There are several pen maintenance supplies that have been repurposed from other walks of life. As sometimes happens, these items are subject to a markup when sold as pen items — let’s call it a pen tax.
So, I want to walk you through some items that you should purchase in their original form/under their original uses.
Note: I’m including Amazon links for the “original” form because it’s easy and available to everyone. I’m sure there are many other locations you can buy these.
Syringes
It’s easy to get syringes and blunt-tip needles. Most fountain pen stores price them in the $2.50-$3.00 each range. While for some of us, a single syringe is enough, I prefer to have one for each pen I fill each week (5 total). Amazon has 5ml syringes for $0.69 each (10 for $6.99) and 3ml syringes for $0.60 each (10 for $6.03).
Cleaning Bulbs
You may or may not know that these useful items are baby nasal aspirator bulbs. While a fountain pen bulb cleaner will run you $3.50 on average, a baby nasal aspirator will cost you $2.89.
Micromesh
Whether a 3-step polishing stick or a sheet of high-grit sandpaper, micromesh can be pricey. Especially given you can go through them fairly quickly if you regularly work on nibs. But, you can get off-brand polishing sticks for $5.99 for a pack of 10 different grit levels.
Ink Vials
There are MANY types of sample vials, none of which were created specifically for ink samples. While they aren’t expensive in the pen world (averaging $3.00 for 10), you can get 50 for $6.00 on Amazon.
Ink Vial Storage
Just like there are different types of sample vials, mostly for lab samples, there are several types of storage for them. The 5-part shelves (2 ends and three shelf parts) most often sold by pen stores run an average of $13. You can get a test tube rack — same product, different name — for $6.00.
Ink Remover
I keep seeing ink companies release ink remover for hands. I can’t say enough how unnecessary this is. You have a few options.
- Make a sugar scrub. There are tons of recipes online. You can either make a big batch, or add a bit of sugar to your hands with dish soap.
- Get Lava soap. It will last you quite a while, unless you’re regularly dousing your hands in ink. You just have to be careful around knuckles or on the back of your hands. Lava soap can be rough.
- Use an exfoliating cloth. I use these with Dawn dish soap. I have yet to come across an ink that isn’t removed with this method.
- Wash your hair. As long as you have hair at least an inch long, simply washing your hair will get rid of ink. It usually works on ink under nails, too!
One That’s Worth It
With all of these items that you shouldn’t get as pen supplies, there’s one that you should. Brass shims can be purchased elsewhere in large quantities, but it’s not really worth it. Most of us wouldn’t go through a 100″ roll. Shims last for a long time, and can easily be bent back into shape if necessary. It just makes more sense to get the pre-cut pieces than a full roll.
Did you know about these options? Will you switch to buying any of these as their “original” form? Let me know in the comments! I’d love to hear from you.
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I second the ink vial storage! I bought 4 and will be getting more very soon. It’s just sooooo much easier to find samples when they’re organized alphabetical by brand and name. Thanks for the great info, as always, Rachel!
I’m happy you enjoyed it. 😊
I knew most of these but not all. Thanks for the info! I spend enough on pens, so saving on unnecessarily overpriced pen supplies whenever I can is always helpful.
Happy to help. 😊
great information! i knew about most but not the hair washing trick. thanks for sharing these great tips!
I would just caution on getting any and all sample vials on Amazon. Many do not come with O-rings in the vial caps and can lead to an improper seal – which results in inky messes if you’re mailing samples to friends, and also inks evaporating quickly if you’re using them for storage.
Always check the reviews to see if anyone has used them for ink samples before! (I speak from experience as I have bought multiple dud batches in the past…) I actually ended up going back to buying ink vials from pen stores that sell ink samples because I know they have at least been vetted and are good to use.