Fountain Pen Questions

[bradyarz]

For my first foray into fountain pens, I got a small lot of hero pens and some ink on the bst. Maybe it's the Star Trek communicator shaped inlay, but I find myself drawn most often to the 329. The ink I've been using is black Parker Quink. I like it because while it's a fountain pen, it's more on the functional end of things.

When the ink has been in the pen for a day or two, the ink seems to dry much lighter on the paper-- sort of a light gray color. Following a fresh fill, it dries much closer to black. Because of this, I've been doing "refresher" fills every other day or so, just to keep the ink darker. I'm not flushing the pen, but rather just pressing the fill lever a few times in the ink.

On to the questions:
-Can anyone tell me if this is a problem with pen, ink, or both?
-Does this happen to anyone else?
-Is it bad to refresh the "used" ink directly like that, or should I be flushing the pen first?

I'd appreciate if the answers don't include something like, "That pen/ink is junk! Go spend some money on good materials!" I need that money for shaving related purchases, thank you.

 

[Im_leary]

Did you flush the pen before you filled it with ink? I ask because many stationers allow people to try a fountain pen in the store. The problem arrises when they give it a cursory flush, leaving some water in it, and put it back in the box. The fix, if this indeed is the trouble, is to flush the pen with fresh ink... and do not put the flushed ink back in the bottle. Dispose of the flushed ink so that you will not contaminate the entire bottle. This may seem like a bit of a waste, but I have encountered one well meaning individual who routinely flushed his Yard-O-Led Parliament with Amodex. This is a very bad idea. He contaminated every bottle of ink he used with that pen.

In regard to the Quink, is not a particularly heavily pigmented ink, but it is not "pale" by any measure. I use Quink Blue-Black in my Mabie Todd desk set on a daily basis. It is good ink. If you are still having trouble after you flush the pen you may want to take it back to the stationer and have him verify that the feed/nib is providing a sufficient flow of ink. If all else looks proper and correct, try Pelikan Fount India ink (this is NOT india ink, that's simply the name). In terms of black ink, Pelikan Fount India is very well saturated... and very black.

Good luck with your pen.

 

[Legion]

Yeah... I have never had that problem with Quink, it has always stayed black for me. And I have a hard time trying to work out how the pen could be causing it. It would either write or it wouldn't. It cant really remove the pigment from the ink.

The hero pens usually have a very fine line. All I can think of is that it is drying out and not enough ink is getting through the nib to the paper. Hero's can sometimes be a bit... quirky.

 

[coyotewhisper]

I would flush the pen with water. I use Chinese made fountain pens, they work best if flushed before filling. They are also not always that best when comes to inkl flow.

 

[Etoyoc_Rebmos]

In addition to a water flush, I add a little dish soap to the water when I flush out a new pen.

I have one Hero 329 and it worked fine. However, I got a pack of the Hero 616 that had a lot of flow issues - either they would run dry or would burp ink. After inspecting them, I realized that the filler/breather tube wasn't completely inserted into the pen. A little fiddling and they were better.

Flushing with soapy water and then regular water helps remove any residual oils from the manufacturing process that can interfere with the ink flow.

 

[bradyarz]

I bought the pens used; the previous owner flushed them prior to me receiving them. I have since flushed them with water, but now my question is this: how do you ensure the ink sac is dry before filling with ink? I feel like this may be part of the cause of my problem, as I've never been able to ascertain if there is any residual moisture.

On the other hand, that makes no sense to me, because after I flushed with water I filled it with ink, emptied it, and filled it again...

 

[Legion]

I bought the pens used; the previous owner flushed them prior to me receiving them. I have since flushed them with water, but now my question is this: how do you ensure the ink sac is dry before filling with ink? I feel like this may be part of the cause of my problem, as I've never been able to ascertain if there is any residual moisture.

On the other hand, that makes no sense to me, because after I flushed with water I filled it with ink, emptied it, and filled it again...

Water in the sack will dilute the ink and cause it to become gray. If, as you said, you have filled it and emptied it with ink several times this is unlikely.

To get rid of water wrap the tip in tissue and allow the water to wick out into the tissue. Then leave the lid off for a few days. That should dry it out.

 

[Telecaster52]

I bought the pens used; the previous owner flushed them prior to me receiving them. I have since flushed them with water, but now my question is this: how do you ensure the ink sac is dry before filling with ink? I feel like this may be part of the cause of my problem, as I've never been able to ascertain if there is any residual moisture.

I have a 329 (great cheap pen BTW ) and after flushing, i flick the water out of the pen (as you would with a shaving brush). haven't noticed any adverse effects after 4-5 months

 

[brianw]

I also use a paper towel to wick the moisture out of the nib..... after a good "thermometer" shake. Make sure you have a good hold of the pen.... nibs do not do well on concrete or wood floors

 

[Etoyoc_Rebmos]

If you use a super color saturated ink like Noodlers, you will never notice the affect of a little water in the sac. In fact some FP users water their inks down to get more feathering and more use out of the inks. I don't have any experience with your ink to say about the effect of water there. Where I do notice a major impact on the water is if there is still water in the nib after flushing and changing out a cartridge (which is what you are not doing).

 

[Gruder]

Justin, nice to see you posting 'round these parts!

 

[ezmike]

I do not know exactly why the ink is gray but could venture a guess. If you fill it with fresh black ink and use it until it's dry (out of ink) and then re-fill it, the water, if any was there in the first place, should be gone. So, when you re-fill you should have the same darkness thoughout. But here is a thought, provided that the ink is fresh you should be okay, but if it isn't and the pigment settling could be the issue. I do not know enough about inks to know if this is possible but in my experience as a bottle of ink aged, the color lightened.

I have several fountain pens, new and vintage, bought new and now vintage that I use all the time. I find with my Mont Blanc, using Mont Blac black ink that over time it fades even with the lid on snug. I just bought a new bottle and it is jet black all the time. That's an observation.

The other is the ink you use, not all inks are created equal. For this I refer you to Richard Binder's web site Richard's Pens. Google it and look for his article on inks. He's a fine pen repairman and has restored many pens over time including my Parker "51" and Sheaffer Vacu-Fil. He recommends Diamine black ink. That's what I use in all but my Mont Blanc.

Just my $.02.

Mike