The most common fountain pen mistakes and how to avoid them

As you know, fountain pens are delicate writing instruments that need special care. Today we would like to stress the most common mistakes and how to avoid them in order to make our fountain pens last longer.

1. Carry your fountain pens with metallic objects

If you want to keep your fountain pen scratch-free, you should avoid direct contact with metallic objects like keys. This is the reason why we recommend you to carry them in an individual pocket or a pen case.

2. Clean your fountain pens with inappropriate products

Water is the most appropriate element for cleaning your fountain pens. On certain occasions, we could add a small drop of dishwashing detergent that will act as a degreaser in order to achieve a more thorough cleaning.

Nevertheless, we should avoid the use of chemical products since some pens are made of very sensitive materials and any aggressive agent can destroy the fountain pen. Please bear in mind that acetone and rubbing alcohol can break down the plastic in your pens so please, so please, avoid the use of these products in your fountain pens cleaning routine.

3. Leave the fountain pen in the sun

The pen must be protected from direct contact with the sun. Some materials such as ebonite or Japanese Urushi lacquer are so sensitive to heat and the effect of the sun’s rays might cause barrel discoloration.

4. Write with too much pressure

You only need to lightly touch the page with your nib to get a line of ink, it’s not necessary to press as it happens in the case of rollerballs or ballpoint pens. If you feel the line is not continuous (Skipping), it may be due to a lack of ink or to dust particles trapped in the feeder, that’s why it is important to clean your fountain pens regularly.

Remember do not press too hard if you are starting writing with fountain pens since pressing too hard may cause the splay of the nib, especially if they are made of gold.

5. Not to clean your fountain pens regularly

As mentioned above, every pen needs to be cleaned regularly. Besides, if you are thinking about changing the color of the ink, you must clean the fountain pen well before doing so. The same applies if you are not going to use your fountain pen for a while, it is better to clean it in order to avoid the ink inside it drying out.

If you don’t know how to clean your fountain pen, you can take a look at this video or read the following post with some tips.