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Converter Pens


Ian the Jock

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Please excuse my naivety. :blush:

I have re-filled a couple of my pens a few times now, and my question is this.

Should you take the converter out of the pen and refill the converter from the bottle, or should you "dook" your pen into the bottle and fill without taking the converter out of the pen.

The reason I ask is, that, I've been removing the converter and filling the converter as I didn't fancy dipping my new pens into a bottle of ink, as I would assume that to do it correctly you'd need the pen to be in the bottle enough to at least cover the entire nib section (which means half of the grip section as well), however, It also crossed my mind that continually remove the converter would probably loosen the "fit" over time, which would then require a new converter.

 

So

Which is correct?

 

again, excuse my ignorance if the answer is glaringly obvious.

 

Ian

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Should you immerse the nib and fill that way or remove the converter and treat it like a cartridge?

 

The short answer is: yes.

 

The long answer is: use the first method when you have plenty of ink in your bottle. When you are running low (and immersing the nib becomes tricky) use the second method. Best of both worlds.

 

Don't forget to let a few drops of ink out after filling when using the first method. The act of re-tightening the converter afterwards sucks up all the excess ink in the nib and feed/

 

HTH,

 

Martin

The Writing Desk

Fountain Pen Specialists since 2000

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Cool

I was just concerned that regularly removing and replacing the converter would cause damage of some sort, either to the converter, or the pen unit over time.

Thanks

Ian

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Cool

I was just concerned that regularly removing and replacing the converter would cause damage of some sort, either to the converter, or the pen unit over time.

Thanks

Ian

I have heard it can cause the wear on the converter you're worried about. I haven't heard anyone having trouble with the pen.

 

Converters are cheap. If it gets loose, you'll realize what the cause was and replace it.

 

I haven't ever filled the converter from a bottle, but I do remove them to clean the pen with a bulb syringe. Haven't had any trouble.

--

Lou Erickson - Handwritten Blog Posts

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Dunk the nib.

 

That being said, it is going to take a lot of removal/fills to see appreciable wear. My Al Star which I bought in the late 90's still has original converter. Until Dec. 2012 it was one of only two pens I owned. Got a lot of use, but could have gotten more. (I didn't use them as much as I do now)

YMMV.

Brad

"Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind" - Rudyard Kipling
"None of us can have as many virtues as the fountain-pen, or half its cussedness; but we can try." - Mark Twain

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CONVERTER

This device "converts" cartridge fountain pen into a "self-filler" fountain pen.

Just give the nib/section a quick wipe with the dry half paper towel, then a quick

wipe with the damp half of the paper towel.

 

Which fountain pen do you use ? Just for fun, check out the TWSBI pen and dedicated

bottle filling system.

 

If you insist on filling the converter separately, inject with a syringe, rather than dipping the converter

It's much cleaner.

 

Personally, I enjoy the ritual of filling my fountain pen.

Auf freiem Grund mit freiem Volke stehn.
Zum Augenblicke dürft ich sagen:
Verweile doch, du bist so schön !

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Thanks for all advice folks, it's most helpful.

The pens I'm using are a baoer, a jinhao, a manuscript master and an unknown johnny which has a cartridge in it for the time being.

The chinese converters seem fairly flimsy and I've read that the fitting can occasionaly be a bit "ropey" so I think I'll go down the dip and wipe route, after all a bit of ink on the nib won't do any harm.

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I like filling C/C pens through the nibs for the added cleaning effect. At least that's what we've been taught as kids. Although back then converters just started to make their appearance and we mostly had Piston fillers, but we were always told to flush out the pens with ink every evening when packing our backpacks for next day, to keep the feed clean.

 

-k

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What's it called??...Cumbernauld!

 

Sorry...couldn't resist.

 

Dook the nib big man. Much easier than continually unscrewing the section and removing the converter.

 

David

For so long as one hundred men remain alive,we shall never under any conditions submit to the

domination of the English. It is not for glory or riches or honours that we fight, but only for liberty, which

no good man will consent to lose but with his life.

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Thanks for all advice folks, it's most helpful.

The pens I'm using are a baoer, a jinhao, a manuscript master and an unknown johnny which has a cartridge in it for the time being.

The chinese converters seem fairly flimsy and I've read that the fitting can occasionaly be a bit "ropey" so I think I'll go down the dip and wipe route, after all a bit of ink on the nib won't do any harm.

 

The ultra-cheap converters in the Jinhaos I've got are the only ones I've had trouble with. A good replacement is as much as the pen.

--

Lou Erickson - Handwritten Blog Posts

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I'm of the frame of mind that no matter how careful you are, inevitably you are going to jiggle the converter so that it is re-installed at an angle thus compromising the integrity of the nipple even if it straightens itself out.

Dunking the whole nib and drawing the ink in and out a couple of times helps to flush out the nib with the flow reversal and preserves the integrity of the converter. I don't think $10-$15 is cheap for converters plus having the hassle (how's that for a 60s word) of going to a B&M to get one

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Wow this is exactly what I've been concerned about since I started using pens. I think it's quite messy to dip the entire nib in; it's similar to dipping your finger in ink, in a way; just look how much is absorbed on the towel when the nib AND grip is submerged in the volatile liquid.

 

For the first two times I filled a CON70, I would take it out and fill it (full bottle of Iroshizuku, lucky me) converter-only. This became quite a rigmarole, so the recent fill, I dipped the nib.

 

But dipping the nib, it wastes quite a bit of ink; if you've ever studied chemistry, when taking precise stoichiometric measurements, you can't touch the crucible because the oils from your hands add mass to it. Very very tiny amounts add up. But maybe I'm being wayyyyy too frugal.

 

Hey, now I will actually start dipping the nib maybe; it'll help me get through my seemingly everlasting bottles :P!

Sorry for the long post thanks for reading :D

But.......! I use a different ink for every fill. Different shades of blue. So this poses a whole new concern which I'll post a thread about and hopefully receive insight.

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Dipping the feed and a just a bit of the section, don't have to dip half way, makes sure the feed if full of ink, so you don't waste the small amount of ink in the converter...and time fiddling around refilling the feed.

Dip, wipe, screw the pen together and write.

 

Time wise, beats wiping the converter, inserting it, letting out ink, then screwing the pen together.

And there is less wear on the converter lip....one has to save money for the 'wasted' wiped up ink.

 

Get a needle syringe for the last few drops of ink, when with out warning, that ink bottle goes empty. Can fill the converter with out wiping it down.....do have to wash the syringe out. Sigh.

 

Still beats the click and go of a ball point...I understand the Ball Point Com, has now, six members.

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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Dipping the feed and a just a bit of the section, don't have to dip half way, makes sure the feed if full of ink, so you don't waste the small amount of ink in the converter...and time fiddling around refilling the feed.

Dip, wipe, screw the pen together and write.

 

Time wise, beats wiping the converter, inserting it, letting out ink, then screwing the pen together.

And there is less wear on the converter lip....one has to save money for the 'wasted' wiped up ink.

 

Get a needle syringe for the last few drops of ink, when with out warning, that ink bottle goes empty. Can fill the converter with out wiping it down.....do have to wash the syringe out. Sigh.

 

Still beats the click and go of a ball point...I understand the Ball Point Com, has now, six members.

 

Hahahaha

Ballpoints pfff, I was a rollerball man before seeing the light, 2 new ones of which I bought 2 weeks before I discovered "proper writing instruments" and they have been confined to their boxes since my first FPs arrived. Shame too, they are gorgeous pens, although Missus The Jock has an FP version of one of them locked away for crimbo. Can't wait. and anyway, if it wasn't for those rollerballs I would never have discovered fpn, which I found while looking for info on them.

 

Back to the filling business, like you Sasha Royale, I too enjoy the filling up part, and I don't really care about a wee bit of extra ink being used in the process as I will soon have more ink than I know what to do with anyway.

I take it that I would just use the same process when flushing then.

I changed one of my pens the other day from black to blue, but I stripped it down and filled the converter with water, put it back in the pen and flushed the pen, took the converter out, filled with water, put it back in etc. etc.

I did this many times until all ran clear, then reassembled the pen and "dooked" the end of the pen in clean water and repeated the "sook then flush" process to make sure there was no sign of any old ink.

It would appear that I gave myself a bit more work than I really had to, but hey, We live and learn....It will be sook and flush, for me from now on.

 

Ian

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I'm also a beliver in dipping the nib for a converter fill. Even expensive ink goes far enough that the waste is not a giant concern. And like others, I recommend that when you fill from the bottle, you run a few drops back out of the pen as the final step -- it keeps down the spatter within the cap.

However, I do not believe in wiping the nib with paper tissue of any sort. My Dad did that to his "51", and after some 20 years of constant use, the end of the hood looks like it's been sanded. I have a couple of 100% cotton bits of rag that I use.

 

edit: Ian the Jock, I have a bulb syringe I use to force-flush c/c nib-section units. A lot faster and more powerful than the converter.

Edited by Arkanabar
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edit: Ian the Jock, I have a bulb syringe I use to force-flush c/c nib-section units. A lot faster and more powerful than the converter.

 

Need to get me one of those then.

Thanks Arkanabar

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What's it called??...Cumbernauld!

 

Sorry...couldn't resist.

 

Dook the nib big man. Much easier than continually unscrewing the section and removing the converter.

 

David

Hi David

We say

"What's it called?"..."numb n *****n' cauld"

My friends and I actually started the whats it called carry on back in the eighties, while promoting the first ever Cumbernauld half marathon, but that's a story for another day, especially since I tried to do it in a full Orinoco womble suit.

 

Nowadays it would be a marathon just getting the suit on... :lol: :lol:

Good to hear from you David...Dook the nib I shall.

Cheers

Ian

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Good point Martin made about getting to the bottom of the bottle. I like Aurora black but it surely must be the most stupid design of a bottle. I am getting a little low now and it is an issue.

 

Cheers

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Hi David

We say

"What's it called?"..."numb n *****n' cauld"

My friends and I actually started the whats it called carry on back in the eighties, while promoting the first ever Cumbernauld half marathon, but that's a story for another day, especially since I tried to do it in a full Orinoco womble suit.

 

Nowadays it would be a marathon just getting the suit on... :lol: :lol:

Good to hear from you David...Dook the nib I shall.

Cheers

Ian

Hey Ian,

I just remembered that phrase from years ago and worked with a guy from Cumbernauld when I still lived in the Hameland. We did a job in the area and I totally agree with you...numb and effen cauld...indeed.

Never regretted leaving Scotland and relocating to sunny SoCal!

 

Cheers neebs

 

David

For so long as one hundred men remain alive,we shall never under any conditions submit to the

domination of the English. It is not for glory or riches or honours that we fight, but only for liberty, which

no good man will consent to lose but with his life.

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