Remember when handwriting and penmanship meant something? Often times many of us don’t worry how good our bad our penmanship is. We’re all so busy and we just don’t care. If we have to make something look nice, well we have a keyboard for that. There are a few of us though that still care about penmanship. If you are one of the few left then you probably take pride in owning a fountain pen. Some of you may not even know what a fountain pen even looks like. What a travesty!
Fountain Pens actually used to be on the list of required school supplies in many schools. Now this was many years ago, of course but it’s true. If you’re someone who used fountain pens in school then you know how nostalgic owning one can be. Nostalgia isn’t the only nice thing about a good fountain pen. There are numerous advantages that come with using fountain pens like smooth ink flow with very little pressure. You can choose from different nib sizes for different writing styles as well, but let’s forget about all those technical advantages. The bottom line is fountain pens are stylish, plain and simple. If you have a fountain pen or may be purchasing one soon, here are a few tips on using and caring for your favorite pen.
GENERAL CARE AND ADVICE
• Keep your fountain pen capped when not in use to protect the nib and prevent drying.
• If your pen will not be used for several weeks, remove the cartridges and flush the front section with water.
• When traveling by plane, carry your fountain pen either completely full or completely empty. A change in cabin pressure may cause leakage if the cartridge or converter is partially full.
• If the pen does not start writing, hold pen point down for approximately one to two minutes. Gently squeeze the cartridge and draw long lines on paper.
• Never wash a fountain pen with alcohol or hot water.
CLEANING INSTRUCTIONS
• Your fountain pen should be cleaned thoroughly after every 3 to 4 cartridges or when changing ink colors.
• Before cleaning with the converter, soak the front section overnight in lukewarm (not hot) water with 2 to 3 drops of dish detergent. This will dissolve any ink crystals.
• Insert empty converter into the front section and submerge entire nib into cold water. Twist the black stem clockwise, then counterclockwise until the water is clear.
• A tissue should be placed against the nib to absorb any excess water.
USING YOUR FOUNTAIN PEN WITH CARTRIDGES
• Carefully remove the cap from the barrel with a gentle push of your thumb and forefinger.
• Unscrew the barrel from the front section.
• Insert a cartridge, smaller end first, into the front section and gently pull it back out about 1/8 of an inch and push it back in tightly. This will break any air bubbles. Gently squeeze the cartridge once or twice to start the ink flow. (Holding a tissue over the pierced hole in the center of the nib will also help to get the ink flowing.)
• Insert a spare cartridge, smaller end first, into the barrel. This will lock the cartridge in place and provide replacement ink when you need it.
USING YOUR FOUNTAIN PEN WITH BOTTLED INK
• Always use a water base ink.
• Insert the converter into the front section as you would insert a cartridge.
• Holding the middle section of the converter, twist the black stem counterclockwise.
• Dip the entire nib, up to the metal ring, into the bottled ink.
• Twist the black stem clockwise until ink fills the reservoir.
• Gently wipe any excess ink from your nib.
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