I have bottles of Diamine and Herbin where the bottles are flat and wide not narrow like Noodlers. I have problems filling pens because the bottle is now half empty and there is not enough ink to put the whole nib in.

How do you fill up your pen now? Do I have to put the ink in a different bottle. What is the easiest solution?

Old Visconti or Montblanc bottles work well.

For my favorite ink (Noodler's Legal Lapis), I use a Stipla Netto.

I have a small, polythene 15ml medicine measure...I just decant some ink into it, fil and pour the remainder back and wipe with a tissue.

It has a sharpish edge, so pours well, even into Diamine 30mlwith narrow necks, and I only lose a few drops.

It's also useful if you wish to try mixing and trying a small quantity, AND you can easily see that the nib and section are just submerged, something not so easy in bottles, I've found, except when they are full.
It's just deep enough if you keep the pen at a bit of an angle.

If you have a syringe, you could fill converters and eyedroppers that way (simply dip the nib into the bottle while tilting it a bit to get the pen going). The Write Fill Kit can be purchased from Pear Tree Pens. You may also be able to find syringes at a local pharmacy. (I obtained syringes from my local vet.)

For other filling systems (like pistons, lever-fillers, vacumatics, aerometrics, and so forth), it's a bit trickier of course, but it can be done. It'll require both hands: one hand tilts the bottle and keeps it steady, while the other hand fills.

Examples: For pistons, hold the barrel close to the end, then rotate the piston mechanism with one's thumb (the movement similar to opening a water bottle, one handed). For levers, use one's thumb to flick the lever up and down. Aerometrics and vacumatics are relatively easy to fill one handed.

It'll take practice, but it's hardly unnerving. However, for the first couple of times, you may want to hold and angle the bottle against something that is steady, but allows a bit of give (like wet paper towels). With some practice, it becomes second nature. Hope that helps.

There's also the Visconti Traveling ink pot, which can be useful.

I think some folks have talked about getting clay or some other solid but moldable substance so the bottle can be safely and securely tilted at an angle without use of any hands for steadying, leaving both hands for filling.

I guess I just have to be very good with my hands or have someone hold the bottle for me

I bought a package of these from my local grocery store http://www.amazon.com/GladWare-Bowl-Contai...2216&sr=8-2

and put one wherever I fill pens. When filling, I put the ink bottle inside the container so that, if it gets knocked over, the spill is contained. Furthermore, the side of the container gives me something to lean the pen against when the bottle gets empty.

I use Dillo's vials.

I got a hundred cheap droppers from a supply company. I'll include one in the package whenever I do an Ink Trade, if you like. It is trivial to fill the converter directly with that.

Aaah, what the heck. Couple of ruined tablecloths, couple of destroyed keyboards, couple of new shirts and you're a master of it