Use A Pen Everyday To Prevent Clogging, But How Much?

[loganrah]

I know that I should use my pens everyday if they are inked with permanent inks (or other prone to dry out/clogging). So I'm trying to get into the habit of writing just a quick thing with each at the end of the day if I haven't used them in the normal course of things.

 

The question is: how much do I need to write to not worry about dry out and clogging? One word, one sentence, half a page, more?

[Carguy]

I think that depends on the pen, maybe not so much on the ink.

 

While I carry two pens on my shirt during the day and write with them, I try to sit down each night and write a couple of sentences with each pen I have inked. So far, that has proved to be enough to prevent clogging.

 

That’s just been my experience....others may differ.

 

Mike

[inkstainedruth]

Honestly, I think it depends entirely on the ink, in combination with how well the pen cap seals....

This is partly why I try not to have too many pens inked up at one time -- that gets unwieldy, and when I get to that point, I make myself finish and flush at least two pens for every one put back into rotation.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[DonM]

It completely depends on the pen, and to a lesser extent the ink. If its an older Parker Sonnet, twice a day . I have a Platinum inked with Carbon Black that I only use once every two or three weeks. It always writes.

[WLSpec]

It completely depends on the pen, and to a lesser extent the ink. If its an older Parker Sonnet, twice a day . I have a Platinum inked with Carbon Black that I only use once every two or three weeks. It always writes.

Yes, depends on the pen. Those 3776s are great, while other pens dry out/potentially clog after not being used for a single day.

[loganrah]

I know that different pens and different inks can go longer between writing sessions without drying out. That is why I am trying to simply use all of them everyday, so I don't have to think/worry about it.

The question I'm still concerned with, however, is how much writing I need to do in order to avoid problems.

More specifically: I assume that if I write enough to completely refresh the ink in the feed that would be plenty. And if I have a pen with a very small feed (like my pocket size Wahl ringtop) I can probably run through all the ink in the feed in a couple of words. But with a pen with a large feed like my MB 149 it would take a lot more writing to get through all the ink in the feed. But do I need to do that? Or is it enough to simply write a sentence to keep the ink moving?

Using all the ink in the feed seems like a good upper bound, but I'd also like a lower bound so that I'm not spending ages doing this everyday or using up ink I don't need to.

[A Smug Dill]

The question I'm still concerned with, however, is how much writing I need to do in order to avoid problems.

More specifically:

There's a logical difference between problems that can interfere with the normal operation of (and potentially damage) a fountain pen consequent to thickening and/or drying of (pigment, iron-gall, or exclusively dye-based) ink inside it, and the much more narrow scope of "clogging" that is caused by impeded ink flow through the feed and nib observed by the user when the pen is next used.

 

Some of the Sailor Shikiori inks — which I enjoy using — can get quite nasty if allowed to dry inside a pen, including both in its feed and in its ink reservoir and on/around the piston component (even in a rotary-driven ink converter).

 

Ink evaporation continues to occur whether the pen is capped and unused or you write with it, and as an ink becomes thicker and more saturated with colourants, moving a fixed volume of the liquid through the feed is going to become increasingly less effective in dissolving tiny granules adhering somewhere on its surface area. Writing two words or two paragraphs every day will go some way towards preventing noticeable clogging (in spite of the ink thickening over time), but it doesn't do any more for protecting the pen against other problems that just agitating the ink in the reservoir (such as by shaking the capped pen) cannot resolve or mitigate.

 

Using all the ink in the feed seems like a good upper bound, but I'd also like a lower bound so that I'm not spending ages doing this everyday or using up ink I don't need to.

 

A better strategy, if preventing problems is your priority, would be simply to fill a pen only with sufficient ink for no more than a few days' (but less than a week's) worth of writing that you normally do with that particular pen, and clean and flush the pen between refills every few day, unless you trust the solvents in your choice of "permanent" ink (from each refill) will be sufficiently effective at completely dissolving any dried specks/rings/patches anywhere in the pen that liquid ink can reach.

 

On the other hand, if the priority is in maximising convenience (and avoiding the need for frequent exercising, flushing and refilling), then a better strategy would be to get and use "better" pens that are known to be very effective at preventing ink evaporation when properly capped.

[vicpen123]

Better pens or more friendly inks.

 

I have never had this problem no matter how I have used my pens. Even if left unused for weeks at a time.

[Driften]

I think I would first fine which of your pens don't dry out with normal inks when left a few days/weeks and use those for the inks more prone to clogging. If you know a pen can go lets say a month and still write on first touch with normal inks maybe use it once a week with the harsher inks. It's still suggested you clean pens with harsher inks every month.

[Tseg]

I can't remember the last time I had a pen dry up on me, even if not used in a few weeks. If I did have one that dried every few days without use I probably would no longer use it. I have too many dozens of pens with no drying issues at all. A couple months back my Sheaffer Pen for Men stopped writing a day after I filled it... turns out the sack broke and I had to send it in for repair. I once used Pelikan Blue Black (one of the driest inks known to man) and it caused my Sailor to hard start... that was the last time I put that ink in that pen.

[Larry Barrieau]

I have two Kaweco Sport pens that I'm quite fond of. Both clear. Last year I lost one so I bought another. After a few weeks I was walking in my driveway and found the lost one half buried in the gravel. I pulled it out and it wrote pefectly. I don't know how it didn't get run over but it is covered in deep scratches. The other one I had in my fall coat pocket. It got cold so I took out my winter coat. After more that a month I put my fall coat on and took out the pen to find that it too wrote immediately and perfectly. I'm impressed. My favorite of the two is the scratched one, a survivor.

[KBeezie]

Better pens or more friendly inks.

 

I have never had this problem no matter how I have used my pens. Even if left unused for weeks at a time.

Both? to the bold.

 

I've only really had this problem with the multitude of Chinese pens I've used in the first year of collecting (and a little bit when using Noodler's X-Feather with a Pilot MR with a fine nib). Majority of my pens, can just sit capped for days if not weeks, and for the most part start up when uncapped.

 

The much older pens with the straight fire hose of a feed channel may take a sec to start up, but they don't clog, just takes a sec to get some new ink down the channel (ie: mostly the 1920s hard rubber pens, etc).

[OMASsimo]

I've never had a pen clog by dried ink and most of my pens write without any problems even when forgotten for several months. But let's get practical. If you are really concerned about ink drying in your pens, you can determine the time it needs to replenish fresh ink by the colour of the ink. If it's dried in a little, it writes darker than usual. The ink should lighten up upon writing. Once it's back to the normal colour, you probably cleared out any dried ink in the pen.

[timotheap]

I have two Kaweco Sport pens that I'm quite fond of. Both clear. Last year I lost one so I bought another. After a few weeks I was walking in my driveway and found the lost one half buried in the gravel. I pulled it out and it wrote pefectly. I don't know how it didn't get run over but it is covered in deep scratches. The other one I had in my fall coat pocket. It got cold so I took out my winter coat. After more that a month I put my fall coat on and took out the pen to find that it too wrote immediately and perfectly. I'm impressed. My favorite of the two is the scratched one, a survivor.

 

My Kaweco hasn't suffered that much but I leave days and days in my pocket without using it and it writes perfectly when I take it out - wet and lovely.

 

As for my other pens (all Noodler's) I use them every day.

[Carguy]

I probably have 6 P51’s inked right now and 4 very modern pens inked, including a Lamy 2000. I just made myself sit down and write with each one. After 2 days, not a one was a hard start.

[silverlifter]

I have often left pens for weeks at a time. Over the Christmas break this year I had three pens on my desk at work that were untouched for 4 weeks. Only the WingSung 3008 dried up, and for a $3 pen, I wasn't surprised.

[Fuzzy_Bear]

I've got an Estie that clogs with Diamine Grape. No matter how often it's used.

 

My Pelikan Stormtrooper clogged with its last ink, but I dont remember what it was.

 

It's a slow dry process.

[bemon]

Depends on the pen and ink I combo. My daughter has a few Lamy’s, a Platinum and a Jinhao. She was away for a week. The Lamy and Platinum started up like they’d only been capped for 20 minutes. The Jinhao of course may as well have a solid block of ink in it. All inks were Iroshiszuku or Lamy.