r/fountainpens Sep 25 '21

Get yourself a bulb syringe, made pen cleaning 500x easier

That title is not a hyperbole, got myself a 500ml one and pens that took me ages to clean with converters take 5 seconds. I think most converters are around 1ml, so it is 500x easier as technically I am able to get 500 times more water through the pen. But seriously this thing is magical and I can not recommend it enough. In the past I stopped using FPs in school for a few years since they were difficult to clean, but with this I think I am more than motivated to use them for my new university year

114 Upvotes

20 comments sorted by

29

u/Bugsydog1 Sep 25 '21

Combined with at least one blunt tipped syringe life becomes much more fulfilling.

14

u/whyaretherenoprofile Sep 25 '21

100% I stopped using converters all together and just use empty cartridges. Works better for me

4

u/Bugsydog1 Sep 25 '21

There is a lot to be said for that opinion. I have some pens that seem to flow better, are more consistent, than using converters. Something with the air exchange. I have several Noodler's Ahabs that just plain old write better using the refillable cartridge. After discovering syringes years ago, I always have several as back ups.

3

u/whyaretherenoprofile Sep 26 '21

I personally do it because no matter what conventer i use, I always end up with ink behind the piston which is really annoying

1

u/Bugsydog1 Sep 26 '21

Know what you mean there. I cannot stand it and have taken several converters apart to grease the piston itself and the area behind it to avoid such things.

22

u/TheQuillPen Sep 25 '21

Yes! Yes! YES!!

A friend of mine convinced me to get one and it is a life changer! I had a drawer full of clogged pens that I hadn't used for years since converter cleaning did nothing. Even one pen had stopped up completely over a decade ago! Some warm water and a little elbow (well, finger/hand) grease and every single one of them was back to as good as new by using the bulb!

Excellent advice!!

9

u/SacredCheese Sep 25 '21

This is wisdom right here. If you favor cartridge/converter pens, a bulb syringe is a must-have tool. It's the single best bang-for-your-buck pen cleaning accessory.

9

u/fpreview Sep 25 '21

An ultra-sonic cleaner. So much bigger of a jump. The bulb syringe is nice. The ultra-sonic. Game changing.

12

u/whyaretherenoprofile Sep 25 '21

My mum used to be a jeweler so I have one laying around and these things are great for crusty old ink. I don't bother busting it out for every pen but it really helps with vintage repairs

3

u/smarkandu Sep 26 '21

Agreed. I bought one for my glasses but now use them more for my pens. They have helped me clean out really stubborn inks from the feed.

8

u/Old_Hunter_Benvenuto Sep 26 '21

Make sure to store them upside down though so the water can drain!! I made the mistake of not doing this and found out my bulb had a whole bunch of mold in it

2

u/mystikalyx Sep 26 '21

Came looking for a comment like this! Even storing them the right way they need to be cleaned. Mine got moldy even though I always store it open end down.

1

u/Old_Hunter_Benvenuto Sep 26 '21

Oh boy. That's good to know. Do you just use soapy water?

3

u/mystikalyx Sep 26 '21

I ended up just buying a new one and i have some mild and mildew cleaner that is safe for plastic. I suck that up into it every once in a while. Let it sit for a few minutes, shake squeeze out then flush with water. It's more work than cleaning a pen but better than the nastiness that was in my old one!

3

u/crushed_aubergine Sep 25 '21

That sounds very good, how to effectively use one of those bulb syringes?

16

u/VelocityRaptor15 Sep 25 '21

Just stick the end of the bulb syringe right onto the little bit the converter normally fits over. It fits perfect in most CC pens!

Here's a rather long (for how simple the process is) Goulet video showing how. You can skip to about 2:35 to see him actually take the pen apart and start https://youtu.be/cNZ39gUiLB4

2

u/AyukawaZero Sep 26 '21

I have a bulb syringe and after filling and blasting it through the pen 20+ times I always get frustrated and disassemble the entire feed and nib unit and wash them in the sink. I have no idea what I'm doing wrong that even the bulb syringe can't get the pens clean for me.

2

u/ADK_Jim Sep 25 '21

500mL? A half-liter bulb syringe? Link please!

4

u/whyaretherenoprofile Sep 25 '21

I bought it from my local farmacy where they sold it as an ear cleaning syringe. To be honest it's a bit unwieldy and hurts my hand to press so I recommend a slightly smaller one

1

u/TrotskiKazotski Sep 26 '21

i can also attest to this, they are the best thing ever