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Originally Posted by mjm700
Do you frequently flush out with warm water when you refill?
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After every refill I flush the pen with cool / tepid water. Warm water can distort rubber washers inside the pen. Cool water works just as well provided you don't let ink dry out inside the pen and in this event you might need to use a specialist pen cleaner.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mjm700
Do you dip the nib in the ink to a certain level when filling?
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All the way in without pressing the nib against the ink bottle. Some ink bottles come with a handy cage that helps you get the last drops of ink from a bottle without damaging you nib. See here:
https://www.twsbi.com/products/twsbi...50-ink-bottles
Quote:
Originally Posted by mjm700
Do you clean the nib a certain way after you refill to avoid loosing too much ink?
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No. Just a kitchen towel. You are bound to lose all the ink stuck in the ridges of the nib feed. You could leave some of the ink in the feed if you are going to use your pen immediately.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mjm700
Are you diligent about replacing the cap during use?
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Yes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mjm700
Any other recommendations or frequent causes of running dry too early?
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Ink choice can play a part. But the biggest factor is the pen itself: how the manufacturer designs and manufacturers the nib and the feed. I find that my Montblanc, Scribo and Namiki will run dry if left upcapped for too long. My Pelikan pens are very resistant to the nib drying out... real workhorses.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mjm700
Anything to be careful of?
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Specialist pen cleaners these can be harsh on your pen if left inside the pen for too long so you need to make sure you read the product use for the pen cleaner. Because ink chemistry varies so much between manufacturers you are best to chose a cleaner produced by the same manufacturer as your ink so that it will be effective. For example, one that I use is Diamine nib cleaning fluid. And I only use this if there is a specific problem, not as a regular thing. This contains ammonia so you definately don't want it sitting around in your pen for too long:
https://www.diamineinks.co.uk/detail.aspx?prodcode=1223
One other suggestion: for general Montblanc pen maintenance check out this German specialist tool maker
https://www.mspens.de/
Hope this helps.