Rotating?

I started writing with a fountain pen about six months ago. Writing
actually has improved. Now I have six the them and have been using
two off and on for this duration.

Questions:
How many pens do most people having going at one time.
Does each of these serve a different purpose.
How often should these be cleaned and/or switched off
for others, assuming you like using them all.

I believe I read where a pen should be cleaned once a month?

Thanks for your time and efforts.

Don

I have between 4 and 12 in rotation at any one time. I prefer having
fewer, but I also like to use different inks for different purposes,
and like to try out new inks for a couple of weeks.

How often to flush your pens depends on the pen and on the ink you have
in it. If you have a Parker Sonnet loaded with old Parker Penman ink,
you will want to be writing with it every day or else you will find
that you have to flush and clean every two to three days. Assuming a
less clog-prone ink and a pen with a tighter seal on the cap, probably
every two weeks would be the outside length you would want to go.

It isn't always necessary to "clean" the pen (ie, flush with water
until clear). I find that for the pens with a
converter/piston/aerometric fill, all that it takes is to force the
remaining ink out of the pen (back into the bottle) and then refill.
Maybe repeat once or twice. If you do that every couple of weeks
(assuming that you haven't used all the ink in the pen and reloaded in
the meantime), you can probably go a couple of months or even longer
without a water flush. Of course, if the pen starts getting balky, go
ahead and flush it out with water and re-load.

With cartridges, I try to use them up as quickly as possible.

Thank you for the response. One of the pens is a Parker Sonnet. One
Waterman and a couple of Cross pens. So far I have just used
cartridges. I also found two like 15 year old Sheaffers that I
cleaned up but have not used yet. Have a great day.

Don

I have between 4 and 12 in rotation at any one time. I prefer having
fewer, but I also like to use different inks for different purposes,
and like to try out new inks for a couple of weeks.

How often to flush your pens depends on the pen and on the ink you have
in it. If you have a Parker Sonnet loaded with old Parker Penman ink,
you will want to be writing with it every day or else you will find
that you have to flush and clean every two to three days. Assuming a
less clog-prone ink and a pen with a tighter seal on the cap, probably
every two weeks would be the outside length you would want to go.

It isn't always necessary to "clean" the pen (ie, flush with water
until clear). I find that for the pens with a
converter/piston/aerometric fill, all that it takes is to force the
remaining ink out of the pen (back into the bottle) and then refill.
Maybe repeat once or twice. If you do that every couple of weeks
(assuming that you haven't used all the ink in the pen and reloaded in
the meantime), you can probably go a couple of months or even longer
without a water flush. Of course, if the pen starts getting balky, go
ahead and flush it out with water and re-load.

With cartridges, I try to use them up as quickly as possible.

I agree with Bill in his various comments. But you will find that each
pen has its own characteristics. Some pens must be used almost every
day or they will tend to have ink dried up in the nib. Other pens can
be left for weeks and still write "first time, every time."

I have maybe 30 pens -- some never used (antique or just don't work
well), some occasional users (either low end or else too expensive to
risk carrying and losing), and my regular users. My everyday regular
users are almost all pens that do not dry up in time. I want a pen to
work when I want it, durn it!

I tend to settle on a particular ink brand and color for each pen,
after I decide what works best in each. This also makes it easier to
remember and find the color I want. Perhaps I'm going a bit
overboard, but I even have a journal book (of many, this is my "pen
book") listing what I bought, when, where, and how much. The book has
some pages listing which ink I have decided upon for each pen -- each
line written using that pen and ink, of course. The list is
chronological; if a new ink goes into an old pen, a subsequent entry
line is made. But I'm digressing.

You asked about cleaning pens. In a given pen, if you are not changing
inks, and are using it regularly enough that the nib does not dry up to
be irritating, then there's no need for a 'regular' cleaning. Some of
my regulars have not been cleaned in years. It's mostly the funky
colors or strong pigment brands that may cause problems. Those I flush
and clean, not on a schedule but just when they start acting u, or when
I'm retiring one for a while. And ink is cheap. I don't expel ink
back into a bottle - it goes down the sink - even when refilling with
the same ink. I have one ink bottle that's actually empty! And I bet
that bottle is ten years old, or more. OK, I have almost as many inks
as pens. (Don't get me started on the variety of papers and blank
books I have I have maybe 6 or 8 pens 'loaded' at any given time.
I carry a three-pen case in my briefcase, rotating by whim, to give me
available choices of colors and nibs.

To check for drying, just every few days I'll test each of the "loaded"
pens for flow. Those with problems are set aside for later cleaning,
and meantime replaced in the carrying case with another.

In spite of all I wrote above, I'll deal with cleaning and filling when
I want to, not on a busy day because I "have to."

Hi;
Thanks for both of your responses. I don't feel so
bad with three pens going at the same time. I started
using fountain pens to improve my writing which has
gone to hell since I found I could type faster than I could
write. When I write I get cramps in my hand from holding
pen too tight. Enter the fountain pen, can't press down hard
or pen goes bad. I did solve my death grip problem and can
actually read my writing again. Have a good one.

Don