Apache Sunset Turning Burnt Sienna

[WirlWind]

Howdy,

 

So I have a pen that I've flushed out many many times now (I got it clogged up and sacless) but even so, Apache sunset ends up turning brown in it. The ink that was dried in it when I got it was blue black, so I'm not sure why it's turning the colour it is.

 

I've flushed it multiple times and each time, the day after the ink has turned brownish, like a burnt Sienna / coffee colour.

 

I havn't done a complete flush with ammonia yet as I don't think we have any, but I've done warm soapy water flushes and left the nib soaking for a few days. Has anyone else had this ink change colour inside a pen or is it just that I'm likely to have to do an ammonia flush? Is it possible that it's something in the sac (it was a black colour) is slowly seeping out and into the ink?

[WirsPlm]

You're still got old ink in the pen, and it's mixing with the new ink and changing the color (brown is a reasonable color to get when mixing an orange with blue and black). I've had to soak old pens for a up to a week, and at the end i was still getting tiny flakes of dried ink out, I just got tired of flushing. When you say you soaked the nib for a few days, did you flush the pen every few hours while soaking? If not, the top layer of ink got soaked off but the under layers probably didn't, a good habit when soaking a pen is to put it in the kitchen or bathroom (wherever you go regularly) and whenever you wander by flush it, which pulls all the dissolved ink out so the water can remove the next layer.

 

I'd get a ammonia or a commercial pen flush and perhaps see if someone has an ultrasonic cleaner near you, then just soak and flush until it's all clean, old dried ink can be an utter pain to take out. Another trick is to fill the pen with water while soaking, this helps water spread inside the feed more effectively I think.

Edited March 3, 2014 by WirsPlm

[WirlWind]

You're still got old ink in the pen, and it's mixing with the new ink and changing the color (brown is a reasonable color to get when mixing an orange with blue and black). I've had to soak old pens for a up to a week, and at the end i was still getting tiny flakes of dried ink out, I just got tired of flushing. When you say you soaked the nib for a few days, did you flush the pen every few hours while soaking? If not, the top layer of ink got soaked off but the under layers probably didn't, a good habit when soaking a pen is to put it in the kitchen or bathroom (wherever you go regularly) and whenever you wander by flush it, which pulls all the dissolved ink out so the water can remove the next layer.

 

I'd get a ammonia or a commercial pen flush and perhaps see if someone has an ultrasonic cleaner near you, then just soak and flush until it's all clean, old dried ink can be an utter pain to take out. Another trick is to fill the pen with water while soaking, this helps water spread inside the feed more effectively I think.

 

Sadly, I don't know anyone with an US cleaner. I might have to go the route of ammonia soaking then.

 

As for previous attempts, I make sure to flush it out every couple of hours (Usually when I get a coffee). Every time I've done it, usually the water still comes out clear. I also leave it filled and section deep in water so it can fill the feed.

[WirsPlm]

 

Sadly, I don't know anyone with an US cleaner. I might have to go the route of ammonia soaking then.

 

As for previous attempts, I make sure to flush it out every couple of hours (Usually when I get a coffee). Every time I've done it, usually the water still comes out clear. I also leave it filled and section deep in water so it can fill the feed.

 

My trickiest old pen would flush the water out clear, but with tiny (I had to put the glass up next to my eye) flakes of dried ink, which was a new one to me. I had to do the soak-and-flush for a full week before that stopped, and at the end I wasn't even sure the pen was completely clear, I was just sick of flushing (aerometrics are a complete pain to clean, give me a C/C any day). Good luck with the ammonia and do watch the percentage, since the typical instructions given are for US household ammonia and don't always work in other countries with different formulations (aim for .05% or .5% I think).

[Sinistral1]

I put Iroshi Yu-Yake in a pen that had Noodlers Turquioise in it and it immediately turned brown. Orange ink is easily changed by a very tiny amount of a darker ink.

[amberleadavis]

I'd agree and say you still have ink in that pen. If you can get your hands on a vintage bottle of Skrip ink, fill with Skrip and use it up. Any ink with a high detergent content will make an improvement. I've heard good things about inks with Solve-X. I've had good luck flushing the pen with glycerin water.

 

Now that I've typed all that, flush the pen with a glycerin water solution, then flush with a water with a touch of household cleaner. When the pen is filled with the cleaner, shake the pen. While you are at it, put your right foot in, put your right foot out (hokey pokey). JK, then flush a couple of times with clear water. THEN fill with a red ink, and USE it up. Flush again and try the Apache Sunset.

 

OR use AS in another pen.