Quote:
Originally Posted by IGY
After every refill I flush the pen with cool / tepid water. Warm water can distort rubber washers inside the pen. Cool water works just as well provided you don't let ink dry out inside the pen and in this event you might need to use a specialist pen cleaner.
All the way in without pressing the nib against the ink bottle. Some ink bottles come with a handy cage that helps you get the last drops of ink from a bottle without damaging you nib. See here:
https://www.twsbi.com/products/twsbi...50-ink-bottles
No. Just a kitchen towel. You are bound to lose all the ink stuck in the ridges of the nib feed. You could leave some of the ink in the feed if you are going to use your pen immediately.
Yes.
Ink choice can play a part. But the biggest factor is the pen itself: how the manufacturer designs and manufacturers the nib and the feed. I find that my Montblanc, Scribo and Namiki will run dry if left upcapped for too long. My Pelikan pens are very resistant to the nib drying out... real workhorses.
Specialist pen cleaners these can be harsh on your pen if left inside the pen for too long so you need to make sure you read the product use for the pen cleaner. Because ink chemistry varies so much between manufacturers you are best to chose a cleaner produced by the same manufacturer as your ink so that it will be effective. For example, one that I use is Diamine nib cleaning fluid. And I only use this if there is a specific problem, not as a regular thing. This contains ammonia so you definately don't want it sitting around in your pen for too long:
https://www.diamineinks.co.uk/detail.aspx?prodcode=1223
One other suggestion: for general Montblanc pen maintenance check out this German specialist tool maker
https://www.mspens.de/
Hope this helps. |
This is all very helpful. Definitely a few things here to try. Thanks.
A related question - Any rule of thumb on how long is too long to keep ink in a pen without using it? I like to trade off between pens and only have a couple fountain pens. Sometimes I will go several months without using one. How do you know when it is enough to just flush it with water vs using a cleaner.