Key things about maintaining fountain pens

A fountain pen is an elegant writing instrument. That’s why those who are willing to have the best writing experience, should learn how to maintain it properly. Proper maintenance is one of the key rules all pen users and enthusiasts should follow. Why is it so? What things should you do to ensure that your writing tool is in proper condition? You will learn this and something more from this short guide.

How to make your instruments ready for first use? The first use of such elegant instruments as stylographs is always a special event, for which you should prepare quite properly. If you aim to make the first use efficient and don’t damage your writing tool during this first writing session, we recommend taking specific actions. 
First of all, be careful. Keep in mind, that the ink might not flow through the nib instantly during the first use. To make the tool write well, make some ink flow through the nib by pressing the ink storage a little. By doing this, you'll ensure that the writing liquid will flow onto the surface smoothly during the first use.
Regarding a tool equipped with an ink converter, you should fill it properly during the first use. To learn how to do this, you can read a special guide for pen enthusiasts on our website. When the converter is inserted into the pen, you can turn the screw part of the converter anti-clockwise to let some ink flow through the nib.
Sometimes, even these preparation actions might be not enough to achieve smooth writing during the first use. You can solve this problem by covering the nib with a piece of paper and shaking your tool unless you see some ink on the piece of paper. Shake the pen carefully because you can damage the nib or cover your paper with ink spots.

Why clean a fountain pen? How to maintain a fountain pen properly? Actually, regular use and proper cleaning are the main things in pen maintenance. If you use your writing instrument regularly, it’s recommended to clean it not less than 4-5 times a year. Rare usage requires more frequent cleaning procedures because the ink might dry and clog up a nib of your writing instrument. How do you flush a tool properly to make sure that it isn’t dry or clogged up? Here is a short guide:

1. Unscrew two sections of the device and remove the tool that contains your ink (it might be a cartridge or converter).
2. Flush the nib and the whole front end of the instruments with warm water.
3. You should do this until you see that the water that flows out of your pen is clear.
4. When flushing is over, you should do one more procedure so that there is no ink left in the nib – leave it in warm water for 2 hours or more.
5. Put all sections of your tool on the towel or tissue and wait until all of them are completely dry. If you want the remaining water to be completely absorbed, wrap your pen with a towel or paper tissue. We suggest that the pen should stay overnight to get completely dry. When the cleaning procedures are over, you can insert a new cartridge or fill in your converter with ink and start using your fountain pen again.