Fountain Pens

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How much should a pen be used to keep it in good shape? (self.fountainpens)

submitted 1 year ago by Natal to c/fountainpens

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Hello everyone,

I've got a pen I only use to write in a journal dedicated to my mother who passed away. When I wish I could still talk to her I get that journal and write whatever discussion I'd like to have with her. I have a Pilot Cavalier that is only used for this.

I'm worried the irregular use might damage the pen. Sometimes I write everyday, but not everyday I have ideas of what to say so sometimes I go a couple of days, even weeks without writing much if at all.

Can it be bad for the pen and what is the proper maintenance I should do on such a pen with such irregular usage?

I'm starting thinking about using it more for other occasions and let it loose its "sacred" aspect, but I'm not sure yet.

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[–] qua 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

As long as you don't let the ink dry in your fountain pen, you should be fine. In a fountain pen with a properly sealed cap, that should easily be several months. I recently opened a Pilot V pen that I hadn't touched since 2020 and it wrote on the first try.

If you can share what pen you are using, maybe we can give you a better answer than "It depends" :)

[–] Natal 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The pen in question is a Pilot Cavalier. I cap my pens as soon as I'm done writing or pause to think. It's almost the same reflex as hitting ctrl+s when working on a computer.

It feels like a rather premium pen compared to my other pens so I think it might be more robust.

The other two I have are pilot metropolitan and a jinhao 750 but those two are used everyday, several times a day for work so no worries about dry ink.

[–] qua 2 points 1 year ago

The Cavalier should have a good cap seal - so there's no danger of it drying out if left unused for a few weeks. But, even if you find it has dried up, there is nothing to fear - just flush it out with water till the water runs clear, shake it (like you would an old-time thermometer) to remove any excess water, and let it air dry. Then you can ink it up and you're good to go.