A couple of foolish questions about fountain pens

I own several of these - the current favourites being my Mont Blanc and my Pelikan. Unfortunately, they always seem to have ink where the finger rests when uncapped. Messy and embarrassing. Is there a way to prevent this?

Also, is it polite to offer a fountain when someone is looking for a pen? It seems a bit flashy somehow, even at a meeting.

Thank you in advance!

Hi David, welcome to the place. I use FPs daily and do not experience the problem you are describing. You have excellent pens and it sounds like it might be an ink problem. Have you tried different types of ink to see if the flow rate affects the pen?

Loose Feed Syndrome

Usually if you get ink where the finger rest is (above the combed feed) the pen is probably oozing ink when being stored or carried. It leaks inside the cap and then comes to rest on the grip area.

I'm fairly certain both brands of pen have replaceable nibs. I know for certain the Pelikan does, the feed and nib screw out, as I recall. The is a chance the feed is a little loose and the ink seeps out. It maybe the same with the M-B.

You should rinse the cap out with cold water to see if there is ink up in the end too.

It could be a leak....

Or it could simply be that you need to take great care to carry the pen cap up. if you carry the pen cap down, ink will leak out of the nib, collect in the cap, and be on the pen where you put your fingers when you take it out to write. if it is a leak at the nib end, it is not hard to fix.

Fact is, as much as I love them, fountain pens do frequently cause messes. That is one of the reasons that they were replaced by ball points, which are inferior in most every way except the mess category.

There is a fountain pen thread around with lots of good info in it.

PhilS said:

Or it could simply be that you need to take great care to carry the pen cap up. if you carry the pen cap down, ink will leak out of the nib, collect in the cap, and be on the pen where you put your fingers when you take it out to write. if it is a leak at the nib end, it is not hard to fix.

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No, not really, except on very early pens the feed should keep it from leaking. Occassionally on early pens with a poor feed design the heat of the hand would expand the ink & air in the bladder and force ink out. Same as the pressure changes if you carry a half empty FP on a flight.

But the feed is supposed to hold back the ink and allow flow only when the capillary action of touching the nib (and ink ) to the paper draws the ink out.

In order to get a Fountain Pen to leak you'd have to shake it like a thermometer for a while to over come the surface tension bond the feed has to control the flow. Even dropping it cap end down (while closed) should not get it to leak or blot.

I have a similar problem, but I think it was my doing.

I own a Waterman 52 V with an Ideal No.2 nib, and use it everyday.

It's fairly sensitive when it comes to flicks of the wrist and the like. However, when I replaced the bladder (first time ever doing such an operation), I do not believe I shoved the nib and feed in as far as it should (before I replaced it, the nib had the bottom parts of the letters in NEW YORK covered by the sectoin, and now there's about a 1mm gap between NEW YORK and the section.

It's not really that bad though. From time to time there'll be ink on the nib, and if I drop it ink might fall into the cap, but it never seems to get on the section.

But as others have said, it may be an ink problem. Some inks are more viscous than others.

I'm assuming your pens are modern, so finding help for them shouldn't be a problem. Try posting on the Fountain Pen Network, they were very helpful when I needed help cleaning a pen's feed and re-bladdering it.


I don't think it's too flashy to lend someone a fountain pen. It's a bit inconvenient if anything because nine times out of ten, they've never used an fountain pen and end up getting the tines bent and splattering ink everywhere. It certainly does impress some people, though. Might depend on the pen, too. My Waterman 52 V is pretty austere, all black, chased hard rubber with a ring on the cap, silver tone lever and gold nib. Most people have never heard of a Waterman, but many associate Mont Blancs with power/wealth.

Thank you for all the advice! The pens I use are for the most part from the 1950's. I am, however, always taking from the same pot of ink(there must be a proverb in there somewhere). I'll pick up another brand, and before refilling, check the nib is flush to the pen.

What a wonderful forum...

As far as offering the pen is concerned, if someone needs a pen and you've only a fountain pen to offer, go ahead. They can feel how they like about someone doing them a favour!

yeah, it would be pretty silly if you had to carry around a ball -point just so people don't look at you funny when you offer them a pen.

DON'T let someone unfamiliar with a fountain pen use yours. Pressing hard like with a ball-point and/or dragging it sideways can damage the nib. They may also make a smeary mess and complain whatever they wrote is a mess or their fingers are stained.

Also, the nib gets "used to" your way of writing with it and someone else writing with it for just a short time can make it feel completely different next time you write something, and can sometimes take awhile to break it back in so it feels right when you use it. It sounds crazy, but it's true.

I won't offer someone my fountain pen. Not only am I afraid of them damaging it, I find that 90% of the time they don't know what to do with it. The will try to yank the cap off instead of twisting it. They look at it all puzzled because they don't know which way to hold the nib. They will post the cap (nothing wrong with that, just bothers me.) And finally they'll twist the cap back so tight it's like they are trying to lock down a submarine hatch.

Evening David -

Fountain pens are such amazing tools. They completely and instantly eliminate writers' cramp. Being non-disposable, they're good for the environment - keeping all those half-full toxic Bic sticks out of the landfills. And they can be had in everything from board-room-conservative black to guilloche bling-y. There is nothing quite like the line width variation seen in a letter penned with a properly ground cursive-italic nib. Makes quite a different impression than an email or a text message.

But they do require regular maintenance. At least every month, a fountain pen needs to be flushed with cool water until it runs clear. After flushing, the pen needs to be soaked in cool water overnight up to a level above the threads of the section, then dried. The inside of the cap needs to be rinsed and the cap soaked and dried as well. The overnight soak dissolves potential obstructions and helps prevent the messy leaks you are describing.

If a good flush and overnight soak fail to stop the leaks, then you may have a crack in the housing or a loose fitting. A good pen repair guy may be able to set your pen right and bring a smile to your face. My favorite is Richard Binder at www.richardspens.com (no affiliation).

You may also find www.fountainpennetwork.com helpful.

I have the opposite problem I have a pen made by a local pen maker that I cannot get to feed well. It will feed for a bit if I wet the nib but then the flow dries up. I have flushed out the nib and know that it is clean but still cannot get the ink to flow.

This is just as likely to be an ink problem as a pen problem. Some inks flow too freely with some pens and you can also get 'nib creep' where the ink creeps out and covers the nib.

Ink brands which have been reported to give problems include some types of Noodler's and Private Reserve Inks, but there are flow variations throughout all ink brands.

Another possibility is over-filling. It's always a good idea to expel a few drops of ink after filling to allow for expansion due to temperature and air pressure variations,especially if you are keeping the pen in a warm pocket. You can also get this when travelling by air due to variations in air pressure.

If you can, always carry and store pens nib-up for best results.

I recommend you give the offending pens a good flushing with cold water and after giving some time to dry, re-fill with Parker Quink ink, which is pretty innocuous, then expel a few drops and wipe the nib. See how that works out.

Finally, I would not give a fountain pen to anyone else to use apart from a Parker "51", which is pretty much bullet-proof. As has been mentioned, there is a tendency to try and pull off screw caps (the "51" has a pull cap like most more modern pens), and delicate nibs are easily damaged by people who are used to bearing down on poor quality ballpoints (the "51" has a very firm nib, much less susceptible to damage).

David Ward said:

I own several of these - the current favourites being my Mont Blanc and my Pelikan. Unfortunately, they always seem to have ink where the finger rests when uncapped. Messy and embarrassing. Is there a way to prevent this?

Also, is it polite to offer a fountain when someone is looking for a pen? It seems a bit flashy somehow, even at a meeting.

Thank you in advance!

Click to expand...

Sometimes there are traces of manufacturing oils in ink converters or there may be gunk in the feed channels.

Try adding a drop or two of dish washing liquid soap to a glass of lukewarm (not hot!) water and flush the pen a few times, then flush with soap-free clear water.

This may fix things for you.

Dr Trinidad said:

I have the opposite problem I have a pen made by a local pen maker that I cannot get to feed well. It will feed for a bit if I wet the nib but then the flow dries up. I have flushed out the nib and know that it is clean but still cannot get the ink to flow.

Click to expand...

BALKY FOUNTAIN PENS? FORMULA 409 TRICK!

Have you ever had a new fountain pen that just won't write well? You’ve filled it with your favorite ink and it skips or won't write at all. Well friend, the culprit may be releasing agents, grease or oils left over from manufacturing that is interfering with the delivery of ink.

Stylofiles magazine gave this pointer, which they do on every fountain pen before testing it for their article. But use caution, you may damage a pen if the chemicals attack a part, so no long term soaking! Bare aluminum is most susceptible to chemical damage of the metals but even steel will corrode if left soaking in chemically laden water. Celluloid is fairly strong but damage is possible if left in soaking too long. Casein should neither be soaked nor have any chemicals applied to it, it’s very susceptible to damage. The caveat: Do NOT DAMAGE YOUR PENS! We are not responsible for any damages to pens!

VERSION ONE
Take regular Formula 409 and a small glass like a cordial or shot glass. Spray some 409 in the glass and mix with 3 to 4 parts of COLD water. Dip the nib and feed in the mixture then fill and flush the converter or filling system with the mixture for 1 or 2 minutes. Then replace the mixture with plain COLD water and flush for a minute replace water and flush repeat replacing and flushing again and again for a couple more minutes so no trace of the Formula 409 remains. Then fill with new, clean ink. The writing should be much improved if the oil or grease was the culprit. Be sure to empty the pen of all ink first then flush with plain water before using the cleaning mixture. Always use COLD water as warm or hot can damage the feed!

VERSION TWO
This is supposed to work on both new and older pens that are
presenting a skipping on no flow challenge. Stylus Magazine and some pen aficionados contend that both Formula 409 and Simple Green are too harsh to use on pens. Their alternate flusher and cleaner is a solution you can easily mix up. Mix 1 Tablespoon of Clear Household Ammonia to 2/3rds cup of Cold Water. Flush with this mixture and then flush thoroughly with PLAIN cold water to remove any residue as listed above for version one.

Also, try Private reserve Tanzanite. it is called the "laxative of inks" for balky pens. It is a very nice blue ink.

any suggestions on where to purchase this ink?

http://shop.peartreepens.com
Great folks, try the sampler pack too.