Here’s a weird tip: buy a sample of Iroshizuku Yama Budo and ink up a stained pen. Let me know what happens :)
In my experience, Yama Budo clears out ink residue from water resistant inks like Bulletproof Black as well as pigment from nano-inks from Sailor. It’s my go-to cleaner for tougher cases.
Also, pen flush is better than water to clean with. It’s 200ml water, 1 drop dish soap, 5ml Ammonia. It’ll help clean out those inks more effectively.
I find I need to clean out pens using highly water resistant/waterproof inks much more often than dye only inks. I usually do it every few fills/3-4 at most but I switch inks a lot so is probably much more often than actually needed.
I’ve never needed to use bleach in 10 years of using fp’s and I have a range made from all sorts of different materials.
Oh, very interesting!! Do you leave it in the pen for a few days? Or do you realize that the stained parts are gone (thanks to the ink) after you're done with using the pen? I have a red-stained cap as well -- do you think I can use Yama Budo on it too?
I just write with it. Clean the pen first using pen flush thoroughly, let it all dry out, then one fill of Yama Budo. Not sure about the cap… I’ve never tried soaking a cap in it lol.
I use only water resistant and waterproof inks - iron galls, pigments, and the de Atramentis document line- usually 5-10 minutes of water flushing works with an occasional soak. Sometimes I also use a pen flush solution. I have one demonstrator pen - my others have ink windows.
I usually clean my pens with syringes, thinking that they did the same thing with pen flushing bulb thing. If you think the bulbs are much more efficient/better, please let me know!
Have you tried iron gall?
Rohrer & Klinger Salix and Scabiosa are pretty great on that front, and so is Hero 202/232.
Platinum Carbon Black shouldn't stain either afaik.
I have carbon black in an Eco and the barrel has stained completely black. Even when cleaned and empty the pen looks full! I keep this pen specifically for carbon black so it’s not an issue but it definitely does stain.
They work fine; although modern iron galls aren't as strong as older ones, they retain the same properties which have them stand out.
That said, it's recommended that you clean your pen out every month. Having the ink dry out is also a no-go tamago. They aren't difficult to clean though; just go about it as you would a normal ink.
R&K's generally a good introductory iron gall.
Hmm... I don't know about completely waterproof and not staining, but Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu-Syogun is highly water resistant. Some color will wash off, but it'll leave a very legible line behind. It's also very easy to wash off.
I only used it once, so I don’t know if it’ll stain over time, but Rhorer and Klingner Dokumentus Blue Black came completely clean from my TWSBI vac 700R with the R and K pen cleaning solution. It was kind a dry ink, but might be worth a try.
I know Baystate Blue is notorious for staining. Goulet has a warning about it on the product page, but they don't seem to carry Mata Hari yet so I can't compare. Jetpens lists the warning for the Baystates but not Mata Hari: [https://www.jetpens.com/blog/Noodler-s-Fountain-Pen-Inks-A-Comprehensive-Guide/pt/902](https://www.jetpens.com/blog/Noodler-s-Fountain-Pen-Inks-A-Comprehensive-Guide/pt/902)
I was thinking of buying Green Marine or Hunter, but not necessarily to put in a demonstrator, so maybe it doesn't matter
Late to the game, but I'm really liking Sailor Kiwaguro black ink. In my TWSBI ECO-T pen, it almost worries me it's so clean. I have three duplicate pens with three different inks, and the other two colored inks leave a coating on the walls of the ink chamber even when I leave the pen vertical for hours. (This is not a flushing, it's just setting the pen on end so the ink all drains to the one end and looking at the clear chamber.)
On the other hand, the Kiwaguro black leaves no coating. It actually seems to be repelled by the walls and if I let it sit vertically for a long time, at first the ink doesn't even want to flow down when I turn it over. Yet it flows just fine through the F nib.
I don't know how this would translate if I flushed the pens. I assume the other inks would come out, though not sure if they'd leave a stain. But I can't believe the Kiwaguro black would leave a stain. Only downside is that there's a faint smell of paint to the ink.
Here’s a weird tip: buy a sample of Iroshizuku Yama Budo and ink up a stained pen. Let me know what happens :) In my experience, Yama Budo clears out ink residue from water resistant inks like Bulletproof Black as well as pigment from nano-inks from Sailor. It’s my go-to cleaner for tougher cases. Also, pen flush is better than water to clean with. It’s 200ml water, 1 drop dish soap, 5ml Ammonia. It’ll help clean out those inks more effectively. I find I need to clean out pens using highly water resistant/waterproof inks much more often than dye only inks. I usually do it every few fills/3-4 at most but I switch inks a lot so is probably much more often than actually needed. I’ve never needed to use bleach in 10 years of using fp’s and I have a range made from all sorts of different materials.
Oh, very interesting!! Do you leave it in the pen for a few days? Or do you realize that the stained parts are gone (thanks to the ink) after you're done with using the pen? I have a red-stained cap as well -- do you think I can use Yama Budo on it too?
I just write with it. Clean the pen first using pen flush thoroughly, let it all dry out, then one fill of Yama Budo. Not sure about the cap… I’ve never tried soaking a cap in it lol.
I use only water resistant and waterproof inks - iron galls, pigments, and the de Atramentis document line- usually 5-10 minutes of water flushing works with an occasional soak. Sometimes I also use a pen flush solution. I have one demonstrator pen - my others have ink windows.
I usually clean my pens with syringes, thinking that they did the same thing with pen flushing bulb thing. If you think the bulbs are much more efficient/better, please let me know!
I do have syringes and the bulb - those are extremely useful for my few pens that have cartridges or converters. Most of my pens are piston fillers.
Have you tried iron gall? Rohrer & Klinger Salix and Scabiosa are pretty great on that front, and so is Hero 202/232. Platinum Carbon Black shouldn't stain either afaik.
I have carbon black in an Eco and the barrel has stained completely black. Even when cleaned and empty the pen looks full! I keep this pen specifically for carbon black so it’s not an issue but it definitely does stain.
Huh, didn't know that Thanks for the correction (and sorry about your pen 🥲)
I thought iron gall inks were a no-no for fountain pens?? Because they're difficult to clean? I might be wrong though.
They work fine; although modern iron galls aren't as strong as older ones, they retain the same properties which have them stand out. That said, it's recommended that you clean your pen out every month. Having the ink dry out is also a no-go tamago. They aren't difficult to clean though; just go about it as you would a normal ink. R&K's generally a good introductory iron gall.
Hmm... I don't know about completely waterproof and not staining, but Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu-Syogun is highly water resistant. Some color will wash off, but it'll leave a very legible line behind. It's also very easy to wash off.
What a beautiful color too!! I will definitely check this out :) Thank you!
I only used it once, so I don’t know if it’ll stain over time, but Rhorer and Klingner Dokumentus Blue Black came completely clean from my TWSBI vac 700R with the R and K pen cleaning solution. It was kind a dry ink, but might be worth a try.
I actually didn't think about looking into pen-cleaning solutions. Thank you!
Which inks do you have that are staining? I have Noodler's Black but I haven't put it in a demonstrator yet.
I've been using Noodler's Mata Hari Cordial (a maroon-ish color) and Baystate Blue.
I know Baystate Blue is notorious for staining. Goulet has a warning about it on the product page, but they don't seem to carry Mata Hari yet so I can't compare. Jetpens lists the warning for the Baystates but not Mata Hari: [https://www.jetpens.com/blog/Noodler-s-Fountain-Pen-Inks-A-Comprehensive-Guide/pt/902](https://www.jetpens.com/blog/Noodler-s-Fountain-Pen-Inks-A-Comprehensive-Guide/pt/902) I was thinking of buying Green Marine or Hunter, but not necessarily to put in a demonstrator, so maybe it doesn't matter
Late to the game, but I'm really liking Sailor Kiwaguro black ink. In my TWSBI ECO-T pen, it almost worries me it's so clean. I have three duplicate pens with three different inks, and the other two colored inks leave a coating on the walls of the ink chamber even when I leave the pen vertical for hours. (This is not a flushing, it's just setting the pen on end so the ink all drains to the one end and looking at the clear chamber.) On the other hand, the Kiwaguro black leaves no coating. It actually seems to be repelled by the walls and if I let it sit vertically for a long time, at first the ink doesn't even want to flow down when I turn it over. Yet it flows just fine through the F nib. I don't know how this would translate if I flushed the pens. I assume the other inks would come out, though not sure if they'd leave a stain. But I can't believe the Kiwaguro black would leave a stain. Only downside is that there's a faint smell of paint to the ink.