My personal tip for easily cleaning Pilot pens: Pull apart one of the basic squeeze converters (like from the Parallel). Break off the press bar and yank out the sac. You're left with the metal band that fits perfectly in the pen and takes a bulb syringe fantastically.
If you have a good cigar store near you they may sell the empty wood boxes. There are all kinds, and many are very attractive, and that is what I use to store my pens. They are inexpensive and lots of designs. Love your videos and your website!
I've seen people do this, it's pretty cool! I think I'll need more storage though, I have enough pens to fill at least 6-7 Cigar boxes... -Brian Goulet
Brian, get a tool chest on wheels. All your pens will fit. My brother got one at Sears and he uses it for actual tools but you would do well with something big and easy to categorise.
Actually, if you look at the tool boxes that are the smaller 20in boxes, such as Excel brand the drawers are only 1in deep. I used to have one for storing/locking my ultra expensive pet grooming tools. I have also seen some harmonica cases that might work. Think outside the box...er case!
Would you consider carrying the Wahl Eversharp Skylines? The Semi-Flex nib looks uber cool. The vintage ones have cool designs and mushy nibs; the new ones are supposed to be just as good, but a better filling system.
Removing sections from vintage pens: if you don't know yourself what the material is made of along with its heat tolerance, don't even try. That's been my cardinal rule when restoring any vintage pens. With a vintage Sheaffer Admiral though (assuming Touchdown/Snorkel), you can usually just unscrew the section with a little bit of oomph and elbow grease. Worst comes to worst, dunk the section in some hot tap water, around 120 deg F, NOT boiling water. Sheaffer, for example, used their own recipe of thread sealant that softens at low temperatures, lower than shellac. Otherwise, send it off to a restorer.
These aren't exactly the long standard international cartridges you've talked about, but some ink manufacturers offer Lamy/standard international hybrid cartridges. I know of Monteverde and Online that offer these cartridges.
+The Goulet Pen Company Thanks Colin, the link was very helpful. I guess the best way to find out for sure is to contact the manufacturer of your ink. Thanks again for your reply.
You could try to reach out to TWSBI directly for a possible replacement part, but the cost of that might not be that much cheaper than just getting a new Eco all together. - Colin
hi Brian will the plastic in my pilot custom 823 crack after 2 decades or so ? I am a university student . will this pen to last my lifetime if left unused in my desk drawer ? do vintage pens made of plastic in the 1950's still exist without cracking ? thank you
It should last a lifetime, with normal use and regular maintenance. I can't guarantee that because it could crack if you drop it or do something to it, but it definitely could last that long. Plenty of pens are around from the 50's, but like all plastic, they have to be cared for. -Brian Goulet
+Job Elijander It does take a bit of a tug. Make sure you have a good grip on it (www.gouletpens.com/goulet-grip/p/GPC-Grip) as that'll help, but it should just pull right out. - Colin
FWIW, wool (and silk too, for that matter) isn't a cellulose fiber; it's a protein fiber. So theoretically wool would be easier to clean than cotton? At the very least, it shouldn't be lumped together.
I had the very same issue about the lamy cap yesterday. I searched the internet found this solution. www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/202486-repair-a-lamy-safari-cap/ The reason is like Brain said, the rubber grip deform and can not grip on the lips on the barrel. Use a thin stick (chopstick) to push out the snap on plastic cap without damaging the soft rubber grip part. Then you can disassemble the cap. Use elastic tape to tighten the rubber grip a few circles and reassemble the cap. Press the cap snap firmly back into the rubber grip. It works. Though I am not impressed by the quality of a Germany pen like this. They could have used harder rubber (you'll see how soft and prone to deformation it is once you open the cap) or spring loaded grip.
Altough the nib being made out of gold doesn't make it smoother, gold nibs are usually finished by hand and a lot of effort goes into their production due to their higher price. So with MOST gold nibs you'll see that they're smoother than steel nibs.
My personal tip for easily cleaning Pilot pens:
Pull apart one of the basic squeeze converters (like from the Parallel). Break off the press bar and yank out the sac. You're left with the metal band that fits perfectly in the pen and takes a bulb syringe fantastically.
If you have a good cigar store near you they may sell the empty wood boxes. There are all kinds, and many are very attractive, and that is what I use to store my pens. They are inexpensive and lots of designs. Love your videos and your website!
I've seen people do this, it's pretty cool! I think I'll need more storage though, I have enough pens to fill at least 6-7 Cigar boxes... -Brian Goulet
Brian, get a tool chest on wheels. All your pens will fit. My brother got one at Sears and he uses it for actual tools but you would do well with something big and easy to categorise.
I thought about that, but those drawers will be way too deep. A wood tool box is promising! -Brian Goulet
Actually, if you look at the tool boxes that are the smaller 20in boxes, such as Excel brand the drawers are only 1in deep. I used to have one for storing/locking my ultra expensive pet grooming tools. I have also seen some harmonica cases that might work. Think outside the box...er case!
Would you consider carrying the Wahl Eversharp Skylines? The Semi-Flex nib looks uber cool. The vintage ones have cool designs and mushy nibs; the new ones are supposed to be just as good, but a better filling system.
19:53 "The sooner you can get it up, the better" Brian Goulet 2014
can you do some cartridge pen only tricks
Removing sections from vintage pens: if you don't know yourself what the material is made of along with its heat tolerance, don't even try. That's been my cardinal rule when restoring any vintage pens. With a vintage Sheaffer Admiral though (assuming Touchdown/Snorkel), you can usually just unscrew the section with a little bit of oomph and elbow grease. Worst comes to worst, dunk the section in some hot tap water, around 120 deg F, NOT boiling water. Sheaffer, for example, used their own recipe of thread sealant that softens at low temperatures, lower than shellac. Otherwise, send it off to a restorer.
These aren't exactly the long standard international cartridges you've talked about, but some ink manufacturers offer Lamy/standard international hybrid cartridges. I know of Monteverde and Online that offer these cartridges.
I have the monteverde cases and quality is crap. I had 2 section break just by putting a medium size pen in it
Just curious (I'm new to FP's), with bottled ink, does it need to be shaken before using?
Brian actually did a video on just this subject! (ua-cam.com/video/aPK98kgNUws/v-deo.html) - Colin
+The Goulet Pen Company Thanks Colin, the link was very helpful. I guess the best way to find out for sure is to contact the manufacturer of your ink. Thanks again for your reply.
I killed my Twisbi Eco nib. sigh. Is there any workaround for replacing that non-replacable nib?
You could try to reach out to TWSBI directly for a possible replacement part, but the cost of that might not be that much cheaper than just getting a new Eco all together. - Colin
hi Brian
will the plastic in my pilot custom 823 crack after 2 decades or so ? I am a university student . will this pen to last my lifetime if left unused in my desk drawer ? do vintage pens made of plastic in the 1950's still exist without cracking ?
thank you
It should last a lifetime, with normal use and regular maintenance. I can't guarantee that because it could crack if you drop it or do something to it, but it definitely could last that long. Plenty of pens are around from the 50's, but like all plastic, they have to be cared for. -Brian Goulet
help. the nib from my jinhao 500 is kinda hard to remove. :/ how do i do this? i'm afraid i might destroy this one. :( pleease
+Job Elijander It does take a bit of a tug. Make sure you have a good grip on it (www.gouletpens.com/goulet-grip/p/GPC-Grip) as that'll help, but it should just pull right out. - Colin
FWIW, wool (and silk too, for that matter) isn't a cellulose fiber; it's a protein fiber. So theoretically wool would be easier to clean than cotton? At the very least, it shouldn't be lumped together.
Another great way to get ink stains out of fabric is to spray hair spray on the stain, preferably from an aerosol can.
Really? I've never heard that. Cool :) -Brian Goulet
I had the very same issue about the lamy cap yesterday. I searched the internet found this solution.
www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/202486-repair-a-lamy-safari-cap/
The reason is like Brain said, the rubber grip deform and can not grip on the lips on the barrel. Use a thin stick (chopstick) to push out the snap on plastic cap without damaging the soft rubber grip part. Then you can disassemble the cap. Use elastic tape to tighten the rubber grip a few circles and reassemble the cap. Press the cap snap firmly back into the rubber grip. It works.
Though I am not impressed by the quality of a Germany pen like this. They could have used harder rubber (you'll see how soft and prone to deformation it is once you open the cap) or spring loaded grip.
Altough the nib being made out of gold doesn't make it smoother, gold nibs are usually finished by hand and a lot of effort goes into their production due to their higher price. So with MOST gold nibs you'll see that they're smoother than steel nibs.
what is your email id Brian ?
gouletQA@gouletpens.com -Brian Goulet