A fountain pen isn’t just any old pen. They write beautifully and have a very smooth, fluid feel that regular ballpoint pens and pencils don’t have. That being said, a pen this special comes with a little bit of extra work. Sometimes you’ll need to clean your fountain pen to make sure it is in top working order so you can keep writing the way you’re used to.
For proper fountain pen maintenance, it is recommended that you clean your fountain pen at least four times a year. This means once every three months, you need to disassemble, clean, and reassemble your fountain pen to make sure that it is clean and working exactly as intended.
Why do you need to clean a fountain pen?
A fountain pen needs to be cleaned unlike a ballpoint pen, pencil, or any other writing instrument because it works in a more complicated way than other pens do.
You see, fountain pens work via a process known as capillary action. This is when particles of liquid slowly draw themselves down a narrow tube using surface tension. This is also found in some of the smaller veins in your body, known as capillaries, where the name comes from!
The ink then makes its way down the tube into the feed, and then out of the nib slit.
Over time, small debris such as lint, dust, plastic, dry ink flakes, and other foreign objects can find their way into the nib slit, feed, or tube and block ink from exiting. Once this happens, the pen’s performance will suffer, which means it’s time to clean it!
How do you clean a fountain pen?
- Cleaning a fountain pen is a relatively simple process, but it takes a little bit of time. Make sure to do this when you won’t need the pen for at least a couple of hours. Most people find that the best time for cleaning pens is at night, so you can do the waiting part while asleep.
- First, remove the ink cartridge, or the ink converter from the rest of the pen. Then proceed to run the front end, consisting of the nib, the grip, and the feed, under warm clean water. Do this for between 30 seconds and one minute. The water should be running clear by that time with no signs of ink in it. If the water is not running clear, don’t stop running it through the pen’s front end until all of the ink is gone.
- Next, get a mug and fill it with warm water. Ensure the water isn’t so hot that it is uncomfortable to keep your hand in, but also not cool enough to cool down completely very quickly. After you have your mug of warm water, put the nib in and let it sit for a little while. At the very least, two hours should be enough, but the longer you let it sit, the more of the dried debris will be able to loosen up and get free of the nooks and crannies of the pen nib.
- After you soak the pen nib, take it out of the mug. Shake it vigorously to get the remaining debris and water out, and then clean it and dry it. To do this, find a clean cloth with no lint or a paper towel and run it on the inside and outside of the nib. Your pen should be ready for use again at this point!
Are there any other times to clean your fountain pen?
Yes! There are several other times that a fountain pen needs to be cleaned. Read on to find out when you should clean your fountain pen outside of the regular three-month intervals.
Your Fountain Pen Ink Has Dried Out
If the ink in your fountain pen has dried out for any reason, it is important to clean the pen as soon as possible. This is because the drier the ink in the pen is, the less well it will be able to write, and the harder it will be able to clean if you let it sit for any longer. If you wait too long and have dried ink in your pen it will be tough to clean and you might have to soak for a long time before you get it clean again.
You Are Changing Ink Colors Or Brands
If you decide that the ink color you are using is not the ink you want to continue using, you will need to clean your fountain pen.
If you put the new ink color in, whether it is the same brand but a different color, or even the same color but a different brand, the inks could mix, leading to either a messy mix of colors or a bad reaction between the ink. You’ll have to clean your pen because of this issue if you ever plan on changing inks. There is a special way to do this, which is discussed below, so scroll down if you’re looking to change inks and want to clean your pen the right way!
Your Fountain Pen Is Writing Poorly
If your pen isn’t writing the way you are used to, but the ink doesn’t look particularly low or dry, it might be time to clean the fountain pen. This could take any number of forms, but commonly it means spotty writing, blotchy writing, or ink coming out inconsistently or consistently not enough.
If any of these things, or other irregularities with the way your pen feels when its writing happens, then it’s probably time for a cleaning, even if it is outside the three-month window.
Similar to changing inks, there is a particular way of doing this, so read on to find out how to clean your pen if it is writing poorly (or if you’re changing inks).
Flushing your fountain pen
When you want to clean your pen because you are changing inks or because it isn’t writing the way you are used to, you’re going to need to do something called flushing your pen. This is a more in-depth way of cleaning your fountain pen that goes beyond just cleaning the nib like you do four times a year. This not only applies to vintage fountain pens but also new modern fountain pens.
- First, you’re going to want to do the same as the normal cleaning. Remove thpen’s front enden with the nib, grip, and feed, and run it under the sink until all of the ink is gone.
- After this, you’re going to want to take the converter or barrel that holds your ink and place that into a cup of water. Allow it to fill, and then empty it into a different container or the sink.
- Do this a number of times until the water in the cup you are placing it into is no longer becoming inkier. You’ll have to use new water a number of times to know when it is clean.
- Next, you’re going to reassemble the pen, but not all the way! Place the converter or barrel back onto the nib section, and then put the pen nib side down into a cup of water.
- Now, use the converter or whatever filling system is on your particular fountain pen to draw water through the pen, just as it would normally be drawing ink. Do this for several minutes until no more ink is coming out of the pen at all.
- Make sure, just as above, to replace the water when it becomes saturated with ink, so you know when to stop. Eventually, the water will become clear. At this point, you’ll know the fountain pen nib and converter or barrel are totally clean.
- Finally, just like in the normal cleaning, take the nib off again and place it into a mug of warm water. Let it sit for two hours, or even longer if you like. This will rid the nib of any dried ink or other particularly stubborn debris that did not come out during the vigorous cleaning process.
- Finally, dry both sides of the fountain pen with a clean kitchen towel with no lint on it, as you do not want to get any debris into your freshly cleaned fountain pen.
If your fountain pen lacks a converter for drawing ink, a small eyedropper, syringe, or pipette will do the trick. Otherwise, you can buy a fountain pen cleaning kit.
Conclusion
So, a fountain pen is a great writing implement to own. However, owning this fantastic writing instrument comes at the price of knowing when and how to clean it consistently in order to keep it in good working order.
Make sure you are cleaning your fountain pen four times a year, or about once every three months, as well as when it is dried out, writing poorly, or when you switch inks. Being a responsible fountain pen owner will ensure that you are able to use your fountain pen every day for a long, long time.
For now, you can keep writing with your fountain pen as much as you desire. If it needs a cleaning, get on it! You’ll be glad you did, and you’ll be writing as smooth as butter again in no time.
