Empty Pen Guts?

[Miles Linnabery]

Dear Model Folks:
Does any one in the forum work for a Pen Company?
I was thinking that it would be nice to find a source of pens that did not ever have any ink in them to use as scoring tools. I still remember many many years ago a friend who was scoring a printed German tank with a dead red ink pen that was out of ink and 1/2 way through on a major score line it started to work again. I heard the cry of anguish 60 miles away. With the way pens are made today on massive machines some must run and not put the ink in them.
I think ink pens make a good scoring tool however I don't use them because it might start to work again, But if we had a source of pens that never had ink in the first place I for one would buy a box or two.
In Anticipation,
Miles

[looker]

To make sure a dead pen is really, really dead stand it, tip down, for a while in a small amount of methylated spirits (denatured alcohol). Any residual ink will bleed out.
Quite likely there are other solvents that will also do the trick.

[Miles Linnabery]

Dear Looker:
I have heard of that and also here of people who tried it and then it started to write again. I want some that absolutely positively are (is) no chance of any ink in the guts.
Grin,
Miles

[looker]

I must be a ruthless killer.
My dead pens stay dead.

[John Bowden]

Have you tried removing the ink from the old BiC Stik pen?

They come apart very easily and soaking the nib part in rubbing alcohol will remove most of the ink and then using up the rest on blank paper......... no ink no way to start writing again

[herky]

Originally Posted by John Bowden

Have you tried removing the ink from the old BiC Stik pen?

They come apart very easily and soaking the nib part in rubbing alcohol will remove most of the ink and then using up the rest on blank paper......... no ink no way to start writing again

yup those are what i use.pull the ink tube out of nib and then scribble till nib part is used up as you say no ink no chance of writing

[ViperPilot]

Now, the question becomes...

Medium point, or Fine point?

Alan

[Mark Hansen]

Originally Posted by ViperPilot

Now, the question becomes...

Medium point, or Fine point?

Alan

Both. Murphy's Law: If you need a medium point, all you'll have are fine points.

[darter]

get one of each, simples.

[Lighter]

Originally Posted by John Bowden

Have you tried removing the ink from the old BiC Stik pen?

They come apart very easily and soaking the nib part in rubbing alcohol will remove most of the ink and then using up the rest on blank paper......... no ink no way to start writing again

To be super safe build a couple dark blue models. Or black. Choose as needed.

More seriously, I find an accidental ink line from a zombie pen preferable to the designers use of printed dotted or dash lines indicating scores.