Fountain pens use a fair amount of ink, and their design makes them more susceptible to clogging than regular ballpoints. Because of this, we recommend cleaning your pen every month or so to remove dust, paper fibers, and dried ink. The process is easy. Disassemble the pen and remove the converter or cartridge. Rinse the nib section under cool, running water for a few seconds. This might be all the maintenance you need to do because fountain pen ink is water-based and comes off easily. If there is excessive buildup, soak the nib in water for an hour or so. If you want to change inks or clean the reservoir, you might need to flush out the pen to completely remove all the old material. You do this by filling the reservoir with water and forcing it out the end. Simply follow the ink-filling process using cool water and repeat as necessary.