Pen-Fi (FPs, RBs, BPs, etc...) [56k Warning] - Page 63 - Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio

Hirsch · 08-15-2008, 09:29 PM

Originally Posted by jjhatfield

I find myself drifting towards vintage pens and older designs. My 51s are still my favorites (I have two sterling capped vacs, they are the model I am specifically interested in), but I'm thinking of buying a vintage 1950s Pelikan M400.

Uh oh. Vintage pens are another world entirely from new production. Your wallet is in for a world of hurt. I knew I was in deep trouble when I started thinking about a $200 or $300 pen as "inexpensive".

OTOH, having jumped off the deep end into vintage pens, I can't go back. I've been buying a lot of pens of the 1920's and 1930's, but am starting to focus on the three "C's" (Carter's, Chilton, and Conklin) and LeBoeuf, which at least puts some sort of limit on what I'm buying. Sort of. I'm thinking about focusing mainly on Chilton, and letting a lot of the others go.

tnmike1 · 08-16-2008, 11:18 PM

Originally Posted by Hirsch

The smearing of ink on the nib is common, but seems to be particularly pervasive with Noodler's. In particular, their special "quick-drying" formulations are terrible about this. It shouldn't hurt the pen, but it's a bit messy. Rinse the pen when done with the ink, and you should be fine. I use mostly Private Reserve, and stopped having issues.

I've read posts that it's hard to rinse the Baystate Blue out of a pen, but can be done with a bit of work. This is strictly second hand, unlike the previous paragraph, so I can't personally verify it.

Private Reserve??? This is new to me. Please explain.

Zodduska · 08-17-2008, 03:54 AM

Originally Posted by tnmike1

Private Reserve??? This is new to me. Please explain.

Private Reserve Ink

I like the Private Reserve American Blue.

pkshiu · 08-17-2008, 04:01 AM

Jumping into this thread kinda late... I am a minor Pen-Fier (is there such a thing?). Because I don't rotate my pens too much, I keep getting them stuck with dried ink. Besides the soak-pump-repeat method, is there a faster way to clean FPs? How about one of those consumer grade ultrasonic cleaner ?

BTW I don't use "nice" ink, just regular cartridge stuff, since most of my pens are just basic ones.

Zodduska · 08-17-2008, 04:06 AM

if they are fountain pens you could remove the ink cartridge then use an ear syringe to flush some water through the nib.

Assorted · 08-17-2008, 04:49 AM

Sorry for the bad lighting, this is my new fountain pen I received for my graduation.

It took me a while to understand that the mechanism inside the pen was meant to be replaced with the ink cartridge...

Zodduska · 08-17-2008, 04:54 AM

Sweet pen Assorted, Congrats!

pkshiu · 08-17-2008, 01:05 PM

Originally Posted by Zodduska

if they are fountain pens you could remove the ink cartridge then use an ear syringe to flush some water through the nib.

That is exactly what I do, but it is not working very well without a lot of soaking and flushing, am looking for a faster / better method !?

nabwong · 08-17-2008, 02:51 PM

Originally Posted by pkshiu

That is exactly what I do, but it is not working very well without a lot of soaking and flushing, am looking for a faster / better method !?

There is no real fast way. You could use some ammonia ( 1 part + 9 part water ) to flush out the ink. Just soak it in there for a few minutes and then flush it out. Do it while watching TV or something. Just be careful that ammonia might react badly to certain materials.

Alternatively, 1 part dishwashing liquid is also ok. I use converters and it's much easier to flush em out.

Uncle Erik · 08-17-2008, 07:19 PM

Originally Posted by Hirsch

I've read posts that it's hard to rinse the Baystate Blue out of a pen, but can be done with a bit of work. This is strictly second hand, unlike the previous paragraph, so I can't personally verify it.

I just took Baystate Blue out of a Stipula Etruria. I can confirm that it's a messy pain. Unlike any other ink I've used, it left blue stains on the white porcelain sink. These did come entirely out with Comet and a scrubber, but I've never had any other ink behave that way.

It was a pain to get the ink entirely out of the pen, as well. I had to completely disassemble it, scrub the innards with Q-tips and give it a good soak.

I'm not eager to try it again. I like the vivid color of Baystate Blue, but it bleeds on a lot of paper and is a monster to clean out.

Too bad, because I love the other Noodler's Inks I've tried. I'll keep buying those, but the Baystate Blue is going to the back of the drawer.