Pilot Parallel Pen Ink In Other Pens?

[Drone]

I was wondering if the ink for the Pilot Parallel Pen would work with a "regular" fountain pen - a Pilot 78G with a broad (stub) nib in-particular. From the looks of it, the parallel pen cartridges will fit in a 78G.

 

I did a cursory search of FPN for an answer to this question but didn't come up with a definitive answer (not that it isn't here somewhere).

 

I remember reading a review on Amazon that said the reviewer asked Pilot if the parallel pen ink would work in other pens. The reply was something to the effect that the pigment particles were larger in the parallel pen ink, and this may clog a regular fountain pen.

 

Has anyone actually tried parallel pen ink in another pen? If-so, what were the results?

 

Is there something special about the parallel pen ink that would make it hard to flush out if it doesn't work - not water soluble, corrosive, etc?

 

One may ask, "why I would bother with using Pilot parallel pen inks in the likes of 78G?"

 

Well... I have other "regular" inks in various colors - but the thought of being able to carry around some of the nicely colored parallel pen ink cartridges that can be popped into a 78G broad is enticing enough for me to pose these questions.

 

Best Regards, David

[kenmc]

I asked the people that I bought my parallel pen and assorted ink from if it was interchangeable. They said Pilot said no. BUT, I asked if the cartridges were the same as the other Pilot cartridges (before I received them) and they also said NO. After I got them I discovered that they lied about the cartridges not being the same... so I imagine that the ink is the same. My guess is that they get the different colors from someone else, but that is just a guess. I have one of the cartridges in a 78G and it writes just like any other. It may end up destroying the 78G but oh well. I have had it in there for a month now without any problems. I wouldn't put it in a more expensive pen.

Do you like the parallel pen? Much to do about nothing if you ask me - I much prefer the 78G broad (stub). I do like the assorted ink colors.

[Drone]

@kenmc, Thanks for the quick reply. I had a strong suspicion the parallel pen cartridges were interchangeable with the regular pilot cartridges. Nice to hear your 78G-B is working with a parallel pen cartridge. Pending any further feedback in this thread; I think I'll take the plunge and try the parallel pen cartridges in the 78G. Stay-tuned.

 

Regards, David

[kenmc]

David, remember - do so at your own risk.

I really don't understand the "mixable" concept? THe pen comes with instructions on flushing after each ink fill. I guess time will tell. Pilot ink is not my favorite ink but I really like the way it always flows! Those little Varsity pens can sit on the shelf for months and still write at the first stroke.

[Drone]

@kenmc, From what I can determine, the concept of the "mixable" inks used in the parallel pen involves somehow changing the ink color to allow the writing to "fade" from one color to another as you write. Maybe that works because the inks actually don't "mix" together?

 

How you get this effect is not clear to me. Some say you swap one color cartridge for another of a different color. But this seems like the ink in the new cartridge would become tainted by the color of the previous cartridge. A more believable technique I've read about is touching the nibs of two different pens inked with different colors together. This transfers some ink between them. Because the ink actually don't mix, when you write you get a fading between colors.

 

I now have some parallel pen ink cartridges. I'm going to do some swabs and water tests with the ink first to see if there is hope of flushing the 78G should there be a problem. If the ink seems manageable then I'll use a cartridge in the 78G for awhile. Afterward, I'll flush the parallel pen ink out and re-ink with a "regular" ink to verify there are no problems.

 

If I get this far, the ultimate test would be to let a pen inked with the parallel pen ink dry out. Then see if the pen can be brought back to life (soak, flush, re-ink).

 

Have you ever had your 78G inked with the parallel pen ink dry out? If-so, what was the result?

 

Regards, David

[Moppeh]

The mixable ink thing is, I think, due to the flat nature of the nib which allows you to kind of paint it different colors? Not sure--but that is my impression from the instructions that came with my pen.

 

And I've left parallel's inked and unflushed or even unused for weeks with no problems. But I am not sure how they would react in a normal fountain pen.

[El Mocho]

On mixing the inks:

 

You need two Parallel pens with different colored inks. Hold one pen with the nib up: this will be the pen you write with.

 

Take the second pen and touch its nib to the pen on the bottom. I do not know the perfect alignment for doing so, but tend to hold them at a perpendicular angle so the gaps where the ink comes out touch.

 

The color from the second pen will flow into the pen on the bottom. Probably however long you hold it will affect how much of that color flows in.

 

The first pen will now write with the color of the second pen for a few lines, then make a shade in between the two colors, then revert to its original color. I have not tested this to see how the "touching time" affects the blend.

 

Nor have I seen if different-sized nibs make a difference, though I assume using a smaller nib on the second pen will put less ink into the first, making the blend easier to control. I have the 2.4 mm and the 3.8 mm.

[TWRDO]

The cartridges themselves are the same, but the contents may not be normal fountain pen ink. As far as the ink working in a 78G goes, the feed in a 78G/Plumix/Knight/Prera doesn't seem to be especially prone to clogging. This may not necessarily be the case in other Pilot pens.

 

Personally, If Pilot says not to use Parallel inks in fountain pens, I'm not going to do it. In any case, with the literally hundreds of other true fountain pen inks out there, why would you need to run that risk?

[Drone]

@El Mocho

 

First of all, Nice hat! You explained the mixing by touching nibs technique nicely. Very interesting. Thanks for taking the time to reply.

 

@TWRDO,

 

with the literally hundreds of other true fountain pen inks out there, why would you need to run that risk?

 

As I stated previously, I like the colors of the Parallel Pen ink, plus they are in portable cartridges that would fit my 78G with broad nib. A spectrum of ink colors in Pilot cartridges is available nowhere else. I'm not going to carry around potentially leaky vials of ink just if I want a color for a special occasion. Additionally, where I live I can get the parallel pen cartridges fairly easily, and at a good price.

 

Personally, If Pilot says not to use Parallel inks in fountain pens, I'm not going to do it.

 

Point taken; but if everyone did exactly what the manufacturer said with everything they buy - the World would be a lot less fun. Plus, I'm not going to go bankrupt experimenting with a $8 Pilot 78G, which will take these cartridges right out of the box.

Edited May 6, 2011 by Drone

[Drone]

Update:

 

1. My first look at the parallel pen ink:

 

I messed around with some swabs of the parallel pen ink, sepia (brown) color (box P/N IC-P3-S6-SP). There doesn't seem to be anything dramatically different with this ink compared with other "regular" inks - it is water soluble. There is no smell to the ink, unlike the "regular" Pilot blue ink, which has a pronounced "inky" smell. The parallel pen cartridges have a metal ball rattling around inside them. The "regular" Pilot cartridges that come in the IC-50 six-pack don't.

 

The small plastic disk at the open end that seals the cartridge is colored somewhat like the color of the ink inside so you can tell the cartridges apart. The cartridge is identical in size to a "regular" Pilot cartridge that comes in the IC-50 six-pack. The parallel pen cartridge plugs into a Pilot 78G pen perfectly.

 

2. Writing, initial impressions...

 

I've been writing awhile with the 78G-broad using the parallel pen sepia cartridge - around ten A4 sized pages on good quality 80g/sqm office paper; text, doodles, and pen-test scribbles. No skipping or start problems. Good flow. There is no undue nib creep to report. There isn't any detectable dissolving or softening of the feed. The ball in the cartridge doesn't rattle when I write. The pen and ink seem to like each other just fine!

 

The sepia color is nice. A darkish brown with tinges of purple and red. There is nice shading with the 78G broad nib. So far so good!

 

3. Dry-out?...

 

This time I left the 78G sitting horizontally on the table uncapped for around an hour. Afterward the pen started up right away, as if it was never left out. A nib-up test would be more rigorous, more on that later.

 

4. Clean-up?...

 

I pulled the parallel pen cartridge out and set it aside. The pen flushed clean just like with any other ink. I put a "regular" Pilot blue cartridge back into the 78G. It writes just as it did before.

 

5. Conclusion...

 

Well - I've had the parallel pen ink in the 78G for only a few hours now. But I've run it through a battery of tests and the result so-far is that this ink seems to behave quite well. There are no catastrophes to report, and there's nothing obviously strange about the parallel pen ink.

 

Unless the parallel pen ink explodes into a fireball or melts the pen into a mushy puddle over time, things are looking pretty good for this ink. But I'm not advocating you put this stuff in one of your pens unless you're willing to take risks.

 

Remember, Pilot puts this warning on the parallel pen ink box: "This cartridge is exclusive for PILOT Parallel Pens. Don't use it for other writing instruments."

 

6. What's next...

 

I'll keep writing with the parallel pen ink in the 78G broad longer-term. I'll post back immediately if there is any bad news to report. I'll perform a more rigorous dry-out test too; maybe letting the pen sit out nib-up for a long time. The ultimate test would be to leave it out over night and see if it cleans up well afterward.

 

My 78G broad nib is a fairly juicy writer. I also have 78G's in medium and fine. If things work out, later I'll try the parallel pen ink in the other 78G's. Maybe this ink will show some flow problems with the fine nib; maybe not.

Edited May 6, 2011 by Drone

[Essensia]

Drone, thank you for taking the time to share this information. I have a box of multiple colors of Parallel cartridges that I bought online because I thought they were regular Pilot cartridges. The description said nothing about the Parallel pen, and I did not see the warning in the online image of the box. I've been afraid to use them in my 78G B, but now I think I'll give one a try.

[El Mocho]

Pilot does seem to be fairly over-cautious about their cartridges. They say not to refill the cartridges, but in my experience, they are fairly flexible, and once you remove the small plastic disc that seals the pen-- by squeezing the cartridge and using tweezers, if necessary-- it has such a wide mouth as can be filled with an eyedropper.

 

(I have noticed the cartridges coming with the Parallel have small ball-bearings inside to agitate the ink and disrupt a vapor-lock.)

 

The "cleaning" widget will actually act as a squeeze converter, but once the cartridges are empty, they are easy enough to refill that I have not bothered to use it that way. I have used a few different-colored Noodler's Inks and they seem to do very well, though this does not answer the question about using those inks in other Pilot pens. The inks coming with the pens-- red and black-- seem to be free of big chunks of pigment, so I don't think they would clog a standard-issue FP, as Drone's experiments seem to indicate.

 

It looks like an easy way to get a quick rainbow of inks. Alas, I just have a 78G B and BB, so I can't tell you more than Drone in that department. The nib and feed assembly on 78Gs (and Plumixes,Preras, Penmanships and Tank Pens) come out pretty easily for cleaning, if clogging becomes a problem.

[TWRDO]

The cleaning widget IS a converter. It's the same one that's included with 78Gs and perhaps other pens. There's no real reason to only use it for cleaning.

 

I always refill Pilot cartridges (of course they're going to say not to refill carts). I've had flow problems with some Pilot converters, but never with the cartridges.

 

Apparently there's something that makes these inks different from "normal" FP ink, but if you're going to use the Parallel inks in another pen, the 78G is the one to use it in. Less prone to clogging, easy to clean, and inexpensive if something bad does happen. That said, I still wouldn't try them in other pens.

[Drone]

Update:

 

Now after more than two weeks of running Parallel Pen ink cartridges through two 78G's (one bold and one medium nib), I am pleased to report there have been absolutely no problems. These pens have been in daily use, the bold nib 78G has run through two and a half cartridges of Sepia, and the medium nib pen is about three quarters through the second cartridge of blue-black.

 

I intentionally picked darker Parallel Pen cartridges for this test. There have been no flow issues, dry-out problems, clogging, staining, unusual nib creep, melt-downs, implosions, explosions, etc.

 

I flushed the pens out a couple of times and changed inks to Pilot/Namiki bottled blue (not Parallel Pen blue ink). The pens flushed clean with ease, then afterward they took to the Parallel Pen cartridges again like a baby takes to a bottle.

 

I guess the only thing left to do in order to prove the dire warnings from Pilot to NOT use Parallel Pen ink in other pens are false, would be to ink a whole array of vintage and new fountain pens of all types with this ink. But that's not going to happen. The day I start syringing expensive ink out of an incompatible cartridge and into another pen, is the day they lock me up and throw away the key.

 

There is one small quirk with these Parallel Pen cartridges; the steel ball. There's a little steel ball in these cartridges, presumably to break up surface tension and/or mix the ink. If you point the nib up, the ball rolls to the back of the cartridge and, with a little thud, stops. Same when you tip the nib down again. If you write aggressively, as when signing a confession, the ball does rattle. I don't find the rattling to be annoying though, and I sign confessions all the time (even if they aren't mine).

 

I can say with reasonable surety that the Pilot Parallel Pen ink cartridges are not only mechanically compatible with the Pilot 78G pens, the ink is safe to use with them as well. Actually, the Parallel Pen ink is a very nice ink use; well saturated yet with some shading. A really fun ink to use with the 78G's.

 

So now we have the option to carry a rainbow of inks around ready to use in our 78G's. Imagine the possibilities.

 

I now raise the challenge: Which fountain pen Pioneer is willing to stick one of these Parallel Pen cartridges in his or her high-end Pilot fountain pen and give it a go? I would do it, but the most expensive Pilot fountain pen I own costs $7.45 plus shipping ;-)

 

At writing time, Pilot Parallel Pen cartridges are available in the following forms from stationeryart.com (not affiliated in any way except as a satisfied customer, best prices I can find online for these carts).

 

* 12-pack of assorted colors: Black, Blue Black, Sepia, Violet, Blue, Turquoise, Green, Light Green, Yellow, Orange, Red, Pink.

 

* 6-pack in one of the colors listed above.

 

Each cartrige holds approximately one milliliter (1cc) of ink.

 

Best Regards, David

Edited May 21, 2011 by Drone

[alc3261]

I will....

[lawrenceg]

I look forwards to seeing how you go on with a higher value pen.

The range of coulours in the paraleel pens is much better (or is all i can get in the uk)

[holgalee]

Drone, are there any further updates about using the parallel ink in other pens? TIA.

[swanjun]

I have used an orange "Parallel-only" cartridge in a 78G (F) and a pink one in a Metropolitan, with absolutely no problems. My one complaint is that the ink came out so wet it looked like I was writing with a rollerball.

Edited September 21, 2014 by swanjun

[Tessy Moon]

Thank you for this helpful thread! I appreciate the information!

I was considering getting the purple mixable carts for my purple plumix, but was unsure if it would be safe. It is good to hear that there have been no problems with using these carts in other (inexpensive) Pilot pens. I am looking forward to trying it out!

[jordanjay29]

Just got a box of these today and I figure I'll give it a whirl with my least favorite Metropolitan.