b5media.com

Enjoying this blog? Check out the rest of the Business Channel

Slacker Manager

Fountain pen woes (how to jumpstart?)

by Bren on June 27th, 2007

This is a question for any fountain pen aficionados out there: how do you jumpstart your ink flow after letting your pen rest overnight (or a couple of days)?

This has always bothered me, and I’ve tried a variety of solutions. The “lick it” trick (over and over until the ink flows freely); the dip in water trick; the clean-the-nib trick; the work it with tissue paper until the gunk is gone trick; etc…

Is there a one size fits all solution for getting your ink flow moving in the morning?

Share This

Fred Beiderbecke
Jun 27, 2007 at 9:53 am

I usually run the nib under a stream of cold water.

I highly recommend the Lamy Safari and Al-Star pens. They can sit capped for long periods of time and write immediately.
Michael Montgomery
Jun 27, 2007 at 10:14 am

A water cup/fountain/faucet works.

Actually, I don’t have this issue. In recent years, I only use the workmanlike Waterman Phileas, which works great as long as you always cap it.
Ann Rasmussen
Jun 27, 2007 at 10:31 am

I hold the non-writing end of the pen and vigorously flick my wrist a couple times. Licking? Ick.
Ann Rasmussen
Jun 27, 2007 at 10:33 am

I hold the non-writing end of the pen and vigorously flick my wrist a couple times. Licking? Ick.

P.S. Make sure the pen is capped. : )
Gandalfe
Jun 27, 2007 at 12:05 pm

Hmm… in high school I used to suck the tip and then freak people out with my blue or black tongue. :o)

Now adays I eschew the fountain pen for uni-ball or flair type pens. Oh, and I don’t suck them anymore.
Robert 'Groby' Blum
Jun 27, 2007 at 12:37 pm

Step #1 - get a fountain pen that’s well-made.

They take long to actually dry out. On the order of weeks. I’d recommend a brand, except I bought my favorite from some guy in Hawaii who hand-makes them from Koa wood. (OK - I’m a fountain pen geek. What can I say ;). My secondary one (for use in the office, as opposed to at home, is a “Diploma”, made in Germany. Lasts slightly less long, but well into the second week before it dries.

Step #2 - get rid of pre-filled ink cartridges.

Instead, get one of those cartridges you refill from an ink well. They have a little screw thingy on the back to refill. Screw opposite direction to squeeze out a bit of ink, and you’re good to go.

I’m not a fan of the water method, because your ink stays watery for quite some time. If I need to write, I need to write now, not 15 minutes later ;)
jeffh
Jun 27, 2007 at 1:21 pm

Use a Mont Blanc and their incredible ink and it doesn’t dry up or get clogged.

Cheers.
sabrina
Jun 27, 2007 at 1:37 pm

I have to agree with the comments above — the best solution is a better pen, and always cap it promptly. My “daily driver” lately is a Waterman, though I also like Parkers. On the low end, a $10 Parker Vector is not a bad choice, though my favorite cheapie refillable fountain pen was a £3 school pen I found in some divey stationery shop in Brighton one time — I was so sad when I inevitably lost it. It never once dried out on me, and it was neon green to boot!

Get thee to Pendemonium! Talk to someone and get a pen recommendation. Buy a pen with intent! A good pen will keep you happy for years. (Also, get a pen with a cartridge converter because it just looks cool to have a bottle of ink out on your desk. ;)
Jack Vinson
Jun 27, 2007 at 2:05 pm

I prefer the water tap method. I just need to get my pen quickly wet, and the ink begins to flow. (It’s an unknown brand made of bakelite, but it wasn’t cheap. I’ve a Jean Pierre Lepine pen that doesn’t require moistening, even after weeks of no use. Same ink as the other pen.) I don’t have the problem of the ink staying watery, since I just get a splash.

When the tap isn’t available, I wet paper with some spittle or use a tissue. I’ve stopped using the “flick” method after getting too much ink in the cap and ending up with black hands.
Tris Hussey
Jun 27, 2007 at 6:19 pm

Yep all of the above. Good pens, good ink, draw from a bottle instead of a cartridge. I have about a dozen pens but my everyday pen at the moment is my Namiki Vanishing Point. That’s an amazing pen!
voodoo
Jun 27, 2007 at 7:50 pm

Okay okay, I admit. I’m a licker.

But I’ve found that my fave pen, a Rotring Core, has a leaky refillable cartridge. Or at the very least when it’s empty, and I unscrew it to fill it up again, there’s ink all over the place (albeit it’s only spilling inside the hollow). Kinda sucks indeed.

My other face Pilot Petit1 is a great standby when Rotring is busy leaking.
Bren
Jun 27, 2007 at 7:56 pm

Awesome tips, thanks, everyone!

The pens I’m having trouble with are Levenger True Writers. They’re beautiful pens, and write great when the ink is flowing (Levenger ink, too), but they tend to dry up overnight. I also have a Waterman something-or-other (medium nib) which doesn’t dry up as quickly. The True Writers have threaded caps, the Waterman has a snap cap. Seems like the threaded caps would be more airtight.

Everyone advocates bottled ink, eh? I’ve got converters for all my pens, but haven’t used bottled ink because I’m afraid of ink everywhere. I’m messy enough with the cartridges! I’ll give the bottled stuff a try, though…
Sarah Heal
Jun 27, 2007 at 9:45 pm

Remove the bottom of the pen. So now you are holding the nib plus the ink cartridge. Squeeze the ink cartridge until the ink starts to bubble through the nib…this should clear it out and you are ready to start writing again.
MarcC
Jun 28, 2007 at 2:12 pm

I agree with the people suggesting using bottled ink. With my Mont Blanc I simply hold the pen tip down and rotate the filling mechanism to squeeze out one drop of ink.

I find that my Namiki Vanishing Point pens filled with Noodler’s Black can sit unused for several months without gumming up (yes, I ran the experiment, no, I don’t let them sit that long usually).
Moxie
Jul 3, 2007 at 1:23 pm

Wow, I haven’t heard anyone talk about fountain pens in ages. This is very refreshing!

I use a Waterman Phileas too, with Waterman bottled ink, and the only time I’ve had a problem with the pen drying out is when the ink is nearly gone.

Refilling the cartridge can be a bit messy, especially when the bottle is running low. The ink is water-soluble so cleanup is very easy.
John S.
Jul 5, 2007 at 3:06 am

You may want to try storing your pen upright at night so the ink flows back into the pen.

You will need a moment to wait for the ink to flow back to the feed and nib when ready to use again, so hold your pen nib end down for a minute before you uncap.

Always cap and uncap with the nib end up.
It’s not as complicated as it sounds. Make it a habit.
Dwayne Melancon
Jul 5, 2007 at 7:58 pm

Before I lick, I try gently tapping the tip or touching it to a tissue (sometimes the capillary action seems to draw the ink out this way - I think it only works when it’s not waaay dry).

This usually happens to me when I wander off and leave the cap off for a long time, or come back after a long trip. I don’t tend to travel with my fountain pens since I’ve had some annoying leakage a couple of times (I use the “suck it up” ink cartridges and some lovely green ink).
Brad Isaac
Jul 13, 2007 at 8:05 am

I am going to disagree with a number of the other posters in saying that a high quality pen doesn’t necessarily fix writing woes. I have one of the $300+ Mont Blancs and it hasn’t written well since day 1. I even sent it to a nib specialist. He got it writing - but it was too wet - the ink soaks through all sorts of paper.

Bren, if you are looking for substance over style and having trouble with a fountain pen, I’d just say get a space pen or a G2 pilot. They aren’t as cool looking as a Mont Blanc or Pelikan, but gee…. when you go to write a sentence, ink comes out just as predicted. ;)
Sabrina
Jul 14, 2007 at 5:53 am

I don’t think expense denotes quality. Like I said, I quite like Parker Vectors — which I used to be able to pick up for $6 at Walgreen’s (curse you, inflation!) — are great little pens. I’ve got a Waterman Phileas (like several people noted using in the thread) that I picked up for, IIRC, about $23 at Overstock.com. I’ve never paid more than about £60 for a pen, honestly (and that was a special occasion!). You don’t have to shell out huge piles of cash to get a great fountain pen — you just have to find a well-made one, and keep it clean.
Brad Isaac
Jul 14, 2007 at 6:43 am

Another tip that occurred to me, never put a fountain pen nib under hot water to clear a c log. It will ruin warp the underside.