The Pelikan Level 65 fountain pen uses neither cartridge nor converter nor rubber sac. Instead, ink is stored directly in its barrel. The pen's fascination lies with the large quantity of ink which it holds in its barrel, and with the novelty of its bottle to pen filling system. There are few pens in its price range, which hold as much ink as the Pelikan Level 65.

Unfortunately, the pen is also renowned for being difficult to empty of ink, and difficult to flush with water. Even filling and using the pen is complicated. The pen sometimes requires coaxing (tapping, shaking, and centrifugal force) to get ink to travel through the barrel to the feed to the nib, and finally to paper. In its natural state, it is not an ideal beginner's pen.



1. In photo 1 above, the pens are a Pelikan M800 Souveran with a blue striped barrel; 5 Pelikan Level 65 pens, coloured black, red, white, yellow, and green; and a Pelikan Go with a green clip.



2. In photo 2 above, the flared caps are off, revealing coloured sections. The pen has a section at one end, and a rotary control at the other end. The steel nibs are fine, medium, and broad. The coloured section is the coloured outer tube. (Inside the coloured outer tube, is an inner tube which is continuous with the barrel.) The rotary controls are coloured green, yellow, white, red, and black. The section, rotary control, and flared cap are all the same colour. The control rotates about 180 degrees.

In photo 2, there is a light grey circular or triangular mark on the side of each control. Above this mark, is a light grey circular plastic prong, which sits in a circular hole in the barrel. The hole is about 1.5 mm in diameter. In each pen there is a total of two prongs, which sit in holes on opposites sides of the barrel. The prongs hold the control firmly in the barrel. One prong is light grey and easily visible, and the opposite prong is dark and usually difficult to see.



3. In photo 3 above, there is a dark prong on the control. If you decide to remove the control from the barrel, simultaneously depress both prongs firmly, grasp the control and pull it out of the end of the barrel. This procedure may need two pairs of hands to accomplish.



4. Photo 4 above, shows the Pelikan Level 65's ink bottle. The soft plastic bottle is compressible. The cap can be removed by unscrewing it. There is a valve in the cap.



5. On the right of Photo 5 above, is the top of the cap of the ink bottle. On the left are the rotary controls at the end of the yellow and the white pens. In the yellow pen, the control has been rotated anticlockwise, causing central depression. In the white pen, the control has been rotated clockwise, causing central elevation. The white pen is ready to be plugged into the top of the cap of the bottle. The yellow pen is not ready.



6. In Photo 6 above, the rotary control of the pen has been plugged into the top of the cap of the bottle. The control has disappeared inside the cap of the ink bottle. Continuous force is needed to keep the pen plugged into the cap of the ink bottle. Plugging causes opening of the valve in the top of the cap of the ink bottle, and opening of pen valve 1. The pen functions as if it has 4 valves. When the force stops, the bottle spontaneously separates from the pen, causing closure of the cap valve, and closure of pen valve 1.



7. Photo 7 above, shows the pen's components. On the left is the nib and the feed. Beside them, the red pen lies intact. Next is the yellow pen, and then the yellow rotary control. Last is the green control. The long thin stalk is attached to the rotary control. The stalk on the left looks shorter than the stalk on the right. This is because the yellow control has been rotated clockwise, but the green control has been rotated anticlockwise. Anticlockwise rotation makes the stalk move upwards, away from the green rotary control, and towards the section. If you look closely, you can see that I damaged the prongs when I depressed them. There is a black rubber ring on the control, near the junction of the control and the stalk. The ring seals the outside of the control and the inside of the barrel.

Replacing the rotary control:
To put the control back in the barrel, first find the rubber ring, and then put it on the control. Then line up the prongs on the control, with the holes in the barrel. Push the control into the barrel, and check that both prongs click back into their holes, which are on opposite side of the barrel.



8. Diagram 1 above, is a diagrammatic representation of the barrel and some of its contents. The rotary control is at the left end of the diagram, and the section is at the right end. The stalk is black, and moves lengthways in the centre of the barrel. The barrel is blue. The pen functions as if it has four valves. The valves are two way valves. Red arrows point to valves 2, 3, and 4. The blue parts of the valves are attached to the inside of the barrel. The black parts of the valves are attached to the moving stalk.

For diagram 1, the control is rotated clockwise. The stalk moves to the left. Valve 2 is open, valve 3 is closed, and valve 4 is open.
The pen is plugged into the bottle, the cap valve opens, and pen valve 1 opens. Fluid can pass from the bottle, through the cap valve, through pen valves 1 and 2, into compartment A. Fluid can pass from compartment B, through valve 4, to the section. Fluid cannot pass from compartment A to compartment B, because valve 3 is closed. Closure of valve 3 prevents continuous flow of fluid through the pen. In reality, compartment A is much larger than compartment B.



9. For diagram 2 above, the bottle is unplugged from the pen, causing closure of the cap valve, and closure of pen valve 1. Then the control is rotated anticlockwise. The stalk moves to the right. Valve 2 is closed, valve 3 is open, and valve 4 is closed. Fluid can pass from A, through valve 3, to B. Fluid cannot pass from B, through valve 4, to the section.

Hi,

I was able to get the innards out of mine without marking the dots. It was simple for me and I did it a few times. If you read my review, you will see the pros and cons of the filling system. I did not need to do much to get the ink to the feed, I just let it sit there.

Take care,

Dillon

Hi,

This should help supplement all the information about the Level that we have here.

Nice!

Dillon

Hi,

Use a rubber piece to press the dots, that will help you get them out without damaging them. I press them in one at a time.

Dillon

Hello Dillon,

Last time I used metal to remove the control, and I damaged the plastic prongs. I only remove the control once on each pen.

(I edited this post to remove the wooden toothpicks idea.)

Like many others before me, I realised that valves 3 and 4 were detrimental. I suspect that the pen would have been more widely accepted if Pelikan had omitted valves 3 and 4. Some time ago, I had an original thought which led me to cut the stalk.



The photograph above shows a yellow rotary control attached to an intact stalk. Next to it, is a green rotary control and a deliberately severed stalk. After I cut the stalk, I put the control back into the barrel, but I left the severed stalk out of the barrel permanently.

Severing the stalk causes permanent opening of pen valves 3 and 4. It allows continous flow of air, water, or ink through the pen. It makes flushing with water, emptying, and filling with ink, much easier than before. It causes increased flow of ink during writing.

To operate the modified pen, I use two Pelikan Level 65 ink bottles.

Flushing is easy. This is done over the sink. Fill one Pelikan Level 65 bottle completely with water. Screw the cap back on the bottle. Rotate the pen's control clockwise. Plug the pen into the cap of the bottle. Hold the bottle below the pen. Give the bottle a single gradual big squeeze. Water rises inside the pen and eventually emerges from the nib and the feed.

Emptying is easy. This is done over the sink. Pour the water out of the bottle, and replace its cap. Rotate the pen's control clockwise. Plug the pen into the cap. Hold the bottle above the pen this time. Give the bottle a gradual big squeeze. Air moves down inside the pen and eventually emerges from the nib and the feed.

Filling is easy, provided both flushing with water, and emptying, have been mastered first. Go to the sink. Fill one bottle completely with ink. Screw the cap back on the bottle. Rotate the pen's control clockwise. Plug the pen into the cap of the bottle. Hold the bottle below the pen this time. Give the bottle a single gradual big squeeze. Watch the fluid level rise steadily inside the barrel. Stop squeezing before ink trickles out of the nib and the feed. Disconnect the bottle from the pen. Hold the pen vertically with the nib down. Wait for a while to allow a few drops of ink to drip from the nib into the sink.

Hi,

It can make the pen a bit messier though and removes its airplane safe capability.

Dillon

It's largely a question of personal preference. I'd rather own a pen that writes well at sea level but leaks on a plane, than a pen which neither writes at sea level nor leaks on a plane. I'm unlikely to go on a plane in the foreseeable future.

Hi,

It is personal preference.

Dillon

Pelikan's instructions are more likely to cause problems than my instructions. For example, my instructions are to begin by flushing the pen with water at the sink. If spillage occurs, it is only water that is spilt. It will be spilt in the sink, not on the carpet.

Pelikan's suggestion is to begin by filling the pen with ink. Pelikan does not suggest filling the pen at the sink. Pelikan does not mention the possibility of spillage occurring during filling. If anything goes wrong at the first attempt, it is ink that will be spilt, not water. Pelikan does not even mention that the cap of the unusual ink bottle can be unscrewed.

Thanks for the info, Blorgy! You've explained how to use the Level 65 very well indeed!

Hi,

This is pretty much what I don't want to happen to my pen. If you want to do what he is talking about without destroying anything, just remove the washer and white plug on the valve stem.

Dillon

Hello Maja,

Thank you for your kind words of appreciation. I enjoy reading your messages too. I often click on your messages, when I spot your name.

Hi,

This is why they put several valves: Lets say, you had an eyedropper with a hole in the back of the barrel. You fill it up with ink. Then ink will trickle out the nib end. The Level is essentially the same. There are good seals in the knob, but apparently not as good as the seals on the control head. When the knob is in dot above dot position, The second reservoir is open to the nib and the main reservoir is closed to the nib. This provides a completely sealed ink chamber to the feed and will prevent leakage even if the seal on the knob are not working as they should. (The ink will stay in there because of surface tension). With their approach, I can fill my pen safetly at my desk even when it is mostly full because there are no worries of ink coming out of the feed. When you turn the knob, it shuts the bottom of the secondary reservoir and opens the valve to the main reservoir.

As you see, the stem is operated by a screw, and the rubber with the hole does not open or close.

And yes, I completely took my Level apart the day I got it to clean out all the ink inside and to find out how it worked.

Take Care.

Dillon

Hi,

A diagram of the bottle.

Dillon

Hello Dillon,

I understand that many Pelikan Level 65 users would neither wish to alter their pens, nor would not want to increase the rate of flow of ink. In addition, cutting the stalk would not cure problems which are caused by abnormalities elsewhere in the pen, such as the nib or the feed. I also know that experts who repair pens, have been understandably disappointed with the Pelikan Level. Richard summed it up recently when he wrote "Why". The first step in solving problems, is to acknowledge their existence.

Some people are interested in learning new techniques of filling pens, and others are not. One advantage of the 65 is that it needs filling much less often than most fountain pens. The inconvenience of the filling process is partially offset by the long intervals between each fill.

Some time ago, I considered removing the tiny black rubber washer which seals valve 3, and the rubber plug which seals valve 4. Removing these rubber components would have the advantage of reversibility. At the time, I dismissed the idea, rightly or wrongly, because I thought that the remaining plastic stalk would probably still cause unnecessary obstruction to the flow of ink in one direction, and to the flow of air in the opposite direction. So far, I have only tried cutting and removing the stalk.

On the photo above, there are two stalks. The white lines are just reflections of the light from my camera. On the lower left, is a slightly smudged, wobbly arrow which points to a black rubber ring, which sits in a circumferential groove, on the outside of the stalk. The rubber ring seals valve 3. On the right of the photo, is another stalk. Its rubber ring has been removed, exposing the underlying groove in the plastic. At the top left of the photo, is the rubber ring. At the top of each stalk is a pale solid rubber cylinder, which sits partially inside a hollow black plastic cylinder. The cylinders are mobile. Below them is a metal spiral spring, which is compressed when the solid rubber and hollow plastic cylinders move downwards. The pale solid rubber cylinder seals valve 4.

Today, I took a new Pelikan Level 65 pen, pulled out the rotary control, and slid the black rubber ring off the stalk. I reassembled the pen, without the rubber ring. I attached a Level 65 bottle of water, squeezed it, and discovered that I could easily produce a continuous flow of water through the pen. Then I attached a bottle full of air, squeezed it, and produced a continuous flow of air through the pen.

I dismantled the pen again, and I put the black rubber ring back in its groove, on the stalk. I attached a bottle of water, and squeezed it again. This time, there was no flow through the pen.

Continuous positive pressure produced a continuous flow of water or air, through the Pelikan Level 65 pen, after the small black rubber ring had been removed from its annular groove on the stalk. (This ring was not the larger rubber ring, which sealed the outside of the control, and the inside of the barrel).

Thanks for the kind words, Blorgy This Pelikan Level fountain pen discussion is fascinating! Both you and Dillon seem to be quite mechanically-gifted whereas when I first saw the diagrams, I thought "Ok, what kind of science degree do I need to understand how this pen works???"

well, the level design as so you dont get ink on ur fingers, when u turn the knob, u seal of the lower chamber. the way i see it:

the knob is ur convertor, and the writing tank is the part of comfertpr holding the ink.
the main tank is ur ink bottle, u fill the "convetor ink tank" from your "bottle"

so every so often as you use the level, u turn the knob to refil that convertor

Hi,

Mike, I am not sure I understand what you mean. Just a kind tip, spell clearly and use punctuation so that we can understand you here.

Dillon

Should the diagrams be preceded by a diagram of a single closed valve, and a diagram of a single open valve ? If possible, I should like to make the valve diagrams less daunting, and more appealing. Do you have any suggestions for their improvement ?

No, no, Blorgy...the diagrams are elegant and well-drawn. It was just my initial reaction because the pen has such an unusual filling system

Thanks again for the pics!
~Maja

Hi,

I found that the stem snaps out of the knob, so just pull it out and you are done.

Dillon

Hello Dillon,

I should have mentioned sooner, that after I severed the stalk of my Pelikan Level 65, my pen stayed on my desk. I don't carry the modified pen around with me.

I wonder if pulling out the stalk would weaken pen valves 1 and 2 ?
I suspect that cutting the stalk is less likely to damage valves 1 and 2.

Hi,

The valve is necessary to protect the pen from thermal expansion.

Your hand will cause the air in the reservoir to expand and the pen will blot.

Dillon

If my Pelikan Level 65 pen had the problems you describe, I think I would heat reset my pen's feed.

Hi,

It does not quite seem that you understand what I am getting at here.

Air and ink expand when it is heated (by heat from your hands). That expansion will cause the ink to blot or run too freely when the pen is near empty.

For eyedropper pens, this is taken care of by this ink shut off valve.

This is also the reason not to use too big a sac in lever-filling pens.

Dillon

I understand PV/T is constant.
I have not heat reset my Pelikan Level 65 pen's feed, because my pen does not have the problems which you describe. When I write with my pen, it neither drips nor blots.

Hi,

Why would you need to heat reset the feed? Heat resetting does nothing IMO with what I am talking about. Regardless of how you heat rest the feed, it is very likely that it will do what I am describing if the pen is near empty.

Actually I am curious, what do you mean by heat resetting the feed?

Dillon

In his book "Fountain Pens, The Complete Guide To Repair & Restoration", the late Frank Dubiel described the use of heat to set the feed. In my copy of Da Book, the "Feeds" chapter is pages 29 to 32 inclusive.

http://www.pendemonium.com/books.htm#dabook

On my 4.5 oz. eyedropper bottle of Noodlers black ink, Nathan (eternally noodling, scaupaug) wrote "Eyedropper pens should be refilled when two thirds empty, as more than two thirds air can cause expansion/excess flow from the heat of your hand."

Hi,

That is what I do, but it is unrelated to what we are talking about here. In instructions of pens that held 4 ML of ink, they used to say, "refill when the ink runs freely."

Dillon

Hi,

Exactly!

Removing the valve will make the pen act like an eyedropper.

The valve makes the pen work like it is using a pile of ink cartridges in succession. When the little tank is done, you have spent the first cartridge and you load another one. If the air in the small tank expands, the feed can hold all of the extra ink, and the pen will not run as freely. The air expansion in the small tank is not enough to cause havoc. In the big tank, when the air expands, the big tank will retain the pressure and the pen will not leak since the valves on both ends are there and close it off.

Dillon

Hi Dillon,

Did you cut the stalk of a Pelikan Level 65 pen, remove valves 3 and 4, fill the pen with ink, and then write with the pen ? If your answer is no, then our discussion is somewhat impaired, because we lack a common frame of reference.

Hi Dillon,
It does not quite seem that you understand the late Frank Dubiel's chapter on "Feeds".

Accidental double posting....

Hiya, I am a pen building genius... so there.

Yeah I have been wrapped ever since I bought 4 X Pelikan Level 65's. I have a few of the cartridge pens over the years and the pissingly small catridges at like $$$ for a couple, that overall held no more ink than a thimble, was just pure theft.

So I got into modifying the cartidge pens, by removing the cartridges and filling the bodies with ink, and then sealing the threads / joint with vaseline.

The modifications worked well enough, but the problems of the ever increasing internal volumes of air, and the ever greater expansion of that air whenever the cool pen was picked up with a warm hand... resulting in an ever increasingly blotchy writing - much akin to a Ralph Steadman drawing, well after much haggling and fighing with a shop, I picked up 4 of the Peliken 65's at about $10 Au each.

I have tried lots of pens from the super luxuary models to the dirt cheap ones, and the surprising thing that I have found is that the cheapest and (ink)tiest ones ever made, were usually the nicest, lightest and best to use.

However, the whole issue of cartidge pens... well if your into serious amounts of writing, and want an excellent pen - then the cartridge pens are a scam, much like the injet printers - that sell the super cheap printers, and then make their profits from selling "genuine cartidges" at $50 each.

So in this respect when all things were considered, the Level 65 was the singularly most oustanding pen I have ever used, both in terms of "feel" and the pure quantitiy of ink stored in the 2 chamber reserviour system.

If both chambers are tactfully topped up, that is a real lot of ink that does a real lot of writing.

And it's that cleverly designed 2 chamber system that anables a BIG reserviour to top up a smaller writing reserviour, and the smaller writing reserviour is of the proportions and with it's feeder of ink to the nib and air to the chamber, that allows it to not be affected by the heating and cooling of the pen - and so it never ejaculates all over your page.

It's a great pen, it stores LOTS of ink and although over priced in the retail sector, the filling system is a brilliant design...

I can fill it up, go away on a trip , writing like the blazes and still have ink left....

That's what I want.



I do feel that their asking price is way too high tho, but aside from this, it's my personal preference and I recomend it to anyone who wants to buy an excellent pen.

Hi,

You got exactly what I was talking about. You also nailed on the head why I like the Level.

I agree, the prices are too high. I am an authourised Pelikan dealer, so I prefer to cut down the retail prices when I sell them.

And oh, I am a pen dealer and pen repairer, so I have my little...

Dillon