Cleaning Your Pens Too Much! Using Short Intern'l Cartrides, & Authors and their Pens!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 ก.พ. 2024
- Are we washing our pens too much? Is it all really necessary, as much as I love ritual! Should we tone it down? Join me, Live! Won’t You???
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I am a widow after 53 years of marriage. Pens, journaling have brought me to myself and kept me sharp and creative. Thank you for your channel.
I'm so sorry for your loss. Iost my husband of 30 years to Covid in 2021. Pens and Journaling did the same for me. Wishing you peace.
@@robbinallan3767 Thank you so much. My Charlie died in 2021 too from Covid while recovering in the hospital. I wish you peace also.
I have a creative friend, an interior designer and she loves journaling and art. I gave her, her first fountain pen, well two. And you’d think I had given her a new car! That was exciting!
Not sure if you journal around literature, I've taken to having journals for specific books or authors I use to fill with my impressions, thoughts, analysis , critique and feelings about what I'm reading. Your Hemmingway journal would be a great accompaniment to writing about his stories as you read (and indeed re-read them).
On handwriting, I actually got into pens to improve handwriting. My writing had become illegible from lack of use and generally just using mechanical pencils. Often looked like the readout from a heart beat monitor. I've been doing a lot of work on improving it and can write more neatly when I concentrate, but I'm pleased to say my "scrappy" fast writing has actually improved a lot too, so it's really raised the baseline.
Great stuff, my friend. Good luck with your handwriting.
I watched your video yesterday and decided to take the plunge. Just moments ago I became a new member to the channel. I am absolutely sure that I won't regret this decision. Fountain Pens-- what a great adventure!!😊
Welcome! Warmest and welcomes and thank you so much! I am delighted to have you here with us! Thank you!!!!
EXCELLENT episode! As a fastidious and scheduled person I really enjoyed this topic. I restore vintage sewing machines and some of my collection are from the 30s. They were rarely maintained or serviced but when well made, can easily be cleaned up and they work just as well as day 1! I agree with you. What started this renewed love of fountain pens was rediscovering my late father’s gold-filled Cross pens with gold nibs. Haven’t been used since the 80s, nor cleaned! Delighted, after a quick soak and re-inking, to see them write perfectly! Such a thrill! And here I am now, completely enthralled with my new FP collection. Love your Indy pen…you HAD to keep it! I would have too. CS knows this ! 😊 Great job!
Missed the live cast but enjoyed your show. I'm guilty of probably too much cleaning, but being aware of that, I often prefer pens that are designed to come apart and go back together gracefully. Those ones open up options for gorgeous inks that might misbehave.
as for coming apart and reassembling GRACEFULLY...I'm beginning to think all additional pens I bring home must be cartridge or converter. My fingertip sensitivity is not warning me in time to stop the fatal final half turn.....
I do the color shift with pilot parallel pens. You touch the nibs together and one ink flows to the other via gravity then you write and watch the magic color change. So much fun. Will definitely try your cartridge technique 🥳
Very cool! Thank you. Let me know what you think.
I'm pleased to hear that you have 70% of your pen collection inked. I thought I was being excessive but I like to change pens when I journal to express myself in different colors and I only clean my pens when I change the ink to a very different color. Good ol' tap water works great.
I was super concerned when I first got into fountain pens that I take good care of them; I want to pass some down to my grandchildren. Then I heard Brian of Goulet Pens say he doesn’t always flush his pens, he just adds in a new ink. That just freed me to enjoy my pens by using common sense to know when they need to be thoroughly cleaned. Also, my maiden name is Scrivner. Family history says my ancestors dropped the extra “e” when coming to America but I can’t remember the reason why-it is awkward for me to spell it the English way also.
You have a wonderful name! Thanks for watching.
I loved the "true handwriting" discussion! It may actually inspire me to work on improving my penmanship. I now think I may be capable of achieving better penmanship! Thank you!
I know you can do it! Thanks!’
i am glad you are writing poetry again! it usually requires a little time away from home and an atmospheric setting or day for me to be inspired, so i recommend a quiet cafe or quiet fast food place. mcdonals, burger king are shockingly chill between 1 and 3pm. mexican restaurants, sitting by a window for light are wonderful for afternoon writing. sometimes waiters ask about my writing, but often it is a short lived conversation, however, i've met some very nice people this way.
Thank you so much! I am excited to reconnect with that part of my life. I would love to do it in a cafe or somewhere, but my life is currently very domestic! Thanks!
I appreciate your good, clean, uplifting content, exploring all the intricate nuances of a hobby that can be very enriching.
What a great suggestion to use alternating cartridges of different colours! I’ve often thought that I wouldn’t necessarily want to clean the nib/feed when I change inks in my pens (I’m still new to the hobby so none have run out yet😄), because I’ve enjoyed the transition so much when I’ve accidentally dipped an already inked pen in a different coloured ink.
Very cool! Why not? Experiment and have fun with it.
I am glad I found you! I have seen a few of your videos and have enjoyed them all. I learned how to write with a FP when I was in 3rd grade and I am 72 y/o. And have used an FP ever since. Presently own about 30 pens, including the original Esterbrook I learned to write with. Cheers!
Hello and warmest of welcomes. I am happy to have you here. Amazing that you have your first pen. What a story!
Good to see you again!blessings
You too! All the best.
Sigh why do I always fall asleep during your videos? Your content is amazing so it can't be that. maybe it is your extremely relaxing voice so here I am again trying to get through this video. Wish me luck.
Thanks for watching. Maybe I need to be snappier!
Hello Tim. Your channel is by far one of my favorite and definitely the best FP channel. Thank you for all the effort you put in to your very informational videos.
Thank you so much for this comment! It is encouraging! I appreciate it.
inspirational video ... Well done! I appreciated the candid conversation.
Thank you very much!
I had a lovely celluloid Montegrappa Miya for 8 years. I used it daily at the office. I cleaned it twice. The first time was after using up the included cartridges and switching to Caran d’Ache Blue cartridges from then on. The second time was when I sold it.
Thanks for all the videos. Your content feels very candid and open. Love that. Also your day job is interesting to me, also being a professional.
cheers from Oz
Awesome! Thank you! I am very glad you are here.
@@HemingwayJones me too :)
I am not OCD concerning washing pens, but approximately twice a year each pen is cleaned in water and left to dry for 24 hours. I use tap water, a pen flush, and finally mineral water because I love to treat them like precious objects which in fact they are. However this applies also if I change an ink.
About the ultrasonic cleaner I suppose this is better avoided as it may damage the gold plating. After all giving one's pens a bath is a lovely, relaxing ritual, and when sparkling clean the sight hearkens back to the day I acquired them.
Ooh, that changing colors in your pens sounds so fun. I’m going to try it. And I can’t wait to see a video on it. I’ve actually seen someone do something like this with the Pilot Parallel calligraphy pens.
Thank you so much! Give it a shot and let me know what you think.
@@HemingwayJones I shall! 😊
I'm curious to see how the Leuchtturm works for you. My daughter had one and the ink feathered (standard ink, F nib). I heard some people have these problems, some do not. Since then I hesitate to buy one.
I've experienced the fade-in/fade-out effect with switching inks. It is fun! I clean pens when I plan to store them for a while, or to be certain that pigmented or shimmer inks won't dry and permanently clog the feed. BTW, RE pronouncing "autoclave"; it comes up in M*A*S*H a few times.
Oh, and, yes, initial cleanings. I confess not having done so when I got my Yard-O-Led the other week. Too excited! Perhaps the makers cleaned it. In any case, wrote like a dream straight from box. At the opposite end of the expense spectrum, I have found that Jinhao have tested pens -- tested! -- and maybe I didn't need to clean them. Pens are great!
YOL is very nice! congratulations. thanks for the comment.
Use your favorite blue inks in the hombre style! That would be awesome. I can’t wait to write letters to my pen hombres in that style. Blue and green! Fun video.
Thank you very much! There will definitely be more ink videos coming soon!
I have been using fountain pens since high school (over 50 years ago) and the cleaning method you describe is what I have done.
The ink swap sounds fun! I'm gonna do it! Wish I could catch the livestream....
Thanks!
Thank you so much for your kind support!!!!
Sorry did not catch you live this week but still a well spent hour.I tend only to ink 5to 6 pens at a time & when they run out of ink I thoroughly clean with tap water,I mainly do this so that I can keep all the pens I have in rotation & have different inks.
I must be one of the few obsessive pen cleaners. I have over a thousand pens, a lot of them very cheap, I usually have between 24 and 50 inked at any one time. I love finishing an ink and cleaning that pen because it means I get to choose a new pen/ink combo. They each get cleaned immediately and thoroughly. Air dried for a couple days, reassembled, and stored. The only pens in constant use for the past 6 years have been several Platinum desk pens with Platinum Carbon Black ink that are on my desks at all times for signatures, bills and the like. They usually get cleaned 3 times a year. Sbrebrown had a great video on disassembling those pens. I love looking at these beautiful gems, sparkling and clean, begging to be chosen for the next ink. ❤
I avoid "problem" inks. For me stains is no big deal, but last thing I want is to have particulates that clog the feed. For shimmer inks, I use a dip pen, so no problem with clogging.
I came here to watch this episode to see how often I need to be cleaning my pens and I left with the fact that I don’t need to clean them and I’m going to change the ink constantly. I love knowing that I can just put different color ink on top of one another.
Something came up! Sorry I missed the live, but I just got done watching. I always clean through with tap water when I am going to store the pen for a bit, when I use a heavy shimmer ink, or if swapping distinctly different inks. Looking forward to hearing what your favorite blues are!😊
Thanks so much for catching the play back.
I wish I could watch Live but Tuesday nights we are at Bible study. But I always look forward to the playback after we get home! So relaxing.
I appreciate your watching. Thank you!
@@HemingwayJones Always! 😎🙌🏼
Once a semester worked for me during my student years.
Early into this hobby, I bought a costly piston filling fountain pen. Wanted to clean it before inking it for the first time. Showed the nib directly under running tape water. After wiping the nib found that the tines got split wide open ✌🏻. That was the end of the nib and of course the pen (buyinga new pen was better than replacing the nib unit)
You know, I never even gave it thought that you didn’t mention any female authors. But I’m not one of those who goes looking for confrontations. Makes no difference to me. But other than the obvious, Jane Austen, Agatha Christie and the like, I’d be interested in Anne MCaffrey. Her Dragon Riders of Pern series was wonderful. No idea what pens they used.
That’s the challenge! You have to find a writer and then do your best to tie them to a pen. Some writers are out there saying which they used and why. Others are much quieter about it. Thanks!
@@HemingwayJonesFun to research though!
Love the Pern series of books! So few people know about it😢
@@rv6847 It was pretty popular in the 70s. Classics!
Good vibes 😊
Thanks! To you as well.
I had not read nonfiction in over 20 years, but last month I found a library giving books away. Now I', really enjoying romantic books about the 1800's. I can't put them down.
Sounds wonderful!
Vanness pens did a test with platinum classic black iron gall inks. Left ink in pens for a year. No issues. Not a fan of L. paper.
I think it has a lot to do with which Iron gall. Still, it’s a good use for a less expensive pen. Thanks!
I hate to waste ink, so I collected a bottle of small amounts of various inks left over from cartridges, samples, etc. I call it my Frankenink and it is a nice shade of dark green with a slight bluish tint. It actually behaves well on most papers and with several of my pens, but the sad part it it can never be precisely reproduced.
There is one real outlier in modern IG inks -- Diamine Registrar ink. I believe both the Platinum and KWZ IG inks are similar in chemistry. Basically only enough acid to convert (in the presence of O2) ferrous ions to ferric ions, with no acid left over.
@@Calcprof Yes, Diamine Registrar’s Ink is quite acidic. You can taste it on your tongue!
I bought a very cheap ultrasonic to clean my Conklin All American and some other very old pens. Of course, I used it strictly with the nibs or the nib assemblies, like a very very old Pelikan that my mother gave me that she left with ink for decades. It made them flow so beautifully. My Concklin All American (Stub) was so filthy with dried ink on the feeder and the mechanism. Now it writes like a dream. Same with the vbintage Pelikan Tortoise. So for an investment of about $20 + S&H and 3-5 min shake, the pens are like brand new. The process goes back a few decades now for me and it is reborn now. I used to clean my Rapidographs in the old style Rotring Ultrasonic. I could not afford buying one of those back then and I would use the one of my cousin who was a practicing architect while I was a student. That machine was probably worth a thousand bucks back then. Now this new ultrasonic does not even get the nibs hot. The Rotring would generate a lot of heat.
HJ, have you seen Schon Dsgn’s cleaning syringes? They make quick work of cartridge converter pens. For a quick flush they are amazing.
I have! He sent me a prototype, so I was able to provide some feedback during the development stage. Ian is wonderful guy.
Now I am goggling it... i have too...
I do love a short international cartride as per your thumbnail. Northern Delhi proved to be particularly intriguing.
Wonderful.
So I only have 3 pens, each with their own ink, but I only clean them if they aren’t flowing. One of them uses a shinny ink, but that’s the broader nib pen. I treat them like any other everyday tool and treat them if they feel off.
Lamy Crystal Benitoite (blue) 1st found in San Benito county - 200 miles south of here in central Cali! - A gemstone mined in Cali ! So There !
I agree with your wife! You should definitely keep that Conway Stewart!
I think I will!
I have almost 30 years old russian/chinese cheap pen from my elementary school days, I still use it from time to time and I literally never cleaned it lol
I had been careful to not mix Herbin inks, in part because some of them are so subtle. But I also think that that they explicitly stated not to mix-up the inks with other brands. So I'll take this as a fiat to go nuts 😂
I do have a bottle that I use to hold excess ink of which I can't remember the name. A bit like the little barrels on the bar they use in Gangs of New York, with all the left over liquor 😅 I then use it to fill pens if I'm out of inspiration.
Many continually clean pens due to evaporation of water from the ink when they could simply rehydrate the evaporated water from the ink with clean or distilled water.
You rightly advocate cleaning fps prior to storage, but do you think that a little water remaining inside the barrel and feed would harm a fp - especially a piston filler - during long-term storage? I ask as I'm wary of continually taking mine apart.
NB: I draw a distinction between handwriting and calligraphy - the former being an expression of one's personality, while the latter being a disciplined form of graphic art. Great video.
Thank you so much for watching! I don’t worry about a little water in a pen. Think of all those piston pens when you cannot even tell. They are always fine. I don’t worry about it. Thanks so much for watching.
how do you "field strip" a fountain pen? Thank you.
You disassemble it completely or at least as much as you can. Easiest with TWSBI.
An autoclave is used to sterilize dental instruments in dentists offices or surgical instrments in hospitals. Putting pens in a autoclave will end up destriying pens that are put into an autoclave.
Crikey, Hi from Australia... I have only a few Mont Blanc's and Waterman Man100's. I don't think they've ever been cleaned in 30 plus years. Although, I do wipe them over with baby wipes after I have been traveling. I work in international banking and travel a lot through the Middle East and Asia. Hot and humid conditions leave yuk all over the pen body. Mont Blanc produce these really nifty nib wipes I use after a refill, but thats all I ever use. After watching your video, maybe I should give them a soak for a few months..!
I don't know, if they are working fine, why mess with it!? Thanks for watching.
@@HemingwayJones They’re all working fine… ☺️
Some inks have the reputation to stain your pens forever, but there are not that many, like Noodler's BayState Blue -which is a gorgeous blue. Best may be to designate a pen as the official BayState Blue pen and not even try to clean it, ever.
Sorry I couldn't tune in last night. I was all ready to watch and got pulled away. Yesterday was a day I never want to do through again.
I enjoy writing poems also. Recently I have been writing short stories. I always try to end the with a bit of humor. The fountain pen just calls me to use it.
Did we have a Baystate Blue meditative live writing session yet?
We’ll have to schedule that one soon.
I used plan water to clean my pens.
Plan water? Is that something you have to consider in advance?
Can you do a video on light academia inks?
I am planning on it! Probably pens first, but definitely.
You pronounced autoclave right. Also, I use a lot of shimmer inks, so if my pen stops working, I use my homemade white lightening.
Thanks very much!
Do you clean a new pen before you fill it? I decided that today--YES, I will after my experience today. I filled a new pen with water and the water turned BLUE! My hope is that the nib was dipped to test the nib before packing and mailing.
Many pens are tested before packaging, especially LAMY. This is a good thing. Yes, I always clean pens first.
@@HemingwayJones I love my LAMYs. I'm trying to justify buying that RoseGold.....ohhh that color!
If I get a new pen and it has ink in the feed, that tells me the manufacturer or retailer cared enough to test it before sending. I'll happily write with it until the ink runs dry, then will clean, just to continue their test. If a new pen arrives appearing clean, it gets a "hmph," then a cleaning before putting it to use.
If I'm giving a pen as a gift, I'll clean it first and test with distilled water instead of ink. That's probably being way too careful but figure it'll avoid service calls on a gift that didn't work. 😉
@@davidottman9501 thank you! nice to have my thought process validated. I have been blessed by this channel.
I've seen that with all my Jinhao pens. I try to remember to clean a new pen but often forget.
We’re waiting for an investing video. What do I do with this money??
You probably wouldn’t like my advice and keep in mind, I’m not a Financial Advisor. I’m a commercial lender.
Majohn p138 😱
Hello there Himingway jones. I’m fairly new to the fountain pen world and I’m hoping if you or someone in the comments can help me. I recently bought a Parker sonnet fountain pen but I’m not a fan of their blue and black inks. I recently stumbled upon diamine ink bottles but I’m concerned that the ink will ruin my pen. Should I just buy one of the ink bottles and not be concerned about anything?
Thank you so much. Keep up the great work
Hello and Welcome! Diamine are excellent inks. Oxblood is a personal favorite. It will not ruin your pen. Is there something specific you’re concerned about! Thanks for watching!
Hello yes. I was just concerned that it would ruin my Parker sonnet 18 karat gold fountain which I got for my birthday if I used a different ink that’s not the brand of Parker
No worries there at all. Stick to fountain pen friendly inks and you are fine.
Thank you so much Hemingways Jones. I am thoroughly enjoying the fountain pen world. And because of your Channel I journal everyday which I haven’t been doing so since 2018.
Please keep up the good work and thanks again.
Himingway … who he?
Why are there no comments here? I love the pen and the quote....the pen is mightier than the sword. Criticism? self-loathing and egoism....do they go together? No, don't belong in my world. I believe God made me and he doesn't make mistakes. Ever. and in my world, he made you, too, with NO mistakes.
So, here is my story. I went to clean a piston-fill pen this week and succeeded in turning it a half turn too much. Was it a mistake? Yes. Am I a mistake? NO.... but....I am now the owner of a broken piston-fill pen. My goal: to learn or figure out how to fix the broken piston. Thanks for listening. And I'm listening to you as I type . . . and I'm starting to shudder....MIX INKS? urghhhhh .. . . LOL
Thanks so much for watching and for checking in. Thank you!
Hello, when it’s a live you don’t see the comments after it’s finished, that’s how understand it ♥️🖋️
@@tracey2477 oh, hey, you even add art work after your post....how lovely! Thank you for the heads-up.
Hemingway, you could be described as an Ink Morpher!
You seem like a guy who would enjoy Melvyn Peak’s Gormengahst
I will sell it out.
_ Pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs ! (Instead of "The quick brown fox ...")
_ joy !
Don’t forget non fiction authors
I prefer them! Thanks
It's funny, I was just grumbling about how popular ultrasonic cleaners are getting, as MAINTENANCE rather than repair, and I don't approve. I just passed on a desirable vintage pen because he dismantled the whole thing and put all parts in one, apparently thinking it was a selling point. It's not. What I hear is "unnecessary wear and tear". It doesn't target just the material you want to blast off; it, of course, buffets everything in it indiscriminately.
I clean my pens the same way as you. Then I can see when the water runs clear. If ink gets anywhere it's not supposed to go, I just swab it out by hand.
My true handwriting is so gawd-awful I am unable to read it seconds after writing… rendering it more than useless because I usually “misread” it later and get a different idea than the one I wrote down… it’s ridiculous
Oh no you didn’t say “further up the road”… now I gave to worry whether that was really you… was it you, Hem?
I thought I did. I missed it a couple of times in my regular videos. That really stands out! Thanks!
Even I cannot read my true handwriting...
All my poetry was Iraq and PTSD, then the VA gave me good drugs and the poems left.
Your pen is seasoned with that color, like your glass being seasoned with you gin and tonic.