Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast
Results 21 to 40 of 57

Thread: Cleaning Parker 51 before changing inks?

  1. #21
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2020
    Posts
    308
    Thanks
    264
    Thanked 424 Times in 204 Posts
    Rep Power
    4

    Default Re: Cleaning Parker 51 before changing inks?

    I fill it with the new ink, then empty it into a scrap bottle, then fill it again with the ink.

  2. #22
    Senior Member Sailor Kenshin's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Where pigs run free!
    Posts
    3,988
    Thanks
    6,185
    Thanked 3,387 Times in 1,698 Posts
    Rep Power
    16

    Default Re: Cleaning Parker 51 before changing inks?

    Quote Originally Posted by Chuck Naill View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Chrissy View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by MRusso View Post
    So if I flush the aeromatic a couple times and the put in a jar of water and change water until no ink (or amost no ink) is coming out is it reasonable to expect the water in the sac will evaporate/run down within a week or so?
    No that's not a recommended method of cleaning out the pen.
    You first need to keep flushing out the pen with clean water until the water that comes out of the pen is clean. You could potentially then leave it overnight in a small amount of clean water to see if any more ink comes out, but next day you should get it dry enough for reuse. Leaving a pen soaking for a week isn't recommended.
    Yes, when I first read leaving a pen in standing water I immediately thought "I don't think so".
    I do that with two-dollar pens loaded with red or pink or anything that doesn't want to leave.

    Parker Aerometrics? I pick an ink, use the same one every time, flush in cool water of I'm not just reloading to write immediately.
    My other pen is a Montblanc.

    And my other blog is a tumblr!


    And my latest ebook, for spooky wintery reading:

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CM2NGSSD

  3. The Following User Says Thank You to Sailor Kenshin For This Useful Post:

    manoeuver (November 17th, 2020)

  4. #23
    Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Posts
    58
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 7 Times in 7 Posts
    Rep Power
    5

    Default Re: Cleaning Parker 51 before changing inks?

    Sorry I did not mean having the pen soaked for a week, but having the tip facing down paper towel in a jar for a week. Assuming then the water should run down from the sac?

  5. #24
    Senior Member guyy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    Brooklyn NY
    Posts
    775
    Thanks
    381
    Thanked 618 Times in 344 Posts
    Rep Power
    8

    Default Re: Cleaning Parker 51 before changing inks?

    Quote Originally Posted by MRusso View Post
    Sorry I did not mean having the pen soaked for a week, but having the tip facing down paper towel in a jar for a week. Assuming then the water should run down from the sac?
    That’s what i do if i clean a 51, but usually overnight works. By the time i get to it the next day, it’s dry. You can repeat as necessary or desired.

  6. #25
    Senior Member manoeuver's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Near Midwest, US
    Posts
    1,592
    Thanks
    1,225
    Thanked 1,078 Times in 554 Posts
    Rep Power
    15

    Default Re: Cleaning Parker 51 before changing inks?

    they designed the P51 when most folks only had one bottle of ink. If I were writing often with a 51 I'd stick with Waterman inks, and probably just one.

  7. #26
    Senior Member Sailor Kenshin's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Where pigs run free!
    Posts
    3,988
    Thanks
    6,185
    Thanked 3,387 Times in 1,698 Posts
    Rep Power
    16

    Default Re: Cleaning Parker 51 before changing inks?

    Quote Originally Posted by manoeuver View Post
    they designed the P51 when most folks only had one bottle of ink. If I were writing often with a 51 I'd stick with Waterman inks, and probably just one.
    Not Parker?
    My other pen is a Montblanc.

    And my other blog is a tumblr!


    And my latest ebook, for spooky wintery reading:

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CM2NGSSD

  8. #27
    Senior Member manoeuver's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Near Midwest, US
    Posts
    1,592
    Thanks
    1,225
    Thanked 1,078 Times in 554 Posts
    Rep Power
    15

    Default Re: Cleaning Parker 51 before changing inks?

    Quote Originally Posted by Sailor Kenshin View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by manoeuver View Post
    they designed the P51 when most folks only had one bottle of ink. If I were writing often with a 51 I'd stick with Waterman inks, and probably just one.
    Not Parker?
    I have more experience with and prefer the Watermans. I think Parker ink would be as good a choice.

  9. The Following User Says Thank You to manoeuver For This Useful Post:

    Sailor Kenshin (November 17th, 2020)

  10. #28
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2018
    Location
    East Coast of US
    Posts
    170
    Thanks
    276
    Thanked 238 Times in 83 Posts
    Rep Power
    7

    Default Re: Cleaning Parker 51 before changing inks?

    There was a machine for cleaning fountain pens with vacumatic fillers that Parker sent to retailers. It was a spinner, held up to a dozen pens, & operated like Ron Zorn's salad spinner suggestion. Centrifical force removed the ink by forcing it outward, away from the pen. Can't find a link at the moment, but I have seen photos of the device.

    I pump a vac or aerometric 51 a dozen times or more in cool running water. Then I hold the pen firmly and fling it above the sink. The force of downward movement spurts ink from the collector. Haven't dropped one yet in many years of cleaning this way. Then I "wick" the nib for hours or overnight on an old cotton T-shirt. I think there is less chance of fibers getting into the nib slit this way than with a paper towel.

    The 51 collector is such a remarkable device that many years after it was made, it continues operating as intended: by holding ink.

  11. The Following User Says Thank You to Barry B. Gabay For This Useful Post:

    Jon Szanto (November 17th, 2020)

  12. #29
    Senior Member FredRydr's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    Carlisle, Pennsylvania USA
    Posts
    4,903
    Thanks
    1,395
    Thanked 6,379 Times in 2,500 Posts
    Rep Power
    18

    Default Re: Cleaning Parker 51 before changing inks?

    Quote Originally Posted by Barry B. Gabay View Post
    ...I hold the pen firmly and fling it above the sink....
    gasp!

  13. #30
    Senior Member Ron Z's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2019
    Location
    Western Pennsylvania
    Posts
    610
    Thanks
    1
    Thanked 1,082 Times in 395 Posts
    Rep Power
    5

    Default Re: Cleaning Parker 51 before changing inks?

    Quote Originally Posted by FredRydr View Post
    gasp!
    Quote Originally Posted by Barry B. Gabay View Post
    ...I hold the pen firmly and fling it above the sink....
    Indeed. It wouldn't doesn't take much for me to whack the sink with the nib.

    The motorized centrifuge that I use is a copy of the Parker made unit that Richard Binder has. The pan is a 12" cake pan from Michaels, the holder is a 51 desk trumpet, I made the arm and bushing that attaches it to the motor shaft. The motor is from a fan that fell off a table, so the blade broke, and the base is an overturned stainless steel dog food bowl from Dollar General. The rim is lined with blotter paper. I use it to spin out most pens after testing.



    Last edited by Ron Z; November 17th, 2020 at 01:09 PM.

    Visit Main Street Pens
    A full service pen shop providing professional, thoughtful pen repair....
    Please contact us by email, and not PM for repair inquiries.

  14. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to Ron Z For This Useful Post:

    Barry B. Gabay (November 17th, 2020), Chrissy (November 17th, 2020), proteus (November 17th, 2020)

  15. #31
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    May 2017
    Location
    UK
    Posts
    591
    Thanks
    242
    Thanked 250 Times in 142 Posts
    Rep Power
    7

    Default Re: Cleaning Parker 51 before changing inks?

    Ron Z,

    Was very interested to look at it.

    You are seriously creative.

    Many thanks
    Last edited by proteus; November 17th, 2020 at 01:37 PM.

  16. #32
    Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Posts
    58
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 7 Times in 7 Posts
    Rep Power
    5

    Default Re: Cleaning Parker 51 before changing inks?

    Lots of great info, thanks very much! I think I'll leave the Parker 51 for blue black and just flush when changing inks.

  17. The Following User Says Thank You to MRusso For This Useful Post:

    Jon Szanto (November 17th, 2020)

  18. #33
    Senior Member Sailor Kenshin's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Where pigs run free!
    Posts
    3,988
    Thanks
    6,185
    Thanked 3,387 Times in 1,698 Posts
    Rep Power
    16

    Default Re: Cleaning Parker 51 before changing inks?

    Quote Originally Posted by FredRydr View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Barry B. Gabay View Post
    ...I hold the pen firmly and fling it above the sink....
    gasp!
    I do it over my garbage pail.
    My other pen is a Montblanc.

    And my other blog is a tumblr!


    And my latest ebook, for spooky wintery reading:

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CM2NGSSD

  19. The Following User Says Thank You to Sailor Kenshin For This Useful Post:

    Barry B. Gabay (November 18th, 2020)

  20. #34
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2019
    Location
    US
    Posts
    6,750
    Thanks
    642
    Thanked 897 Times in 689 Posts
    Rep Power
    11

    Default Re: Cleaning Parker 51 before changing inks?

    I was able to get one of the 78 year old 51's out last weekend that had been packed in the PODS container since September 24. It wrote as if it had been being used everyday.

  21. The Following User Says Thank You to Chuck Naill For This Useful Post:

    Barry B. Gabay (November 18th, 2020)

  22. #35
    Senior Member FredRydr's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    Carlisle, Pennsylvania USA
    Posts
    4,903
    Thanks
    1,395
    Thanked 6,379 Times in 2,500 Posts
    Rep Power
    18

    Default Re: Cleaning Parker 51 before changing inks?

    Quote Originally Posted by Ron Z View Post
    The motorized centrifuge that I use....
    Is the hook at the end opposite the desk trumpet for a counterweight?

  23. #36
    Senior Member Ron Z's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2019
    Location
    Western Pennsylvania
    Posts
    610
    Thanks
    1
    Thanked 1,082 Times in 395 Posts
    Rep Power
    5

    Default Re: Cleaning Parker 51 before changing inks?

    The hook IS the counter weight. Its also handy for flinging water out of the cap after you've cleaned or rinsed it rather than trying to dry it with compressed air.

    Visit Main Street Pens
    A full service pen shop providing professional, thoughtful pen repair....
    Please contact us by email, and not PM for repair inquiries.

  24. #37
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2018
    Location
    East Coast of US
    Posts
    170
    Thanks
    276
    Thanked 238 Times in 83 Posts
    Rep Power
    7

    Default Re: Cleaning Parker 51 before changing inks?

    Ron's "compressed air" is remarkable. At the Raleigh Pen Show maybe 10 years ago, I showed Ron a turquoise Parker 51 SE with a cap jammed on it. It had a regular 51 cap which I use on several I own, since I was lucky enough to buy some spare barrels and front ends in 2002 when Parker issued the 51SE. They fit perfectly. I had dropped the pen and its cap was jammed tight. Neither hot water nor my wife's hair dryer could loosen the cap. These methods had worked before on this pen and other 51s with stuck caps. Ron was sitting at his work table and said he "might" be able to do remove the cap. I suspect he knew all along that he would be successful. Ron unscrewed the tassie button & removed the clip. The cap top was then exposed with plenty of space between the jammed front end and the opening in the cap top. Ron said casually, "Get ready." He picked up a small hose, inserted it in the cap top's opening, and switched on the machine to which the hose was attached. Almost immediately the pen flew from the cap and into a towel he held in his other hand. Immediate results!

    For those who have not had Ron operate on a fountain pen, you are in for a treat. He is a real gentleman who knows his trade inside and out. He has worked on everything from 51s to 149s for me. We have done a good deal of horse trading too over the years.

    I still prefer shaking residual ink from the 51 collector.
    Last edited by Barry B. Gabay; November 18th, 2020 at 10:12 AM. Reason: grammar error, spelling

  25. The Following 5 Users Say Thank You to Barry B. Gabay For This Useful Post:

    azkid (November 18th, 2020), Chrissy (November 19th, 2020), proteus (November 18th, 2020), Sailor Kenshin (November 18th, 2020), welch (November 19th, 2020)

  26. #38
    Senior Member NumberSix's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2020
    Location
    Colorado, USA
    Posts
    123
    Thanks
    179
    Thanked 64 Times in 45 Posts
    Rep Power
    4

    Default Re: Cleaning Parker 51 before changing inks?

    When I flush a pen, including my 51s and 21s, I generally let them sit overnight, nib down in a coffee mug. The nib sits in a wad of toilet paper. I can do as many as 3 or 4 pens in the same mug, if I am cleaning out a bunch.

    I find it satisfying the next morning to see some ink in the paper. (hopefully not a lot, if I have done my flush job well)

    That's the same as a lot of you are recommending on this thread. My variation is the toilet paper -- simply because I tend not to buy paper towels!


    ETA: I have also done the shaking thing, if I am wanting to refill the pen right away. I have even been known too add ink despite water's being in the feed. Write and scribble for about half a page, and it usually sorts itself out.
    Last edited by NumberSix; November 18th, 2020 at 11:17 AM.

  27. #39
    Senior Member guyy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    Brooklyn NY
    Posts
    775
    Thanks
    381
    Thanked 618 Times in 344 Posts
    Rep Power
    8

    Default Re: Cleaning Parker 51 before changing inks?

    Quote Originally Posted by NumberSix View Post

    That's the same as a lot of you are recommending on this thread. My variation is the toilet paper -- simply because I tend not to buy paper towels!

    Whatever i wrote above, the truth of the matter is that i use paper napkins from my local pizza places. When in Brooklyn, especially in S Brooklyn, it all starts with pizza.

  28. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to guyy For This Useful Post:

    Jon Szanto (November 18th, 2020), NumberSix (November 18th, 2020), Sailor Kenshin (November 18th, 2020)

  29. #40
    Senior Member FredRydr's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    Carlisle, Pennsylvania USA
    Posts
    4,903
    Thanks
    1,395
    Thanked 6,379 Times in 2,500 Posts
    Rep Power
    18

    Default Re: Cleaning Parker 51 before changing inks?

    Quote Originally Posted by NumberSix View Post
    When I flush a pen, including my 51s and 21s, I generally let them sit overnight, nib down in a coffee mug. The nib sits in a wad of toilet paper. I can do as many as 3 or 4 pens in the same mug, if I am cleaning out a bunch.
    ...
    That's the same as a lot of you are recommending on this thread. My variation is the toilet paper -- simply because I tend not to buy paper towels!...
    I think we've found the cause of the worldwide shortage.

  30. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to FredRydr For This Useful Post:

    Barry B. Gabay (November 18th, 2020), Sailor Kenshin (November 18th, 2020)

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •