Old Corks - Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate?

**tandaina** · January 22nd, 2015, 09:29 PM

OK all, I've got a number of pens like this now and I'm wondering what the big collectors do, especially people like me with a soft spot for old and German. So many of my old German pens use real corks. And I find that even restored pens (IE freshly corked) if left uninked for a few months, the corks shrink. Now this may indicate that our house is just too darn dry, I don't know. But if I want to use one of my 40s Montblancs, or my really old Pelis I have to plan ahead, and the day before fill that puppy (as much as it'll take) with water, and leave it nib up to let the cork rehydrate.

I've tried leaving the pens "inked" with water when storing, but that does eventually evaporate and my collection is large enough now that they invariably dry out before I get them back into the rotation.

So what to do? Do you set up a calendar and once a month fill the old guys with water and put them back in storage to stew that way so the corks stay hydrated and healthy? Do I let them dry out and just plan on rehydrating before use? (This wasn't an issue with a small collection that rotated frequently. But as my husband just said "you've got too many pens," I'd just add "to use them all before the corks dry out.")

**discopig** · January 22nd, 2015, 10:33 PM

I have a few vintage pens with corks and I fill them up with water every few weeks when I don't use them for a while. It's really annoying, but it seems to be pretty much the only way to go. If anyone has any better idea, I'd also love to hear it.

**ainterne** · January 22nd, 2015, 11:17 PM

Originally Posted by tandaina

OK all, I've got a number of pens like this now and I'm wondering what the big collectors do, especially people like me with a soft spot for old and German. So many of my old German pens use real corks. And I find that even restored pens (IE freshly corked) if left uninked for a few months, the corks shrink. Now this may indicate that our house is just too darn dry, I don't know. But if I want to use one of my 40s Montblancs, or my really old Pelis I have to plan ahead, and the day before fill that puppy (as much as it'll take) with water, and leave it nib up to let the cork rehydrate.

I've tried leaving the pens "inked" with water when storing, but that does eventually evaporate and my collection is large enough now that they invariably dry out before I get them back into the rotation.

So what to do? Do you set up a calendar and once a month fill the old guys with water and put them back in storage to stew that way so the corks stay hydrated and healthy? Do I let them dry out and just plan on rehydrating before use? (This wasn't an issue with a small collection that rotated frequently. But as my husband just said "you've got too many pens," I'd just add "to use them all before the corks dry out.")

Found this thread... http://fountainpenboard.com/forum/in...iston-fillers/ might help you?

**tandaina** · January 22nd, 2015, 11:22 PM

Good enough for Rick, good enough for me. Water it is.

**farmdogfan** · January 23rd, 2015, 12:32 AM

I allways use demineralized water.

**whych** · January 24th, 2015, 12:57 AM

Depending on the pen, I soak the whole pen before using it to hydrate both sides of the cork. Unless there are hard rubber bits, soaking the whole pen won't damage anything.
No matter what they say about modern corks, cork piston seals are like old wine corks: the bottels need to be stored upside down or on their sides to keep the cork wet or they will shrink.
Trouble is that the cork eventually rots after 15 years or so of being in the bottle, so perhaps with pens the best is to store the pen dry and then hydrate before using.