Dried Indian ink

[Tony Stanford]

Hi -

I restore vintage pens, and a recurrent problem is dried Indian ink. I
cannot find a solvent that will dissolve it out. I've tried methanol
(wood alcohol, turpentine and other light oils, but the stuff remains
dried.

Of course, I can get it off my scrubbing, etc, but when it is dried
solid inside nib feeds or breather tubes and collectors in a Parker 51,
say, one needs a solvent.

Anyone solved this problem?

TIA

[Brian Ketterling]

Post by Tony Stanford
Hi -
I restore vintage pens, and a recurrent problem is dried Indian ink. I
cannot find a solvent that will dissolve it out.

Koh-I-Noor and Higgins make pen-cleaning fluids designed to dissolve india
ink. A strong ammonia solution (say, 2:1, water:ammonia) may also work.
Watch the ammonia and some of the solvents you mentioned -- check what
materials your pens are made of, and Google around for compatibility with
the fluid you want to use. Some of that stuff could destroy your pens!

Brian
--

[Tony Stanford]

On Sun, 6 May 2007, at 10:15:55, Brian Ketterling

Post by Brian Ketterling

Post by Tony Stanford
Hi -
I restore vintage pens, and a recurrent problem is dried Indian ink. I
cannot find a solvent that will dissolve it out.

Koh-I-Noor and Higgins make pen-cleaning fluids designed to dissolve india
ink. A strong ammonia solution (say, 2:1, water:ammonia) may also work.
Watch the ammonia and some of the solvents you mentioned -- check what
materials your pens are made of, and Google around for compatibility with
the fluid you want to use. Some of that stuff could destroy your pens!
Brian

Thanks. I tried ammonia. No go. Also tried google. You're right about
solvents. Dry cleaning fluid destroys some plastics. But it doesn't
dissolve India ink!

Regards

[Brian Ketterling]

Post by Tony Stanford

Post by Brian Ketterling
Koh-I-Noor and Higgins make pen-cleaning fluids designed to dissolve
india ink. A strong ammonia solution (say, 2:1, water:ammonia) may also
work. Watch the ammonia and some of the solvents you mentioned -- check
what materials your pens are made of, and Google around for
compatibility with the fluid you want to use. Some of that stuff could
destroy your pens!
Brian

Thanks. I tried ammonia. No go.

It could well require an extended soak -- anywhere from several hours to
several days. The same goes for the Koh-I-Noor and Higgins cleaners, but
they're safer for pens. Many pen repairers also swear by ultrasonic
cleaners (in combination with the Rapido-Eze or Higgins fluid), but also
note that sometimes it just doesn't work, requiring disassembly of the pen,
soaking of the parts, then mechanical removal of the plug with things like
thin brass shim stock or steel guitar string.

Post by Tony Stanford
Also tried google. You're right about
solvents. Dry cleaning fluid destroys some plastics.

Ammonia can also destroy celluloid and fade the color of hard rubber.
Alcohol will also destroy celluloid -- hard rubber can tolerate a short
exposure, but prolonged exposure will soften it. In general, anything
petroleum-based should *not* be used on fountain pens. And so on (even
soaking in water can be bad news for vintage pens).

Brian
--

[Tony Stanford]

On Sun, 6 May 2007, at 16:28:15, Brian Ketterling

Post by Brian Ketterling

Post by Tony Stanford

Post by Brian Ketterling
Koh-I-Noor and Higgins make pen-cleaning fluids designed to dissolve
india ink. A strong ammonia solution (say, 2:1, water:ammonia) may also
work. Watch the ammonia and some of the solvents you mentioned -- check
what materials your pens are made of, and Google around for
compatibility with the fluid you want to use. Some of that stuff could
destroy your pens!
Brian

Thanks. I tried ammonia. No go.

It could well require an extended soak -- anywhere from several hours to
several days. The same goes for the Koh-I-Noor and Higgins cleaners, but
they're safer for pens. Many pen repairers also swear by ultrasonic
cleaners (in combination with the Rapido-Eze or Higgins fluid), but also
note that sometimes it just doesn't work, requiring disassembly of the pen,
soaking of the parts, then mechanical removal of the plug with things like
thin brass shim stock or steel guitar string.

Post by Tony Stanford
Also tried google. You're right about
solvents. Dry cleaning fluid destroys some plastics.

Ammonia can also destroy celluloid and fade the color of hard rubber.
Alcohol will also destroy celluloid -- hard rubber can tolerate a short
exposure, but prolonged exposure will soften it. In general, anything
petroleum-based should *not* be used on fountain pens. And so on (even
soaking in water can be bad news for vintage pens).
Brian

Thanks. I never soak the entire pen. I strip it down and just soak the
caked bits - nib, feed, breather tube. I'll get some Higgins fluid.
Regards

[Brian Ketterling]

Post by Tony Stanford
Thanks. I never soak the entire pen. I strip it down and just soak the
caked bits - nib, feed, breather tube. I'll get some Higgins fluid.

Good luck, and let the group know if you come up with any useful techniques.

Brian
--

[Tony Stanford]

On Mon, 7 May 2007, at 05:49:38, Brian Ketterling

Post by Brian Ketterling

Post by Tony Stanford
Thanks. I never soak the entire pen. I strip it down and just soak the
caked bits - nib, feed, breather tube. I'll get some Higgins fluid.

Good luck, and let the group know if you come up with any useful techniques.
Brian

Will do.

I did soak a Parker 51 collector in dry-cleaning fluid. It removed most
of the dried Indian ink, and also partially dissolved the plastic
collector. The remainder just fell apart into shards when I touched it.
So there's a useful technique for dissolving pen parts: don't!

[BL]

Post by Tony Stanford
I did soak a Parker 51 collector in dry-cleaning
fluid. It removed most of the dried Indian ink,
and also partially dissolved the plastic collector. The remainder
just fell apart into
shards when I touched it. So there's a useful
technique for dissolving pen parts: don't!

Yep, that's the problem. Anything powerful enough to dissolve hardened
shellac will very well damage whatever pen is covered with it. You can
try softening the shellac with Koh-i-noor Rapido-Eze in an ultrasonic
and then manually picking the shellac off, but there's no easy way.
In many cases you simply pronounce the piece (e.g., 51 collector) dead
and find a replacement part. Write to John Mottishaw (www.nibs.com)
and see if he has any words of wisdom. -- B

[BL]

... Anything powerful enough to dissolve hardened
shellac will very well damage whatever pen is
covered with it.

I meant pen *part.* -- B

[Tony Stanford]

Post by BL
Yep, that's the problem. Anything powerful enough to dissolve hardened
shellac will very well damage whatever pen is covered with it.

Yup. I think you're right. I'll buy some Higgins pen cleaner, which you
can get in the UK, and try that on any future finds.

Really weird, this last case. I bought a near mint 51, still had chalk
marks, clear sac. I reckon it had been filled just the once with Indian
ink by some dumbo, and then left to harden. I managed to clean it all
out, barring the collector, of which I had a spare. But this near mint
pen had a factory-fresh italic nib, and the price I paid was less than
the nib is worth! I reckon he thought, ' ... italic ... Indian ink...'
No pen.#

I wonder if dried Indian ink is soluble in fresh, liquid shellac? I'm
not gonna try it, but you could pour fresh shellac on, then, when it has
dissolved the hardened stuff, clean it off with methanol while it is
still liquid. Clever!

Regards

[Anonymous]

Try Koh-I-Noor technical pen cleaner, available at most art stores.

[Andy Dingley]

On Sun, 6 May 2007 10:39:39 +0100, Tony Stanford

Post by Tony Stanford
I restore vintage pens, and a recurrent problem is dried Indian ink.

The problematic part of indian ink is shellac. Ethanol (or meths in the
UK) will dissolve this, but it's likely to take ages and be a question
of merely softening it rather than dissolving it. It'll take it off a
surface, but not from down a long narrow gap.

Ammonia will also soften shellac - even a fairly weak solution.
Ironmonger's household cleaning ammonia is adequate, you don't need .880

If your problem is shellac in a screwed joint, then you might be reduced
to using gentle heat rather than any solvent. It's just near impossible
to dissolve anything that's only accessible end-on in a narrow space.

[Tony Stanford]

Post by Andy Dingley
On Sun, 6 May 2007 10:39:39 +0100, Tony Stanford

Post by Tony Stanford
I restore vintage pens, and a recurrent problem is dried Indian ink.

The problematic part of indian ink is shellac. Ethanol (or meths in the
UK) will dissolve this, but it's likely to take ages and be a question
of merely softening it rather than dissolving it. It'll take it off a
surface, but not from down a long narrow gap.
Ammonia will also soften shellac - even a fairly weak solution.
Ironmonger's household cleaning ammonia is adequate, you don't need .880
If your problem is shellac in a screwed joint, then you might be reduced
to using gentle heat rather than any solvent. It's just near impossible
to dissolve anything that's only accessible end-on in a narrow space.

Very useful, thanks. I did try methanol, but obviously not for long
enough.

Thanks for all the helpful replies.