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Friday, January 20, 2012

Fountain pen tweaks and maintenance...

I thought I'd cover this subject since so many of us are experimenting with fountain pens, now!  Some maintenance IS necessary (especially if you're using pigment inks, which can clog), and it's best to take it easy and take it slow...

Tweaks CAN work...but they can mess up a good pen, too.  Go gently...



I've been very enthusiastic about my Noodler's Ahab pen, while recognizing that not all Ahabs are created equal.  Some work great, some apparently don't have their nibs set quite right.  Since it is SO easy to tweak the Noodler's small Creaper pen to get the nib set just as you, personally, prefer it, and since I noticed my two Ahabs were slightly different and one worked better than the other, I decided to fix that.

Great fix, as you can see above.

Apparently, unlike the Creaper, there is only one way the Ahab nib will seat properly.  (They tell me it goes on the side that is slightly out of round...which is hard to discern, and isn't mentioned in their flier.)  Since I didn't set it that way, it wouldn't go in as far and I bent the nib when I tightened the cap...siiigh...

So...I tried a replacement nib, and since I was messing with it anyway, I decided to try converting it to eyedropper fill, which holds a lot more ink than the piston-pump the Ahab comes with.  The whole body of the pen can be full of ink!  OK, I got a little starry-eyed about that idea.  I love the little Noodler's Flex pens but they DO run out of ink quickly if you sketch a lot.

The flier gives directions on how to do that, including moving up the O-ring and using some silicone grease to seal the threads...

Want my directions?  Just don't.  Ahab holds a lot of ink, just as it comes.  It's difficult to know why it didn't work for me, but it leaked around the nib section.  Sometimes a little, sometimes a lot.  I tried tweaking more, but...

Spoiled the journal page above with a sudden big drop of ink--and notice the ink pooled in the cap?

After which I decided to heck with it, moved the O-ring back where it was, reinstalled the pump, and it works FINE now.  Sometimes it's better just to be happy with what you have!  The Ahab already holds a LOT more ink than the Creaper.

NOTE: Some people have problems with the Ahab spitting or belching anyway.  No idea why...happily, it is an inexpensive pen, and you may be able to get a refund if yours just does NOT work.  

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My Lamys are workhorses, very dependable, if a tad predictable.  (Very uniform lines...and the EF nib really isn't as fine as I'd like.)

But you still need to take care of them, with an occasional cleaning--especially with some inks.

This nib section of my clear demonstrator had ink dried in it...I tried soaking it, but not long enough.  Online searching for help suggested grasping the nib firmly and just wiggling it back and forth...upon which it broke right OFF.  YIKES, I don't know my own strength!



My husband's Lamy had brown ink in it...and it hadn't been used for months.  The ink feed was very spotty and weak...so I decided to try again with it, and PATIENCE.  I used warm water with a shot of vinegar in it, left it to soak overnight, and that solved the problem.  Look at all the sediment in the bottom of the jar!




Here's the difference a good cleaning can make!  The top part of the page is the "before."

You can use a few drops of detergent, a spoonful or two of vinegar*, or even a little ammonia.  Be sure to rinse the pen thoroughly before re-inking and you should be good to go!

*NOTE:  Some of our commenters tell me there's a problem using vinegar, which may etch or corrode a good pen or nib, and say ammonia is the recommended fix.

It writes smooth as silk now, as do my other Lamy pens...but the one I broke off required buying a whole new nib section.  That was $20 down the drain that could have been saved by exercising a bit more patience...and vinegar* or ammonia.

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I've been experimenting with other inexpensive pens and will do a new post on those next week...but for now, let me say that the Lamys and the Noodler pens are going to be my personal go-to solution in most cases. 

Till the next gotta-test-it pen comes along...

53 comments:

  1. Thanks - this was really timely for me :)
    I just ordered an ultrasonic cleaner to try to get ink out of a couple of rapidograph points - let you know if it works.

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    1. I have used them and they work somewhat...but if the ink is really caked on there...good bye nib. Make sure you are using regular rapidograph ink. India ink will kill any nib. you can use vinegar in there too. Now if you like to really clean these nibs, you can take them totally apart. Just be really careful that you do not bend the wire/needle. But I do take mine all apart. Good luck.

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  2. Very helpful and timely, as my Lamy pen is in need of cleaning, but I've been delaying. Will go get some warm and vinegar for it now. Have you used an ultrasonic cleaner? I've used it for rapidographs in the past, but haven't tried it for my fountain pens and was wondering if it would be okay for them.

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    1. I would think it would be, Melissa. I used to have one, years ago, but it seems to have gotten away from us. I'm liking the warm vinegar water solution, a lot!

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    2. I use an ultrasonic on mine, Melissa, and I've not had any issues.

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  3. I LOVE fountain pens. I have been using these for the last 40 years. Yes, I am older than dirt. One of my favorites is the Namiki by Pilot. What is so neat about this writing instrument is that it is retractable and take a long time to get clogged up. LOVE it. I do use the cartridges on my pens since they are less messy. Yes the vinager to soak the pen nibs works great. I mostly write with mine pens. I must confess...I am a pen-aholic. Just got a new lead pencil by Padrino. Lots like that will be alot of fun. Check out Paradise Pen co. on line and you can see what I call..."Pen-Candy"

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    1. Ooooh, nooooo, you temptress!

      I have a Namiki Falcon and love it, but it was so expensive it scares me to take out in the field! I do love a good pen, though...

      And you don't sound any older than me, if that!

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  4. Timely advice! I just bought an Ahab because it holds more ink than the Creeper --- and bought the silicone grease and extra o-ring thinking I'd try the eye-dropper thing too. May rethink that now. At least they were cheap.

    Is your o-ring the original smooth type or the improved one with a "groove" around it? I think that groove is supposed to work better.

    I can get a very fine-line variation with my Lamy pens using a light touch, but I like having both brands to play with. Just got tired of filling the Creeper.

    As recommended, I washed the new pen with Dawn detergent & warm water . . . but I didn't have any ammonia. Glad to know that vinegar works.

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    1. Yes, rethink! Not worth it, since it's so hard to figure why the leakage. I do have the original O-ring, though.

      Vinegar works great! I don't have any ammonia, either. I can get a pretty fine line by writing with the nib upside down, but it doesn't have that smooth glide I love...

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    2. I used to get a finer line by doing the upside down nib thing, but since the nib is more broken-in, I seem to get the same effect without turning it upside down. It's more responsive than when newer.

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    3. I'm definitely finding the Lamys work more smoothly once they're broken in and used to my hand. I'll have to do a line-width post!

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  5. Oh . . . and what kind of sepia ink does Joseph like? I have an extra bottle I'm not using, but it's not entirely waterproof.

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    1. He was using the Platinum Pigment Sepia, I think. I refilled with Noodler's #41, which smears if it's not allowed to dry THOROUGHLY. I'm trying for patience there too!

      The old Noodler's Beaver Brown will get passed along...it lifts like crazy. Beautiful color, but not for what we do...

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    2. The brown I have to give away is Noodler's "SwishMix" Seminole Sepia, which was made exclusively for the Swisher Pens store. A review I found on line said it is about 75% waterproof, fast-drying, and needs "good" paper.

      I don't use it any more because I prefer Noodler's red-black, which looks more like a cool brown. It bleeds a tiny bit, but I like the effect.

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    3. Gotta wonder if that means 75% waterproof EVER, or quickly, or...and what's "good" paper, anyway! My watercolor paper is good, but some of it has such emphatic sizing that ink doesn't like to dry on it...

      But it would be fun to try!

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  6. Great post, Cathy. Be warned, though, I had my Ahab belch a large blob of ink onto a drawing last week and I haven't done the eyedropper conversion.

    I'm not sure why this is happening but I don't think it has to do with eyedropper conversion. I have several pens converted and none of them have belched the way my Ahab (and yours) did.

    For what it's worth, old wisdom in the fountain pen world is that you should fill a pen, extract a drop back into the bottle, and then open up the converter as far as you can.

    The rationale for this advice is fairly simple. You never want positive pressure on your ink supply, be it a cartridge, converter or eyedropper. If you think about it, if you fill the base of an Ahab with ink and then screw it together, you are compressing the air contained where the threads are, producing some positive pressure in the chamber. Theoretically, this could cause the belching.

    Sadly, there's the other side of this coin. If the pressure gets too negative it can belch as well, as the pen tries to equalize the pressure. My Ahab belched when it was nearly empty with the converter. I wondered at the time whether this equalization might be the reason.

    I'm with you concerning Lamys. Ultra-dependable and the EF is pretty fine. My Pilot 78G is even finer but it writes pretty dry because it's so fine.

    Cheers --- Larry

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    1. Well nuts, Larry, sorry to hear that! What is WITH your Ahab! I haven't had a single problem with my other one that I DIDN'T tweak, except a tiny bit of leakage when I flew to Nevada. Most of my fountain pens will do that, they don't like to fly!

      I'd read that about the air pressure in pens...mostly in relation to flying with them, with ink in 'em though.

      I'll have to do a comparison with line width with the Lamy EF. It ain't. Wonderful, smooth, but not fine enough for me.

      I tried the Pilot...too dry and scratchy for me. Temperamental beasts, aren't they! Or...maybe it's us. :-D

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    2. I recently purchased the new Ahab and can say without hesitation that it was a waste of money. It has "belched" ink as Larry describes since the first time it was inked up (after it's warm bath to remove the machining oils). Doesn't matter how full or empty the pen is nor does it matter how the ink is loaded into the pen—it spits ink about every inch or two. I've ruint two sketches of late. I'm just about ready to pitch it! Hateful, temperamental beasts is exactly right!!

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    3. Omigosh, how frustrating! You DID get a lemon, sorry girl! I almost feel guilty loving mine so much...

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    4. Don't! That's luck of the draw and I knew better than to buy it. I should have put the money toward a different pen, but I thought "maybe....."

      Turns out to be "maybe not........."

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    5. Oh, I know! I've bought pens because someone I like LOVED them, even might have done a review, it looked great...and just wasn't for me. I've got a whole gaggle of maybe nots to pass along, since I'm trying to simplify life!

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    6. Laure and Cathy,
      My second Ahab has worked pretty well for me. It's belched only once, which ruined a drawing but otherwise it's been ok. It's the only fountain pen on my desk, though, that I must tap repeatedly on the paper to get the ink flowing.
      There's definitely some subtle (or maybe not so subtle) problem with the feed on these pens. I've heard rumor that Nathan is working hard to release an improved version but, for myself, it'll have to get more than rave reviews before I buy one.

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    7. Ah, I hadn't heard that! I did wonder if the new O-rings are really an improvement and considered ordering one. I don't have the same problem with the original flex pen, though it does need some tapping sometimes to get it going. Not always, and not usually with the newer ones--I've got one of the original ones that does take some tapping.

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  7. Oh Dear Kate--you do not want to know me. I would be a bad influence on you. I won't mention the mont blanc pens that I have. lol. I just bought a red Namiki on ebay...brand new for about 1/2 the reg. price. (that will be my third). I live close to chicago and in May there is this fantastic pen show every year. Wanna talk pens...write me girlfriend. lol Ktr1976@aol.com

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    1. Ooooh, red Namiki...yum...

      I've bought a variety of pens from eBay too...like the TWSBI, though it's heavy for me. My Waterman Phileas WAS really dependable, but it's being moody...must need a vinegar bath!

      And I've had several Waterman pens from the '20s, but they're VERY temperamental. Heavenly flex, though...

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  8. I wouldn't trust much the vinegar solution because it might eat away plating and some nib material (and I've seen a few corroded nibs at flea markets).
    I use warm vinegar to pickle silver after soldering, it cleans firescale like a charm!

    I usually clean my pens using the mildest ammonia solution and cold water, or if I don't have ammonia handy and the pen is not vintage a drop of window cleaning liquid (not foaming) works as well.

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    1. Thanks for the tip! My vinegar solution was definitely very weak, I'd have been more afraid of ammonia! So it's safer?

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    2. Kate, vinegar is 3% acetic acid. Any acid eats metal as GS suggests. Because it's so dilute, however, you'd have to leave the pen in vinegar a signifcant amount of time. If you're just cleaning with it, and thoroughly rinsing all the parts afterward, it shouldn't be a problem in my view.

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    3. Thanks, Larry...it WAS a weak solution, only about a tablespoon, if that, it a jar of warm water, so I wasn't very worried. I might not do it with my Namiki Falcon, but I'm not that nervous about a Noodler's...I DO rinse thoroughly! And really, I don't do it unless they're well and truly clogged, not for a routine cleaning.

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  9. Great post and timely too! I have lots of pens of all kinds from ultra cheap to...it's so expensive I can't say =)I enjoy them all! I never thought of vinegar for cleaning...make great sense.

    Thank you!

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    1. Well, Brenda, if frostdoll is right, maybe vinegar on your expensive pens is not such a great idea!

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  10. I would discourage the use of vinegar. As frostgirl said it may add to corrosion especially in a fine pen. Very mild solutions of ammonia are generally recommended by fountain pen specialists, pure and non-sudsing.

    I had a great first month experience with the Ahab, but when I filled it the other day with Pilot Iroshizuku Momiji, the pen got so finicky, I fiddled with it and found the entire filled barrel of ink on my hands. The pen is now in rest mode.

    One thing I did notice during the first weeks of use, the pen likes more ink than less, and seems to work best when filled more than half way (with or without conversion to an eye-dropper).

    Belching can be a result of air pressure even without flying, so releasing some ink back into the ink well during a fill can be a good safety measure. This is particular true with piston fillers.

    All that said, even expensive pens can be temperamental, and some need more coaxing than others, and tender care.

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    1. Thanks, I'll tweak the original post! But yes, a fountain pen is almost alive, it's not like a disposable. It likes to be respected and cared for.

      I've found that some inks work well, and some just don't, no matter how they're advertised. And sometimes there's just a misunderstanding...I bought some expensive J. Herbin inks that were advertised in a catalog as waterproof. They definitely were NOT, and Herbin doesn't say they are. I alerted the catalog that they needed to change their text!

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  11. thanks for this, I'm just starting to use a Noodler's pen and loving it. Tips are appreciated.

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    1. Chris, you may want to read all the comments...I'm told vinegar's not such a great idea over time...

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  12. Hi Kate,

    I've never heard of vinegar as a recommended way to clean fountain pens, however, myself and others use a mild ammonia solution for cleaning some pens. Here's one recipe for a cleaning solution that is safe for many fountain pens:
    http://blog.shopwritersbloc.com/fountain_pens/fountain_pen_cleaning_solution.html

    I've also tried using some eyedropper fill pens for artwork and had a similar experience to yours - I always end up with a big drip of ink on my picture. I use them occasionally for writing when a blob of ink doesn't matter. I wrote about my experience here:
    http://blog.shopwritersbloc.com/fountain_pens/eyedropper_fountain_pen_pros_a.html

    Happy to have found your blog. Love the picture of the fountain pen with the magnifier over the nib!

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    1. Thanks for the links, Cheryl! Yes, it's not just the Noodler's pens that do that. I have a Japanese Platinum Pocket Pen that surprises me that way once in a while.

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  13. Knock on wood, but my Pelikan fountain pens have never belched. And I only recently learned about emptying a drop so I've never done that. I do take care to keep them upright when I change altitude (often by 4 or 5000 feet in a day). Spendy, but I love them!

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  14. The leaking might have been prevented if you use a little bit of sillicone grease on the threads. It's something I learned while browsing eyedropper pens online, and so far, touch wood, it seems to work.

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    1. I did use silicone grease, but unfortunately it was leaking around the nib and feed...

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  15. Great post and comments! I must say we have matching magnifying glasses! Wonderful :)

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    1. Thank you, Pam! That was my grandfather's magnifying glass...is yours a family treasure too?

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  16. thanks for all the posts. Hard to believe after almost 50 years of "doing art," I am just NOW discovering how wonderful a dip pen is with my watercolors!! So, of course I want an artist's fountain pen, for portability, and now I'm faced with WHICH ONE? and I want to go "cheap" as you call them, as opposed to the ones that cost $200. SO I'm reading all your posts and I think I'll try the Ahab. Can I contact you if I have questions with it?

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    1. Of course, Peggy, but I'd definitely suggest contacting Brian at http://gouletpens.com, who is MUCH more knowledegable than I am about them. I'm just messing about with them!

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  17. Fountain pen look really wonderful.This pen is really great and smooth.This is the ink pen.I really enjoy this blog.

    Promosyon

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  18. you hit the gold mine here, Kate!
    I am cleaning my shortened rotring art pen right now ;)

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  19. Hooray! I'm cleaning my original little Noodler's, too...

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  20. I love Rotring sketch pens. They are fountain pens as well.

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    1. They are indeed, Shannon, I've had mine for years! Because I prefer a bit of flex, I don't find myself reaching for it as much as I used to...

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  21. Well, Kate, I'm doing my pen and ink Hokey Pokey again.... trying to find an alternative to Platinum Black.... but there doesn't seem to be one that's quite as reliable and "stubborn" under washes.

    I'll be trying a Lamy, Rapidograph or, I guess if I can't find something, a dip pen / brush.

    Does the search for the perfect combination ever end?

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  22. Just read this post and comments. (all of it) lol !
    I have tried various pens and recently 2 Noodler Ahab pens . I do like them, thanks for the advice on the cleaning..
    I also have a fairly expensive Sailor pen.. as you say someone who 'loved' it convinced me to try ..
    No I don't care for it all that much.. so it sits there. Looks good , but not a working pen for me. I went through the Rapidographs years ago also,. Yes, I'm older than dirt. !!! BJ
    Thanks Kate for all the info ..

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    1. I had a cheap Sailor, and it didn't do it for me, either. I'm liking the Hero calligraphy pen, but the cheaper models of that pen are kind of temperamental, too...so the search continues, doesn't it!

      And yep, I had Rapidographs, too!

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