crud. Ammonia solution is needed to clean up hard rubber since it removes the free sulfur and neutralizes the acid in the material. I don't see what this has to do with hygiene, it's simply a necessity to be able to open the pen and make frozen parts movable again. It's just part of the restoration process.

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I have seen a routine ultrasonic cleaning remove the (very thin) gold plating from third tier vintage nibs.

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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Another reason to prefer units with controls on the front rather than on the lid is that it is easier to operate when the lid is open.

Ink 'em if you got 'em!

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