Rotring Rapidograph Cleaning/Unclogging

Рет қаралды 125,734

6 жыл бұрын

I use technical pens for my designs and when I don't use them for a while the ink dries and clogs my pen nibs. For ink cartridge style Rotring Rapidographs this has never been a problem and cleaning is a simple process so try it before you toss them out.
Stupidly, I forgot to turn on my microphone in the footage I shot after 11 hours of soaking my nibs so I deleted that footage and I just explain what I did with the nibs after I got them working again and reconstructed.
I hope this comes in handy for anyone with these pens that comes across this dried ink situation. I find cleaning this brand to be an easy process but with some other brands, I found that I couldn't always resurrect them post-clogging.
I've been using this brand/line of pens since 1985 or so and am a professional illustrator. There's other processes one can employ but these simple measures have always worked just fine for me. I haven't needed solutions or cleaners but you might which could depend on how well their inks go back into solution when soaked in water. Some have noted in the comments section that they've used hot water to soak their nibs in and that's been effective, so if you try the room temp water and that doesn't work, maybe try heating up some water and soaking your nibs in that.
Rotring Rapidograph Technical Drawing Pen College Set, 4 Pens with Line Widths of 0.25mm to 0.7mm: amzn.to/2Qx9t67
3 pack black ink cartridges: amzn.to/3cBq0OP
NOTE: I get comments by people mentioning the screw threads in the barrel base as what you use to insert and remove the nib into the cartridges. I assumed people would know that as the title of this video isn't "general usage" but "cleaning/unclogging". If you use the threads on a dried up nib that's practically fused to the cartridge, you risk stripping those plastic threads. They aren't fragile but it could happen which would render them useless. If you have reasonable hand skills it's easy to take a pair of pliers and use the required pressure to not absolutely crush a nib which those mentioning something about it seem to think as maybe they can't use a tool without applying vice grip pressure on it? If so, these aren't the pens for them probably as they'll completely bend the finer nibs for tech pens. Microns/disposables would probably be better.

Пікірлер: 142

@gloomiette Ай бұрын

Dude!!! Youre a life saver!! My dad had a brand new pen from his highschool years like this and i was really bummed to figure out it didn't work! Turns out the cartridge was really dry even though it was never opened. Two minutes soaking up warm water and it works like a charm!!! Thank you so much I'm so grateful!

@stampscapes Ай бұрын

Glad the vid came in handy and hope that pens works for you for a long time. When you run out of ink, you might keep the cartridge to refill it with a syringe if need be. I'm not sure if the cartridge refills are still being sold or not. I was checking on them for someone about a month ago but couldn't find any sellers for them so I don't know what's up with Rotring or the US distributors. I'm hoping the pens weren't discontinued but hand drawn things just aren't being done like the old days of commercial illustration/art like before -which was probably the lifeblood for these types of products.

@rodr3992 4 жыл бұрын

It works!!. I recovered 3 Rapidograph that I had stored for more than 20 years. These were more than dry than a mummy. Only with warm water that changed every so often (no alcohol please). I also had to shake them a lot until the piston was released and with new cartridges they came back to life. It took me at least 24 hours. Now my happy daughter will occupy them !! Greetings from 🇨🇱 Chile

@stampscapes 4 жыл бұрын

Fantastic! One of the reoccurring comments that I find interesting, after posting this video, is how often these pens get passed down to the next generation. They seem to be heirloom tools which is great. I know what you mean about shaking them a lot to get all of that dry ink out when that happens. Good thing is, is that they almost always seem to get working again provided they were in good working shape but only have dried ink to clear out.

@medvjedic1lino2 2 жыл бұрын

This gives me hope for mine tk recover! We’ll se how it goes..

@iuliiafrantseva4449 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you for the tip of using tools. I just got the whole box of dry rapidographs - have no clue how long they have been like this -and was scared to brake them while opening. I usually use hot water for soaking, I feel it goes faster. I also use an old toothbrush to get rid of the dry ink all around the pen, if the towel does not help.

@stampscapes 4 жыл бұрын

Sounds like some good ideas!

@handmade-g5m 2 жыл бұрын

They are so expensive to buy new .. I have three and after watching this, they all work well now ..appreciate this vid, thanks

@stampscapes 2 жыл бұрын

I notice these still don't seem to be distributed in the US still. Must have been about 15 years ago that that happened. There are still some sellers for them but it's only the Rotring Isographs that still seem to be readily available through the typical art sellers like Dick Blick, . I noticed that Amazon has a decent number of sizes in the full pens but maybe not just the nibs. At around $30/pen they are pricey but that's not too much difference from about 10 years ago. When I thought they were being discontinued, I bought a lot of replacement nibs and ink cartridges to last me a lifetime. I still have no idea what happened to that US distribution of them. Okay, I just checked out the actual Rotring website and the Rapidograph isn't even shown on that page and I just checked out their tech pens link and they're not in there. Again, just the Isograph. So, I wonder if they were discontinued and what we see out there is just remaining inventory?

@quadraknot 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks for doing this video. I found it very helpful.

@incognitoprod59 2 жыл бұрын

I have found 4 of these used by my father last time 30 years ago.. Thank you for your help

@stampscapes 2 жыл бұрын

Hope they work well for you. One thing about these pens, if they've been sitting around with dried ink in the nibs, is that you need to really shake them out after you've soaked them. I usually do it tip-side-up under a little running water or in a bowl of water. You'll see these little grains of dried ink coming out as the piston-like mechanism inside moves up and down. Really take the time to shake out all of that dried ink before you add the ink cartridge to try and get them flowing again. That way, there won't be those little dried grains of ink potentially clogging up the narrow passageway in the tip. This is important with the smaller nibs like .3 and smaller.

@t5000000 3 жыл бұрын

I just found a box of these stored away in the basement for 15+ years.. Gonna try restoring them :)

@stampscapes 3 жыл бұрын

Awesome. If they were working well the last time used, they should work fine. Just spend a lot of time shaking out the dried ink if that's the way they were in storage (full of ink). There's a lot of dried ink that will keep coming out in little sand size granules when you shake the nib in water. Get those all out before inserting a new cartridge so you won't have any dry ink clogging the tips.

@t5000000 3 жыл бұрын

@@stampscapes Yeah, I will. They are all dried up, even the unused cartridge :) saw someone mention glass cleaner as a fast dissolved of inks.

@t5000000 3 жыл бұрын

Already have a lot of them up and running

@stampscapes 3 жыл бұрын

@@t5000000 Oh, awesome! Gotta love these pens. Great design and high quality craftsmanship. Years ago when they stopped distributing them in the US and the large sellers stopped carrying them, I kind of panicked and bought as many nibs and ink cartridges that I could as I knew there would never be a better pen. I'm glad they're still being made though. I have no idea what happened as far as distribution in the US though. There's sellers for them but I heard there's not an official distributor.

@miriamsels2326 6 жыл бұрын

If you screw the tip (with the fine point) into the back of the pen (the part you hold), you can pull out the ink cartridge without pliers. At least it works for me.... It gives you more grip. I'll try the cleaning part, mine is totally dried up also! Tnx for the video!

@stampscapes 6 жыл бұрын

You can but as jammed solid as they can get when the ink is dried, you're more likely to strip the threads if you do the standard back-of-pen method. With pliers, it's far easier. Thanks for watching.

@ek4318 5 жыл бұрын

Oh thanks a million. I have found my 20 years old dad's pen last week with refill ink.I have no idea what the model is but I really want to use it but seem the nib is blocked. Trying to soak in hot water overnight but not help also google around until I found you. Now it works yeahhh!!!

@stampscapes 5 жыл бұрын

Glad to hear you got it going. Especially since it was your dad's pen!

@sangeetaiyer6310 23 күн бұрын

Thank you... This helped me..👍💐

@stampscapes 23 күн бұрын

Glad it came in handy!

@maryriley6163 10 ай бұрын

No problem. Thanks for the demo on cleaning.😊

@stampscapes 10 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching. If you have some clogged pens, I hope this came in handy. There's been a lot of great suggestions by others in the comments section below. This process has always worked for me but some have mentioned that they've gone with the pen cleaners or boiling water. I stopped bothering with the pen cleaners 35 years ago but I guess they have those for a reason and can, potentially, help out. Biggest thing is really tapping out all of the little grains of dried up ink out of the nibs. Even a small hardened granule of ink can clog the smaller nib sizes.

@Kandicookheller 6 жыл бұрын

Thank you. I have a set of these from high school back in the seventies that I barely used. Now i'm doing art as a 60 year old and would really like to use them. I'm going to start soaking them tonight and see how it goes. I have the proper cleaning solution and the bulb too for afterwards. Seems like it ought to work, even after 45 years, I hope. I hate to have to buy new ones when they really have hardly been used at all. I don't remember using them more than trying them out a couple times and then just keeping them packed away dirty. Stupid me. I should have cleaned them years ago.

@stampscapes 6 жыл бұрын

I would think they should clear out without any problem. After I soaked the nib for a day or two I tapped the cartridge end gently under some running water and little ink bits kept coming out for a very long time. When that stopped completely, I tried a new cartridge and it flowed just fine. If you use the bulb, I would recommend really making sure those little hard bits are cleared completely just to avoid potentially lodging one in the needle.

@77misslinlane Жыл бұрын

That’s me, too! I’m getting back into using my rotting pens at 61, when they were such a big part of my life in my teens.

@ilknursen7656 9 ай бұрын

Thanks to ypur video I saved my 0.3 pen 😊

@stampscapes 9 ай бұрын

Glad it helped!

@Hieloxx 3 жыл бұрын

I used these Rotring Rapidographs since I was in High School (1995) . When you disassemble the pen, the very end of that pen ( the tail section) it's threaded, which means you can use that tail-end section and screw it against the tip. that's the way you remove that part "safely" without braking it.

@stampscapes 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for your comment. Yes, that's the way they're designed to be removed. But, that's the way you remove them when the ink hasn't dried and solidified to the point the threads could strip if done that way. This video is about a dried up version of the unit. Pliers aren't vice grips and if someone has control over pressure, which most draftsmen would have due to hand control, the right amount of pressure used can safely remove nib without any problem.

@axelusul 2 жыл бұрын

Well said, couldn't believe he is using a pair of pliers. I used the the proper cleaner in the red plastic drum cleaner. If that didn't work I used a sonic cleaner, worked a treat.

@Trid3nt861 2 жыл бұрын

The radiograph technical pens have a thin needle wire that slides in and out of the thin front pen point (The cartridge) and bend easily. Faster way to unclog and remove stuck on dried India ink is just to put the cartridge end of the pen as well as the well and the holder in hot water vinegar and let it sit for a while. The heat will soften and strip the ink off the pen so the cartridge can slide back and forth.

@stampscapes 2 жыл бұрын

Excellent tip on the vinegar. Have never used the Radiograph before but always hated those styles of pens where the needle was removable as I was never able to re-thread w/o bending so I switched to these cartridge style Rotrings.

@Trid3nt861 2 жыл бұрын

@@stampscapes I have a Rotring mechanical pencil made of metal that I got from Amazon for an affordable price. I might get a Rotring tech pen soon I wonder if they have the thin wire needle in the front part or if they are different.

@stampscapes 2 жыл бұрын

@@Trid3nt861 The Rotring Rapidographs have the wire inside of the nib but it's not really accessible as they are pretty firmly sealed. I guess someone with some know-how could access the inside but, for me, if it came to the point where I needed to do that, I wouldn't bother. The soaking's always worked for me but, while I don't see my nibs as disposable and will use them as much as I can, they eventually wear out on me and it's not worth my time to try and rehabilitate them. If they're just clogged from the absence of use, they're usually fine when that dried ink is cleared. There's usually a lot more dried ink than what I think when shaking them out and those fine granules are coming out. It's important to really get the nibs completely cleared before adding the new ink cartridges. The best thing is just to not let them dry out but I get to doing a lot of things with my work and sometimes my designing/drawing work gets put on hold.

@nicolahirt6693 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your Video. Best explanation.

@stampscapes 2 жыл бұрын

Glad it came in handy Nicola!

@ph11p3540 Жыл бұрын

I used to run a lot more than black india ink through these pens. I used to run transparent colored inks as the ink is all dye and no pigment. I can only run pigmented inks into bits no smaller than .65mm and only if the pigmented ink is very, very well mixed and allowed sit for a day before using it. These are indispensable for "painting" really tiny details on a model, ship windows and portholes or pinstriping a car model. Only fill your ink reservoir up at most a 1/4 ways and then when you are done, run out the remaining ink in the cartridges and then rinse in soap and water and air dry thoroughly or dry the cartridges' with an airbrush. In some ways, technical pens are more maintenance intensive than airbrushes and that is saying a lot considering how super clean airbrushes must be just to work.

@stampscapes Жыл бұрын

Sounds pretty cool. But, are you saying that you used something like a syringe to add dyes into an empty Rotring cartridge or something like that? I'm kind of surprised that type of media would work in these pens as I would have thought it too thin. But, Rotring Rapidograph and not the Rotring Isograph?

@Mg00Christine 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you, you give me hope, mine are almost ten years unused, now after two days soaking in warm water I can hear the little sound when I shake them. Well...most of them. Unfortunately I broke one when I tried to detach the old cartridge :/ I used the back of the pen body to pull but that is not a great idea. It is not tough enough. Pliers are a better idea when the ink is so dried up

@stampscapes 3 жыл бұрын

Your pens should be fine. Whether they've been sitting around and drying out for 2 years or 10, they shouldn't get any drier or fixed upon complete drying. I know what you mean by using the installation threads on the pen barrel base. I don't know if it was this video or another one of mine where I show the pliers. There were a few comments in the past that said I was nuts to use pliers but it was to avoid this exact thing and I guess people that mentioned that haven't used pliers before as they don't seem to know that you can apply whatever amount of pressure you want to with them. Pliers aren't vice grips. Also the cartridges are hard and well built and can withstand the use of pliers w/o any problem. But, really shake out all of the little crumbs/ink dust out of your nibs before installing your ink cartridge. When the pens are completely dry, there seems to be an endless flow of that ink that comes out of them. Sometimes, I just keep tapping the cartridge under water and it just keeps coming out. You don't want those crumbs to clog the flow of your new ink depending on the nib size. The larger sizes might not be a problem but something like a .30 and smaller you want as clear as possible.

@lucillekenney8311 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@Welther47 5 жыл бұрын

I know Im way late on this but; For the second half video you should just have commented over the silent video. Thanks for showing this.

@stampscapes 5 жыл бұрын

Yeah, would have been good to do that. I haven't done any voice over/post editing to this point as I haven't had the time for that and usually need to get to my main videos. Maybe in the future I'll get back to some of them. I need a gigantic sign in front of my desk that says "MICROPHONE!!!".

@handmade-g5m 2 жыл бұрын

Great !

@sheilawoods1521 Жыл бұрын

thank you so much

@stampscapes Жыл бұрын

Hope it helps and you can get your pens working well. Just be sure and get all those little dried crumbs of ink out as even a small piece can clog things up if they've been sitting around for a long time.

@cortiago3710 3 ай бұрын

Windex is also good for dissolving India ink.

@stampscapes 3 ай бұрын

Good tip, thanks!

@artemorbid 6 жыл бұрын

This is great, I have this similar pen, I have not used it in a while. I'm thinking I should check it out and make sure its not all dried up like this. Where can I buy these cartridges?

@stampscapes 6 жыл бұрын

Yeah, chances are your ink is probably dried out if you haven't used it in 12 months+ unless you had it in some kind of air tight container. Should be fine with a soaking and cleaning. I bought my cartridges from an online art store that no longer carries the pens and ink but I see them available all over the net including amazon. Use the search parameters: Rotring Rapidograph Ink Capillary Cartridges

@artemorbid 6 жыл бұрын

Great, thanks very much.

@palmera9875 2 жыл бұрын

You can use the bottom of the pen barrel to screw onto the nib to remove it from the ink reservoir.

@stampscapes 2 жыл бұрын

Right. That's the method for a cartridge that isn't frozen solid with dried ink. If you try that with a nib in this state it will strip the plastic threads. This video is about the cleaning/unclogging of a nib that's seized from dried ink as many find their pens from non usage.

@leo8467 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you this is really helpful!! Did you use boiling water or plain room temperature water ?

@stampscapes 2 жыл бұрын

Glad it came in handy. I've always just used room temp water. I don't know if I would go with boiling but I suppose some warmer temp water could potentially help a little but would depend on how crusted up the nibs are. If we're talking 100% dry for years, I would just soak the nib for, at least, a couple days.

@Cyriljayant 4 жыл бұрын

what is the difference between the Radiograph pen and the Isograph drawing pen? Any advantages over both pens? Thank you for the video and it is very helpful.

@stampscapes 4 жыл бұрын

Hello. Glad the video was helpful! Here's a good article on your question. One uses cartridges (Rapidograph) and one is filled using bottled inks basically: www.pullingers.com/blog/rapidograph-and-isograph-pens

@metalants2806 Ай бұрын

the back end of the pen barrel has a thread you can use to take the nib off. don't need the pliers!

@stampscapes Ай бұрын

I'm aware of the process but this is a case where those would completely strip out which is the purpose of this video. It's showing what you do when the ink has completely dried and you need to unclog the unit. Not a vid on the standard usage of the pens.

@bigdmac33 4 жыл бұрын

@stampscapes Interesting that you used just plain water. What are your thoughts on using a) Distilled water, or b) washing-up liquid or c) an ultrasonic cleaner?

@stampscapes 4 жыл бұрын

Excellent question(s). I tended to do those types of things when I got my first pen(s), it's/they're precious, etc. I have an ultrasonic, one of those pressure cleaners, bottle of cleaning solution, etc. and I used those 30 years ago but found out that tap water was fine. I had more clogging issues with other brands, however, and Rotring kind of remedied all of those little nagging issues. I assumed it was the type of ink used (with other brands) with clogging/jamming/dripping issues. Nothing more frustrating than fighting with tools/media when we're trying to get something (drawing) done. So after I tried a Rotring Rapidograph, after a week , I knew I had to switch. I didn't want to because I had a complete set of another brand (hard to buy as I was a poor student at the time) and a couple others but found the Rotring to be superior but, primarily, less/not fussy. I can take one of these nibs that I might not use for a couple years at a time and just soak it overnight and it's ready to go with a little shaking out of the ink crumbs.

@bigdmac33 4 жыл бұрын

@@stampscapes I have just begun to clean and get working again a set of Rapidograph pens that I last used about 40+ years ago. I have begun by using your technique and I must say it took most, but not all, the ink out. I'm going to follow up with a Rotring cleaner solution bath ( or I might try the ultrasonic cleaner ) and I expect they'll be working again by tomorrow night. Interestingly, the .25 and .35 pens still worked!! One question, Rotring cleaner is expensive. Can it be a) diluted, if so by what? or b) reused?

@stampscapes 4 жыл бұрын

@@bigdmac33 Fantastic! Glad to hear the two are working. I think the nibs are stainless steel so I've guessed that it doesn't matter if a nib's been sitting around dry for 3 years or 30 (or 40 in your case) as I would imagine the ink can't get any drier or more embedded. I don't know about the different chemistry (or price) between one cleaning solution and another but I have the Koh-i-noor one (that I never use anymore). How long did you soak your nibs for? I ask as I was thinking you might just try soaking them a little more or possibly adding some kind of general cleaner to the water in diluted form. Maybe a Simple Green or something? That's something that I'd try first if I needed to. It sounds like you're invested in getting them going again if you're thinking about an ultrasonic though. Did you find a cheap one of those? I think I had the Koh-i-noor version of that too (which I don't use anymore either) but, from what I remember, those are just jewelry cleaners. You might find a cheap version of those. Are you trying to clean a .18 or smaller by chance? I haven't used mine in a long time but I can see those smallest of nibs being tough to clean out by just soaking/shaking.

@barrymiller6520 4 жыл бұрын

Hi I am having the opposite problem of the ink continuously bleeding from the nib - any thoughts?

@stampscapes 4 жыл бұрын

Hello, yes, I've had that problem come up a lot over the years. I've speculated that it's been due to pressure in the cartridges. For example, if I'm drawing for hours, I've wondered if the warmth from my hand raises the temperature of the air/ink to where it's getting pulled out of the pen into the colder air or something. When that's happened I've allowed the pen to cool down and sometimes that's helped. I tend to hate switching out cartridges if they're not empty but I've done that before and that's also helped. I don't know, exactly, the cause of that dripping. If anyone else can chime in, please do.

@user-sr5wx2gf4j 4 жыл бұрын

I'm cleaning some Rotring Rapidograph pens that have dried out. I took them apart as in the video. I cleaned them as best I could using water, then found that the water didn't dissolve the dried, hard ink. I put them in Isopropanol Alcohol and they cleaned up better. Now they look clean, but when I tried my .6, I can't get it to work. I think the cleaning didn't free up the ink inside the 'nib section'. I can hear the weight moving, though. Tried for about 5 minutes with a new cartridge but it won't write. Do I need to try taking that nib section apart? Not sure how to do that. Any suggestions?

@stampscapes 4 жыл бұрын

Hi. Curious as to how long you allowed the nibs to soak for. Also, I'm assuming the standard Rotring cartridge ink was used with the nibs? I only ask as I haven't experienced the ink not going back into solution enough to shake free with a little work. I've allowed many a nib to completely dry out as I tend to go a couple years in between usage. Now, I haven't used a .6 before either so maybe there's a much larger chunk of dried ink lodged in the barrel that needs to get dislodged enough for the weight to come free enough to start moving (which, in turn, should get the rest of the ink out of there. My first suggestion would be to try soaking the nib for a couple days more before attempting to take it apart. I just took a look at a couple Amazon reviews of the .6 and noticed that a couple people mentioned that their brand new pens didn't work for some reason so I don't know if this really thick version of the Rapidograph is more temperamental. I don't think those specialty Rapidograph cleaning solutions are useless but I've never felt the need for them. I even have a full bottle but haven't used it in decades but you might try some solution of some sort when soaking. Maybe a little dish detergent or something like Simple Green in with the water. Try this first as trying to thread those needles when taking apart nibs is a real headache and if they get bent, I couldn't ever get things right again (with the Koh-i-Noor Rapidographs tech pens --I've never had to take apart the Rotring).

@bennyvermeulen7255 4 жыл бұрын

k2 maybe using a ultrasonic cleaner for jewellery?

@mrsirman2177 3 жыл бұрын

Maybe just buy new pens, sometimes time is worth more than money, trust me

@lilfant4570 5 жыл бұрын

How often i must clean,i an in high school i a must write with this pens

@stampscapes 5 жыл бұрын

You only have to clean them out if they're clogged which usually means they've been sitting around for a year without usage.

@aseemsharma1427 4 жыл бұрын

Why would you use this pen to write?

@MissCephalopod 3 жыл бұрын

I found an old set I haven't used in at least 10 years, and I'm scared that my teen self foolishly put waterproof ink in there. Is there any hope to remove it? I'm soaking them in warm water right now.

@stampscapes 3 жыл бұрын

Hello. The Rotring Rapidograph cartridge inks are waterproof and completely dried up inks clean up fine for me as noted in the video. The dried ink doesn't go back into solution when soaked in water but it loosens it and usually comes out in crumbs when worked by shaking the piston action that will drive the needle back and forth loosening the ink. You might have to do this for a while to completely clear the nib and also tap the back of the nib, where it connects to the cartridge, on a paper towel or something like that to clear it out that way. Now, you not that you foolishly used waterproof ink in yours. Are you referring to these Rotring Rapidograph pens or another type of tech pen with refillable inks? You can refill an ink cartridge on Rotring Rapidographs with a syringe but you would usually use fresh cartridges specifically made for these pens. But, usually, all of the inks for tech pens in general are waterproof such as the Koh-i-noor Rapidographs or Rotring Isographs. With those, if at all possible, try and clean them without removing the thin needle portion of the nib as it can be extremely hard to cleanly thread it back through the nib tip without bending it. After they're bent, mine had never worked the same again if at all. That's why I switched to Rotrings Rapidographs with the cartridge system back when. I find them less fussy, easier to clean up, and the cartridge pressure system gives me less problems from the pressure drip that used to happen to me a lot with other pens.

@Gabriel-he6ih 3 жыл бұрын

I have a problem with my smallest one, size 0.25. It leaks too much ink and it looks like its size over 1.0.

@stampscapes 3 жыл бұрын

Hmmm. What color is the nib? Not the sheath or cap that has the nib size on it but the actual nib? Is it white? If it is, and it's leaking, there might be pressure in the cartridge where it's squeezing out too much ink where it's not flowing naturally. If that might be the problem, you might put it in some ice water to see if the pressure will decrease and try it again. If it's doing the same thing and the nib isn't damaged, maybe try a new ink cartridge.

@maxnathan7377 4 жыл бұрын

I haven't used mine for years is it still possible that i can still clean it without damaging

@stampscapes 4 жыл бұрын

You should be fine with your pens. I don't think it matters if a pen has been completely dry for 1 year or 20 if it's been stored away and not exposed to the elements or something like that. Try just soaking them in water for a few days and shake them out. Run the nib under some fast running water while shaking/activating that piston and you'll probably see a lot of ink crumbs come flowing out.

@user-nn8nb2xq4p 4 жыл бұрын

Do they work now?

@maxnathan7377 4 жыл бұрын

@@user-nn8nb2xq4p yes they do. Well some of them didn't make it because it got cracked when i tried to remove it because the ink were too dry

@user-nn8nb2xq4p 4 жыл бұрын

@@maxnathan7377 oh.. i have 6 rotring rapidographs and just one of them is still working after more than a year of not using the them.. a couple of months ago i tried to wash them but it didn't help and i lost hope for them.. i think i need to buy new nids but unfortunately they don't sell nids for my rapidograph model in my country.. and i don't know what to do right now.. but i'm happy for your rapidographs 😉

@maxnathan7377 4 жыл бұрын

@@user-nn8nb2xq4p thank you. Well good luck finding a set of radiographs!

@alesonasombrado4704 4 жыл бұрын

Please help. The ink of my isograph .3 wont come out. I tried cleaning it and rinsing it through the sink, i wasnt able to use it for about 2 years and i think it is clogged inside? Please help me what to do.

@winabaliw28 4 жыл бұрын

Try alcohol, it works with my 0.1

@stampscapes 4 жыл бұрын

Hi. I'm not familiar with the Isograph pens but, besides rinsing, did you soak the nib? Maybe try soaking it for several days. Just something to try and dissolve the water based ink inside. You might try the other suggestion of alcohol too but for water based media, I tend to go with water first as it may have a good chance of putting the media back into solution.

@bennyvermeulen7255 4 жыл бұрын

aleson asombrado maybe those ultrasonic cleaners for jewellery can help?

@nickfanzo 6 жыл бұрын

So basically soak them in water?

@stampscapes 6 жыл бұрын

If the needle isn't damaged, I find that's all that's needed. If the ink in the nib is completely dried out, you'll be tapping out a lot of ink granules out the back for a while but I've found the nibs to work fine if you get them clean.

@MeMe-lx2jw Жыл бұрын

I have soaked and soaked my pens to no avail. I wish there was a thin wire to help with this. This is frustrating!

@stampscapes Жыл бұрын

Soaking is one part but did you tap out all of the dried ink out of the back of the nib? You have to get the piston going and tap out all of the dried ink. Get it all as even a small speck of ink that isn't dissolved can clog up a very thin nib especially if it's smaller than the .5. Now some nibs might just be used up but if it's one that you were using before and it was working fine, those can usually be brought back to life.

@MeMe-lx2jw Жыл бұрын

@@stampscapes Thank you! I inherited my set and it was all dried up when I got it. I had twisted the bottom part and it snowed dried ink flakes! Anyway, I ended up finding a really thin sewing needled that got in there just a tad and then I shook my .4 pen A LOT and finally ink's coming out! It falters a bit, but I hope that will correct itself soon. I'll have to try teh others (which are between .1 and .5).

@bobberry655 3 жыл бұрын

I found Faber-Castell much more reliable, but suddenly they became unavailable. What happened?

@stampscapes 3 жыл бұрын

Oh that's interesting. I've never heard of the Faber-Castell versions. I just looked them up and they're on the F-C website and also see some being sold on Amazon . Dick Blick is a good indication of availability and they're not on their website. Are replacement nibs for them available? I only see the whole pen assemblies being listed.

@jedimasterham2 3 жыл бұрын

Let it sit in hot water for a couple minutes. It will loosen it up.

@itainteasy 2 жыл бұрын

there is a tool built into the cap, just push out the labeled part on top... should be using plastic tools (i.e. the built in cap) on plastic.

@stampscapes 2 жыл бұрын

You have a good point if one has a working pen but I think you might mean the barrel not the cap? If you're trying to undo a completely hardened and seized nib, just using pliers is fine as any artisan used to doing fine detailed work will be able to control the pressure used and not damage their nibs. I sometimes go 2 years without using mine pens and dried out and hardened is the way they usually get. If your inks never dry, yes, you use the barrel end screw but if it's dry and completely seized and you want to take apart the units in what takes me about 10 seconds to remove the nib, this is what's always worked easily for me. That's what this video is about -a clogged unit. Not a general how-to maintenance vid as everyone can easily just read the instructions that come with the pens for that.

@itainteasy 2 жыл бұрын

@@stampscapes ah i didn't realize that the radiograph doesn't come apart more. A isograph has a brown ring with triangular vertical threads, that has a matching tool ingeniously hidden into the in the cap, so you can remove the nib from the colored writing point that screws into the barrel. this way you can get right at the air channel. I assumed the radiographs disassembled in the same way.

@stampscapes 2 жыл бұрын

@@itainteasy I've never used an Isograph before but I used to use the Koh-i-Noor Rapidographs and tried another Chartpak tech pen that were able to be taken apart so I'm assuming it's something like those. I'll have to take a look at an Isograph vid sometime and check out that cap feature. Always liked the Rotring (brand) design and construction as I always felt like everything was so fine tuned compared to the Koh-i-Noor and Chartpak pens.

@itainteasy 2 жыл бұрын

@@stampscapes I tried out a staedtler has a tool in the butt of the barrel... the plastic knurling on the staedlter is really unpleasant... I got some self adhesive bandage wraps to cover over that knurling, and now I use the bandages on all my drafting pens as a grip. the rotring, although really doesn't compare to the engineering of their mech pencils, does have a really nice finish and attention to detail, albeit just a plastic pen.

@jasneskis 4 жыл бұрын

That thick cleaning fluid never was able to clean my pens and make them usable.

@stampscapes 4 жыл бұрын

I only used to use that fluid for my Koh-I-Noor Rapidographs and, while those served me pretty well (before I switched to Rotring), all of those nibs wore out on me or I damaged them when trying to clean them. I've just had so much better luck with Rotring over the last 30+ years.

@Hetzalallemaalwel Ай бұрын

In order to prevent the risk of breaking the nib, don't ever use pliers. Instead use the back of the pen itsself, it has a perfect fitting thread so you can use that for grip to remove the cartridge.

@stampscapes Ай бұрын

Thanks for your concern and comment. I've been using these nibs for 40+ years and you're missing the entire point of the vid which is unclogging a nib that's frozen in dried ink. If you use the threads you risk stripping them. The threads are there for clear non dried ink. Anyone that's using these types of instruments would probably be pretty good with their hands as they're called technical pens so they're not some disposable Micron for the beginner. So, using pliers without pressing down so hard as to crush a nib probably wouldn't happen as craftspeople have control over their muscle pressure. They're not going to use vice grip pressure on a plastic part plus the engineering of the nibs isn't as delicate as you might think. They're very sturdy with a lot of tolerance.

@nicolle2126 5 жыл бұрын

any way to revive a bent cord?

@stampscapes 5 жыл бұрын

I don't come across that situation in the Rotring pens but with pens like Koh-I-Noor Rapidographs, where I used to take apart the pens completely for cleaning, when I bent a cord I wasn't able to straighten it back out. When it was slightly bent I'd still use it if I could but they were never the same. That's one of the reasons I switched to Rotring later on. I don't know if you can buy replacements for those cord/needles these days but I don't think they were available back when I was using them.

@nicolle2126 5 жыл бұрын

stampscapes dang, I damaged my first rotring a couple of years ago while cleaning it (i'd cleaned it a couple of times successfully before and got too cocky) and wanted to check if there was a way to straighten it back like new 😞

@stampscapes 5 жыл бұрын

@@nicolle2126 There might be some way to do it but would probably depend on the nib size as, I would imagine, the smaller the nib the harder it would be to straighten it out. If anyone knows a way to do it, please reply/post here.

@nicolle2126 5 жыл бұрын

@@stampscapes unfortunately it was a size 0.2 :(( I really do hope I find a method to straighten it out, otherwise it will just stay a sentimental piece

@stampscapes 4 жыл бұрын

@@nicolle2126 I think I have my first technical pen still --for that same reason "sentimental". I saved my money for it and felt like I had my first "serious" drawing tool with it. I remember trying to figure out which size to get and decided on a .30. It's a Koh-i-noor Rapidograph (that got a bent cord after cleaning) :(

@jayveeanndcemberda2584 4 жыл бұрын

Helllo, how did u fix if the needle bends? Huhuhu heeeelp

@stampscapes 4 жыл бұрын

Hi. I've never had a needle bend with the Rotring Rapidograph pens as I've never had to take the nib apart on the but I used to take apart the Koh-i-noor ones all the time when cleaning them. That's always when I bent the needle trying to thread it back into the slot. Unfortunately, with those, I was never able to really straighten things back out and probably made things worse when I tried. I made the switch to Rotring about 30 years ago and that was one of the reasons. I do seem to recall that I was able to use those bent needle nibs a little but they were never the same of course. Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

@jayveeanndcemberda2584 4 жыл бұрын

Thank youuuuu, its fine now (I hope). I tried to straighten the needle and put it in a slot many times, and it works, I'm just hoping it will work as same as it was before hehe 🎉

@danielsepulveda9768 5 жыл бұрын

Don't ever use pliers... Just put it on water for a couple of hours... Days if necesary. In the end you will be able to move the piston en then you can use it in order to "pump" the ink out...

@stampscapes 5 жыл бұрын

Pliers are fine and won't damage anything. Just don't use vice grip force on them or something like that. Yes, water will put the ink back into solution and one can tap out the residual ink "crumbs" out the back and they should be ready to go again. How long to keep in water depends on how dry the ink in the reservoir is. Ultrasonics can expedite the process if someone uses these pens a lot.

@paulainaustria9180 Жыл бұрын

@@stampscapes Of course you can use pliers, as long as you cover the surface with a piece of cloth. Manipulating the plastic surface of a rapidograph with pliers without a protecting cloth is kind of brutal and just not necessary.

@stampscapes Жыл бұрын

@@paulainaustria9180 Never needed cloth and is a simple process. Been doing it for 40 years without issue. As mentioned to the other guy, just don't be over aggressive and crack something but people that use technical pens are people that know how to use their hands usually and know the difference between way too much pressure and just right.

@pixiepqueen 5 жыл бұрын

I'm not holding much hope for my pens... I have had them stored in a box out in the shed for about 30 years... probably had it huh? :(

@stampscapes 5 жыл бұрын

If they're the Rotring brand, and if they were in good shape when they went into the shed, I'd guess they'd be okay. Try soaking the nibs in water for a few days and then shake out the dried ink out of them if you can get that needle moving. If it doesn't, try soaking them for a few more days. I don't think that ink gets any drier if it's 3 years or 30 years.

@Big_Al_4223 5 жыл бұрын

pixiepqueen Another trick is to use an ultrasonic jewellery cleaning bath with a couple of drops of dish detergent.

@bigdmac33 4 жыл бұрын

Don't 'write' them off yet. Give the cleaning a go.

@volky-selin 8 ай бұрын

YOU are working so weong. when ist dray just put it in hot water for therteen min. then open it all then with new hot water put it again then tray to clean the rest. i wvwn take off the needle 0.1 clean it and put it again. i use 50-65deg. hot water to clean

@stampscapes 8 ай бұрын

Thanks for the tip. Glad you found something that works for you!

@volky-selin 8 ай бұрын

@@stampscapes since 1991 i know teaş tıp an trix i allways isograph s

@Banyaga 18 күн бұрын

You use the end of the pen to unscrew it

@stampscapes 18 күн бұрын

This is an unclogging video. Not a general usage video. If you try and use those threads to unscrew an ink dried/locked nib, you'll could completely strip the threads out which would be bad.

@icaremore Жыл бұрын

Ahhhhh. Friend, the barrel of the pen- furthest end away from nib, near the red circle is threaded to use in nib removal. Metal on plastic killed me! No, No.

@stampscapes Жыл бұрын

Thank you for your comment. I've been using these pens since the 80's and you missed the point of the video. When the pens are frozen solid with dried ink the threaded end of the barrel made to remove the nibs (when clean) would strip them. Craftspeople/artisans with hand control aren't going to use vise grip strength on the nibs as they're aware of how much pressure is adequate. Been doing it for 40 years and my nibs are fine. If someone's a newbie to and never use their hands, I make a point to tell them what not to do in this video which, again, is vise grip pressure. This isn't a video on simply utilizing the pens and nibs when all things are clean and clear.

@Cortesevasive 6 жыл бұрын

Well removing an inner cord is a suicide

@stampscapes 6 жыл бұрын

Yeah, I had to do that with the Koh-I-Noor a lot. Love that brand and those pens but once I tried a Rotring and cartridge tech pen, I never went back.

@lightofdawn4544 6 жыл бұрын

stampscapes can you help me😭😭😭😭

@stampscapes 6 жыл бұрын

What do you need help with?

@lightofdawn4544 6 жыл бұрын

stampscapes I did not find this kind of ink in the country where I live (I live in Iraq)😭😭How do I get it

@stampscapes 6 жыл бұрын

If you enter "rotring rapidograph ink cartridge" into a search engine you'll get a lot of websites selling them including rotring.com: www.rotring.com/us/leads-inks-refills/219-rapidograph-ink-4006856590333.html I would think Rotring mails around the world. I believe they are in Germany. I hope you find a good source.