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ardgedee
June 6th, 2013, 06:34 PM
This is the thread for bad advice about fountain pens.

Tell people things they shouldn't do, or share with us the wisdom you've received from others that turned out to be really, really bad.

Good advice posted here should be reported for deletion. We don't want to confuse people!

ardgedee
June 6th, 2013, 06:35 PM
I'll start...

Years ago when I was but a stupid highschooler, when I was dabbling in calligraphy, I read somewhere that I could adapt a fountain pen for italic writing with a pair of nail clippers... Ruined a couple nice old fountain pens my parents had loaned me, and​ the nail clippers...

Farmboy
June 6th, 2013, 10:22 PM
Always ask if you can buy another pen.

gweddig
June 7th, 2013, 12:23 AM
Use your precious Ahab for Bay State Blue. ;-)

ardgedee
June 7th, 2013, 05:49 AM
A blob of solder can be a convenient replacement for a lost iridium tip. You can even do it yourself if you're handy with a soldering iron!

Sailor Kenshin
June 7th, 2013, 07:25 AM
I'll start...

Years ago when I was but a stupid highschooler, when I was dabbling in calligraphy, I read somewhere that I could adapt a fountain pen for italic writing with a pair of nail clippers... Ruined a couple nice old fountain pens my parents had loaned me, and​ the nail clippers...

Uhmmmm.... I did that, and got one of the best writers in my collection. :p

Lesseee....India ink is PERFECTLY SAFE for your Montblanc.

menunes
June 7th, 2013, 07:34 AM
"Baystate blue is a beautiful vibrant color, some people just don't maintain pen hygiene". You end up buying a blue that feathers on almost everything just because of the hype.

mmahany
June 7th, 2013, 09:29 AM
Soak your vintage pen in ammonia to flush it out- Ammonia can cause "crazing" which are essentially micro-cracks in certain types of plastic. If there are any micro-cracks already present on the pen, they can be further emphasized by using ammonia. Ammonia is good in moderation, but it should be used carefully. I always recommend using warm water/dish soap first, and then using warm water/ammonia (9 parts water to 1 part ammonia) as a last resort. Also, I'd strongly avoid letting the pen sit for long periods of time in ammonia even if it is strongly diluted.

dr.grace
June 7th, 2013, 10:41 AM
Use a razor blade to open up your nib tines to make your pen write wetter. Yes, it might work in a crude kind of way, but you can easily make nicks in the nib. Confession: some years ago, when I was starting out, I actually used a scalpel blade a couple of times.

gwgtaylor
June 7th, 2013, 12:46 PM
Don't have time to properly clean your pens? No problem. Take them in the bath with you. You can clean you and your pens with some bubble bath! Especially effective on casein pens! They'll be so clean you might not even be able to see them Shen done

fountainpenkid
June 10th, 2013, 07:23 PM
Ummm...despite what they tell you, alcohol will clean and not ruin a modern Pelikan m-series pen's barrel. (exclude and pens with celluloid--the movie LE).

Don't bother flushing a pen before you refill it with the same ink...who cares about contamination!! ;)

spotted and speckled
June 10th, 2013, 07:35 PM
That stuff floating in the ink bottle doesn't matter--just shake it up real good. (NOT!!!!)

WendyNC
June 10th, 2013, 07:39 PM
Anybody can modify a nib. All you need is an emery board.

Tony Rex
June 10th, 2013, 07:51 PM
India ink = fountain pen ink.

I like mango pudding
June 10th, 2013, 08:30 PM
you can use that italic nib as a screwdriver for your eyeglasses. No, really!!!!!

plistumi
June 10th, 2013, 08:45 PM
You can use them as darts.

79spitfire
June 12th, 2013, 12:18 PM
Getting into fountain pens is satisfying and inexpensive hobby, you only 'need' a small handful of pens to have a complete collection....

:crazy_pilot:

Tracy Lee
June 12th, 2013, 01:38 PM
Getting into fountain pens is satisfying and inexpensive hobby, you only 'need' a small handful of pens to have a complete collection....

:crazy_pilot:

LOLOLOLOLOL- best bad advice EVAR! :-)

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

AndyT
June 12th, 2013, 02:08 PM
To make sure that all is well after filling your pen, you should examine the very tip of the nib closely whilst operating the lever in a brisk fashion.

menunes
June 12th, 2013, 02:58 PM
Getting into fountain pens is satisfying and inexpensive hobby, you only 'need' a small handful of pens to have a complete collection....

:crazy_pilot:

Ah...seems like something SBREbrown said to take people to the dark side...

CS388
June 12th, 2013, 02:59 PM
You don't need specialist tools, most jobs can be tackled with a pair of pliers.

ardgedee
June 12th, 2013, 03:04 PM
You don't need specialist tools, most jobs can be tackled with a pair of pliers.

Adjustable pliers. The kind with serrated jaws for better gripping.

spotted and speckled
June 12th, 2013, 03:08 PM
I forgot to mention that you can use superglue instead of shellac when doing repairs. (Again, NOT!!)

dobemom
June 16th, 2013, 02:08 PM
You never really need to clean it. The new ink washes out the old ink.

:jaw:

Sailor Kenshin
June 16th, 2013, 02:32 PM
You never really need to clean it. The new ink washes out the old ink.

:jaw:

I.....did that for years.

renpei
June 16th, 2013, 07:37 PM
Having a friend who takes your pen and goes writing and stabbing various fruits with your oh so precious 14k gold nib is a great idea

whych
June 27th, 2013, 03:54 PM
You never really need to clean it. The new ink washes out the old ink.

That was what Quink or Sheaffer ink was meant to do - clean your pen as it writes.

jacksterp
June 27th, 2013, 07:19 PM
Talcum powder is just as good as talc.

Please, NEVER use talcum powder!

spotted and speckled
June 27th, 2013, 07:37 PM
Fps are also handy to open boxes with. Make sure to puncture the boxes' sealing tape with one swift straight downward motion of the pen (nib down), and then slide the feed across the rest of the box to finish opening it.

CS388
June 28th, 2013, 04:53 AM
Lend your pens to anyone who asks to borrow them - even strangers.

They'll always be returned in excellent condition.