# General fountain pen question



## jdthornton (Sep 7, 2010)

Hello all!
I am relatively new to pen turning and fountain pens in particular. I've had a lady aske me to make a fountain pen for a Christmas gift. I've gotten the kits, blanks are turned and I've started putting the parts together. That's when I thought about the ink. Is there a general time frame that ink will dry in the nib? I want to test how well the pen writes before giving it. If it is a short time period, I'll pack it up and then complete it in December.
Thanks for any guidance and input!
David


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## witz1976 (Sep 7, 2010)

if you wish to try it first, just dip the nib into a jar of ink.  Let the capillary action draw ink into the feeder then try it out.  The take it apart and clean it before you pack it up.  I would not install any ink until the pen is received as the ink will probably dry up on you.


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## monophoto (Sep 7, 2010)

I use fountain pens exclusively.  In daily use, a fountain pen will usually remain inked until the ink is exhausted.  If the pen is not used regularly, then the ink will eventually dry in the nib and section.  How long this takes depends on the design of the pen.  A screw cap pen will remain flowing longer than a snap-cap pen, but typically, if you let a pen sit unused for a week or more, you will probably find that the ink will start to dry.

With ordinary fountain pen inks, drying isn't fatal - it's just a PITA.    Never put India ink in a standard  fountain pen, and "registrar's ink" (aka 'iron gall' ink) should only be used in a dip pen.

A suggestion is to dip the pen rather than ink it.  Get a bottle of ink, and simply dip the nib into the bottle.  The nib will pick up enough ink to write a few test sentences.  Then, you can rinse out the nib.  If you were buying the pen at a specialty pen shop like Art Brown or Fountain Pen Hospital, that's what the sales person would do to demonstrate the pen before taking your money (a lot of your money).

By the way, you can provide a cartridge with the pen, but it's probably more thoughtful to provide a converter (pump).  That way, the user has a choice of operating modes.


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## dgscott (Sep 7, 2010)

Not sure exactly what you're asking, but you can certainly make the pen, insert a cartridge, try it out, then flush it with water before you put it away. Then give the lay a new cartridge with the pen. Alternatively, you can just dip the nib in a bottle of ink to try a few words, but again, flush the nib and section with clean water and dry it well before you put it away. Most of the good kits will create a closed environment for the moist nib when the cap is on, allowing it to write pretty much out of the chute when you uncap it and start writing. BUT, the closed environment isn't airtight, and ink will dry in the nib if left for more than a week, requiring an complete cleaning job before it's used again.

Most of the folks here will tell you that the cartridges that are supplied with kits are pretty crummy ink (and ink is just a dissolved solid). Buy some good quality ink cartridges to supply your customers with a better quality ink when their pen is new. Waterman, Pelikan, Mont Blanc, etc are readily available in office supply and art stores, and lots of the vendors here carry high quality ink in both cartridges and bottles.

Doug


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## bitshird (Sep 7, 2010)

BUT DO NOT use the cartridge that comes with the kit, it's like putting 90 wt gear lube in a Ferrari engine. It will not have a good effect on the nib!!


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## Hturnings (Sep 7, 2010)

I made a fP and it worked great for the first couple weeks.  I would use it daily.  After a couple weeks it quit writing.  I put in new cartiriges it would work a couple day then stop.  Tried cleaning, using the magic words, new cartridges but nothing worked.  For cleaning I would run hot water through the nib.  What did I do wrong?


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## steeler fan1 (Sep 23, 2010)

Hturnings said:


> I made a fP and it worked great for the first couple weeks. I would use it daily. After a couple weeks it quit writing. I put in new cartiriges it would work a couple day then stop. Tried cleaning, using the magic words, new cartridges but nothing worked. For cleaning I would run hot water through the nib. What did I do wrong?


 

I am certainly no expert but I thought I read somewhere to use cold water to clean FP. I'm sure someone more experienced can provide a more definative answer.

Carl


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## DCBluesman (Sep 23, 2010)

Never run hot water through the section of a fountain pen. The feed has very fine channels which can warp with hot water.  Room temperature water is best. If the feed and/or nib are really gummed up, add a few drops of non-sudsing ammonia to a cup of luke warm water and use that solution for cleaning.  Follow it with a thorough cleaning with room temperature tap water.  




Hturnings said:


> I made a fP and it worked great for the first couple weeks. I would use it daily. After a couple weeks it quit writing. I put in new cartiriges it would work a couple day then stop. Tried cleaning, using the magic words, new cartridges but nothing worked. For cleaning I would run hot water through the nib. What did I do wrong?


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