Filling A 61 Cap Filler

[djmaher]

I've never owned a 61 before. Recently I obtained one, did a disassemble and clean. Was my Grandfather's pen, found in a box of his stuff.

 

How long should the Cap filler need to be dipped in ink to fill? Assuming a completely dry pen.

 

I did my 1st test dip, maybe a minute or two, and find it to be dry writing at this point. Does longer help at all?

 

Has anyone dipped, nib-first, to "prime" the collector and feed? I don't know how much ink is transferred to the collector from the feed and Cap system, on an initial fill.

 

I know the 61 has a rep as a notorious dry writer. I'm willing to work with it a bit. My 1st dip was a Herbin ink (Bleu Myosotis) Something not too pigmented to allow for easy removal. And, I'm new to the pen, so my questions may seem clueless.

 

Any help would be appreciated. And, maybe suggestions for a different, wetter flowing ink, perhaps?

[Aislingean]

It helps to blow through the capillary unit when these pens have been inked after sitting some time.
A turkey baster bulb or even your mouth can work wonders!
Look in repairs for cleaning instructions

[inkstainedruth]

I don't have Bleu Myosotis, but Eclat de Saphir works great in a 61, so I can't imagine that Bleu Myositis would be a problem, since the regular-line J. Herbin inks tend to be less saturated than some brands. I leave the end in about 15-20 seconds.
Admittedly, when I got my first one, I didn't disassemble it. The guy who sold it to me said to stick it under the tap with the barrel off, nib down. I didn't do that (I have hard water) but I used a bulb syringe and distilled water. I also just used the ink that was reconstituted in the pen until it ran dry, then repeated the process until then ink was too diluted to be legible on the page, then flushed it really well and let it drain in paper towels.

I'm wondering if you either didn't get it reassembled correctly, or didn't get all the old ink out and are having a bad interaction between Bleu Myosotis and what was originally in the pen.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

ETA: Also wondering if your issue is the nib. Most of my 61s seem to be mediums, but the one I bought at OPS last month is clearly a fine (or even possibly an extra fine) -- and it clearly does not have as good a flow as the mediums; OTOH, I'm still working off the ink that was in the pen (likely Quink Black).

Edited December 15, 2018 by inkstainedruth

[djmaher]

I have both of those inks, and so I took your advice and used the Bleu. It is a pretty light, unsaturated color in this pen.

 

In my case, I had to disassemble the pen. In the process of cleaning/flushing, I dropped it nib down on the floor (insert cringing face here) I imagine you saw the photos I took. After uttering several choice and not-so-choice swear words, and other bad-sounding words, you can imagine what I saw when I picked it up. Which took me a minute or two, considering the history of the pen for me.

 

At that point, I had a choice. Finish cleaning and put it away. Or, Try the repair, replace the nib, and hope for the best. You probably saw those photos too. I may have goofed up the reassembly, but, who knows. I was careful as I could be. And, with guides here, and elsewhere, it went back together fairly easily. There was no old ink left in the pen. But, it is possible that the feed is still partially plugged, despite my best efforts. Everything is in pretty close quarters inside the pen. Even if the idea of a Cap fill system didn't work well, some engineer somewhere still had a pretty good idea about how to do it. Once you get the thing apart, it really is a bit amazing, all things considered.

 

The nib is Fine. Maybe even an Extra Fine. The 61 nibs don't have any size markings on them. At least mine didn't. The pen writes. But, ink flow is super-stingy. Puts down a super fine line.

 

It's probably a combination of issues. But, I fear, it will be like a needle in haystack finding the issue. In a long-term project kind of way.