How To Clean A Pelikan Fountain Pen

I have been asked on a few occasions over the past several weeks about what is the best way to clean a Pelikan fountain pen. While I'm not sure whether or not my way is the best way, it does work, is easy and relatively quick to accomplish, and does not result in any damage to the pen. One of the reasons that I enjoy Pelikan's piston fillers is because of the ease with which they can be cleaned when compared with cartridge/converter models. Pelikans are also forgiving and can be left to go a bit longer between routine maintenance sessions than some other brands pens. While cleaning is easy, there are some pitfalls and special considerations to keep in mind, particularly when working with vintage pens. As such, I have two cleaning methods; one that I reserve for modern pens (1970-present) and one that I use for either modern or vintage pens (pre-1970). I will do my best to describe both procedures below as well as provide you with some of my views on the intricacies of Pelikan pen maintenance. As a bonus, I will also review a technique for the cleaning of a cartridge/converter pen.

What You'll Need:

Room temperature tap water or distilled water (optional)
2-3 Small (6-8 ounce) cups
Paper towels, cloth, or similar
A dilute (~1:10) ammonia solution (optional)
Cotton swabs (preferably safety swabs)
Bulb syringe (optional for cleaning cartridge/converter pens)

Procedure:

METHOD #1 – Modern Pens (1970-Present)

Empty the pen of any remaining ink by turning the piston knob counter-clockwise to advance the piston forward.
Turn on a sink and adjust the faucet to approximately room temperature. Fill a cup 1/4 full and set aside.
Run the nib under the faucet until the water appears to clear. Once clear, unscrew the nib and place it in the cup of water prepared in step 2.
Now place the section under the faucet to remove the remaining ink from the barrel. Work the piston 2-3 times for good measure.
Dry the outside of the pen with a towel and then replace the nib that has been soaking. Empty the cup of water and refill until 1/2 full. Distilled water can be used at this point if there are concerns about the hardness of the tap water.
Place the nib in the water and cycle the piston 2-3 times to ensure that the water remains clear. If ink persist, continue to flush until it clears.
Using a towel, dry the nib by drawing out any excess moisture and allow to air dry.
If significant staining remains or if there is a particularly stubborn ink, consider using a dilute ammonia solution as outlined below. Also consider cleaning the cap as described below.

METHOD #2 – Vintage Pens (Pre-1970) and/or Modern Pens (1970-Present)

Empty the pen of any remaining ink by turning the piston knob counter-clockwise to advance the piston forward.
Turn on a sink and adjust the faucet to approximately room temperature. Fill two cups 1/2 full. If you are concerned about the hardness of the water in your tap, consider using distilled water.
Submerge the nib into the first cup and repeatedly cycle the piston. Once the water is heavily colored, switch to the second cup.
Continue cycling the piston until the water flushes clear from the pen. You may have to empty and refill a cup once or twice.
Using a towel, dry the nib by drawing out any excess moisture and allow to air dry.
If significant staining remains or if there is a particularly stubborn ink, consider using a dilute ammonia solution as outlined below. Also consider cleaning the cap as described below.

METHOD #3 – Cartridge/Converter Pens

If a converter is attached, empty the pen of any remaining ink by turning the knob on the converter counter-clockwise to advance the piston forward. If a cartridge was used, discard the cartridge.
Turn on a sink and adjust the faucet to approximately room temperature. Fill two cups 1/2 full. If you are concerned about the hardness of the water in your tap, consider using distilled water.
If using a cartridge, skip to step 4. If using a converter, submerge the mouth in a cup of water and cycle the piston 2-3 times. The converter should clear fairly quickly. Fill the converter and invert it a few times to free any ink trapped at the level of the piston seal and empty. The converter should be clean by this point.
Take a bulb syringe and fill it with water from the first cup. Place the mouth of the syringe at the back of the section and depress, allowing water to flow through the nib and feed (this can get a little messy). Repeat 2-3 times and then switch to the fresh cup. Using the syringe once more to flush the feed/nib, the water should be fairly clean by this point.Alternatively you can just use a steady stream of water from a sink in place of the bulb syringe to achieve the same effect if that is more convenient for you.
Using a towel, dry the nib by drawing out any excess moisture and allow to air dry.
If significant staining remains or if there is a particularly stubborn ink, consider using a dilute ammonia solution as outlined below. Also consider cleaning the cap as described below.

Cleaning with Ammonia

Only after first cleaning with tap or distilled water as described above and not achieving a satisfactory effect, consider using a dilute ammonia solution.
You can purchase one of the many pre-made solutions such as J.B.'s Perfect Pen Flush (no affiliation) or make your own dilute 1:10 solution (1 part household ammonia to 10 parts water).
Fill one cup 1/2 full with the dilute ammonia solution and the other cup 1/2 full with tap or distilled water. Cycle the piston several times in the ammonia solution as you had previously when using water to flush as described above.
When satisfied, expel all of the ammonia into the cup and switch to the cup with water, again cycling the piston several times to flush out any remaining ammonia (this is necessary for proper functioning as the flush has surfactants which will affect the ink's properties).
You can save the used ammonia for re-use later (until it becomes nearly opaque after which it should be discarded).

*NEVER mix ammonia with bleach, use ammonia on aluminum parts, or soak older pens in an ammonia solution.ALWAYSuse in a well ventilated area.

Cleaning the Cap

While the pen is drying, use a cotton safety swab that has been moistened with water and swab the inside of the cap.
Repeat until the swab tip comes out clean.
Run a dry cotton swab or tissue along the inside of the cap to dry. Compressed air can also be used. Allow to air dry prior to reassembling.

Discussion:

The procedures described above will work for a great many of Pelikan's piston fill and cartridge/converter fountain pens. This would include essentially all of the pens of both the modern Classic and Souverän lines as well as many vintage models. When working over a sink, care should be taken to avoid dropping the nib and/or barrel into the drain. Pelikan pen's can handle a somewhat infrequent maintenance schedule so even if you only flush every few months, that should be adequate and still you should only require water when flushing. Pens that are bought used or have been neglected for some time might benefit from a flushing with an ammonia solution but that should be decided on a case by case basis. Normally, pens will need a reapplication of silicone grease every so often (roughly ~3 years in my experience) to keep the piston moving smoothly. If you use the faucet method of cleaning described above (Method #1), the frequency of re-lubing may increase.

Special Considerations:

I advocate not using the sink faucet cleaning method for vintage pens because the older ebonite feeds are fragile and I avoid removing the nib from those pens whenever possible as each attempt to do so can run the risk of damaging the feed . Also, hot water should be avoided as this can damage certain components and does not provide any benefit over room temperature water.

My own tap water provided by the city is very hard meaning that there is a high mineral content in the water. When the water evaporates, these mineral deposits are left behind and can clog feeds. For this reason, I favor the use of distilled water (specially prepared to remove chemicals and minerals) over tap. Distilled water is cheap and readily available at any grocery store in 1 gallon jugs. When I do use the faucet cleaning method, I will always finish with several flushes of distilled water to try to remove any of the remaining hard water left behind from my faucet.

Many people favor adding a drop of dish detergent (e.g. Dawn) to the water that they are using to flush the pen with. This has been cited to help with ink flow problems and can remove some of the releasing agents left on newly minted feeds. This is generally regarded as a safe practice though one that I do not personally employ as I feel ammonia achieves the same effect. If you do use a drop and only a drop of Dawn detergent in your flushing process, make sure you follow that with just water to remove all residue and prevent problems down the road.

It is often asked whether or not a new pen needs to be flushed before a first fill and there is debate on both sides of this issue. I do not flush first in my personal practice and have not had any trouble that I would attribute to this practice but many people report otherwise. Because oils, grit, and releasing agents invisible to the naked eye can be retained from the manufacturing process, ink flow can become impaired. To combat this, flushing with a drop of detergent or dilute ammonia can clear these left over agents should you find this to be an issue.

The number of people who do not clean their pen's cap has always amazed me. When I get a used pen, especially vintage ones, this is one of the first things I do and I often feel like I'm pulling a decades' worth of ink out. I like my caps clean and so that is part of my routine maintenance. When done regularly, it usually only takes one or two cotton swabs to get the job done. Why clean the barrel and nib so effectively only to leave the cap filthy? Just make sure to dry the cap prior to reassembling. I use cotton swabs for infants, also called safety swabs, because these have more cotton material and are perfect for the job of cleaning pen caps. "Be kind, clean your pen's cap."

Other implements can be used in the cleaning process. These include syringes, ultrasonic cleaners, brass shims, polishes, etc. None of these are generally necessary for day-to-day pen maintenance and are usually for more advanced purposes. I will be addressing some of these separately in future postings so stay tuned.

Cleaning Method #1 (also showing the use of ammonia)

Cleaning Method #2 (also showing the cleaning of a cap)

Cleaning a Cartridge/Converter Fountain Pen

*I am not an expert in pen maintenance and make no claims to be one. I am an enthusiast and hobbyist. If you have any concerns or doubts, you should seek out further assistance elsewhere. Anyone following the above procedures do so at their own risk and I am not liable for any damage that may be incurred to the pen, nib, or cap.