Gunky old pens?

[Leverspro]

Still working on a Parker Sonnet and a Shaffer without success. They've soaked in a 1:1 ammonia / water solution for a week and have finally stopped bleeding the color of ink that was left to dry in them 10 years ago. The Parker, twice now, when I fill the converter and stand the pen up nib down in my desk pen holder, the ink drains into the cap. At first I blamed the rubber seals on the converter, but it seems to be running out through the nib, not around the barrel. Wondering if this pen is toast.

 

[razorboi]

Never store fountain pens nib down. Store them preferably nib up in a pen cup, or horizontal. Desk pen sets are an exception. The pen and holder are designed to mate together and form a seal.
Both the Targa and Sonnet employ the common cartridge or converter system for filling. If you have converters installed, the bladders may have failed from age. If using cartridges, be sure they are genuine branded for the pen. A leaky pen indicates either misaligned tines, nib seated at angle (cocked), or most likely, an air leak where the converter (or cartridge) mounts to the section. Have you tried removing the converters and soaking them (and the sections) separately? Warm water will not hurt either of these pens, but too much ammonia will. Some pens can take up to two weeks to flush clean. You can use a specialised bulb to force water through the nib, or, as I do, simply blow the water out daily with your mouth. When you think it's clean, blow the water out onto a white paper towel and let it dry to confirm it's clean. This procedure is invaluable when changing ink colours. If the pen still skips, your problem is not dried ink, but likely a damaged/misaligned nib. If it still leaks, try a different converter, or a genuine cartridge. An air leak at the converter/section mount usually results in the pen leaking at the nib, due to capillary action.

 

[Leverspro]

Never store fountain pens nib down. Store them preferably nib up in a pen cup, or horizontal. Desk pen sets are an exception. The pen and holder are designed to mate together and form a seal.
Both the Targa and Sonnet employ the common cartridge or converter system for filling. If you have converters installed, the bladders may have failed from age. If using cartridges, be sure they are genuine branded for the pen. A leaky pen indicates either misaligned tines, nib seated at angle (cocked), or most likely, an air leak where the converter (or cartridge) mounts to the section. Have you tried removing the converters and soaking them (and the sections) separately? Warm water will not hurt either of these pens, but too much ammonia will. Some pens can take up to two weeks to flush clean. You can use a specialised bulb to force water through the nib, or, as I do, simply blow the water out daily with your mouth. When you think it's clean, blow the water out onto a white paper towel and let it dry to confirm it's clean. This procedure is invaluable when changing ink colours. If the pen still skips, your problem is not dried ink, but likely a damaged/misaligned nib. If it still leaks, try a different converter, or a genuine cartridge. An air leak at the converter/section mount usually results in the pen leaking at the nib, due to capillary action.

Thank you. This is so helpful. I did not know that a FP could be stored nib up and still work first stroke without scribbling to get the ink flowing. Based on what you've said I suspect an air leak where the converter mounts to the pen. I've soaked it for weeks in strong ammonia (1:1) and if it's the rubber that ammonia destroys then there's a good chance I've damaged the seal where the piston converter pushes on to the pen. Thanks for the help.