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Leaking Parker ball pen

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john hamilton

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Aug 13, 2010, 4:09:21 PM8/13/10
to
I thought Parker ball pens were not supposed to leak, mine has even though
it's not been stored upside down.

It's very sticky inside. Is there any good way to clean it out? Thanks for
advice.


professorpaul

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Aug 13, 2010, 4:26:06 PM8/13/10
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If there aren't any plastic parts, then lacquer thinner and pipe
cleaners. Otherwise use rubbing alcohol, which won't harm the plastic,
but doesn't dissolve the ink as well.

Phil L

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Aug 13, 2010, 4:28:27 PM8/13/10
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nail polish remover and pipe cleaners / q-tips / cotton wool

--
Phil L
RSRL Tipster Of The Year 2008


michael adams

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Aug 13, 2010, 4:53:48 PM8/13/10
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"john hamilton" <blues...@mail.invalid> wrote in message
news:i448pu$qjp$1...@news.eternal-september.org...

Isopropyl alcohol, obtainable from a store chemist but quite expensive.

At current prices vodka from the local Tesco should work out cheaper it
should be equally effective and can be put to other uses.

Methylated spirit would do equally well is it wasn't for the smell
which again is why vodka is so popular.


michael adams

...


>
>


AZ Nomad

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Aug 13, 2010, 5:11:01 PM8/13/10
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soak it in gasoline
light it

Ed Pawlowski

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Aug 13, 2010, 5:16:48 PM8/13/10
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"john hamilton" <blues...@mail.invalid> wrote in message
news:i448pu$qjp$1...@news.eternal-september.org...

Used to be that they would repair them. Try contacting Parker.

Never had one leak in the 45+ years I've used them, but it can happen, I
guess. If it was not upside down, I can't imagine what would cause it to
happen. I'd look for a crack in the refill.

Service Department
2333 N. Sumac Drive
Janesville WI 53545

email them at: SAS...@newellco.com <SAS...@newellco.com>

This warranty is granted by PARKER and applies in the US and Canada.
Your PARKER® writing instrument is guaranteed for two years from the date of
original purchase against defects in materials or workmanship. If found to
be defective
within the warranty period, your PARKER® product will be repaired or
replaced free of
charge. This warranty may be extended by registering your PARKER® writing
instrument at www.parkerpen.com

geoff

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Aug 13, 2010, 5:43:59 PM8/13/10
to
In message <8clpjn...@mid.individual.net>, michael adams
<mjad...@ukonline.co.uk> writes

>
>"john hamilton" <blues...@mail.invalid> wrote in message
>news:i448pu$qjp$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
>> I thought Parker ball pens were not supposed to leak, mine has even though
>> it's not been stored upside down.
>>
>> It's very sticky inside. Is there any good way to clean it out? Thanks for
>> advice.
>
>Isopropyl alcohol, obtainable from a store chemist but quite expensive.

About £5/litre

>
>At current prices vodka from the local Tesco should work out cheaper it
>should be equally effective and can be put to other uses.
>
>Methylated spirit would do equally well is it wasn't for the smell
>which again is why vodka is so popular.
>

--
geoff

Sjouke Burry

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Aug 13, 2010, 7:12:20 PM8/13/10
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Alcohol(dont drink it).

Stormin Mormon

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Aug 13, 2010, 7:30:12 PM8/13/10
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I've found alcohol "dry gas" works nicely on ball pen ink. You can
either try to swab it out with Q-tips, or soak the pen barrel in
alcohol.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
.


"john hamilton" <blues...@mail.invalid> wrote in message
news:i448pu$qjp$1...@news.eternal-september.org...

michael adams

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Aug 13, 2010, 7:50:16 PM8/13/10
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/
"geoff" <tr...@uk-diy.org> wrote in message news:C3FI3rPf...@demon.co.uk...

> In message <8clpjn...@mid.individual.net>, michael adams
> <mjad...@ukonline.co.uk> writes
> >
> >"john hamilton" <blues...@mail.invalid> wrote in message
> >news:i448pu$qjp$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
> >> I thought Parker ball pens were not supposed to leak, mine has even though
> >> it's not been stored upside down.
> >>
> >> It's very sticky inside. Is there any good way to clean it out? Thanks for
> >> advice.
> >
> >Isopropyl alcohol, obtainable from a store chemist but quite expensive.
>
> About £5/litre


The last time I bought any it cost £6.99 for 500ml, well over twice
that. The label is still on the bottle. With store chemists who
actually stock it being thin on the ground, you have to take what
you can find.

While it may be cheaper in bulk, isopropyl alcohol is highly
inflammable. And so buying a litre or more for occasional use
in cleaning tape heads and the like, is not only hazardous
but probably a false economy as well. Unless that is, additional
uses can be found for it.


michael adams

...

geoff

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Aug 13, 2010, 7:57:40 PM8/13/10
to
In message <8cm3um...@mid.individual.net>, michael adams
<mjad...@ukonline.co.uk> writes
>/
>"geoff" <tr...@uk-diy.org> wrote in message
>news:C3FI3rPf...@demon.co.uk...
>> In message <8clpjn...@mid.individual.net>, michael adams
>> <mjad...@ukonline.co.uk> writes
>> >
>> >"john hamilton" <blues...@mail.invalid> wrote in message
>> >news:i448pu$qjp$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
>> >> I thought Parker ball pens were not supposed to leak, mine has even though
>> >> it's not been stored upside down.
>> >>
>> >> It's very sticky inside. Is there any good way to clean it out?
>> >>Thanks for
>> >> advice.
>> >
>> >Isopropyl alcohol, obtainable from a store chemist but quite expensive.
>>
>> About £5/litre
>
>
>The last time I bought any it cost £6.99 for 500ml, well over twice
>that. The label is still on the bottle. With store chemists who
>actually stock it being thin on the ground, you have to take what
>you can find.
>
>While it may be cheaper in bulk, isopropyl alcohol is highly
>inflammable. And so buying a litre or more for occasional use
>in cleaning tape heads and the like, is not only hazardous
>but probably a false economy as well. Unless that is, additional
>uses can be found for it.
>
It is the only other alcohol, other than ethyl, that is not poisonous to
drink

12 litres last me about 3 months

Ah £5.61/l for 12 litres

http://cpc.farnell.com/pro-power/ppc104/ipa-cleaning-solvent/dp/SA01885?i
n_merch=Featured%20Products&MER=e-bb45-00001001

--
geoff

The Natural Philosopher

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Aug 13, 2010, 8:37:16 PM8/13/10
to
michael adams wrote:
> /
> "geoff" <tr...@uk-diy.org> wrote in message news:C3FI3rPf...@demon.co.uk...
>> In message <8clpjn...@mid.individual.net>, michael adams
>> <mjad...@ukonline.co.uk> writes
>>> "john hamilton" <blues...@mail.invalid> wrote in message
>>> news:i448pu$qjp$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
>>>> I thought Parker ball pens were not supposed to leak, mine has even though
>>>> it's not been stored upside down.
>>>>
>>>> It's very sticky inside. Is there any good way to clean it out? Thanks for
>>>> advice.
>>> Isopropyl alcohol, obtainable from a store chemist but quite expensive.
>> About £5/litre
>
>
> The last time I bought any it cost £6.99 for 500ml, well over twice
> that. The label is still on the bottle. With store chemists who
> actually stock it being thin on the ground, you have to take what
> you can find.
>
> While it may be cheaper in bulk, isopropyl alcohol is highly
> inflammable. And so buying a litre or more for occasional use
> in cleaning tape heads and the like, is not only hazardous
> but probably a false economy as well. Unless that is, additional
> uses can be found for it.
>

Its the main constituent in windscreen antifreeze IIRC.
Its not that inflammable, and there are dozens of DIY uses for it.

Cleaning computer keyboards is one. :-)


>

The Natural Philosopher

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Aug 13, 2010, 8:38:11 PM8/13/10
to
geoff wrote:

>>
> It is the only other alcohol, other than ethyl, that is not poisonous to
> drink
>
> 12 litres last me about 3 months
>

So, have you been to AA yet?

:-)

Ericp

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Aug 13, 2010, 8:51:40 PM8/13/10
to
On Sat, 14 Aug 2010 00:50:16 +0100, "michael adams"
<mjad...@ukonline.co.uk> wrote:

>/
>"geoff" <tr...@uk-diy.org> wrote in message news:C3FI3rPf...@demon.co.uk...
>> In message <8clpjn...@mid.individual.net>, michael adams
>> <mjad...@ukonline.co.uk> writes
>> >
>> >"john hamilton" <blues...@mail.invalid> wrote in message
>> >news:i448pu$qjp$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
>> >> I thought Parker ball pens were not supposed to leak, mine has even though
>> >> it's not been stored upside down.
>> >>
>> >> It's very sticky inside. Is there any good way to clean it out? Thanks for
>> >> advice.
>> >
>> >Isopropyl alcohol, obtainable from a store chemist but quite expensive.
>>
>> About £5/litre
>
>
>The last time I bought any it cost £6.99 for 500ml, well over twice
>that. The label is still on the bottle. With store chemists who
>actually stock it being thin on the ground, you have to take what
>you can find.
>
>While it may be cheaper in bulk, isopropyl alcohol is highly
>inflammable. And so buying a litre or more for occasional use
>in cleaning tape heads and the like, is not only hazardous
>but probably a false economy as well. Unless that is, additional
>uses can be found for it.
>

buy from ebay. The postage is more than the cost of 5L of IPA. 99%
stuff.

We use it for cleaning and it is good for killing flies at the moment.

Smitty Two

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Aug 13, 2010, 9:06:25 PM8/13/10
to
In article <8clpjn...@mid.individual.net>,
"michael adams" <mjad...@ukonline.co.uk> wrote:

> Isopropyl alcohol, obtainable from a store chemist but quite expensive.

IPA is a dollar a pint in the U.S. IOW, about the same as bottled water.

mm

unread,
Aug 13, 2010, 11:15:54 PM8/13/10
to
On Sat, 14 Aug 2010 00:50:16 +0100, "michael adams"
<mjad...@ukonline.co.uk> wrote:

>/
>"geoff" <tr...@uk-diy.org> wrote in message news:C3FI3rPf...@demon.co.uk...
>> In message <8clpjn...@mid.individual.net>, michael adams
>> <mjad...@ukonline.co.uk> writes
>> >
>> >"john hamilton" <blues...@mail.invalid> wrote in message
>> >news:i448pu$qjp$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
>> >> I thought Parker ball pens were not supposed to leak, mine has even though
>> >> it's not been stored upside down.
>> >>
>> >> It's very sticky inside. Is there any good way to clean it out? Thanks for
>> >> advice.
>> >
>> >Isopropyl alcohol, obtainable from a store chemist but quite expensive.
>>
>> About £5/litre
>
>
>The last time I bought any it cost £6.99 for 500ml, well over twice
>that. The label is still on the bottle. With store chemists who

That's amazing. The last time I bought some it was 70% isopropyl
alcohol and it was about 2 dollars for a pint, 473 ml.

That was about 2 months ago. I thought I would need to get the oil
soot out of my computer, but the stuff turned out to not be sticky,
and will blow right off what ever it is sitting on, or be sucked off
with a vacuum cleaner.

>actually stock it being thin on the ground, you have to take what
>you can find.
>
>While it may be cheaper in bulk, isopropyl alcohol is highly
>inflammable. And so buying a litre or more for occasional use
>in cleaning tape heads and the like, is not only hazardous
>but probably a false economy as well. Unless that is, additional
>uses can be found for it.
>michael adams

Don't they make little stoves or lamps that run on this stuff?

michael adams

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Aug 14, 2010, 5:02:38 AM8/14/10
to

"geoff" <tr...@uk-diy.org> wrote in message news:ZF$ubxf0v...@demon.co.uk...

Handy Hint no 387:

"Isopropyl alcohol is oxidized by the liver into acetone by alcohol dehydrogenase."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isopropyl_alcohol

So if you're clean out of acetone but have plenty of IPA handy
you can always make your own. Just make sure you wear gloves
when handling the stuff, and don't spill any on anything plastic
- such as vinyl floor tiles and toilet seats.


>
> 12 litres last me about 3 months
>
> Ah £5.61/l for 12 litres


>
> http://cpc.farnell.com/pro-power/ppc104/ipa-cleaning-solvent/dp/SA01885?i
> n_merch=Featured%20Products&MER=e-bb45-00001001


Ah, but us ordinary punters can't reclaim the VAT and would only be buying
one at a time so that makes it £7.23/ per litre plus a £5.95 handling charge
which comes out at £14.18 per litre. Which in total works out at exactly 20p
more than...guess what ?


michael adams

...

>
>
>
> --
> geoff

michael adams

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Aug 14, 2010, 5:18:21 AM8/14/10
to

"michael adams" <mjad...@ukonline.co.uk> wrote in message
news:8cn4a1...@mid.individual.net...

Er no. That comes to £13.18 per litre


> Which in total works out at exactly 20p
> more than...guess what ?


Something costing £12.98 per litre ?


michael adams

...

Clams

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Aug 14, 2010, 5:23:06 AM8/14/10
to


You must be buying some really special water.

I've been getting my Poland Springs water at less than $0.13 per pint
bottle - 24 pints for $3 (not taxed here & no bottle deposit).

Smitty Two

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Aug 14, 2010, 11:00:33 AM8/14/10
to
In article <i45n9q$p8u$1...@news.eternal-september.org>,
Clams <"Clams"@drunkenclam.com> wrote:

Actually, I buy drinking water for $0.35/gallon, IOW ~ $0.04/pint. But,
in the typical convenience store, a single bottle runs about $1. My
point, of course, isn't that water is expensive, but that IPA is cheap.

DA

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Aug 14, 2010, 2:22:25 PM8/14/10
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responding to
http://www.homeownershub.com/cleaning/Leaking-Parker-ball-pen-10625-.htm
DA wrote:

john hamilton wrote:


> I thought Parker ball pens were not supposed to leak, mine has even
> though it's not been stored upside down.

Could have been a bad OEM cartridge i.e. Parker-compatible instead of
Parker. That or you can no longer trust anyone's quality [sigh] Toyota's
recent debacle comes to mind.

> It's very sticky inside. Is there any good way to clean it out? Thanks
> for advice.

Pen itself should clean nicely with alcohol, as others suggested. But if
you are trying to clean a fabric it stained rather than the pen itself -
alcohol will make even a bigger mess than it already is. The alcohol will
make the stain just larger albeit less dense in color. Might as well just
throw the item out.

-------------------------------------
/\_/\
((@v@)) NIGHT
():::() OWL
VV-VV

Spamlet

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Aug 14, 2010, 3:06:46 PM8/14/10
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"john hamilton" <blues...@mail.invalid> wrote in message
news:i448pu$qjp$1...@news.eternal-september.org...

Whilst not wishing to spoil the enthusiastic discussion of the properties
and prices of IPA - which is less flammable than meths, and to me used to be
cheaper than chips as I used to pump it into 25L drums, as a general cleaner
in the print trade - I should point out that, as ballpoint ink is *oil
based*, readers probably already have a cheaper cleaner in their cupboard
already: white spirit. I think the preference for IPA in 'the trade' is as
much for its quick evaporation as anything. It does dissolve both polar and
non polar substances, but I doubt if it is as effective, for an oil based
(non-polar) ink, as a non polar solvent (white spirit, paraffin, petrol etc)
would be. As I've noted before, every DIYer should keep a selection of the
various types of solvent to hand, so you can always find the right 'tool'
for the job.

S


Frank Erskine

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Aug 14, 2010, 7:21:00 PM8/14/10
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On Sat, 14 Aug 2010 18:22:25 +0000, info_at_1-sc...@foo.com
(DA) wrote:

>responding to
>http://www.homeownershub.com/cleaning/Leaking-Parker-ball-pen-10625-.htm
>DA wrote:
>
>john hamilton wrote:
>
>
>> I thought Parker ball pens were not supposed to leak, mine has even
>> though it's not been stored upside down.
>
>Could have been a bad OEM cartridge i.e. Parker-compatible instead of
>Parker. That or you can no longer trust anyone's quality [sigh] Toyota's
>recent debacle comes to mind.

I believe Parker 'ink' pens are now made in France 8-(((

I don't know about their cartridges since I use a refillable (from an
ink bottle!) insert-thing, but Quink is also French, according a quick
glance under the bottle.

--
Frank Erskine

geoff

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Aug 14, 2010, 7:44:37 PM8/14/10
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In message <4n8e665o9tqi6obvb...@4ax.com>, Frank Erskine
<frank....@btinternet.com> writes

>On Sat, 14 Aug 2010 18:22:25 +0000, info_at_1-sc...@foo.com
>(DA) wrote:
>
>>responding to
>>http://www.homeownershub.com/cleaning/Leaking-Parker-ball-pen-10625-.htm
>>DA wrote:
>>
>>john hamilton wrote:
>>
>>
>>> I thought Parker ball pens were not supposed to leak, mine has even
>>> though it's not been stored upside down.
>>
>>Could have been a bad OEM cartridge i.e. Parker-compatible instead of
>>Parker. That or you can no longer trust anyone's quality [sigh] Toyota's
>>recent debacle comes to mind.
>
>I believe Parker 'ink' pens are now made in France 8-(((
>
Le sabotage

--
geoff

Spamlet

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Aug 14, 2010, 8:05:28 PM8/14/10
to

"Frank Erskine" <frank....@btinternet.com> wrote in message
news:4n8e665o9tqi6obvb...@4ax.com...

If, like most people nowadays, you are doing most of your writing via a
keyboard, and adopt a pen only for cards and signatures, you will probably
find your fountain pen, and even good old Rotring, need cleaning out every
time you want to use them. You may find, as I have, that good old fashioned
dip pens with a good selection of nibs, and a range of small bottles of
coloured inks, are actually more convenient and fun to write with. They
only need a wipe with a tissue between uses. A dip mapping pen is still
excellent for fine lines too.

S


Frank Erskine

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Aug 14, 2010, 8:38:56 PM8/14/10
to

I think I do more writing with an 'ink' pen, and real Cumberland 3H
pencils... I try not to be like "most people".

>You may find, as I have, that good old fashioned
>dip pens with a good selection of nibs, and a range of small bottles of
>coloured inks, are actually more convenient and fun to write with. They
>only need a wipe with a tissue between uses. A dip mapping pen is still
>excellent for fine lines too.
>

I have to admit that I haven't used a 'dip' pen for a wee while. Or my
Rotring - probably since college days...

--
Frank Erskine

Rod Speed

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Aug 15, 2010, 12:52:16 AM8/15/10
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Nope, thats metho.


Message has been deleted

Spamlet

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Aug 15, 2010, 2:09:56 PM8/15/10
to

"Frank Erskine" <frank....@btinternet.com> wrote in message
news:9ade669jpj0ni3sn6...@4ax.com...

Try it: you will like it. Sadly, I used to use Rotring and similar pens all
the time, as I never could find a biro that wrote fine enough and where the
ink didn't stay tacky and leave blobs everywhere. As the fine writing
problem is now mostly resolved via Excel and Word tables and diagrams, my
Rotrings are always dried up solid when I would like to use them, and the
little wires inside tend to break off in the cleaning. The dip mapping pen
is a fair substitute.
S
>
> --
> Frank Erskine


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