Hi Everyone...
So that i can play around with different colors, i have just started using a converter for my Sailor Superscript. Having never used a converter i made sure i followed the directions exactly (insert converter into nib section, turn knob so that plunger is down near the nib, put nib into ink, and turn knob slowly clockwise to draw up the ink). However, very little ink actually draws up into the converter. I have found that drawing the ink up into the converter, first, and then inserting it into the nib section works much better.

Has anyone else experienced this problem with the 'directions' method?
And, is there any reason why i shouldn't be doing it 'my way'?

~Jasper

I've not tried your way (sounds potentially messy) but I often find with converters that turning clockwise once isn't enough - to get much ink into the converter I usually have to repeat the process a few times (i.e., clockwise all the way, then anti-clockwise all the way, etc., with the nib submerged throughout; think of it as an rather awkward way of pumping).

Simon

Jasper:

I have also had a similar problem using my converter with the Platinum pen I own, as well as some other pens (Cross Solo). These are all Japanese made pens. The converters seem to be smaller than, say, the Waterman converter. Consequently, I have to keep the nib in the ink, and draw ink into the converter, then expel the ink, and draw it back in a second time for a more complete filling. However, if you purchase a box of Sailor cartridges, they are very easy to refill later on. You may want to use the cartridges, as they seem to last longer.

Best regards,
Jerry

I agree with Simon. I have found that I must sometimes empty and refill a converter three or four times to get it full.

There is nothing wrong with the way you are filling the converter by putting it directly into the ink. Removing a converter frequently from the section is supposed to wear the seal on the converter over time. But I remove my converters frequently when cleaning my pens and I have had only two or three converters actually wear over a couple of decades.

Here's what I do: leave the converter in the nib/section, twist the converter knob until the piston is all the way down, immerse it completely in the ink, turn it a time or two until you see some ink come up, turn it and empty it all the way, and now fill it completely full. I find that the intermediate partial feeling primes the feed and converter and allows everything to fill up better.

I have just got a Sailor Professional Gear and read the instructions which shows how to draw up the ink via the nib. However up until now I have always just filled the converter and used it like a cartridge. I don't see anything wrong with this....... and I'm going to continue the same way unless someone tells me otherwise.....
scratchy

Just checking: you are immersing the nib so that the level of the ink is above the bottom of the section, right?

QFT. Many pens require this and if either the ink level in the bottle is not adequate or you do not like getting the section 'inky' then what you are facing would happen.

This is an interesting idea, I will have to try it next time and see - I hate getting the section 'inky'.

I'm a bit confused why one is supposed to refill the converter via the nib section...

It primes the feed and the nib so they are wetted with ink and ready to write..
If you just fill a converter and put it in the section, the ink in the converter then has to travel down the feed and nib before the pen can write..
Converters are meant to be filled while connected to the section of the pen....

Ah okay! I think how I got started with just filling the converter because of changing ink colours and wanting to keep the ink in the bottle clean. So maybe i'm being lazy by not cleaning the nib properly as it seems to take forever
scratchy

scratchy wrote:

" ... So maybe i'm being lazy by not cleaning the nib properly as it seems to take forever."

Well, one way to look at it is that this issue enforces proper maintenance - you have to clean the nib and ink feed.

If you are just trying an ink to see if you like it, then filling the converter directly from the ink bottle can be a benefit. It will take a certain amount of ink to prime the nib, which lessens the amount of ink in the converter. I use this technique when I am testing an ink. I flush the ink feed, fill the converter from the bottle, replace the converter into the section and twist the knob to put some ink into the ink feed. Then I recap the pen and let it stand nib down for several minutes to get the nib/feed primed. I then have enough ink to try it. If I want to use that ink, I refill the converter the usual way by immersing the nib in the ink bottle to ensure a full charge of ink.

I hope this blather helps a little.

Thanks for your much appreciated advice......I am still a newbie with FPs for not knowing these things. How often should I be cleaning the nib/feed and is it with some washing up liquid

I've never tried using washing up liquid, but many posters have said that you shouldn't.

Simply using warm, not hot, water when you change inks should be enough for a pen that is used regularly.

Fill and empty the pen with the warm water several times until it comes out clean is normally sufficient. Then, carefully, very carefully, wrap the nib in tissue paper and shake dry vigorously like shaking a thermometer. If you are worried about letting go of the pen, then do the shaking over a towel on a bed, or over a soft/squidgy spouse, etc.

If the pen has dried out, do the initial flushing, then leave the nib and bottom of the section soaking in water overnight, then flush again.
If that doesn't completely clean it, then repeat the above using a 1/10th solution of household ammonia in water. Flush completely with warm water after.