[I started this thread on the "Pen History" forum, but it seems that the Amateur saw it fit to move the thread over to "Repair Q&A" for a while, thus ruining my 100% posting rate in this forum, which I prided myself in keeping. I view this thread as being about the etymology of the term, and in that sense it is about pen history, rather than pen repair. I teased and cajoled the administrator into moving this thread back to "Pen History", thus restoring my 100% posting rate here, for which I thank him. -G.K., 23 Feb 2005]

The Craig Conversion.

Over on the Zoss List they're coining new terms. They're talking about the 'Craig Conversion', a term coined by Paul Lloyd. Wander over there for a full explanation, but it concerns Glenn Craig's and Keith Hallgren's method of converting a cartridge pen into a sac-filler. What follows is a message I cross-posted on Zoss.
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I believe! I believe!

Well, I tried the Craig conversion on my Parker Centennial Duofold, and now I, too, am a believer! The pen is a super-wet writer, now.

Glenn "Lourdman" Craig may not have invented this method, but he certainly popularized it. He was one of the pioneers who championed this method, and he deserves the eponym, that is, to have the method named after him. The eponymous Craig conversion! It definitely qualifies him as a journeyman pensmith. :~) I think Keith (with a capital "K") Hallgren, another pensmith in neighboring Alberta, also pioneered the method. Maybe it's a frugal Canadian kind of thing. In other words, a cheapskate kind of thing. (It also might help to be a preacher.) ;~)

What was that Lourdman Repair Tip #1 again? "Never Throw Anything Away", the Lourdman said. Never throw away your spent cartridges, because someday you'll want to try the Craig conversion. And then you, too, may be a pensmith as well, someday.

Take care,

George.

:ph34r:

Now, they've coined a new term. Glenn is calling it the "Squeezac Filler". ^_^

George.

:ph34r:

Wow... I'm a pensmith.

I never thought that doing this was anything but a practical way to turn a cart filler into a bottle feeder and cannot even remember whether the idea was my own or whether I picked it up along the way somewhere.

Wait until they see how I figured out how to make replacement pellet pockets for Vacumatics.

I moved beyond this conversion a while back as any modern pen I can convert into an ed filler will be just that rather than make a "Squeezac" self filler.

They're still pretty cool and an excellent solution for those of us who hate buying carts and add to that the improved performance one gets and the modification is a winner.

Anyone with such a well-supplied work bench as this is obviously a pensmith.

http://members.shaw.ca/feynn/FPN/bench1.jpg

I didn't say whether you were an apprentice pensmith, or a journeyman pensmith, though. And only you will know when you have become a master pensmith. You won't need anyone to tell you that.

George.

:ph34r:

I'll always be an amateur in that I do this for the love I have of these old writing tools and the joy they can bring people.

Now they're calling it the "Squeezac" convertor over on Zoss.

Take a look at this message by an "amateur" over on Pentrace, before it disappears into their so-called archive.

http://members2.boardhost.com/pentrace/msg/394603.html, [hyperlink dead]

Hope the amateur cross-posts it here for the FPN archive.

George.

:ph34r:

George,

I posted a "how to" on this procedure here under the, "OK Keith, How Do we Make a Squeezac Filler" thread but thought I'd share it with those Pentracers as well.

Squeezac How To (FPN)

Cheers!

Take a look at this message by an "amateur" over on Pentrace, before it disappears into their so-called archive.

I checked... it's gone.

It's a good thing FPN doesn't work in this fashion so if you want to see post #1 or post #10,000 you should be able to find it.