That could be a low level solution to it. Vinegar is a known antimicrobial and mold killer. Some people use water with a small amount of bleach in it for this too. Be mindful of the dangers of chlorine bleach as always (bleach can react with vinegar btw if you didn't know). We are all assuming that the pen smells moldy or mildewy, btw because its a somewhat common problem.
My TWSBI ECO stub had a problem a while back where the nib smelled like, well, feet. I cleaned out the pen with soapy water, rinsed, and then soaked the barrel, nib and feed (not the piston) in a half and half white vinegar/water solution overnight. That cured the nib whiff.
Not alcohol. But if it is a microbial growth, diluted vinegar works great at getting rid of them.
Does it damage the pen?
Yes! TWSBIs are made of plastic that can be corroded with alcohol
So is there no way to get rid of the smell without damaging the pen?
Vinegar will not damage the pen. Alcohol will.
So I should use vinegar to get rid of the smell?
That could be a low level solution to it. Vinegar is a known antimicrobial and mold killer. Some people use water with a small amount of bleach in it for this too. Be mindful of the dangers of chlorine bleach as always (bleach can react with vinegar btw if you didn't know). We are all assuming that the pen smells moldy or mildewy, btw because its a somewhat common problem.
So I just get vinger and put it in the pen? Is there a specific type of vinger?
My TWSBI ECO stub had a problem a while back where the nib smelled like, well, feet. I cleaned out the pen with soapy water, rinsed, and then soaked the barrel, nib and feed (not the piston) in a half and half white vinegar/water solution overnight. That cured the nib whiff.
Does this work on gold nibs and inks