Taking Care Of Vintage Pens

[PhilManila]

Hello Everyone,

 

I've been reading on how to clean and take care of pens recently. I was hoping you could help me nuance my readings to vintage pens. I have a couple of vintage pens such as a Parker Vac and a p45 Flighter from the '40s.

 

I've heard that it's healthiest for a pen to have only one type of ink. For my Vac, I sealed its fate by choosing Eclat de Saphir. Now here are my questions:

 

1) Relative to other inks, is Eclat de Saphir a very saturated ink? A friend of mine uses Bleu Nuit and he told me that it clogs a bit. Since Saphir is also J herbin, I was wondering if it clogs as much as Nuit.

2) How often should I clean my pens with the ammonia solution (1:10) that people suggest?

3) If I make a 1:10 ammonia-water mix, can I leave it unused for a while (1 month or so) and just shake up the solution again when I need it? or should I always prepare a new mix every time I clean a pen?

4) Should I only "fill" the pen with the ammonia solution or can I bathe the entirety of the pen? I know that the Vac is made from celluloid and I'm unsure if the ammonia can slowly destroy this material. Also, are the rubber diaphragms of Vacs sensitive to the solution?

 

Thanks everyone and enjoy the rest of the Holidays!

 

Sincerely,

PhilManila

[The Write Pen]

Hi from snowy Nebraska,

 

Here are some thoughts.

You don't need to stick with one type of ink for your pen.

Do do need to flush it periodically, but only with water. The 1:10 ammonia to water is only to clean pens and or parts. DON'T fill your pen with an ammonia mixture. That is a very bad idea for pens with sacs.

If you aren't going to use a pen for a while empty it of all liquid.

 

Enjoy.

 

danny

[langere]

I cannot answer all of your questions, but I can tell you that the best way to,clean pens is with just plain cold water from the tap. I have never used ammonia solution and have't needed to do so.

 

And yes, you can use all different kinds of ink in the same pen - I do that all of the time.

 

Enjoy your vintage pens!

 

Erick

[PhilManila]

That's great to hear guys. I guess I've gotten a bit obsessive compulsive with dealing with my pens. Thanks for the reassuring replies. =)

[RuffRydas]

Hi from snowy Nebraska,

 

Here are some thoughts.

You don't need to stick with one type of ink for your pen.

Do do need to flush it periodically, but only with water. The 1:10 ammonia to water is only to clean pens and or parts. DON'T fill your pen with an ammonia mixture. That is a very bad idea for pens with sacs.

If you aren't going to use a pen for a while empty it of all liquid.

 

Enjoy.

 

danny

 

Thanks for the info Danny, but what about Parker 51 Aeros or Parker 45s, is it ok to flush them with ammonia?

[psfred]

I only use ammonia when they get clogged (or in the case of vintage pens, arrive that way). It will dissolve old gummy or dried out ink much better than plain water in many cases, and is pretty much required when clearing an old neglected "51" of dessicated Superchrome ink.

 

Nearly all modern inks are less corrosive and easier on pens than vintage inks, some of which are quite acidic. I'd not worry, the worst that will happen is a modern highly saturated ink will clog a pen and require extra cleaning. If that happens, don't use that ink in the pen again, pretty simple fix.

 

Otherwise, as far as care of vintage pens goes, I suggest not stepping on them, it's also a good idea not to fling them across the room in a fit of rage, and chewing on them is bad manners. Letting your animals chew on them is disgusting, too. Ink and write!

 

Your Parker 45 is not from the 40's, it was first sold in 1965 I think, and was available new in the UK until about three years ago.

 

Peter

[jar]

Hi from snowy Nebraska,

 

Here are some thoughts.

You don't need to stick with one type of ink for your pen.

Do do need to flush it periodically, but only with water. The 1:10 ammonia to water is only to clean pens and or parts. DON'T fill your pen with an ammonia mixture. That is a very bad idea for pens with sacs.

If you aren't going to use a pen for a while empty it of all liquid.

 

Enjoy.

 

danny

 

Thanks for the info Danny, but what about Parker 51 Aeros or Parker 45s, is it ok to flush them with ammonia?

 

I've only resorted to a water ammonia mixture a few times over the last half century or so. Generally cool or warm (room temperature) water is all that I use, sometimes with a drop of liquid detergent.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Herbin is not a saturated ink.

I don't know what problem your friend has, but Herbin or Pelikan or MB are all good for vintage pens.

Modern Parker and Sheaffer too.

 

Clean with water as said, will do 95% of the time. If done regularly every time you change inks or six weeks with the same ink.

You don't need to clean your pen all the time if using the same ink...no need to get AR about it.

[Paddler]

This is the first time I have ever heard that it's healthiest for a pen to have only one type of ink. Don't worry about it. Just flush the pen well before changing types of ink. Some inks don't play well together.

 

1. Herbin inks are not very saturated.

 

2. Don't use ammonia in your pens unless the feed is clogged with dried ink. There would be no reason to use it on the outside of the pen.

 

3. The ammonia mix will keep. Household ammonia is a mix already.

 

4. You shouldn't have to even flush a pen all the time. Just the act of filling it should keep the ink diluted in the feed. You should only need to flush a pen if you have left it sit with ink in it for a long time and evaporation has thickened it.(or if you are changing ink colors or manufacturers) You can wear a pen out by flushing and cleaning it all the time.

[nxn96]

I generally find I only need to use the 10% ammonia mixture when I get a used pen off of eBay. Even if the pen looks pretty clean when you flush with water, the ammonia solution seems to do a better job. However, once I do that, I generally find that just the plain water flush works fine in the future.

 

Once you start using your pens on a regular basis, you get to "know" them such that you'll be able to tell when the pen needs more maintenance than simply refilling it with ink.

 

Hope this helps.

[sargetalon]

The only thing that I'll add is that I used distilled water instead of tap. There are so many minerals in my tap water, that it would probably do more harm than good with clogging things up.

[PhilManila]

I only use ammonia when they get clogged (or in the case of vintage pens, arrive that way). It will dissolve old gummy or dried out ink much better than plain water in many cases, and is pretty much required when clearing an old neglected "51" of dessicated Superchrome ink.

 

Nearly all modern inks are less corrosive and easier on pens than vintage inks, some of which are quite acidic. I'd not worry, the worst that will happen is a modern highly saturated ink will clog a pen and require extra cleaning. If that happens, don't use that ink in the pen again, pretty simple fix.

 

Otherwise, as far as care of vintage pens goes, I suggest not stepping on them, it's also a good idea not to fling them across the room in a fit of rage, and chewing on them is bad manners. Letting your animals chew on them is disgusting, too. Ink and write!

 

Your Parker 45 is not from the 40's, it was first sold in 1965 I think, and was available new in the UK until about three years ago.

 

Peter

 

Thanks Peter. Sorry for the typo.I meant that the Vac came from the 40s not the P45 =)