Page 319 - Green - Maritime Archaeology: A Technical Handbook. 2nd ed

298 Maritime Archaeology: A Technical Handbook, Second Edition
on and tapping the end on a table, the weight moves the wire similarly back- ward and forward, helping to clear the tube.
The tips of some types of stilo pens are made of very hard material. This type of pen is essential for working on plastic drawing film which is very abrasive. Ordinary pens, when used on film, only last a short time before the tip is worn away to the shoulder, causing an increase of about 0.5 mm in line thickness and producing very messy lines. The tips of most stilo pens are manufactured with a shoulder so that when using a straightedge, the ink is not drawn under the surface of a ruler causing blotting. The shoulder or bevel on the tip should always be kept clean (paper tissue can be used to clean the tip), as ink, dirt, and film debris tends to accumulate around the bevel, especially when drawing straight lines. This accumulation often causes the line to thicken and can cause the ink to run under the ruler, which is just what it is designed not to do. These pens are compatible with a range of stencils, so that various styles of lettering can be made for each pen size (see Section VI).
One of the most serious problems with stilo pens is that they seem doomed to clog. A variety of methods of humidification and air-tight holders have been devised, but if the pens are left open for any length of time they block up. To unblock the pen, I have found that there are two alternative methods:
1. Ignore the manufacturer’s instructions and take the pen apart, extract the little weight with the fine wire, and clean the pen out. Then try to put the fine wire back into the pen, which you will not be able to do without breaking it and ruining the pen, exactly as the manufacturer said it would. Then buy a new pen at great cost and inconvenience to yourself. In reality, it is possible to remove the wire if it is 0.7 mm or thicker, but it is usually not possible to get anything smaller back into the pen.
2. Get a small glass jar with a lid, or buy the more expensive cleaning unit recommended by the manufacturer, fill it with warm water and a bit of washing-up liquid. Take the cap and the cap insert apart and wash in warm, running water to remove superficial ink (use a tooth- brush if necessary), then pop the cap and all the parts into the jar (this is really worthwhile as a caked cap will cause the pen to dry out more quickly). Take the reservoir off the pen, empty the ink out, and wash it. Take apart what you are allowed to take apart according to the instructions, wash and place in the jar. In particular, most pens have a complicated air passageway between nib and holder which allows air, but not ink, to pass up to the reservoir, thus relieving the pressure caused by the ink flowing out. This should be carefully scrubbed with