I'm often asked how I got into this hobby, and how I managed to learn enough about fountain pens, ink, and paper to feel comfortable (1) starting The Gentleman Stationer and (2) later, opening a pen store. Both have a pretty straightforward answer: lots of personal trial and error, and reading extensively online and attempting to learn as much as possible before embarking on any "experiments."
Despite what seems like a bounty of pen-related information on the internet and social media, I feel that "teaching yourself pens" has become more difficult than it was 15 years ago. There are fewer well-organized forums that are updated on a regular basis. There are fewer blogs and websites focused on pen education as opposed to pure entertainment. While there is technically more information out there devoted to pens and stationery, much of this information is suspect. Social media simultaneously makes it easier to upload reviews, hot takes, videos, "demonstrations" and more in real time, while also making it more difficult for this information to be truly vetted before people consume it (and act on it). And that's even before we get into the discussion of whether it's real or AI-generated....
What prompted this particular post? If you follow our podcast (On The Paper Trail), Lisa Vanness and I devote a segment of each episode to answering customer questions drawn from things people ask us in our respective stores and through social media and website submissions. In recent months, I've noticed an uptick in questions about broken pens - specifically piston fillers and vacuum fillers that have been disassembled for a so-called "deep cleaning" or “maintenance”, sometimes repeatedly on a monthly or even weekly (!!??) basis. Apparently there is information circulating online that this is a required/recommended part of fountain pen care that should be formed regularly, which presents a perfect example of why you should carefully vet information you read on the internet, especially when it involves repairs and modifications to your pens.
For the record, this is not “disassembly”. Cartridge-converter pens are made to be opened up to clean and refill. Today’s post refers to things like pulling nibs and feeds from the front of the pen (not unscrewing replaceable nib units), and taking apart integrated filling mechanisms like pistons and vac-fillers, which usually requires a tool like a wrench.
To be clear: Complete disassembly of a fountain pen with an integrated filling system like a piston or vac-fill mechanism is not required as part of regular maintenance. Taking pens apart in a manner not intended by the manufacturer places undue stress on the parts and can cause cracking and seal failure. To clean a fountain pen, you typically need nothing more than water, sometimes with a drop of dish soap added, or a run through an ultrasonic cleaner. It's perfectly normal to have a little bit of ink residue left inside a piston filler or vacuum-filler after cleaning, and it will not hurt your pen as long as you are using ink intended to be used in fountain pens.
Why is this happening and where is this info coming from?
I've been into pens for a long time, and until recently I've never heard of so many people doing things like monthly disassemblies of pistons or pulling nibs and feeds on a weekly basis as part of a routine ink change. A few things seem to be driving the trend:
Less Comprehensive Informational Resources for New Users. It's getting harder to find thorough, complete information on topics like how to clean pens. People are relying more on things like short-form videos, which are easier to produce and circulate better on platforms like Instagram and TikTok, but also allow for much less comprehensive explanations of process and risk. Informational pen blogs are disappearing. Centralized forums for pen-related discussion (like Fountain Pen Network) where posts and comments were once vetted to death and archived, have fallen by the wayside. Now there's simply so much information in so many different places that bad information can stay out there unchallenged.
Recommendations from Experts Who Aren’t Experts. I have no issues with people swatching inks, showing off their art, talking about their collections, etc. - I actually love that more people are doing this - but when you take that next step and start coaching people on how to do things like modify, disassemble, or maintain their pens, I've always felt that you have a responsibility to know what you're doing because you are effectively wasting someone's money if they follow bad advice and damage their pens.
Impatience. People are taking less time to thoroughly research an issue or even contact their retailer before attempting drastic experiments. I've witnessed multiple examples of new users breaking pens by trying to completely disassemble pens to solve minor problems like a clog or a loose blind cap, or pulling nibs and feeds from fountain pens to substitute a nib made by another brand. If you receive a new pen that isn't working properly out of the box, the first step is to contact the retailer or manufacturer because that issue is almost certainly covered by a warranty. It should NOT be to completely take the pen apart and attempt a repair yourself. That voids your warranty and may render your pen incapable of being repaired or replaced.
Over time, clear demonstrators like the Pilot Custom Heritage 92 shown here will accumulate some ink residue behind the inner cap and pistons. I’ve always considered this part and parcel of owning and using demonstrator pens, especially the traditional clear (uncolored) plastic ones. I have never disassembled pens to try to clean this and do not advise doing so.
THAT SAID.... A Disclaimer
Have I personally taken pens apart and disassembled them? Yes, I have. It was an integral part of learning because I at one point restored and repaired pens as a hobby. I still have NEVER done it as part of routine cleaning or maintenance. Much of my early experience came from restoring my own vintage pens that I purchased on eBay or at shows, and where I had no choice but to do the work myself because paying for restoration of less expensive user-grade pens got really expensive really fast.
I have also attempted my own repairs on out-of-warranty modern pens that don't have any great sentimental value to me. But whenever I take one of these pens apart, I can't go back to the retailer or manufacturer and ask them to replace it. I've broken more pens that I can count attempting my own fixes. Have I swapped nibs between pens of different brands? Yes. Have I tuned and (sort of) ground my own nibs? Yes. Again, I know full well that if I screw up, it is 100% my own responsibility. If you want to teach yourself penmaking, pen repair, or nibgrinding, by all means take a pen apart, see how it works, and see if you can put them back together. But use an inexpensive pen and be willing to write it off.
Yes that is a Platinum 3776 Nib on an Opus 88 Jazz using a third-party Flexible Nib Factory housing. I managed to make it work. Yes, it is an awesome pen and fun to use. Yes, the warranty on both the pen and nib is void, and I own whatever happens if this pen ceases to work properly.
I cannot emphasize this point enough: anything involving disassembly is not "routine" work that customers are supposed to do themselves. Most manufacturers (including TWSBI and Pilot - especially Pilot) do not recommend that you disassemble your pen, and will not cover damage caused by improper disassembly and DIY repairs. TWSBI might assist you in putting it back together. Pilot expressly states that disassembling one of their pens voids all warranties. Notably, even after 15+ years seriously enmeshed in this hobby, I do not feel comfortable performing significant repairs on other people’s pens in my shop. I almost always refer people to a professional technician or, if it's a pen that they purchased from our shop, arrange service with the manufacturer. I know that I am not professionally trained as a pen repair person. I do not want to void your warranty. I do not want to see YOU void your warranty or waste your hard-earned money or break a precious pen.
Pilot includes a warranty card with every Custom 823 Fountain Pen.
In conclusion - the point of today’s post is not to rain on anyone’s fun. I understand that many people (myself included) do these sorts of things as part of the hobby with full knowledge and acceptance of all the implications. I’m trying to avoid situations where someone spends $200-500 on their first nice fountain pen, reads an article or watches a video where someone tells them it needs to be taken apart to clean, and breaks the pen only to learn that the pen can’t be repaired or replaced. That's no fun for anyone.
The Gentleman Stationer is supported by online purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program.
