Cleaning Bladder Pens - Help!

[AndWhoDisguisedAs]

Everyone!

I'm back for some help.

 

I recently purchased my first bladder fountain pen. It's a Parker 51 knock-off, the Hero 616 and I admit, I really like it.

 

My question: how do you really clean a bladder pen?

 

I tried flushing it with water then using a Fountain Pen ink cleaning solution. And while I removed most of the ink, you can still see tiny drops.

 

Also, I have no idea how to properly dry it.

Do I simply wait for the water to evaporate or are there terrific tips and tricks you know and would be willing to share?

 

Thank you!

 

[KBeezie]

Flush & Shake. Usually the best way to go about it. Gotta give the pen a decent shake/jiggle to get at all the ink in the sac.

 

But least you can see what's still in the silicone sac, doing so in in a latex sac is harder to see (ie: mainly with lever fillers).

 

If you're worried about water (ie: not ink droplets), I say don't worry, if you're intending on storing your pen after flushing what I Do is take a small pencil box filled with napkins or paper towel along with those little silica desiccant packets you find in new shoes, purses, camera bags, etc, and let it sit in there for a few days before storing. That stuff will draw the moisture out of the pen pretty easily.

Edited May 12, 2015 by KBeezie

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

Patience and persistence are the watchwords for thoroughly cleansing such pens.

 

I don't know about the knock-off 51s, but the original models have a collector that is designed to retain ink (and other fluids), so that definitely slows both flushing and drying. Many Members advocate the 'thermometer flick' and/or the use of a modified salad spinner^* to expedite things.

 

While I'm a strong advocate of pen hygiene and maintenance, if there's but a whisper of a simple aniline dye ink remaining in the pen, and you do not intend to use it with other ink types, the chemical clean-up you've done has likely degraded the residual ink enough that it won't react [to form gunk] with subsequent inks, though it may taint their appearance.

 

Bye,

S1

 

__ __

* The esteemed Ron Zorn brought us his design for a salad spinner centrifuge: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/12704-drum-roll-the-salad-spinner-centrifuge/?p=116874

See also 'Limit to Soaking?' https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/229245-limit-to-soaking/?p=2453755

[linearM]

After you have flushed it with water until it seems clear, then use the pen cleaner, usually I flush out the pen cleaner with distilled water if I'm going to store the pen. The last thing I do is to place the pen nib down in a glass with tissue in the bottom the tissue draws out any remaining ink. If you are just changing ink fill it with the new ink after rinsing in distilled water.

[ac12]

If you want to really clean it, you keep flushing water through until you do not see any ink. I don't know about the Hero, but the Parker 51 is a royal pain to clean. It just takes a LONG time to get out all the old ink. When I ink my P51, that ink STAYS in that pen. I have rarely changed inks in my P51, because of the PiA process to clean it.

 

A few drops of water will not do much of anything to your ink.

If you want the pen dry, I suggest you just let it dry overnight or for a day or two, as explained by others above.

 

IF you really want the water out NOW, and do not want to wait for it to dry, there is a method. But as with many shortcuts, you need to be VERY CAREFUL with this procedure. Read it first and understand what you are doing BEFORE you try it, or you will damage/destroy your pen.

 

1 - wrap a few layers of tissue paper (toilet paper, klenex, etc) over the front of the pen. This will catch and hold the water/ink that will come out of the pen.

 

2 - Hold the pen with 1 finger on the FRONT of the nib, and the pen pointed away from you, and grip the pen TIGHTLY

 

3 - Lift your hand up, then whip it down towards your feet.

 

IF you did not put your finger in front of the pen and hold the pen TIGHTLY, you will have thrown the pen into the floor damaging or destroying the pen.

 

The whipping motion will cause the liquid ink/water to be thrown out the front of the pen into the tissue.

 

If you think this method is too dangerous (which it is) use one of the slower but safer methods, as described by others above.

[KBeezie]

I've had both, the Hero 616 is certainly easier to flush than the parker 51 (vacumatic anyways, I'm assuming the collector is nearly the same on the aerometric).

[bitterwonder]

Patience.

[Sasha Royale]

I just fill it with water and empty it. Repeat nine times. Wrap a paper towel around the nib and section,

and shake the pen like an oral thermometer. Leave the nib in contact with dry paper for 30 minutes.

Re-ink, when ready.

 

Are you one of those weird people, who needs to have a pen spotlessly clean ?
You aren't going to eat with it, are you ? You are just going to put more ink into
the pen and write again, right ?

 

I spent $18 for a 10-pack of HERO 616 pens. Two were trash. Eight are usable. How much should

I fuss over a $2 pen ?

[KBeezie]

I spent $18 for a 10-pack of HERO 616 pens. Two were trash. Eight are usable. How much should

I fuss over a $2 pen ?

Pens, especially new pens seems to bring out the OCD in all of us.

[AndWhoDisguisedAs]

Hi Everyone and Thank You!

A lot of great advice, as expected.

 

I agree these sac writers are a pain to clean. And that using the same color ink really cuts down on maintenance. This was my first (well second, I bought two) and last of these writers. It was also good to hear about the 616's quality control issues. I bought two, the first was (and remains) great. The second bleeds and the nib is very scratchy. I've had much letter luck with the Jin Hao 599's which I really like - in both Fine and Extra-Fine. (In fact, my first Extra-Fine nib.) They write better and are much easier to maintain.

 

In fact, what are your favorite inexpensive writers - let's say under $15.

 

Thanks again everyone. Take care!

[KBeezie]

Hi Everyone and Thank You!

A lot of great advice, as expected.

 

I agree these sac writers are a pain to clean. And that using the same color ink really cuts down on maintenance. This was my first (well second, I bought two) and last of these writers. It was also good to hear about the 616's quality control issues. I bought two, the first was (and remains) great. The second bleeds and the nib is very scratchy. I've had much letter luck with the Jin Hao 599's which I really like - in both Fine and Extra-Fine. (In fact, my first Extra-Fine nib.) They write better and are much easier to maintain.

 

In fact, what are your favorite inexpensive writers - let's say under $15.

 

Thanks again everyone. Take care!

Under $15...

 

For $2 to $3 Pilot Petit1. Smooth Fine nib, reliable, durable, easy to pocket, never dried out on me, and I could leave it alone for a week or two without running into hard start issues, which is more than I Can say of any of the Chinese ones I've tried in that price range. (some were close, but not nailing all the points I mentioned all at once, primarily in the drying out or starting up).

 

Downside is only Japanese "Fine", and the short pilot carts, they're not as common to come by, but they do come in a handy little 3-pack container that slips right into a pen slot. (likewise with an o-ring or ample amount of silicone grease, they can be eye droppers).

[Wolverine1]

The Jinhao 159 is a large pen, that Goulet.com sells for $12.00. Sometimes the nib is a bit iffy, but, once you make sure that the nib's tines are aligned, it is a pretty good pen. On eBay, I understand you can get it for even less that the $12.00 price.

[AndWhoDisguisedAs]

Wasn't crazy about the Jin Hao 159 - even when I replaced the nib. It's a little heavy for me. However, I'm a BIG fan of the Jin Hao 599 and have one in Fine and Extra Fine. They are my go-to pens. Other cheapies I use and love include:

- the Hero 616 but as other have attested, there is a quality control issue. The first one I bought is terrific, the second, less so.

- the Neomosine Singuilarity - have one in Medium and Fine, partial to the Fine

- the Platinum Preppy - in both Medium and Fine, I prefer the Fine, but both are terrific, cheap and can easily be turned into eyedroppers

- not a big fan of the Pilot Metropolitan, I found it too skinny

 

Here's an informative blog about budget fountain pens:

http://www.bestfountainpen.com/battle-budget-fountain-pens/

 

And yes, I agree, fountain pens bring out the OCD and other craziness!

Thanks everyone.

[Moshe ben David]

All the suggestions for cleaning are good.

 

To which I can only add: "Patience grasshopper"

[suchan271]

This type of syringe works great - http://imgur.com/S9yPsA9

 

Just pull some water into the syring, place the end over the nib and collector until there is a seal then vacuum water into and out of the pen being careful not to overfill and burst the sac. Attempting to create a sac balloon is not recommended haha

 

The main benefit is that you can rapidly move water into and out of the collector cleaning it thoroughly and quickly, a process which is normally a chore with these pens. I've only tried this with a 616 Doctor so mileage may vary with other models.

 

Hope this is useful.