Piston Fillers - Do You End Up Changing Inks Less Frequently?

[KBeezie]

...

You should have some 100% silicon grease on hand to lube the barrel with a rice corn size glob, every two to three years....

When your piston starts getting stiff, you will know.

...

 

I figured I'd ask since you might know. On my MB225 the only place I've used the silicone grease was the connection between the section and the barrel (I think it wasn't needed before because there's a groove that I suspect an o-ring could go between the two, as I've heard MB doesn't use sealants normally on these models). But I've never disassembled the piston assembly itself to apply any silicone grease.

 

I am however primarily using Noodler's Black Eel in it, which is a lubricated ink. In terms of the piston assembly itself, do you think regular usage of a lubricated ink like that would suffice in keeping the piston head and walls lubricated?

 

The only other time I used silicone grease directly on the head of something like that directly was a New Old Stock Italian import pen, since it was dried out from not being used since 1958, so I was able to disassemble that and apply it around the edges and give it a few pumps. But it's not a piston pen, just a syringe filler.

 

 

The only other pen I have that's a Piston filler is an Eros, and while I've disassembled a red one, I've never figured out how to get at the piston in the black one which has only a blind cap for the piston, and not a seam to undo the piston like the red one. But I can least remove the nib/feed on that one to clean it out good.

Edited May 14, 2014 by KBeezie

[alexander_k]

It seems that most fountain pen users are more troubled by ink staining than by ink remnants. Practically any pen can be flushed relatively easily and filled with a different ink without any colour or other interference from the previous ink. Am I being naive in thinking so?

[KBeezie]

It seems that most fountain pen users are more troubled by ink staining than by ink remnants. Practically any pen can be flushed relatively easily and filled with a different ink without any colour or other interference from the previous ink. Am I being naive in thinking so?

 

*shrug* probably more of a concern of staining if you're using a Demonstrator. And if it's a C/C pen, I don't particularly care if I have a stain line or two in the converter (it's going to get replaced a year or so down the road). Also I only have one ink in regular usage that is prone to staining being a modern Iron Gall, R&K Salix, and I have that in a clear demonstrator (in a converter).

 

I personally am more concerned about leaving behind any inkling of ink when I go to change the color or ink type (though a tiny drop of one mixing with the new ink probably won't hurt, but...)

 

Though I really should get some actual pen flush, mainly been using water and on occasion diluted dish soap. I assume the stuff they sell as actual pen flush for occasional cleaning probably helps get rid of things like mold or fungus before it starts (not sure what they use in them)

[PAKMAN]

Piston fillers, especially my Pelikans are the easiest to clean. I run the nib under the water, grab it and spin it out and drop it in a Dixie cup, put the open end of the pen under the water and it is clean in a few seconds with out moving the piston. I run water in the Dixie cup and swirl it around a few times and the nib unit is clean. Dry it all off and reassemble. Done.

[JBat]

Hmm, I think convertors are far easier to clean than piston fillers, at least quickly. The converter can be completely disassembled, thoroughly cleaned and then dried. Piston fillers aren't hard to clean, it's just time consuming and hard to get all of the ink out. I had to chuckle when I watched the Pelikan video. Repeat 'several times?' More like 20 to 40 times! I have three Pels and there's no way you're going to clean out the ink by cycling the action several times.

[Bo Bo Olson]

MB uses a pine based sealant from what I've read, not shellac.

 

An MB needed a special tool to twist out the nib....can be made at home...I don't have but two old MB's....one a rolled gold 742 was just repaired in I am not going to screw around with a early '50's telescoping piston.

It was even though it did not look like it old dried ink (the cork was still cork colored, but stuck up against the face of the section). I'd laid the pen under water and it did nothing to get at the ink.

I thought it was broken.

 

Glycerine is a substitute for silicon grease...not a great one but that's all I had for a couple of pens that were not screw out, that I didn't want to screw with, including a MB 234 1/2 Deluxe (52-55).

You can start with 50-50 or go to 100% let it stay in the pen for a day or two.... fill and re-fill.

 

It could be possible to get liquid spray silicon grease and spray it into water and suck some up that way. That seems the best. I have not tried that. Again 100% silicon.

 

If you have the nerve and the tools and studied well you can take apart a MB. Pop the piston out.

What sealant will you use; you don't use real MB sealant. . Shellac? None?

 

Well prepared Cork is smoother than a cut plastic gasket. Marshal&Oldfield's Pen Repair 2nd ed. says so....

Buying a properly sized cutting die for a plastic gasket is easier than filing the cork to fit. Boiling it in a mix of bees wax, mineral oil, then smearing with a bit of silicon grease. Founatinable does it so. **

A O ring is last choice that is not near as long lived as a good modern plastic gasket which is not as good as cork.

Cork that has not been allowed to dry out for a generation, is still best.

 

** got bees wax, mineral oil, tiny tin to boil oil and wax on a stove, dremil sand paper and 80 corks(messed up cm with inches or something...huge corks when expecting small ones)...don't even need ten in that's 4 pen corks for every cork. Got everything but will power...and time. I have a few pens to re-cork. Don't have the time. BS here and am writing the worlds longest western.

[ac12]

It seems that most fountain pen users are more troubled by ink staining than by ink remnants. Practically any pen can be flushed relatively easily and filled with a different ink without any colour or other interference from the previous ink. Am I being naive in thinking so?

 

Some pens and some inks are a royal PIA to de-ink and clean.

Certain colors seem to want to hang on to the pen more than others, especially when dried out.

Also certain pens have nooks and corners that are harder to flush out, and the only way is by soaking in water and let the ink dissolve into the water to be flushed out.

Flushing will not clean the ink out of the reservoir/collector of the feed/section. This is because they are out of the flow of water from the flush.

[Joker4Eva]

 

I'd have to disagree with you there...for a c/c you just remove the cartridge or converter and flush the nib out with one of these. That's definitely faster than turning the filler knob, and the water only goes one way so you're not drawing the ink back into the reservoir. If you have a twist converter that can be disassembled, just unscrew the back, pull out the piston and rinse it out under the tap and you're done. Add a little silicone grease if you want to and just screw it back together. If you want to get a piston filler as clean you'll be twisting that knob for quite a while.

 

The exception would be a Noodler's Konrad. Just pull the nib and feed and unscrew the back and rinse it under the tap.

 

The thing about removing and re-inserting converters is the fact that the seal between the converter and the pen tends to get loose over time, and that, in my eyes, is something I do not like happening to my converters.

 

Mishie- I have a Pelikan M100, and it is a vintage pen, made sometime around the late 1930's. It was used by my Professor's dad and then by my Professor before he gave it to me. So, it had almost 70+ years of daily service before I got it a couple of years back. I sent it to get refurbished, and it came back with new seals and the piston lubricated. Your pen will be just fine. Just use it carefully, and you are not going to wear the piston out. Even if you do, it is a minor fix.

 

I'm guessing you're talking about the Pelikan 100? Correct me if I'm wrong, but the M100 is a pretty modern pen, no?

 

To the OP: I don't change inks very often. In fact, I only have a bottle of ink for daily usage, and when that MB Midnight Blue's used up, I'll be pouring in that bottle of Noodler's Black. Love those MB inkwells!

[HamFist]

I tend to view this in a different light.

Piston fillers are easy. Screw and unscrew the piston filler and you are done.

Converters have to be take apart and cleaned separately.

[pompa]

I tend to view this in a different light.

Piston fillers are easy. Screw and unscrew the piston filler and you are done.

Converters have to be take apart and cleaned separately.

 

Actually, you can clean the pen in the exact same manner if you just leave the converter in...but with the converter you have the option of taking it apart for a more thorough cleaning.

[HamFist]

In my very limited experience it takes much more time and twisting for the converter vs piston.

[Wolverine1]

Joker4eva- you are correct, the pen in a Pelikan 100, not the modern M100.

[Joker4Eva]

Joker4eva- you are correct, the pen in a Pelikan 100, not the modern M100.

 

Must be one sweet pen!

Those Pelikans are the reason why piston fillers have such a sweet spot in my heart, and why I'm willing to take a piston filler over cartridge converters any day.