Any tips on how to avoid dry ink cartridges?

Duo, 11 months ago

Maybe the pen’s sealing is failing. I suggest you try a platinum preppy, it’s slip & seal cap is really reliable, and you can even transform it into an eyedropper.

WaDef7, 11 months ago

Well you might be right, I'm talking about some pretty old pens.
Thanks for the suggestion, it seems quite nice!

wjrii, 11 months ago

What pens? Are they clean? What brand of cartridges? When were the carts purchased versus used? How much are you writing? Did you try anything to get the pen flowing again? Would you consider bottled ink? There’s a lot of variables that might help us troubleshoot.

And, of course, In the end there’s a reason ballpoints of all things outcompeted FPs in the marketplace. Fountain pens can be finicky and high maintenance. It may just be that the hassle outweighs the writing advantage for you as an individual.

WaDef7, 11 months ago

As to the pen I can only tell you it's an old Waterman my family already owned, I always got Pelikan cartridges for it at the local store, but I haven't noticed any difference between the cartridges I had laying around and those I later bought.
I left it in lukewarm water to let the dry ink out every time before putting a new cartridge in (I then waited for it to dry), that's the cleaning regimen I used.

My use case would be just my personal journal and a few other things, so perhaps it's not much but I tend to get cramps while handwriting and fountains pens helped me with the right posture and in keeping my hand's pressure on the paper in check in the past

When it comes to bottled ink, I'm open to the idea but I don't know much about it, getting into fountain pens through a heirloom of sorts meant that my process of discovery was mostly offline so far.
But if I need a different kind of fountain pen to avoid wasting ink and cartridges whilst keeping all of the advantages then I would absolutely consider it!

Thank you for responding to me!

wjrii, 11 months ago

Still tough to say, but that's helpful. If you've only got the one or two, I'd say it's a pen issue, possibly the interior "blind" cap inside the cap like @WaDef7 said. You could also have an issue with a clog in the feed. A simple soak might not be enough for this particular problem. If left uncapped, fountain pens can dry out, but it shouldn't be a constant battle if you have decent ink in cartridges less than a year or two old.

If you'd like to continue trying out fountain pens, get a new, cheap one from a reputable company and see if you notice the same issues. In Europe, Bic, Faber Castell, Platinum and others should sell school pens for less than 10 pounds/Euros. If you find that a cheap FP seems to work better than your family's Waterman pens, you could look into more invasive ways to work on the old one(s) or consider buying something fancier.

WaDef7, 11 months ago

I see, well I'm glad I know what could be wrong with the one I always used.
It seems clear that the best course of action is indeed to get a cheap one and see if the issues I've been having are related to my writing habits or by the pen.

Thank you for the troubleshooting and for the brand recommendations, I was really at a loss when it comes to less expensive fountain pens, it feels like it's easier to find pricier models than an entry level one inside a store.