I Didn't Let My Pen Dry After Flushing; Is This A Problem?

[rosalita]

Hello all. I am fairly new to the care and feeding of fountain pens. Last night I wanted to put a new ink cartridge into my Levenger Tuxedo pen. I let tepid water flow through the bit where the cartridge connects (is this the section?) and out the nib until it ran clear. I wiped the nib down but I didn't let it sit overnight with the nib resting on an absorbent towel. Bad rosalita!

 

I loaded up a cartridge of Levenger Cobalt. The ink flows just fine but it is not the vibrant bright blue I was expecting. It is more like robin's egg or baby blue. I'm wondering if that's because there was still water trapped inside the pen section. If so, is there anything I can do to help dry it out without just tossing the cartridge and starting all over again?

 

Thanks in advance for your expertise and advice.

[benay148]

It's possible that the ink cartridge hasn't fully saturated the feed yet. It does take some time unless you force ink into the feed.

 

As far as water goes I would not worry about it. Since fountain pen ink is mostly water to begin with, the amount of dyes in the ink will overpower the few drops in the feed completely. I usually don't even let my feeds dry past a quick wipe. Hope this helps

[rosalita]

It's possible that the ink cartridge hasn't fully saturated the feed yet. It does take some time unless you force ink into the feed.

 

As far as water goes I would not worry about it. Since fountain pen ink is mostly water to begin with, the amount of dyes in the ink will overpower the few drops in the feed completely. I usually don't even let my feeds dry past a quick wipe. Hope this helps

 

Thanks for the reassurance. I haven't tried to force anything, just writing normally and I wouldn't say I've done a ton of writing so I'll just keep on going. The color isn't bad; it's perfectly readable and everything, just not what I was expecting. I'm glad to hear that not doing a thorough drying wasn't totally boneheaded of me.

[Chrissy]

Yes it's just watered down the first part of the ink until the feed is saturated again. It will soon be the same shade as it should be. It might be best to let it dry out though if you're using cartridges, otherwise you're wasting part of your cartridge full.

[rosalita]

Yes it's just watered down the first part of the ink until the feed is saturated again. It will soon be the same shade as it should be. It might be best to let it dry out though if you're using cartridges, otherwise you're wasting part of your cartridge full.

 

Yes, good point! I may get through half the cartridge before it darkens up to where it's supposed to be. Ah, well. Lessons learned and all that. At least no permanent damage done.

[benay148]

Yes it's just watered down the first part of the ink until the feed is saturated again. It will soon be the same shade as it should be. It might be best to let it dry out though if you're using cartridges, otherwise you're wasting part of your cartridge full.

Yes this is true, I do admit to being a bit of a cartridge squeezer...

[rosalita]

I left the cap off the pen for about a half hour this afternoon (not intentionally; I just got a phone call and got distracted) and when I picked it up again it was a little hard to get the ink flowing again but once it did it came out a bright dark blue. So all's well that ends well, and I've learned what not to do in the future.

 

Am I right that if the next cartridge I use after this one is the same color that I don't need to do the water flush in between? I did it last night because I was switched from Cardinal Red to Cobalt and figured a good cleaning was in order to avoid weird color mixing. This is my everyday pen so it doesn't sit around inked and unused for very long.

[NinthSphere]

Same color is fine without a flush. You might give it a flush every three or four fills, or so I've seen it said by some.Changing brands or colors, flush.

[swanjun]

You can also get a really thorough flush—especially useful if you were to go from the cobalt to something much lighter—by using a bulb syringe to force water through the section. It'll be a lot more effective, as I've had nibs where the water appeared to be flowing clear, but really, there was some ink trapped in there that revealed itself when I set the nib out to dry on a paper towel.

Edited January 13, 2015 by swanjun

[Arkanabar]

Don't be too vigorous with the bulb syringe. If the section has flaws or weaknesses, too much pressure can turn those into disastrous cracks.

[rosalita]

Thank you for the advice and the caution. I have a Waterman Phileas that seems to cling to its ink like crazy, and even after the water runs clear if I set it down a towel inky water will be drawn out of it. A careful bulbing might be useful for that one.

[sexauerw]

I would also recommend not squeezing cartridges. They do tend to crack if squeezed too hard or too often and they make a big mess inside the pen when that happens. I speak from experience.

[rosalita]

I would also recommend not squeezing cartridges. They do tend to crack if squeezed too hard or too often and they make a big mess inside the pen when that happens. I speak from experience.

 

Whoa! It had never even occurred to me to squeeze the cartridge to jump-start a new fill, but your experience is a good warning not to start now.

[torstar]

Enjoy the ink you have each day. You are never going to match that colour you thought you once had and keep striving for.

 

Then again, water will dilute the ink if you don't wait long enough...

[rosalita]

Enjoy the ink you have each day. You are never going to match that colour you thought you once had and keep striving for.

 

Then again, water will dilute the ink if you don't wait long enough...

 

I had never used this particular color of ink so I wasn't sure what I was "striving" for, just that the washed-out blue I was seeing didn't match my mental image of "cobalt". But in general your comment is spot on — enjoy the moment!

[graystranger]

A lot of water can remain in the "fins" in the feed after flushing the grip section well. I keep a can of "canned air" on hand and use it to blast the water out of the fins (unless the nib is hooded or inlaid). I also hold a paper towel or soft cloth against the nib for a little while to absorb the rinse water and diluted ink coming out at the start.

 

One way of speeding up the ink getting to the nib is to remove the cartridge or converter and touch the nib into the ink (make sure the ink is at the opening) for a few seconds. Ink will wick up into the nib and jump start the process. This also works if the nib is a little dry and hard starting.

 

When changing to a very light ink, Noodler's Blue Ghost, I first flushed out the grip section very well using a bulb syringe until the water was crystal clear. Then I inserted a re-filled cartridge. This is "invisible" ink and has no color. However, it came through at the start with a pale color. I pulled the nib and feed out of the grip and found a bit of old ink remaining under he nib that had not been flushed out with the multiple rinses. I was amazed at how tenacious it had clung between the nib and feed. But, this was a worst case scenario, going from a dark ink to a clear ink.

[rosalita]

A lot of water can remain in the "fins" in the feed after flushing the grip section well. I keep a can of "canned air" on hand and use it to blast the water out of the fins (unless the nib is hooded or inlaid). I also hold a paper towel or soft cloth against the nib for a little while to absorb the rinse water and diluted ink coming out at the start.

 

One way of speeding up the ink getting to the nib is to remove the cartridge or converter and touch the nib into the ink (make sure the ink is at the opening) for a few seconds. Ink will wick up into the nib and jump start the process. This also works if the nib is a little dry and hard starting.

 

When changing to a very light ink, Noodler's Blue Ghost, I first flushed out the grip section very well using a bulb syringe until the water was crystal clear. Then I inserted a re-filled cartridge. This is "invisible" ink and has no color. However, it came through at the start with a pale color. I pulled the nib and feed out of the grip and found a bit of old ink remaining under he nib that had not been flushed out with the multiple rinses. I was amazed at how tenacious it had clung between the nib and feed. But, this was a worst case scenario, going from a dark ink to a clear ink.

 

I will definitely try the bulb syringe next time I change colors. It is amazing how you can think all the ink has been flushed away and yet there is still some hanging around in spots where you least expect it.

 

And now you've intrigued me about "invisible" ink so I'm off to investigate. :-)

[torstar]

 

I had never used this particular color of ink so I wasn't sure what I was "striving" for, just that the washed-out blue I was seeing didn't match my mental image of "cobalt". But in general your comment is spot on — enjoy the moment!

 

Oh no.... a mental image of a colour that you hope to find is even worse than trying to relive that perfect letter written in Penman Sapphire 30 years ago....

[Sailor Kenshin]

I left the cap off the pen for about a half hour this afternoon (not intentionally; I just got a phone call and got distracted) and when I picked it up again it was a little hard to get the ink flowing again but once it did it came out a bright dark blue. So all's well that ends well, and I've learned what not to do in the future.

 

Am I right that if the next cartridge I use after this one is the same color that I don't need to do the water flush in between? I did it last night because I was switched from Cardinal Red to Cobalt and figured a good cleaning was in order to avoid weird color mixing. This is my everyday pen so it doesn't sit around inked and unused for very long.

Maaaan...I used to LIVE for those 'weird color mixes.'

 

You're fine. Ink is fine. As people say.

[swanjun]

Maaaan...I used to LIVE for those 'weird color mixes.'

 

You're fine. Ink is fine. As people say.

 

I had my first fountain pen in high school (1990-1992) and had no idea that flushing between colors was recommended. It was a Sheaffer school pen and all I ever used were Sheaffer cartridges, so no harm done in mixing, and there *were* some interesting results. About all I ever did in those days was the "run the faucet" trick if it should happen to dry up from disuse.