I fill it with the new ink, then empty it into a scrap bottle, then fill it again with the ink.
I fill it with the new ink, then empty it into a scrap bottle, then fill it again with the ink.
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
manoeuver (November 17th, 2020)
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?
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.
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
Sailor Kenshin (November 17th, 2020)
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.
Jon Szanto (November 17th, 2020)
Indeed. Itwouldn'tdoesn'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.
Barry B. Gabay (November 17th, 2020), Chrissy (November 17th, 2020), proteus (November 17th, 2020)
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.
Lots of great info, thanks very much! I think I'll leave the Parker 51 for blue black and just flush when changing inks.
Jon Szanto (November 17th, 2020)
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
Barry B. Gabay (November 18th, 2020)
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.
Barry B. Gabay (November 18th, 2020)
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.
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
azkid (November 18th, 2020), Chrissy (November 19th, 2020), proteus (November 18th, 2020), Sailor Kenshin (November 18th, 2020), welch (November 19th, 2020)
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.
Jon Szanto (November 18th, 2020), NumberSix (November 18th, 2020), Sailor Kenshin (November 18th, 2020)
Barry B. Gabay (November 18th, 2020), Sailor Kenshin (November 18th, 2020)
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