gooey kablooie blues, literally
September 29, 2010 9:24 AM Subscribe
Ballpoint woes. Blue goo in the mechanism...
So I have this nice old-school c. 10-year old Parker ballpoint pen, which uses standard Parker refills. One of these was near empty and squeezed out during a recent air trip, completely clogging the sprung mechanism, which is located up close to the clicky-clack button of the pen. Before I try douse everything in olive oil/acetone/gasoline/root beer or whatnot else, I'd better ask here what people normally do to unclog ballpoint-ink-clogged-gadgets (hope me: this must have happened before), apart from throwing everything away (which I won't). Thanks in advance.
So I have this nice old-school c. 10-year old Parker ballpoint pen, which uses standard Parker refills. One of these was near empty and squeezed out during a recent air trip, completely clogging the sprung mechanism, which is located up close to the clicky-clack button of the pen. Before I try douse everything in olive oil/acetone/gasoline/root beer or whatnot else, I'd better ask here what people normally do to unclog ballpoint-ink-clogged-gadgets (hope me: this must have happened before), apart from throwing everything away (which I won't). Thanks in advance.
Rubbing alcohol.
posted by elsietheeel at 10:20 AM on September 29, 2010
posted by elsietheeel at 10:20 AM on September 29, 2010
Warm water.
posted by jeffamaphone at 10:47 AM on September 29, 2010
posted by jeffamaphone at 10:47 AM on September 29, 2010
Best answer: Have you tried contacting Parker?
posted by TWinbrook8 at 11:07 AM on September 29, 2010
posted by TWinbrook8 at 11:07 AM on September 29, 2010
I routinely clean my Lamy Safari fountain pen with warm water made soapy with a dash of dishwashing liquid. Fountain pen ink isn't the same as ballpoint ink, obviously, but that's the first thing I'd try.
Be sure to rinse well, pat everything dry as best you can, then let it sit out to dry well before re-assembling the pen.
posted by ErikaB at 11:25 AM on September 29, 2010
Be sure to rinse well, pat everything dry as best you can, then let it sit out to dry well before re-assembling the pen.
posted by ErikaB at 11:25 AM on September 29, 2010
Response by poster: Fountain pen ink isn't the same as ballpoint ink, obviously
Well, I guess what I need to know is what solvent works well on ballpoint ink, without the risk of corroding the possibly existing steel spring inside the mechanism and without the risk of dissolving paints and plastics.
posted by Namlit at 11:59 AM on September 29, 2010
Well, I guess what I need to know is what solvent works well on ballpoint ink, without the risk of corroding the possibly existing steel spring inside the mechanism and without the risk of dissolving paints and plastics.
posted by Namlit at 11:59 AM on September 29, 2010
Nail polish remover (dollar store diluted acetone). Test on a small discrete area for the paints, but it shouldnt corrode the plastics or metal assuming you rinse it off.
posted by WeekendJen at 12:16 PM on September 29, 2010
posted by WeekendJen at 12:16 PM on September 29, 2010
Best answer: Methylated spirits (i.e. alcohol). Soak overnight, shake, pour off when it's too blue, refill & repeat until it runs clear. You'll also need to operate the button a lot to get the metho up into & washing out the mechanism. Can take a week or more of soaking & rinsing, particularly if the ink has dried in there.
I'm pretty sure acetone will eat the plastic in the mechanism almost immediately.
posted by Pinback at 3:02 PM on September 29, 2010
I'm pretty sure acetone will eat the plastic in the mechanism almost immediately.
posted by Pinback at 3:02 PM on September 29, 2010
Best answer: yea, no, don't use acetone, especially on older plastics.
I would seriously recommend contacting some experts. I use and highly recommend Colorado Pen for a bunch of stuff related to my boss and I both being pen nerds. they were gladly willing to give me a handful of free maintainance tips for cleaning my older Montblanc rollerball (which they didn't sell me). They are a small company, and extremely professional. I'd email them first because pens are their passion and this is the sort of thing they do all day long.
posted by lonefrontranger at 3:33 PM on September 29, 2010
I would seriously recommend contacting some experts. I use and highly recommend Colorado Pen for a bunch of stuff related to my boss and I both being pen nerds. they were gladly willing to give me a handful of free maintainance tips for cleaning my older Montblanc rollerball (which they didn't sell me). They are a small company, and extremely professional. I'd email them first because pens are their passion and this is the sort of thing they do all day long.
posted by lonefrontranger at 3:33 PM on September 29, 2010
Response by poster: Thanks all, I think I can swim alone from here. I did contact the UK section of Parker, will see what they'll write. Otherwise I'll methodically cycle through the other options. Feels good to be able to save that pen.
posted by Namlit at 3:50 PM on September 29, 2010
posted by Namlit at 3:50 PM on September 29, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
Another option could be a solution with baking soda. In both cases I'd use warm water and let it soak for a while, and then use an old toothbrush to try to get at the worst spots.
posted by cheesyburgercheese at 9:52 AM on September 29, 2010