I've become the owner - keeper of half a dozen pens that belonged to my father and my sister. Nothing spectacular, just a couple of Parkers, Rotring and Montblancs.

Would like to know how to clean the dried ink inside them, how to store them once cleaned and in what position keep the one or two that I might want to use once in a while.

If there's anything I should know about ink cartridges, input is also welcomed.

Might want to start using a pen as a regular writing instrument. The rest will remain at home, in a mug used as pen holder if advisable.

Thank you.

Nicky,

It would be helpful if you were to describe what kind of pens you inherited. Meaning are they piston, cartridge/converter, eyedropper, lever, snorkel, etc.? Disassembly for cleaning will vary with type.

http://captainchang.com/pens/filling.html
https://www.jetpens.com/blog/f...ems-explained/pt/912

To start off with never use hot water, only cool water to clean and rinse the nib, feed assembly, and ink storage chamber. If a good long soak and repeated flushes isn't enough there are additional approaches as outlined here:

https://www.jetpens.com/blog/h...-fountain-pen/pt/259

This should get you started.

As for ink cartridges they are convenient. That said I much prefer converters and filling from bottles.

(A little B&W shot of my ink bottle shelf )

A decade ago I carried one for signing contracts. The ink was a very strong dye in a water base and could REALLY stain the unintended. In time the pen rolled off a table, its nib was damaged, and because of its construction, was not repairable. I was using cartridges.

I've started up again with ink and a drawing nib in a holder, like a quill. A scratchy sound it makes. The ink lasts longer than one would think. Ready for a few housebound winter days. Sketching with ink and pen.

Good answers and tips, thank you all.

Will have to work on the terminology though. I believe mine use cartridges but one Montblanc. Got rid of the embol Waterman, gifted it immediately. Have owned a couple of gorgeous Montblancs fat as a cigar over the years and both vanished without trace. Used to stain even the inside of my eyelids working the ink pot.

Should I keep the pens standing up or down?

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quote:

Originally posted by bald1:
As for ink cartridges they are convenient. That said I much prefer converters and filling from bottles.

Thanks bald1, as a fountain pen neophyte I learned a lot from your post!

The pilot metropolitans that I started with have a converter that seem to be much smaller than the cartridge it came with. To get around this I repurposed a syringe and large gauge needle to refill the cartridge from a bottle. I’ve been reusing the same cartridge for several refills with no issues since the last big FP thread.

The beautiful olive wood burl fountain pen I bought on a vacation in Italy looks great and has a more solid (weighty) feel than the pilots, but the nib is really wide, not italic, and it clogs if not used every day or two while the pilots seem to be able to sit for a week or two with no ill effects. Ah well, it it still a reminder of a great trip, even if it just sits there empty.

You're right! Learned more in that reply than in 50some years as a user.

Thank you dearly.

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A) Keep them tip up

B) Can you get dawn or ammonia down there? I've never needed ammonia, but a little bit of dawn in distilled water has worked, so far.

C) I know availability of things can be a challenge for you, but I really like Platinum's iron gall cassis, and a Platinum Preppie pen, to keep around for signing documents.