Pilot Con-20 Not Fitting Into Vanishing Point

[Kuscer]

My Pilot Vanishing Point just arrived today. I immediately opened it, hopes way, way up Then I pull out beautiful old Diamine and first test the Pilot cartridge that came with the pen. Everything is fine. I put in the converter, the Con-20, following the instructions on the box. It seems a bit loose, but I tell myself that everything is fine. I press the pushy thing and a little ink leaks from where the converter fits into the pen. I find this unusual, but still don't mind. I put the pen back together and the push the knob, the nib comes out, but it immediately goes back in again. I try again, same results. I open up the pen and ink is leaking from the converter. It says the converter should be a ''snug fit'' but it is definitely not. Any help?

 

Thanks in advance and warm regards,

Kuscer

[PabloAU]

Pilot converters should never feel loose. Give it a good shove.

[KBeezie]

Twisting the converter in clockwise helps give it a firmer insert. But make sure it's a con20 and not the cleaning converter that comes with a lot of pilots pens. The con20 is fully encased with a little button on side.

[WetNoodle]

I remember when I first got mine. I really had muscle it into place.

[Kuscer]

Yeah, I've read I need to push, but I'm afraid to I'm pushing really hard already and I'm afraid to apply any more force.

[Kuscer]

It's a Con-20, it has the button thing that says ''push here'' and the box says con-20.

[Ernst Bitterman]

Let's make sure we're talking about the same thing, although I think we are. #3 in the picture below, right?

http://dirck.delint.ca/beta/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/pilconv1.jpg

 

I'd dismount the thing, get the ink out, then have a quick look in its mouth and down the inside of the pen to see if there's anything obstructing. If there is, it's more likely to be in the pen. If there isn't, then it is just a matter of giving it more of a shove. Put it in as firmly as you feel is right, then put the writing unit back into the body-- there's not a lot of play in the mechanism, so if the converter isn't in properly, there should be some kind of awkwardness in the deployment process because the button won't be able to get to the bottom of its travel before the writing unit gets to the bottom of its track. If you have trouble, then the converter isn't in far enough.

 

Another thing to try, although it's easier with an empty cartridge, is to poke in a cartridge, make a mark where the collar of the writing unit comes to, and then try the converter again; a little pencil line on the side of it should show but leave nothing lasting, or mark the depth with a bit of masking tape. If the depths aren't matching, then there's something wrong with the converter; pester Pilot about it.

Edited November 21, 2014 by Ernst Bitterman

[KBeezie]

Let's make sure we're talking about the same thing, although I think we are. #3 in the picture below, right?

http://dirck.delint.ca/beta/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/pilconv1.jpg

 

I'd dismount the thing, get the ink out, then have a quick look in its mouth and down the inside of the pen to see if there's anything obstructing. If there is, it's more likely to be in the pen. If there isn't, then it is just a matter of giving it more of a shove. Put it in as firmly as you feel is right, then put the writing unit back into the body-- there's not a lot of play in the mechanism, so if the converter isn't in properly, there should be some kind of awkwardness in the deployment process because the button won't be able to get to the bottom of its travel before the writing unit gets to the bottom of its track. If you have trouble, then the converter isn't in far enough.

 

Another thing to try, although it's easier with an empty cartridge, is to poke in a cartridge, make a mark where the collar of the writing unit comes to, and then try the converter again; a little pencil line on the side of it should show but leave nothing lasting, or mark the depth with a bit of masking tape. If the depths aren't matching, then there's something wrong with the converter; pester Pilot about it.

Hrm. is #1 what happens when you twist it counter-clockwise instead of clockwise? (though if not, that's the first time I seen a threaded pilot converter.)

Edited November 21, 2014 by KBeezie

[Morphling27]

A mallet to get it into place and duct tape to make sure it stays?!

 

Or maybe the suggest above me. I don't have a con-20 for my VP yet, but the con-50 it comes with, requires a pretty good push to seat it.

[Tasmith]

I have a Con-20 in my VP. Gave it a good shove, and it seated just fine.

[Kuscer]

Yeah, #3. I will check for stuff in the pen.

[Ernst Bitterman]

Hrm. is #1 what happens when you twist it counter-clockwise instead of clockwise? (though if not, that's the first time I seen a threaded pilot converter.)

 

That's out of my (relatively) old Elite-- it works with pens rigged for the... "double spare" cartridges, I think they were called (oh, how I miss the pondering emoticon!). One doesn't see a lot of them about, certainly.

[OakIris]

I agree with what others have said - the Con 20 does indeed need a VERY firm push to get it to seat over the nipple. I recently got a couple of them for my Pilot Metropolitans. When I tried to install the first one, I was sure they had sent the wrong converter or there was something wrong with my Metropolitan - it didn't seem to fit at all, it was totally loose! After verifying that it was the correct converter and that it should fit the Metropolitan, I used some force - more than I was actually comfortable with - to really push it onto the section and it finally popped on. A very snug fit indeed!

 

Holly

Edited November 21, 2014 by OakIris

[Kuscer]

Thanks, Holly,

so you're all saying I should push with confidence?

[OakIris]

Thanks, Holly,

so you're all saying I should push with confidence?

Yes, definitely!

 

Holly

[Kuscer]

All right, I'll try. Thank you

[Lou Erickson]

I just learned this last weekend: #1 is an older Pilot converter, and it's called a CON-W. The cartridges were short, with the space to "carry a spare". Apparently Platinum's long cartridge was much more popular, so they switched to the ones we see today.

[Kuscer]

Holly, thanks so much. I flushed it out one more time, washed out the old dried ink and wiped the exterior as well as the interior of the nib part and converter, and pressed, this time the converter snapped right in. My first fill with Diamine Ancient Copper. I did a brief writing sample and it's absolutely beautiful. Thank you everyone!

 

Warm regards,

Kuscer

[OakIris]

Very glad that you have your converter installed and your pen writing, and good to read that you enjoy the way it writes. The Vanishing Point is on my wishlist. Someday...

 

Holly

[Kuscer]

Trust me, when you do buy it, you will not be disappointed