Ammonia Vs Bleach

[millerb7]

I know most say 10:1 water:ammonia for a good cleaning solution. How does bleach perform? Mainly for just sucking up a water/bleach mix into a syringe and squirting out a cartridge to clean it up? Also how about putting it in a bulb (bleach/water mix) and rinsing out the nib?

[PatientType]

Never heard of using bleach on a pen and I don't think I'd try it. I'd think that bleach would tend to degrade the rubber seals in a converter.

[TWRDO]

Never heard of using bleach on a pen and I don't think I'd try it. I'd think that bleach would tend to degrade the rubber seals in a converter.

 

I wouldn't go so far as to say it will dissolve pens, but bleach is definitely bad news for some pens. It's totally chemically different from ammonia, and more reactive. Don't use it.

 

In any case, straight water is all you're going to need probably 95% of the time.

Edited October 15, 2010 by TWRDO

[MJ Vesuvius]

NO BLEACH! Sorry to shout, but I had a very bad experience several years ago when I tried to

use bleach to clear up some mold growing inside a MB 149. The bleach corroded the tip of the

nib. Some kind of unexpected chemical reaction. Yikes. I thought it was ruined, but I polished it

back into good shape with some jeweler's rouge polishing compound. The mold had to be

physically removed by a pen doctor.

– MJ

[handwriter]

"Like most plastics, celluloid may be harmed by exposure to alcohol, bleach, and other harsh chemicals,..."

 

http://www.americanartplastics.com/celluloid.shtml

[handwriter]

"Bleach can rapidly remove stubborn ink residue, but will also aggressively attack metals. Some advocate using it to blacken faded hard rubber, but it will often leave a coarse, porous surface that is both unsightly and unmistakable, and its effects on mottled and ripple hard rubber are even worse. Long-term effects of bleach on hard rubber are unknown."

 

http://www.vintagepens.com/pen_repair_donts.htm

[LisaN]

Ammonia is a weak base (compared to lye) and if you could put it in the redox scale, a very weak reducing agent.

Household bleach is a strong oxidizing agent, and is the sodium salt of hypochlorous acid- so pretty basic.

 

Oxidizers and metal... makes rust (metal oxide).

Oxidizers and plastic may make degraded plastics. (bonds between the atoms become breakable by water alone!)

 

Bleach and ammonia make... poison gas. Chloamines, Chlorine, etc.

 

However, if you want to risk it, I think that the polypropylene or polyethylene cartridge would be fine. Just make sure you soak with alcohol afterward, and soak and discard an ink load. Not worth it in my book. If you want to disinfect, fill the cart with rubbing alcohol. Or dilute ammonia.

 

By the way the bleach does not make the ink "disappear". It may simply remove some electrons, or break some bonds, or convert the ink to something even more intractable.

Edited October 15, 2010 by LisaN

[millerb7]

Haha. I'll stick to the ammonia/water mix.

 

Had never used bleach on any pens, pure curiosity.

[Pulsewidth]

Even if it doesn't corrode the pen, bleach will leave a residue so it will need to be thoroughly rinsed. The big advantage of ammonia is that is evaporates without leaving a residue.