Care
Less than you would think. Most of a pen's problems come from being left inked and unused, or from hot water. Here is the whole list.
Fountain pens
Flush with room-temperature tap water when you change ink, or every six weeks if you do not. Never hot water, never solvents. Wipe the nib and section after a fill.
Cap it between sentences if you write slowly; a steel nib dries out in about 20 minutes uncapped. Store nib-up if you will not write for a week. Empty and flush it if you will not write for a month.
Brass
It will tarnish. Daily handling keeps the patina even; a drawer makes it blotchy. If you want the shine back, any brass polish or 0000 steel wool, then a dry cloth. Do not lacquer it; the lacquer never comes off evenly.
Aluminum
Wipe with a damp cloth. Scratches through the anodizing show as bright lines. They are cosmetic.
Resin
Warm water and mild soap. Keep it out of a hot car; cast acrylic softens above about 80 °C.
Rollerballs and ballpoints
Cap the rollerball. The refill dries out within days uncapped. Replace refills with the same pattern, which is listed on every product page and on the refill itself.
Leather
Nothing for the first year. After that, a thin coat of neutral leather balm once a year. If it gets wet, let it dry away from heat.
Paper
Let ink dry for 15 seconds before turning the page. Store notebooks flat.
What not to do
- Hot water on any pen. It warps feeds and loosens seals.
- Shimmer or pigment inks in a converter. They clog the seal.
- Posting a pocket pen cap by hammering it on.
- Leaving any fountain pen inked for months.