Just recently, I pulled the trigger on a lovely vintage Pelikan MK10 from around the 1970s. It is a pretty and lightweight piston filling pen with a blueish ink window, a semi-hooded gold-plated steel nib and a snap-on cap.
The model I got was a bargain, but in very good preloved condition. From the outside, there was not much cleaning necessary – some water and a microfiber cloth just did the job.
A problem, however, was the piston. Not that it was completely stuck, but definitely pretty difficult to operate. Flushing with water did not help much – even after letting it soak inside the barrel for quite a while.
I was not entirely sure what to do about that, googled a little, but then remembered that I had a bottle of Rohrer & Klingner “Cleaner” for fountain pens somewhere in one of the drawers in which I also store my ink.
According to the manufacturers website (description of the cleaner in German only – but I’ll translate now in the following), the cleaner is not only good for removing stubborn stains from e.g. document ink, but at the same time also maintains the seals and feed of a pen. So while the “Reiniger” is essentially meant for being used with Rohrer & Klingners Document Ink, I thought it might also help removing any age old ink rests in my MK10 while nursing it and lubricating the piston at the same time.
To cut a long story short: it worked, the cleaner did a stellar job. I filled the barrel with the “Reiniger”, just as you would normally fill the pen with ink from a bottle; then let it in there for a little longer than the recommended 5 mins (like 15 mins or so), and then flushed the pen thoroughly with water. Like 8 times or so, sucking up water and squeezing it back out again with the piston. Already while squeezing the cleaner back out, the piston operated as (I imagine) it operated in the first days. Very smooth, no effort required. I have then inked the MK10 to its maiden voyage with Sailor Souten, which is also known for being jentle (… ^^ I know) and lubricating.
Since I was really amazed and happy by the effects of the “Reiniger” – and since I also did not really find any ‘easy’ solutions for that problem while googling – I thought I may well share this little gem right here on my blog.
If you wanna get a bottle of the cleaner for yourself, it just costs around 7 Euro or so and can be ordered here with free worldwide shipping (I have no affiliation to that shop and do not benefit in any way if you order there or via that link).
Last but not least, the nib itself also had some rather persistent dried-on ink, which did not go away with water only – and look what the “Cleaner” did to it. Happy me.
On a final note:
The “Reiniger” might also be good for getting any demonstrators back in shape? … I know you hear me, TWSBI!
great, I’ll left 15′ and not 5′ as the bottle says.
Thank you very much
Thanks for this post. I just ordered a bottle and it came with no directions whatsoever.
Glad it was useful!
I just got my bottle of it today, and not one word of instructions in English!
Thank You So Much for this information! I will apply on my CROSS and PILOT fountain pens!
Glad this was helpful!