Question About My Old Parker Urban

[khalameet]

Hello!

 

I bought a Parker Urban back in 2008 or 2009 I think. Back then I still was a pupil in 9th grade and wanted to have something nicer than all the other kids with all these Safaris or Al-Stars (which probably every kid in Germany had at some point).

The pen I bought back then looks like this one: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/245794-parker-urban-metallic-chrome-review/

(I hope it is okay to link this review here since I noticed that there is a newer version of this pen now, just to avoid confusion).

 

I think I frequently used this pen until 2011...not sure about that. Back then with Quink washable blue cartridges, because 1) in Germany you have to use a washable blue ink at school (at least 10 years ago) and 2) I was a dumb kid and not aware of the existence of bottled ink or even converters.

Now, half a year ago I found this pen again, still with a cartridge inside. I gave it a good cleaning and inked it with Pilot blue black to make sure it writes okay, which it did readily, and cleaned it again, let it dry and now I have it here on my desk, because I am not sure what to do with it.

 

For everyday writing I use either my Custom 823 or Custom 74, so there is no place for the Urban, just because these Pilots write like a dream. Further I don't want to carry it out of the house because this pen has emotional value and I don't want to lose it at work or university (which I did with another pen, and everyone who experienced such thing knows it sucks).

 

But still I always need a pen inked with something red, so I thought I leave it as a kind of desk pen at home and fill it with some red ink and use it more or less frequently when I do some work at my desk at home. But the pen will not get MUCH use, right know I think about thrice times a week max., sometimes probably not once a week.

 

And as I don't want to damage the pen, I was wondering if the cap does seal well enough to ensure that the ink does not dry? I would be pretty annoyed if I have to clean it every few days.

Because of the sentimental value it seems wrong to not use it, but at the same time I don't want to render it useless somehow. But maybe that is just me overthinking it.

 

The red ink will likely be Herbin's Rouge Opera.

 

Let me know what you think, and please excuse my Kartoffel-english

Edited February 22, 2019 by khalameet

[Smurf-JJ-81]

The earlier Urban uses the vector nib and feed, which is a very reliable old unit, it is a simple push fit so it is really easy to remove and clean, so I wouldn't worry about doing any long term damage as it is very unlikely, I came across a Profile/IM that had been sat in a drawer for 3 years with ink in, a quick dip in a shallow pool of warm water (3-4mm) and then bleed it out for a bit on tissue paper is usually enough to get them going again!

[inkstainedruth]

I don't have an older Urban, but any Parker cartridge will fit, as well as the slide converters and the newer style slim twist converters (the older fatter twist cartridges do NOT fit, as I discovered to my chagrin a few years ago). If you get a converter, it is easy to flush the nib and feed (as well as using bottled ink to fill the pen after it's flushed out.

The nib unit on mine (about 3 years newer than yours) unscrews from the section, so you can also soak it separately. My recommendation: flush/soak with distilled water, then with a dilute ammonia solution (about 1 part clear ammonia to 9 parts distilled water) with a drop of liquid dish detergent, then flush that with more distilled water until no more ink flushes out (if you remove the nib unit, you can use a bulb syringe fitted over the back of the feed to flush liquid through the pen.

Hopefully your pen is not like mine -- no matter how many times I've flushed and soaked the nib assembly, I still get ink leaking from the collar over the top of the nib.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Smurf-JJ-81]

I don't have an older Urban, but any Parker cartridge will fit, as well as the slide converters and the newer style slim twist converters (the older fatter twist cartridges do NOT fit, as I discovered to my chagrin a few years ago). If you get a converter, it is easy to flush the nib and feed (as well as using bottled ink to fill the pen after it's flushed out.

The nib unit on mine (about 3 years newer than yours) unscrews from the section, so you can also soak it separately. My recommendation: flush/soak with distilled water, then with a dilute ammonia solution (about 1 part clear ammonia to 9 parts distilled water) with a drop of liquid dish detergent, then flush that with more distilled water until no more ink flushes out (if you remove the nib unit, you can use a bulb syringe fitted over the back of the feed to flush liquid through the pen.

Hopefully your pen is not like mine -- no matter how many times I've flushed and soaked the nib assembly, I still get ink leaking from the collar over the top of the nib.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

I haven't come across the newer Urban Ruth, am I right in thinking that it is the same as the Frontier nib/feed?

[Lodzermensch]

(...) if the cap does seal well enough to ensure that the ink does not dry?

Using a pen once a weeek is a risky idea IMHO. But who knows maybe it works

If you are going to use this pen only once a week or so I would take following precautions;

1. Seal the pen. Try to reduce ink drying when pen is unused.
2. Inspect your ink level every month not to let your pen dry out completely. Observe how it works and how it dries.
3. Store the capped and inked pen with nib upwards.

ad.1. HOW TO SEAL the pen (safe, clean and easy)

• Put a bit of silicone oil or silicone grease on the metal collar - the ring at the top of the section. This ring connects to the cap and seals the pen. With a bit of silicone grease this seal may be much more effective - especially in a long term and if the pen is not a new one.
• Use some silicone grease to seal the connection betwen the section and the cartridge where the cartridge/converter is plugged in - make sure there is absolutely no air access to the ink.
• Use silicone grease to cover the threads on the body and on the section (just to make 200% sure there is no air access to the cartridge)

I believe the above action is very easy and clean? No air access - no drying.

Less ink stored and dried on the feed, less problems about cleaning.

 

Good luck (y)

[inkstainedruth]

 

I haven't come across the newer Urban Ruth, am I right in thinking that it is the same as the Frontier nib/feed?

 

No clue. I don't have any Frontiers, so I can't compare them.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[sujomathew06]

The earlier Urban uses the vector nib and feed, which is a very reliable old unit, it is a simple push fit so it is really easy to remove and clean, so I wouldn't worry about doing any long term damage as it is very unlikely, I came across a Profile/IM that had been sat in a drawer for 3 years with ink in, a quick dip in a shallow pool of warm water (3-4mm) and then bleed it out for a bit on tissue paper is usually enough to get them going again!

Hey,

 

Well said and really a good advise for me..

[ardene]

I have a chrome old Urban and it is one of my best writers. Used it with Parker blue cartridges (blue / washable blue / blue black depending on what my local stationer was stocking at the time of cartridge purchase). The ink will slowly dry out if not used, eventually leaving a clear cartridge behind. The pen would write with thicker ink in it on all occasions. Also, as others said the pen is very easy to clean after the ink has dried out. So rarely using it shouldn't be a problem even with red ink in it provided that you rise the feed with water three or four times per year.