To ink or not to ink?

[sharmon202]

I need some advice. If you take a pen to someone to work on at a pen show, do you take it inked or not inked?

[Chrissy]

I don't suppose it always matters, but if it was me I would take it clean and not inked. Whoever is working on it can then choose to add ink if he wants to. It's much more difficult getting it clean at a show if he wants to work on it clean.

[lsmith42]

Clean and not inked is the right answer. We have a winner!

Thank you for playing. Pen mechanics everywhere love you.

[stub]

odd, I have heard inked as most of them want to check the pen first and then will work on the pen while inked so they can spot check it. I have (I'll never find it) think I have even seen a video where a nibber says to bring it inked and those nib.com videos show John Mottishaw working on pens with ink in them and spot checking and at one point he says the ink actually helps lubrication while on the wheel, I think.

I though you were suppose to ink up with Waterman or Skrip or some bog standard pen manufacturer ink to save time.

[Laura N]

It depends what pen work you are talking about.

If you are bringing the pen to a pen show for pen repair -- for instance, to replace the sac -- you bring it empty.

If you are bringing it for just nib work, you can do either. You can bring it inked, which is usually what I do. However, if your pen is empty, no worries, because the nibmeister has ink. He or she can fill or dip your pen right there to work on it.

If you are mailing it, mailing un-inked is far better. :)

[stub]

If you are mailing it, mailing un-inked is far better. :)

It would be better to show up at a pen show with your underwear on your head then to mail a pen with ink in it.

I mailed a pen to a well-known restorer and mistakenly forgot to clean it out (part of a batch). In the oh so many years and hundreds of pens I've done this exactly once.

He is still mad at me.


:mad2:

[Anne]

I agree that it would depend on what you were bringing it for.
But I have a question too: Of course you couldn't count on it, but wouldn't some carry a portable ultrasonic cleaner for shows? I am not sure if they would charge for having to pop your pen in there though. Admission: I have never attended a show :( Just wondering how common it might be for restorers to have them...

[Mags]

I bring them clean....and the first thing they do after the loup is ask me to ink it and ask me to write with it. That said it is a dip in ink as their want not a full blown inked up pen.....but after some tuning and polishing they ink the pen to check the feed flows. So, err on the side of caution with a clean pen and be ready for some nibmeister to ink it.

[sharmon202]

I took it un-inked and we dipped it. was fine. Also I mailed one cleaned. Un-inked seems to be best, though I bought one once & it arrived inked and I was not happy about it.