Is It Risky To Use Scented Ammonia In A Cleaning Solution?

[canibanoglu]

 

Note that, unsless I'm completely wrong, FPN members from US talk about household ammonia diluted 1:10. Since household ammonia in the US is a 10% (may be less) solution of NH3 in water, that leaves you with a 1% solution (tops).

 

Yep, calling it "10% ammonia solution" is wrong and confusing At least the scientist in me is having hard time ignoring it

Haha, I understand your frustration completely, I used to get furious at people when they didn't say what the concentration of the "household ammonia" they used. They always say it's pure ammonia and that drove me nuts because I know it can't be pure ammonia. Finally decided to take a bit more look into the matter and discovered that when people say pure ammonia what they mean is 10% household ammonia I adjusted my calculations accordingly and put 4mls of 25% ammonia into my 100ml flush. It still smells awful though, even at that concentration.

[Sandy1]

 

I'm always interested in reading your posts about fountain pens, and I'm trying to figure out why there are so many topics regarding the seeming necessity to the use of chemicals in order to flush out pens. I've been using fountain pens since the early 1940s. My first fountain pen gifted to me when a boy was a brand new lever fill pen {the brand name escapes me}, recall the instructions that came with it was, if the need to change the ink color or not to be used for a length of time then just flush with clean water.

 

I've done so ever since without experiencing any problems. Mind you my ink colors and brands are confined to the ones I've always used and have caused no problems.

 

So the question I need answered: Is this necessity resorting to drastic cleaning measures due to the formulation of certain brand inks?

 

Hi,

 

Many thanks for sharing your years of experience.

 

I too used 'mainstream' inks for years with nary a problem. Even the highly saturated (for its time) Parker Penman inks, and the Montblanc iron-gall inks clean-up with plain water when not left to linger in a neglected pen. And I've been using my daily writer Parker Sonnet with Quink BlBk c/w SOLV-X since school days with nothing more than the occasional water flush - usually to remove detritus from the nib+feed and residue from the cap internals. And my MB149 and rotring 600 that've seen hogsheads of I-G inks performed the same after an acetic acid treatment as before... ...

 

But yes, there are some inks that need more than plain water, or even a modest ammonia treatment, to remove the last vestiges of the ink from a pen. (In my Review of Noodler's 54^th Massachusetts I prattled on at length about pen handling and clean-up.)

 

In broad terms, I use an escalating approach to determine my clean-up regimen with a new ink: Starting with plain water, then a diluted plain surfactant (Kodak Photo-Flo or equivalent), then surfactant + 0.5% ammonia (mixed from lab grade ammonium hydroxide - a hazmat), then surfactant + 0.1% ammonia, then a technical pen cleaner (Koh-I-Noor Rapido-Eze or equivalent), then a whirl in the ultrasonic cleaner. (WHEW!)

 

As ever, I hope that by sharing our experience and knowledge we can identify any risks so they can be managed/avoided, hence make FP use all the more enjoyable,

 

Bye,

S1

[inkstainedruth]

 

Woops... must it be clear dish soap? All I had on hand was standard green Palmolive. I only used five tiny drops in ten ounces of water and one of (unscented) ammonia, but still, if there's some risk from it, I'd rather avoid that.

And I use original formula Dawn (the blue stuff). I haven't had any problems, on either new or vintage pens, that I've seen. I only use a drop or two (I eyeball how much ammonia I use -- probably about a Tbsp in about a 1/4 of a cup of distilled water); I am pretty OCD when it comes to flushing, and try to rinse well with distilled water.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

ETA: I only use the clear household ammonia. I don't use scented stuff, because I'd be worried about weird chemical interactions with the pen materials.

Edited March 26, 2015 by inkstainedruth

[Lou Erickson]

Pickwick,

 

I think Sandy1, as usual, has the details. I'll say that I usually use "safe" inks, and can flush with plain water. I prefer to use a pen flush because it's a little quicker to get some really saturated colors out of the pen than just water. Water'll do it, but a little flush makes things take less time.

 

I've never used anything stronger than the mild ammonia pen flush, and never used an ultrasonic cleaner. I have yet to spring for one, although may do so out of laziness.

[PS104]

I agree with Pickwick. It would seem to me that cold clear water would be sufficient to clean out a pen.

 

I also realize that inks have changed in quantum leaps over the last couple of decades. They have become so super-saturated, containing God-knows what chemicals (not to mention gluten) that can raise holy-heck with a pen. And this includes whatever chemicals they add to give some inks a scented smell. Maybe even the same stuff you put in your armpits to "smell nice". What is the scent covering up?

 

The thought occurs to me that this is an extension of the hand-sanitizer syndrome we are currently and collectively going through. I see people washing down everything including keyboards when they change shifts. Your hands and everything else, including keyboards stay "germ-free" for (at the most) 5 minutes. This phobia has even invaded the Church when they give out Communion. I wonder if the Last Supper would be painted today if a bottle of Purell would appear on the table

 

Someone on FPN has as a subheading "I love the smell of ink in the morning". Now I wonder if it's because it's scented or is it the pure stuff.

 

I think, just to be a PITA, I'm going go around and look and for UNscented ammonia

Edited March 26, 2015 by PS104

[wastelanded]

And my MB149 and rotring 600 that've seen hogsheads of I-G inks performed the same after an acetic acid treatment as before... ...[/font]

Silver hogsheads, one hopes.

[PS104]

from the FPN Pen Repair forum:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/287186-where-do-you-buy-ammonia/