Rotring Rapidograph Cleaning & Unclogging

Рет қаралды 21,075

4 жыл бұрын

I've been using Rotring Rapidograph technical pens for about 35 years and technical pens in general for close to 40. I don't use mine year round and sometimes can go a year in between usages so they do dry out on me and clog. I used to use tech pen cleaning fluids, have ultrasonic jewelry cleaners, and ball syringes but I stopped using them about 30 years ago as a good water soaking/cleaning works fine for me using the standard Rotring ink (cartridges). This is a video (warning: amateur quality!) on this simple process which just dissembling the pen, soaking the nibs in water, shaking the nibs to get the mechanism moving, and soaking/shaking more. For those looking for options, I hope this video comes in handy and your pens start working again.
FAQ:
Does this always work? It does for me but the drier the pen and larger the nib size the longer you might want to soak the nib as I'm guessing there's more space in the larger nibs for dried up ink to reconstitute and or loosen for removal. If the pen's yours and you know it was working before it dried/clogged, I would think you can get it working fine. It's when someone picks up a used one when you don't know if the pen was damaged where cleaning might not help. If you go through the cleaning process, add a new cartridge, shake the nib like crazy and the ink still isn't feeding, give it more time as that new ink might help to loosen up some last bits of dried up ink. Give it a day or two and try it again.
Do you ever take your nibs apart to unclog them? I used to have to take apart other brands of tech pens to get them clean but haven't needed to do that with Rotring. When I took other pens apart, it was a last ditch effort to get them working which usually resulted in making things worse as I almost always bent that thin wire trying while rethreading it.
Would using distilled or purified water help? I don't bother.
Does hot water help in removing the ink? I haven't done that as I usually just soak my nibs for a couple days but quite a few have commented that hot water's worked for them so it's probably a good idea.
3 pack black ink cartridges: amzn.to/3cBq0OP
Do you refill your ink cartridges? I find the Rotring brand refills cheap enough to not bother with refilling.
How do you store your pens? I just leave mine out but you might try a Ziplock style bag with a moist sponge or paper towel in there to keep the pens from drying out as fast if you're not using them all the time. This idea is like the Koh-i-Noor Rapidograph multi pen caddy that came with a plastic lid that had a slot made for this small sponge that you were supposed to add some water to before inserting it into that slot. It would keep the environment a little more humid so the pens wouldn't dry out as fast. The biggest thing you can do is to just use your pens a little every week. Draw a few lines to keep the ink flowing when you're not actively using them for a project. I don't do that as I'm busy doing other things and I might go a year or two w/o using them so I just come back to this nib soaking process as the ink's often completely dried out inside.
NOTE (2014-01-03): I haven't been paying attention to the availability of Rotring Rapidograph pens as I purchased a lifetime supply of them when I thought they were being discontinued years ago. But, I just took a look around and noticed that they're not listed on the Rotring website anymore and see that large pen sellers like jetpens isn't carrying them anymore. I'm assuming they've been discontinued? Isograph is still around but not Rapidograph.
#Rotring #Rapidograph #Cleaning

Пікірлер: 73

@lornacarter849 4 жыл бұрын

I'm a 'child of the 60's and used my art college.. at 68 yrs of age I still have them!

@stampscapes 4 жыл бұрын

I'll bet they still work fine if you got the pens flowing again. The nibs are probably stainless steel.

@sharon94503 4 жыл бұрын

Oh My Word, Kevin. Your talent, which I didn't know, is astounding. Already enjoyed your work but you just renewed my love for expression hrough art.

@gokhanersan8561 3 ай бұрын

I cleaned my isograph after 2 years of sporadically using it. It writes better than new. Wished they used a better plastic to prevent micro cracks developing on it where the threads are.

@stampscapes 3 ай бұрын

Interesting with the micro cracks. I've never used the Isographs and all of my Rapidographs were purchased years ago but I wonder if the plastic formula changed over the years as I've never had a problem with cracks. Hopefully, the pen will last for you. Maybe if your'e in an arid area, when the pen's not in use, maybe keep it in a hydrometer type of environment. The Koh-I-Noor line of Rapidographs used to have this plastic fairly sealed holder where you'd keep the pens and there was this slot where you would keep this small damp sponge to keep that environment a little more moist. Could just use a ziplock bag with a slightly moist wadded up paper towel. Unless the cracking is solely from tightening the nib with the ink changes.

@XtianApi 3 жыл бұрын

Depending on what camera you are using, most have a setting that will make it so the autofocus is quick to change. So rather than ignoring your hands, it'll more freely switch to the closer subject. Thank you for the video

@DeputatKaktus 3 жыл бұрын

I just picked up an almost full set of Isograph pens from eBay. The seller was an engineer who did not need them anymore. The price was REALLY good (about 30 bucks shipped) so I could not pass up. All of them were dried out and they were an absolute royal pain in the ass to clean because the ink had turned into a sticky and gooey mess. And I did what you were apparently never supposed to do, ever: I removed the needle out of each one for cleaning. Because even after soaking the pens overnight, there was still so much ink coming out there and nothing would budge. Nothing seemed to make a dent. It turns out that around the shaft that holds the actual needle, the dried-up ink had formed a really solid and sticky layer that would not give up without a fight. So I made sure that none of the ink remained on there, flushed everything out and reinserted the needles. For the record: You really should not remove the needle if you can at all avoid it. The 0.7mm was still quite manageable but at 0.5 and below, things are really not funny anymore. The needles are so incredibly delicate that you need really steady hands to get them back in without bending or breaking. I do lots of soldering with some quite fiddly parts (SMD) so I like to think my hands are steady enough but I do definitely not recommend it, even though it worked out in my case - maybe I was just lucky. And now I have working set Isograph pens (sans the smallest size pen)😊

@stampscapes 3 жыл бұрын

Wow, awesome job! I never worked with Rotring Isograph pens as I didn't want to deal with those removable needles again after using Koh-i-Noor Rapidographs for years --where I ran into those same issues you're referring to with having to thread the needles back through those tips. I don't think I was successful with many of them when doing that as they always seemed to bend. It's amazing that you were able to thread them. What a great price though. Hope they work well for you for many years. Thanks for the note too. It's a good tip for those thinking about removing the needles. I guess, if they've tried everything else, and the pen isn't going to be usable without doing it, they might as well but it's so incredibly hard to thread them again without that bending happening.

@spamletspamley672 2 жыл бұрын

They are actually not that difficult to get back in when you know the trick, and have, indeed got the dried ink from the shoulders of the wire holder and in the cone that leads to the needle. The danger with the fine wires comes from trying to pull them out, when the finest will just snap. The trick is to vibrate them in and out. I've been doing that with an electric toothbrush with the brush removed. After soaking, you'll find most of the wire holders will gradually drop out if you hold the buzzer tip to the side of the needle holder. To get it back in without forcing, you can use one of the transparent tubes they give you to help dismantling: screw it in and gently let the wire holder slide down it towards the needle. Then hold it upright and gently tap or buzz from the side, and you will find the wire drops in, unless you got kinks in it.

@realfingertrouble Жыл бұрын

I have gotten the 0.5mm back in, but can confirm it's tricky.

@realfingertrouble Жыл бұрын

I have taken apart a 0.35 and 0.25, so will let you know...they were gummed solid so didn't work anyway...will report back if I remember....but yeah, 0.7 and 0,5 you can get the needles back in, just carefully drop them from above and let gravity insert them, slowly.

@realfingertrouble Жыл бұрын

@@spamletspamley672 ooh I'll remember this for the finer ones. I find gravity works fine for the 0.7 and 0.5, like drop them in vertically.and rattle it gently I guess a similar technique.....

@PaulaBean 4 жыл бұрын

I used a 0.35 rotring as my day-to-day writing pen in highschool. It moved across the paper more comfortable than a ballpen. I remember dropping it on the floor one day, the tip was bent and the pen destroyed :-( I had to buy a new one - and they're not cheap. Nowadays I often use a fountain pen.

@stampscapes 4 жыл бұрын

Excellent pens for sure but, like you said, not cheap. Especially these days. When I thought Rotring might be going out of business I got lucky and bought some existing inventory at discount prices from one of the last large domestic resellers that were blowing them out. I'm guessing the volume of sales dropped so they stopped importing them at some central distribution location so anything you can get in the US now comes from overseas by independent resellers (instead of a distributor).

@PaulaBean 4 жыл бұрын

@@stampscapes Steadler Marsmatic (also a technical pen serie) is a good alternative to Rotring. Marsmatic is easier to refill too, because it has ink reservoirs like the Isograph, in contrast to the Rapidograph.

@giannistaz 2 жыл бұрын

Well you can buy a replacement for the tip you don't have to buy a new pen

@PaulaBean 2 жыл бұрын

@@giannistaz Yes, but I didn't know that at the time ;-)

10 ай бұрын

Your edges are unreal 😍😍

@martinaughton2728 Жыл бұрын

Brilliant. The pens are mine and were working so Ill try all that. Best wishes and thank you Martin

@stampscapes Жыл бұрын

Hope your'e able to get them flowing. Much better chance of it being that they were yours. Someone mentioned in another comment that they've dropped the nibs into a cup of boiling hot water and that worked well for them. I've never done that so I don't know but, if it comes down to trying that or tossing them, you might give that a try. Maybe getting those molecules moving around faster could help.

@stampscapes Жыл бұрын

Someone just posted that water didn't work for them but the actual Rotring cleaner did well for them. You might try that. I've never used it except in my old Koh-i-Noor Rapidographs as I haven't had to but maybe the ink chemistry/recipe was changed by Rotring. I bought a lifetime worth of ink cartridges 10 years ago when I thought they might be discontinuing the pens and I panicked. I'd hate to think this would be the type of company that would do this but some companies do things to expedite the need for replacement of their goods. This niche company probably wouldn't but it would be something like adding a little extra drying formula into their ink chemistry or something like that. Again, I wouldn't think they'd do it but whoever buys these types of pens are probably highly loyal to a particular brand but nibs that work for 15-20 years isn't making a lot of money from those consumers.

@martinaughton2728 Жыл бұрын

Brilliant explanation, not sure if Im leaving them long enough but doesnt appear to be working, is it better to put new cartridges on when finished, my catridges are quite full. Let me know thanks Martin

@stampscapes Жыл бұрын

The biggest thing, if the pens were still working before allowing the ink to dry in them, is to get every speck of ink out of the cartridges. The drier they were, the longer it takes to tap all of those tiny grains of ink out of them (by tapping the back of the nib on to the bottom of a bowl of water). Residual dried ink can seem to keep the nib clogged. I usually ask people if the pens were theirs. It sounds like these were yours if the cartridges still have ink in them? Or did you clean out some pens and try the cartridges and they're still clogged. I ask that, as some people have purchased or acquired used pens and couldn't get them working. In some cases, they might have just stopped working in the first place where cleaning isn't going to help out. That inner needle might have been bent or something like that. Now, if you've cleaned the nibs and installed the cartridges and can't get them working, try and shake them up a lot --minutes even-- with that piston going to dislodge or liquify any dried ink and see if you can't get them flowing. If not, remove the cartridges and clear out the liquid ink and soak the nibs in some hot water and see if you can tap out more dried ink grains. There can be a lot of that and it seems like your'e tapping forever.

@ScottAlberts 2 жыл бұрын

You forgot a very important step in the process: COVER that sink drain/disposal opening with a strainer! Think "Sarlacc pit".

@stampscapes 2 жыл бұрын

lol. Yes, wouldn't want that nib down the drain.

@spamletspamley672 2 жыл бұрын

Funny you should say this: I have help from young carers who check that I'm OK and make the odd cup of tea. And not one of them knows what a sink strainer is for. I always find it taken out of the sink when they have visited! Obviously they've never lost a contact lens. :)

@realfingertrouble Жыл бұрын

Soaked my old dried nibs like this for days in water. Did nothing, hardly anything came off...I see in the description you mention cleaning fluid - that's all that worked for me, it's worth the money, or an utlrasonic cleaner if you have those. Maybe roTring changed the ink, but the older ink is highly waterproof so obviously doesn't come off in water soaking or flushing!

@stampscapes Жыл бұрын

Strange but good to know. I doubt tap water quality would have anything to do with it but maybe newer ink chemistry changed. The inks I've used are from probably 10 years ago and have been using the pens for 35 years. Water's always worked fine for me.

@spiroch2187 6 ай бұрын

Hey, some question. I habe a rotring rapidograph 0.35. My problem is that on the needle tip the ink overflows, not much, but whenever i take the pen off the paper and putnit back on while drawing i already have a plopp of ink there than. Did clean it, did unscrew everything and put it together without to much force and also did change the ink with another new one. But still leaks... should i buy a new needle and replace it, even though it isnt realy old yet, or does anyone have the same problem or knows what i can do in a case like that???

@stampscapes 6 ай бұрын

Yeah, I know exactly what you're referring to as it's happened to me enough times over the years. Unfortunately, I don't know the exact cause as it's happened with both new and long used nibs. I've speculated that it could have something to do with air pressure. I think it's happened to me before when I've been using the pen in one session for a amount of time that the warmth of my hand causes the temperature of the ink to rise a few degrees and that difference causes just enough pressure for the ink cartridge to want to push the ink outward. I haven't tried it as I usually just switch out to another cartridge but I should have maybe just removed the nib from cartridge slightly to allow the cartridge to "gas" (if that might possibly have been the issue) or maybe just put submerge the nib and cartridge into some ice water for a minute and see if that was happening still. I don't remember some nib having the same issue repeatedly so that's why I speculated that it could be some pressure issue because, yeah, you can hold the nib in any direction and watch that drop of ink developing. So, try one of those tests before you replace the nib. See if it starts doing that immediately upon usage and if so, try the ice water, and then the "gassing". Now that I think about it, maybe once in a while when we insert the nib into the cartridge, that tiny bit of air displacement could pressurize the cartridge more than other time? It's been rare but a regular enough occurrence (over decades of using these). I remember it as it always drives me nuts when that's happened.

@N.M.E. 3 жыл бұрын

Hey, i've actually inherited a great set of Rotring Varioscript pens that have been sitting around for almost 50 years! The larger diameters are working perfectly again however, the smaller ones are pretty stubborn and the ink does not seem to having been water-based/soluble... I was thinking about using an ultrasonic cleaner, but am a little afraid that this could damage the fine filaments. What do you think? Or has anyone tried this? Also, any recommendations for affordable, inks? Some of the original stuff was actually still somewhat usable although it kept clogging the pens with small particulates, but a new ink i got had terrible opacity, especially when applied with the smaller diameter pens, and looked more lightly gray than black. Thanks for the video!

@stampscapes 3 жыл бұрын

Wow, I had to look up Varioscript pens as I had never even heard of those. I don't know if any of the tech pens specific inks were water based but I just use water to unclog mine. The inks aren't actually going back into solution like a dye but the water, from my experience, loosens the dried inks allowing the piston to come free enough to work those dried ink particles out of the nibs. I don't see why an ultrasonic would hurt the nib so I think you'd be okay to use one. I don't know the construction of the Varioscript nibs but I'd go the ultrasonic route before I removed the needle/filament if that's possible on these nibs. Whenever I removed those in the Koh-i-Noor Rapidographs to clean them, I rarely was able to feed that back into the slot without bending them and that was doom for a tech pen. The ink, I would use with the pens is the Rotring ink. What inks did you try and are you sure the nibs were completely empty of water (if that's what you used to clean them with)? I've cleaned my nibs before and you really have to both work the water out by shaking and allowing sufficient time to dry to get them completely clear of that water inside of them or you'll get that diluted ink for a while before the ink's flowing without dilution. Also, you mentioned the small particulates in the ink. Are you sure that wasn't leftover dried particles from the previous dried ink? It really takes a while to work out all those tiny crumbs of ink out of the nibs. It just seems to keep coming, especially, if the ink was completely dried inside of all nooks and crannies in the nib interior.

@N.M.E. 3 жыл бұрын

@@stampscapes Thanks for the quick answer! I got them all perfect now with the ultrasonic cleaner, but i took the filaments out before i put them in. After the ultrasonic bath i just dried the "nozzles" with a little rolled up paper towel and all the crusted ink came off like a charm. Had no problem putting the filament back in. Have you seen what happens to aluminum foil when you put it in an ultrasonic cleaner? That's why i was a little concerned it might damage the finest filaments, but thy don't seem to having been damaged. The ink with the little particles was the original ink that came with the pens and had been lying around all these years. I knew that it wasn't good anymore, but had no other at the time. Until it clogged the pens, it still provided beautiful, opaque black.The other ink i then tried, that was grey rather, was some Koh-I-Noor "Drawing Ink". Oh and btw... your art looks amazing!

@stampscapes 3 жыл бұрын

@@N.M.E. Awesome. Sounds like you're good to go and the pens will have a second life with you. I hope they work out well. That old, I'm guessing they might have been used for drafting more than drawing and used with straight edges. I only mention that as, sometimes, tech pens can be like fountain pens where they kind of configure to the user over time and the angle they tended to use them at. Then, if someone else uses them, they might not flow as nicely. But, if it was drafting, it might have been more of a neutral vertical angle. Yeah, the drawing ink might be a little more fluid/diluted if it was something like a dip pen or brush ink. I'd use the Rotring or Koh-I-Noor Rapidograph inks for that true black.

@Ducimatic 3 жыл бұрын

Use some chemical solution containing soda, such as the one for removing stains from laundry for unclogging. Use hot water as far as possible . Don't hurry, unclogging might take one week, be patient. Ultrasonic { a "portable washing machine" will do) is very effective but only in the final phase.

@stampscapes 3 жыл бұрын

@@Ducimatic Thanks for the comments/tips!

@sheilawoods1521 Жыл бұрын

I have soaked my nibs 3 different times and still the piston does not move. Any suggestions?

@stampscapes Жыл бұрын

Some have mentioned that hot water has helped them but what size nibs are you working with? If the nibs are the really small ones, .2, .25, etc. even a tiny crumb of dried ink can restrict piston movement. You have to really tap out all of that dried sediment. Firmly tap the nibs (tip side up of course) into a bowl of water and see if you're getting some crumbs of ink coming out and eventually dislodge the stuck piston. You'll usually see these micro grains coming out and, eventually, get that piston going which will really get those grains coming out. Try that and some hot water. If you get the pistons going and you're able to tap out that dried ink, make sure to really out all of it as you don't want to put a new ink cartridge on the nib only to find out that there was more dried ink in there and that clogs the new ink. That's happened to me before when I've hurried the process. Were these your pens? If so, I would think you'd can get them working. It's not always 100% successful as these are fine instruments but I've always got most of mine going again. Sometimes when people find some used pens (not their own), what ink was used or the interior wire might be bent, could make them unrepairable.

@jikerwa 3 жыл бұрын

I just got a .25 today. You say it’s a water based ink, so would I be able to use other water inks like ones for fountain pens is I refilled it? Or would it not work?

@stampscapes 3 жыл бұрын

The Rotring Rapidographs, as seen in this video, use the cartridge inks and are the only inks that I use with my pens. The cartridge inks are waterproof and permanent but clean with water. I know some people that use the refillable types of inks with their Rapidograph pens such as calligraphers but I don't know what types of inks are recommended for that type of usage. With some of those non-brand specific inks, I would think that it wouldn't be recommended to leave the ink in the nibs for as long as you would with technical pen inks but I don't know. I just did a quick net search and found a page out there with your question asked of pen users that can answer your question better than I. I hope this link can show up in my reply here: www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/136481-fountain-pen-ink-in-technical-pens/

@jikerwa 3 жыл бұрын

stampscapes that link was great, right at the bottom someone flat out said fountain pen inks in their rapidograph worked fine. Thanks for the info and quick reply.

@Ducimatic 3 жыл бұрын

It will work. Common (black) ink has no carbon black and therefore is not clogging. Very good for thin nibs as 0.25 . Clean after each use. Don't use printer ink.

@spamletspamley672 2 жыл бұрын

@@jikerwa Dye inks will usually work in any pen. The main point of Rotring/tech pens for me, is to be waterproof. It's horrible to see your work ruined after one sneeze, or put your work down in a damp patch. That's why laser printers are best for documents. The expense of good pigment ink comes from having to make superfine and regular sized pigment particles. Usually red ink is dye, so doesn't block much, and is easier to clean when it does. It can spread out more on poor quality paper though.

@rinorshala945 3 жыл бұрын

Do i need to cleen the pens everyday or just when they dry up

@stampscapes 3 жыл бұрын

Ideally, your pens are never going to get dry and crusty like mine do but sometimes I go for a year in between usage. If you're using your pens on a regular basis, you might never have to clean them out thoroughly. When they run out of ink, just replace the old cartridge with a new one. Now, if you're not using them regularly, and if you're disciplined enough to do it, you might just get the ink flowing by drawing a few lines with the pens once/week and just watch that the ink isn't drying up. Also, you might keep the pens in a ziplock bag with a slightly moist (but not too damp) paper towel or small piece of sponge in there. That keeps the environment a little moister so as to prevent the ink from drying out as fast. The Koh-i-Noor Rapidographs had, or maybe still do, have this pen organizer/container that you do that with which is probably a good idea.

@rinorshala945 3 жыл бұрын

Thank u bro

@Kick4412 7 ай бұрын

What if the ink used was waterproof? Is there a solution to help clean the pens?

@stampscapes 7 ай бұрын

Hello. Is the brand of your pen Rotring and the model Rapidograph where you used the standard cartridge ink? Or, a different brand or Isograph and not Rapidograph? If Rotring Rapidograph ink, this method of cleaning has always been all I needed. Some have mentioned hot water that seems to work for them so you might try that. The standard cartridge ink, when dry, is waterproof if that's the one you've used. You have to tap out all of the dried granules of dried ink if you're using a small nib and that can take a while. I usually tap out the nib in a bowl of water and only after I don't see anything coming out at all for a long time (while tapping) do I try another cartridge. I've been impatient at times over the years and have had to remove a new cartridge and empty out the nib again to get that last dried granule or two out before the nib's been free to flow again.

@bennyvermeulen7255 4 жыл бұрын

What to do if there’s a ink blob appearing in your nib?

@stampscapes 4 жыл бұрын

The ink keeps developing a drop of ink even when you wipe it off? That's happened a lot to me over the years. I haven't read up on this but I'm assuming it has to do with pressure building up in the ink cartridge and I've suspected it has to do with the warming of ink in that reservoir to the point where it starts squeezing through the nib and out the front. I would suggest trying to cool the cartridge. Just unscrew the nib and cartridge from the barrel (don't separate the nib from ink cartridge) and dip the cartridge into some ice water to cool it down. Then, try the pen again. There still might be some residual pressure so just wipe that drop of ink off a few times and see if it stops. The hand can warm up that pen quite a bit and then if it's hot inside to begin with, that's a pretty significant temperature range from room temp and something being held in a warm hand. If that doesn't work, and worse comes to worse, maybe disconnect the cartridge and just reconnected it. That could also remove that pressure that would be in there. I hope this helps.

@Ducimatic 3 жыл бұрын

take it off with some paper.

@XtianApi 3 жыл бұрын

Similar to the other comment, just release the pressure in the cartridge by slightly opening it. But don't cool it off. Once you release the pressure little be fine. Cooling it off will just make it pressurize once it comes back up to room temperature

@MrFoolingyu 3 жыл бұрын

@@Ducimatic No man, the ink blob will just reappear. Release the pressure like the man says.

@spamletspamley672 2 жыл бұрын

Nowadays, when most paper makes lines spread to at least .5mm no matter what the nominal size of the nib, I want a .2mm or less needle pen that writes with indelible ink, reliably, every time I want to use it. I've been cleaning needle pens with all that hassle every time, most of my life, but now, the only thing I can write fine, reliably with every time, is the 50p mapping dip pen I used at school. If only someone would put a reservoir on one of those! Failing that, I want someone to make an 'ultrasonic ink well': a us cleaner on the desk just big enough to dip technical pen tips in before use, in much the same fashion as we ussed to do on desks with built in ink wells. Such a device would save pen artissts and draughtsmen, and anyone who wants to make fine and permanent notes, half a lifetime of wasted time and filthy fingers and spoiled clothes and furnishings. It comes as a surprise that pen lovers are still making do with devices intended for cleaning jewelry or spectacles, and having to dismantle their pens and get inky fingers every time, when all theyy really need is something to give a nib a good shake under water.

@stampscapes 2 жыл бұрын

I think the days of potentially getting something like your ultrasonic ink well has come and gone with less people using these types of pens than 20-30+ years ago, at least in the professional drafting world. It's just us artists and hobbyists left using the pens. You might have to devise something as it sounds like a useful device.

@spamletspamley672 2 жыл бұрын

@@stampscapes Searching afterwards, I was surprised to find that Rotring did actually used to sell purpose made US cleaners with their own logo on. They look a handy size and shape compared with the commonly available US machines for home use, which are mostly shaped for cleaning spectacles, and rather shallow. The Rotring one was more 'bean tin' shaped, and would stand up a bundle of pens at once. A rare collectable now though. There are a lot of DIY hobbyists out there in KZfaq land though, so a collaboration between an electronics hobbyist and a pen and ink art fan, might well be able to come up with a small US device to be used on the go and plug into a USB port. Some people are even building desks with hidden computer touchscreens: adding a 'smart inkwell' could be very appealing to an artist alternating between physical and electronic media at the same work station. I'd certainly like one! (y)

@stampscapes 2 жыл бұрын

@@spamletspamley672 Interesting! I think I see what you mean. Here's one on Ebay: www.ebay.com/itm/224320553473?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-213727-13078-0&mkcid=2&itemid=224320553473&targetid=4580496732614416&device=c&mktype=&googleloc=&poi=&campaignid=418233788&mkgroupid=1230353745471221&rlsatarget=pla-4580496732614416&abcId=9300542&merchantid=51291&msclkid=6a0ab15d67021cb7d088d0918cacd338

@stampscapes 2 жыл бұрын

@@spamletspamley672 I also see this unit for the Isograph pens. It's a similar idea to the Koh-I-Noor humidifier. Looked on the Rotring website and don't see it so must be a discontinued product: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/fLd5iJh9ntqbYnU.html

@spamletspamley672 2 жыл бұрын

@@stampscapes Thanks: I added some more suggestions on how to fit the cleaning wires and make new ones. I think I'll have a go at mounting new wires in my broken 0.01 tips from school! :) Didn't know there was foam under those pen stands. I use a cardboard box with similar holes punched in it as my portable desk to work in bed. I'll cut out a bigger section and try damp foam in there too. I suspect it will soak up all the expensive ink though!... :)

@bar3133 2 жыл бұрын

During use, ink comes out from under the white plastic, what can be done?

@stampscapes 2 жыл бұрын

Are you using a Rotring Rapidograph or something like an Isograph tech pen? Let me know as that could make a difference. Now, if it's a Rotring Rapidograph with the cartridge system and you used a new cartridge with it, it could be that the seal between the nib and cartridge wasn't sealed nice and flush when breaking the membrane to the ink. But, there's usually so much force needed to do that that I wouldn't imagine that that's the case. The other thing that I'd guess is that there could be some kind of crack somewhere along the nib or is the metal/plastic connection part of the nib loose at all? Also, if you remove the plastic sheath that you screw over the nib/cartridge, can you tell where the leak is coming from? Let me know.

@bar3133 2 жыл бұрын

@@stampscapes I use Rotring rapidograph 0.25 Occasionally I rinse the ink cartridge and refill ink with a syringe. In one of the pens, ink comes out of the plastic near the tip of the pen. (I also have a Rotring isograph it lasts for many years, and its maintenance is simpler)

@stampscapes 2 жыл бұрын

@@bar3133 The .25 along with the .30 are my main sizes (and almost exclusive sizes) that I use. If you're getting leaking from that plastic where the metal goes into it, it sounds like the tip is loose. If it were farther back under the sheath, I would suggest maybe one wrap with a plumbers tape around the nib/cartridge connection before screwing on the sheath. But, if ink is coming out around the needle or where the wider metal inserts into the plastic, I was wondering if a little super glue or something like that would work. Just a thin layer painted around those contacts. I would think that could, potentially, be something to prolong the use of the nib as long as it's flowing properly still and there's no other issues with it other than the leak. The only issues I've had with the nibs is that situation where there seems to be pressure built up in the cartridge and, as you're holding the pen, a bead of ink keeps forming on the tip of the pen. If I've been working with the pen for hours, I've wondered if the heat from my hand was causing the air in the cartridge to pressurize or something like that.

@bar3133 2 жыл бұрын

@@stampscapes I'll check it out. Thank you very much

@mrtrik71 10 күн бұрын

My needle is blocked can that be cleaned

@stampscapes 10 күн бұрын

If it's just blocked with standard Rotring ink, it should be able to be cleaned out but you have to be thorough. If the ink has been dry for a long time, you really have to shake out every granule of ink sometimes. I take it the piston isn't moving up and down at all and have you soaked the nib in water? Some have mentioned hot water might be better which is something you might try. Soak adequately as well --overnight. Now, if the needle isn't moving at all after that, the needle could be bent. From my experience, if that's happened, I haven't been able to repair that or just hasn't been worth the time trying.