A new nib of a fountain pen should be cleaned from grease and factory-applied anti-corrosive lacquer before the ink will flow evenly. Some artists recommend sucking on a new nib to get it ready for ink. Manufacturers recommend immersing the nib in boiling water. An alternative is holding the nib briefly in the flame of a lighted match — but be careful — the heat can alter the temper of the nib.
Nibs must be kept clean during use or the ink will not flow freely. They should be wiped with a soft rag and afterwards washed and dried to prevent corrosion. The best way to clean lettering or drawing nibs is to scrub them gently with a wet toothbrush. Crusted pen nibs should be scraped or brushed clean before using. Use a scalpel or an X-acto knife. A fiberglass brush and a Swiss Army knife is also useful.
From nibs and brushes: Clean wet brushes with soap & water. Clean dried acrylic paint with acetone, denatured alcohol or equivalent product.
From clothing: While paint is wet, clean with water and/or window cleaner. Dried acrylic paint is permanent on fabric when applied to fountain pen nibs.

Tags: fine pens, fountain pen, parker pens, pen, pen it, pilot fountain pens, refills, scheaffer pens, steel pen, wood fountain pen

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 11th, 2009 at 4:17 am and is filed under Pen Information. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.