Very nostalgic… thank you. I have the very same set given to me in the mid 80’s. I used it primarily for technical drawing. I still have the set today and I went through the same cleaning regime. Could never part with them.

Rotring technical pens are not made for general drawing use. They were created to give an exact width line required for technical engineering drawing for blueprints and architect use. When they were created in 1930's - 1960's there was nothing to compare with them. Useless fact; the Micronorm range was created specifically for use on microfilm. It was supposed to give an even more consistent line thickness than the Variant that was created in the 1950s.

Don't pull the wire holders out of the needles! The fine ones will pull right off if there is dried ink in the needle. Soak the tip unit, and then take the shuttle cap off and hold the unit needle up vertical, and buzz the body with a electric toothbrush or similar buzzer. The wire will drop out under its own weight. Have tissue ready to catch it. Make sure you get all the dried ink out of the space between the shuttle shoulder and the metal needle or it will soon get stuck again. To get the wire back in, put the needle section inside a piece of plastic tubing the same diameter, and gently let the shuttle and wire slide down inside the tube to help guide it in. When it stops moving, gently tap the side of the tube, or buzz it again, and, if you have cleaned it properly, the wire will drop in with no force necessary. (On occasion, I have had to clean the needle by poking the wire in from the tip under a hands free lens. That really is nerve racking, but there's plenty of room once it's magnified! :) Hoping that an ultrasonic cleaner will end this all too frequent routine though!) Hadn't realised there was sponge under the pen stand holes. Good idea. Some people say you can fit small bits of damp sponge inside the caps too. I'm trying that on my .18 at the moment. I bought a writing platform to use in bed, but it was too slippery. However: the box it came in made a great portable desk. I crammed it full with sheets of corrugated cardboard, and coated the bottom with Copydex latex, to stop it slipping. I put sticky back velcro strips on the top and on the back of my laptops and phones, so they stay put on the box when I'm working, and I poked holes in the top edge, to stand my pens up like in your Rotring box. After seeing this, I will cut out a bigger section and put a plastic insert with foam in, to keep the pens moist too. Seems a good idea, tho I can imagine the sponge is likely to empty the ink out of the pens, knowing my luck! :

Hello, new follower here. Really enjoyed your video. I have a similar set of Koh-i-noor pens the white ones. I know the set is ancient as even the sets sold today, no longer come in this large plastic case of sorts. My brand does not have a handy dandy humidifier though, I think that is slick. My .35 pen was leaky and I found one of the plastic “collar” parts had split. I purchased a brand new pen and was surprised to see they have not changed production over the years. ANYWAY point of my comment I had a clog and decided to try an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner I have, I used pen cleaning solution and put the nib in for a couple of spins clean like a whistle without dismantling. By the way, don’t know if I have used 33 microns worth of ink yet but I am keeping more plastic waste from filling the universe. Thanks again look forward to watching more.

The threaded holder with the forked rod is for a drawing compass - it fits in the compass leg in place of the 2mm lead holder.

They're more stylish. Got to get a ultrasonic cleaner with warmer digital setting & lots of mineral water. The adapter is for the compass.

So i got given 2 of my mums old Rotring pens which used to belong to my grandpa whose a draftsman. Ive been googling how to clean these things and came across this video. Now the ones i got arent the exact same, i believe they're even older then yours, but the head system is similar enough compared to the brand new ones. My current issue is trying to clean one of them, I cant unscrew the head tip from its body, things completely stuck from ink, even small wrenches arent getting it off

I have sung the rotring pen song. My pretty pens. My wee lovelies

I’m so happy that I’m like on this very niche youtube part

You need to use ammonia in the water to soak technical pen tips. Technical pen ink has a shellac base.

I had the same leaking problem with the 0.25 hopefully tightening that thread will mean I dont have to store it in a plastic bag anymore

This is a real great "inheritance". It might not seem like it, but the caps have a clip that is very rare with Rotring Micronorms, so they don't roll over on you. I have a few because they are cheaper on ebay, although some leak ink so its risky if you're not buying the current isographs. And I think your inking has gotten better, either that or you're keeping the camera at a greater distance form the paper.

i just found these pens on storge my dad had it when he was in college i think that was in the end of 70s or beginning of 80s thanks for the video of the pen i learned a lot 😁 i was gonna use them for me but when i knew it's for drawing and engineering things i changed my mind..😂 i think im gonna keep it , what's the value of it this days? i also found an platinum old pen with them that idk anything about it but it's look like an engineering thing too so I'm gonna keep away from it 😂❤

That's a good find. Compared to the Isograph, the Micronorm is a slightly simpler design, allowing the nib to be completely disassembled for cleaning. A bit like the Refograph. But the caps don't always come apart, I'm not sure why.

If only they posted.

I'm just cleaning my set, for the first time in ~40 years. Soak for a couple of hours in houshold ammonia diluted about 1:5 with tapwater. Rinse under tap. Cotton pipecleaners and soft cotton cloth. Repeat until done.

They are for drawing as well apparently XD

...aaaand the Faber Castell TG1-S casually beats the rapidomat by having the moisture pad built right into the pen cap itself.

İ fix same way 000 yes 3 zeros . And the wire sequence is ilke horror Movie.. the pens are my fathers and stays whit 20 years dry ink. İ remember that He uses them for landing and cadastre mapping… 0,18 is largest nib…

Could you please upload the manuals for me? I just bought the exact same set on an op shop for nzd15!!! Lucky me!!! Just no manual...

Creepy the way he ‘strokes’ the bloody pens !!

Ihad this : (