When I got into fountain pens about two years ago I ordered the smallest tin of silicone grease I could find on amazon, it was 1 oz (30 grams) and I am sure it will serve my grandchildren well...
@@Doodlebud I don't know what my girlfriend would think of me if I suddenly whipped out my tool-box from under the bed xD Well, actually I know what she thinks of me and probably she would not be really surprised...
Excellent! I love your engineering approach to this hobby. Pens are essentially mechanical devices, along with all their wonderful aesthetic, artistic aspects, and you do a superb job of celebrating all that. Thank you!
Lol, the flat top stove is one of the best workstations for your pens. You generally have a bright light in the range hood and the top is black glass so it wipes off with paper towel and doesn't stain. Also makes a great soldering station. Lots of light and an exhaust fan. Of course you can always cook something if you're into that. :)
Good idea. Only challenge is sitting down. I've super tall and stove tops are pretty low for me, so being hunched over for a while would take a toll on my back.
Glad you found the O-rings....they are a pain in the backside to replace when you cant! Man! I love your vids...you are a funny bastard! Thanks very much.
I was doing the vid and flipped the case over and was like..... Waaaaaaaiiiiit just a minute what do we have here! Glad you enjoy my vids, I gotta have fun doing them or whats the point 😁
Every single one of these is a must for the hobby. I’d also add a grip to this list. That was a cool trick pulling the spring syringe needle attachment and putting it on the converter. Beats buying the Pineider snorkel to do the same job.
Nice stuff. Steel feeler gauges can be a little tough on gold nibs, though. I would go with the brass ones if you don't have any yet, but I haven't tried them myself. I like a simple plastic pipette for cleaning out my converters, it's dead easy to use one-handed, and plenty strong enough. I love my ultrasound cleaner! Suggestion for another accessory: something to help suck up that last bit of ink for a piston filler, like a couple of the products by Ink-Miser, the Ink-Shot Inkwell and/or the Intra-bottle Inkwell.
Excellent video. High-quality content, great presentation. It never occurred to me to use my feeler gauges for tuning my pens. I'm gonna order three of your suggestions right now. Thanks.
Good list. I’ll be getting a proper ink syringe now. Distilled or deionised water is great for a final rinse of your washed pens as it won’t leave watermarks when it dries.
I know you did this video a long time ago, but thank you for such practical suggestions! I'm new to fountain pens, and was just handed a collection of more than a dozen pens, from unknown years, but most of them are Parkers. They were from a clean out of an estate that a friend handled and can't wait to really get them cleaned up. Came to your channel to see what pen flush you recommended and got way more helpful info than just that!
What a fun channel you have! Humour and a teensy bit of chaos is sorely lacking in most fountain pen videos. I have a question about using silicone on the o-ring in a vacuum fill pen. Does it not make the ink chamber greasy? How does it affect the ink?
Great and quite a helpful video ! The only accessory I’ve is quite an expensive pair of Sennheiser earbuds 😉 Hope your next video will be on accessories for accessories ( eg., cleaner to clean magnifying loop, syringe etc..) 😉
Thanks for the video, I wonder which tools you use to correct a misalignment of the tines? I hope you understand what I mean. Or if the nib in bended? Thanks anyway for the presented useful tools.
I'd like a pair of "Doodlebud Earbuds"! Add some micromesh to your list. Find it useful to put the finishing touch when fixing some scratchy nibs or removing baby's bottom.
Thought the price for the spring syringe was a bit steep, but it is very well built and it’s worth every penny.It streamlines my ink filling and cartridge cleaning routine a whole lot.
@@Doodlebud Hi, found several sets of 5, 8, etc... on Amzn, even with the same manuf name, but they do appear not to be as well constructed as your recommendation. The reviews were not stellar either. Even with the lower price, I think I'd rather have 1 well made, vice 5 or more poorly made. Solid info video DB, thanks.
I have some of the info in my nib tuning & grinding videos. I will be doing another grind video soon and will mentioned and list all the items I'm using
Do you know of any clip-on pen cases? I'd like to carry mine with me and not have to put it in my jean pockets. And is there anything I could use to bring the times back closer together to their original closeness?
Goof tips. I learned some good stuff. Thanks Be careful with syringes. I ordered some blunt craft syringes from Amazon, but all sharps arrived. I shrugged it off until I kept stabbing myself trying to fill my pens. Then I asked the question: If I ordered blunt crafts syringes and they sent me sharp medical syringes - what else is going on? There's a high probability what I received is cleaned up medical waste... Amazon sells everything - hepatitis and tetanus are free. For field cleaning the slit, I'll use those Plackers Dental Flossers. At first it's a bit tricky getting the floss in that slit, but you'll get the hang of it. The problem with flushing is that problems caused by dried ink don't always flush out, it needs at least a wipe with paper towel or tissue. I use craft syringes because they're cheap, simple (few parts) I've found that I can use 'em to fill up a pen, then fill them water and squirt twice and they're more than clean enough to use again in days of weeks (for that particular ink) I use Noodler's Ink Mostly Baystate Blue (beautiful color, stains my pens) and Polar Blue (absolutely never any problems with this ink). Both are permanent and water proof -but never ever mix them. What I do to fill from the bottles is always have two bottles of each ink and I keep one bottle filled closed to the top -that's my fill from bottle. I paint a white X on top (wite-out) so I know which is which. I really like syringe needle on the converter tip - great solution to a lot of hassles.
Slightly off topic, but, where do you get or acquire the corrugated mache liners for your pens? Probably more choice on the wet coast than here in central Ab. Found cigar boxes, however they don't have any sort of divider. Thanks in advance.
I couldn't find any either so I ended up making them. I bought a router, setup a table, and cut the grooves into a wood base plate. Then I sew some fabric and line the tray and slip it into the box
@@Doodlebud Nice work. You've given me an excuse to go buy more tools and attachments. I've been gluing dowel onto the bottom of book like boxes from a certain large craft store chain. I'm going to line them with velvet and hope for the best. Thanks for the feed back.
Do you know where I can find the spring loaded syringe that you're using? The link in the description has expired. I tried searching Ali and Amazon, but they only have micro syringes that are maybe 1 ml in volume
@Doodlebud noooooo! 😭 That was the best syringe I've seen - the way it disassembles for cleaning is so convenient. My guess is that the company stopped producing them in favor of the one-time use ones that are out there now. Any other similar syringe I have seen does not disassemble, so after one or maybe a few uses, you'll need to toss it out to use a new one. Means you need to buy more, and they can make more money. 😓
I just did a search on AliExpress using part of the title "Hongdian Filler Cartridge" and several come up. Here's one: www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003156681956.html
I will never give up my death metal while working with small fiddly things, how else am I supposed to let the neighbours know I'm working on something?
I play and setup guitars as another hobby. I use feeler gauges for that too. One thing he forgot to mention is most feeler gauges have a fine oily coating on them that can really mess up a nib. Be very careful of this or you’ll be buying a new nib pretty quickly.
When I got into fountain pens about two years ago I ordered the smallest tin of silicone grease I could find on amazon, it was 1 oz (30 grams) and I am sure it will serve my grandchildren well...
Check out the comment by @friedrich D, apparently you can use it as lube soooooooo
@@Doodlebud I don't know what my girlfriend would think of me if I suddenly whipped out my tool-box from under the bed xD Well, actually I know what she thinks of me and probably she would not be really surprised...
Can’t help but admire and love your engineer’s touch! The applied mathematician.
It's the only way I know how to look at things lol
Excellent! I love your engineering approach to this hobby. Pens are essentially mechanical devices, along with all their wonderful aesthetic, artistic aspects, and you do a superb job of celebrating all that. Thank you!
Thx buddy 😁
Lol, the flat top stove is one of the best workstations for your pens. You generally have a bright light in the range hood and the top is black glass so it wipes off with paper towel and doesn't stain. Also makes a great soldering station. Lots of light and an exhaust fan. Of course you can always cook something if you're into that. :)
Good idea. Only challenge is sitting down. I've super tall and stove tops are pretty low for me, so being hunched over for a while would take a toll on my back.
Thanks that’s really helpful it’s about time someone does a list that helps beginners
Glad it was helpful!
Glad you found the O-rings....they are a pain in the backside to replace when you cant! Man! I love your vids...you are a funny bastard! Thanks very much.
I was doing the vid and flipped the case over and was like..... Waaaaaaaiiiiit just a minute what do we have here! Glad you enjoy my vids, I gotta have fun doing them or whats the point 😁
If I recall correctly, Philip from TWSBI said the silicone lubricant included with the pens was *cough* silicone personal lubricant
Oh wow! Excited to show the wife! 😝 I can hear her voice now "Get your stupid pen stuff out of the bedroom!
@@Doodlebud Doodlebud! you got jokes haha, love the vids.
Great video and excellent tips. Thank for sharing!!!
Every single one of these is a must for the hobby. I’d also add a grip to this list. That was a cool trick pulling the spring syringe needle attachment and putting it on the converter. Beats buying the Pineider snorkel to do the same job.
Ahh yes the grippy thingy. I don't have one as I got pretty strong hands, but yes, definitely comes in handy!
@@Doodlebud6 .. ⁿ6 😊 ω xçcç
Nice stuff. Steel feeler gauges can be a little tough on gold nibs, though. I would go with the brass ones if you don't have any yet, but I haven't tried them myself. I like a simple plastic pipette for cleaning out my converters, it's dead easy to use one-handed, and plenty strong enough. I love my ultrasound cleaner! Suggestion for another accessory: something to help suck up that last bit of ink for a piston filler, like a couple of the products by Ink-Miser, the Ink-Shot Inkwell and/or the Intra-bottle Inkwell.
Good video video useful info. Learning a lot
Dig that springy syringe, I'll check it out...
Very helpful list. Thanks!!
Good info, thanks. I know that with your exacting standards all recommendations will be excellent.
I can be a bit of a prickly pear 🍐😉
Excellent video. High-quality content, great presentation. It never occurred to me to use my feeler gauges for tuning my pens. I'm gonna order three of your suggestions right now. Thanks.
Good list. I’ll be getting a proper ink syringe now. Distilled or deionised water is great for a final rinse of your washed pens as it won’t leave watermarks when it dries.
I know you did this video a long time ago, but thank you for such practical suggestions! I'm new to fountain pens, and was just handed a collection of more than a dozen pens, from unknown years, but most of them are Parkers. They were from a clean out of an estate that a friend handled and can't wait to really get them cleaned up. Came to your channel to see what pen flush you recommended and got way more helpful info than just that!
Glad it was helpful. I did a DIY video on how to make your own pen flush on the if you want to see:
th-cam.com/video/CpvkrqMI2u0/w-d-xo.html
We used to call that a booger snatcher when I was a kid. LOL
What a fun channel you have! Humour and a teensy bit of chaos is sorely lacking in most fountain pen videos. I have a question about using silicone on the o-ring in a vacuum fill pen. Does it not make the ink chamber greasy? How does it affect the ink?
I does leave a thin film of silicon on the pen body, but it doesn't mix or dissolve into the ink. It stays inside the pen so you're all good
Great video!!
Thanks 😁
Great and quite a helpful video !
The only accessory I’ve is quite an expensive pair of Sennheiser earbuds 😉
Hope your next video will be on accessories for accessories ( eg., cleaner to clean magnifying loop, syringe etc..) 😉
Don't even need to do a video on that one as you're probably wearing the accessory... a t-shirt 👕
Thanks for the video, I wonder which tools you use to correct a misalignment of the tines? I hope you understand what I mean. Or if the nib in bended? Thanks anyway for the presented useful tools.
I meant desksets stands ice wells and those sorts of things by accessories
Micromesh, portable inkwell and knockout block
For this list I kept it basic. For newbies micromesh can mess up a nib real quick. But once you know what you're doing, very useful
I'd like a pair of "Doodlebud Earbuds"!
Add some micromesh to your list. Find it useful to put the finishing touch when fixing some scratchy nibs or removing baby's bottom.
I didn't add the micromesh as I figured that's a more advanced thing. But I just did a video with a nib tune using the micromesh.
Thought the price for the spring syringe was a bit steep, but it is very well built and it’s worth every penny.It streamlines my ink filling and cartridge cleaning routine a whole lot.
Less expensive ones are available, but they seem to be poorly made. Pretty happy with this one
@@Doodlebud it’s also the perfect ink capacity. I think the cheaper syringes might need a few more dips and pumps.
Yup, one shot with this one and youre good to go
@@Doodlebud Hi, found several sets of 5, 8, etc... on Amzn, even with the same manuf name, but they do appear not to be as well constructed as your recommendation. The reviews were not stellar either. Even with the lower price, I think I'd rather have 1 well made, vice 5 or more poorly made. Solid info video DB, thanks.
Great video. Would you consider adding recommendations for sandpaper? or sandstone? thank you
I have some of the info in my nib tuning & grinding videos. I will be doing another grind video soon and will mentioned and list all the items I'm using
I would recommend definitely using distilled water rather than tap water especially if you have hard water & have a water softener system installed.
Do you know of any clip-on pen cases? I'd like to carry mine with me and not have to put it in my jean pockets. And is there anything I could use to bring the times back closer together to their original closeness?
Goof tips. I learned some good stuff. Thanks
Be careful with syringes. I ordered some blunt craft syringes from Amazon, but all sharps arrived. I shrugged it off until I kept stabbing myself trying to fill my pens. Then I asked the question: If I ordered blunt crafts syringes and they sent me sharp medical syringes - what else is going on? There's a high probability what I received is cleaned up medical waste... Amazon sells everything - hepatitis and tetanus are free.
For field cleaning the slit, I'll use those Plackers Dental Flossers. At first it's a bit tricky getting the floss in that slit, but you'll get the hang of it. The problem with flushing is that problems caused by dried ink don't always flush out, it needs at least a wipe with paper towel or tissue.
I use craft syringes because they're cheap, simple (few parts) I've found that I can use 'em to fill up a pen, then fill them water and squirt twice and they're more than clean enough to use again in days of weeks (for that particular ink) I use Noodler's Ink Mostly Baystate Blue (beautiful color, stains my pens) and Polar Blue (absolutely never any problems with this ink). Both are permanent and water proof -but never ever mix them. What I do to fill from the bottles is always have two bottles of each ink and I keep one bottle filled closed to the top -that's my fill from bottle. I paint a white X on top (wite-out) so I know which is which.
I really like syringe needle on the converter tip - great solution to a lot of hassles.
Slightly off topic, but, where do you get or acquire the corrugated mache liners for your pens? Probably more choice on the wet coast than here in central Ab. Found cigar boxes, however they don't have any sort of divider. Thanks in advance.
I couldn't find any either so I ended up making them. I bought a router, setup a table, and cut the grooves into a wood base plate. Then I sew some fabric and line the tray and slip it into the box
@@Doodlebud Nice work. You've given me an excuse to go buy more tools and attachments. I've been gluing dowel onto the bottom of book like boxes from a certain large craft store chain. I'm going to line them with velvet and hope for the best. Thanks for the feed back.
Why do you recommend the grey over the blue bulb syringe? ✒
The end of the grey one wider. It better fits over the nipple at the end of the feed & flows more water to flush out quicker
I'm going to take a break from the death metal and clean my pens 😄
Try putting on some Clowncore... Very relaxing 🤡
Do you know where I can find the spring loaded syringe that you're using? The link in the description has expired. I tried searching Ali and Amazon, but they only have micro syringes that are maybe 1 ml in volume
I haven't seen them listed anywhere for a while now
@@Doodlebud that's strange that they're not restocking it. I imagine it sold well.
@Doodlebud noooooo! 😭 That was the best syringe I've seen - the way it disassembles for cleaning is so convenient.
My guess is that the company stopped producing them in favor of the one-time use ones that are out there now. Any other similar syringe I have seen does not disassemble, so after one or maybe a few uses, you'll need to toss it out to use a new one. Means you need to buy more, and they can make more money. 😓
Syringe says unavailable? Can you find one with case and post link?
I just did a search on AliExpress using part of the title "Hongdian Filler Cartridge" and several come up. Here's one: www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003156681956.html
Where to purchase these products?. Philip
Love the vids. Throw my name in the hat if ya don’t mind. I am working with a sewn crown royal bag as a pen case currently.
my hands.
Glad you like your hands
@@Doodlebud surely I do like my avatar hands.
I will never give up my death metal while working with small fiddly things, how else am I supposed to let the neighbours know I'm working on something?
Well at least make it death metal with a little intermittent jazz infused... Clown Core might be a good fit 🤡
Why was I really waiting for you to say "focus you f**k!" at 1:42? I can't figure it out!
Oh trust me I want to say that, and do a bunch, but edit it out LOL. AvE just lets it fly!
Mortification another Christian death metal bands are great for chilling with it's the light stuff that pisses me off
Jesus, man. Remove the plastic film from the TWSBI wrench.
NEVEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRR!
Could you please send me some pen tools suppliers name/contacts? Thank you very much. Best, Rui Xavier
Not sure what supplies you mean? Most online retailers have sections in their sites for various pen tools etc
I play and setup guitars as another hobby. I use feeler gauges for that too. One thing he forgot to mention is most feeler gauges have a fine oily coating on them that can really mess up a nib. Be very careful of this or you’ll be buying a new nib pretty quickly.