Parker Converters Are The Worst

[shamankl]

I have tried the sliding converters and they leak after a week, moving up I use the piston converters to find them with not enough pressure and bad walls that get ink stuck.For me the only solution in using these terrible piston converters is to twist the top a little every half a page. I have heard that Aurora converters work as well and wondered if anyone has tried them and solved my problems. Thanks ahead of time!

 

 

Alas alas, I had to twist the top a little every half a page too, to get ink flowing, in my Parker Duofold Cent converter (2002 Lapis model)....

It became sooo frustrating that I stopped using my Duofold altogether.... Really a shame, 'cause I liked the pen so much.... did not know that this was a general problem with Parker converters....

 

It's not.

 

how can it not be if about half the people in this topic say they had this problem; i think u just got lucky

 

i even tried that idiotic piston on my vector and u guys can guess hat happened; i had to twist it down in half a page

 

i dint have to do that with a cartridge does anyone know if those aurora converter fits i really want to buy one

[richardandtracy]

Alas alas, I had to twist the top a little every half a page too, to get ink flowing, in my Parker Duofold Cent converter (2002 Lapis model)....

...

 

Does your nib have a Duofold Arrow with a banner through it saying 'Duofold'? If so, the problem is probably the feed and not the c/c. Parker got the material wrong and the feed doesn't seem to flow as well as it should on those pens.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

[Joshua J.]

I had a leaky Platinum converter recently, and it was leaking from the metal band, not the seal (maybe it's cracked?). Anyway, I stuck a insulin syringe on there and it works great. (You have to shape the opening to fit the pen and shorten it, mine holds half a CC.)

 

Considering that syringes cost next to nothing, I don't think I'll be getting too many more converters from now on.

[shamankl]

Alas alas, I had to twist the top a little every half a page too, to get ink flowing, in my Parker Duofold Cent converter (2002 Lapis model)....

...

 

Does your nib have a Duofold Arrow with a banner through it saying 'Duofold'? If so, the problem is probably the feed and not the c/c. Parker got the material wrong and the feed doesn't seem to flow as well as it should on those pens.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

 

mine is a sonnet, luckiy i dint buy a duofold i loved how the pen looked like my pelikan

 

im was thinking it was a steel nib problem but seeing that ur duo had this problem im thinking to try cartridges to verify if it is my converter or as u say that the material at one point was wrong

Edited September 5, 2011 by shamankl

[shamankl]

I had a leaky Platinum converter recently, and it was leaking from the metal band, not the seal (maybe it's cracked?). Anyway, I stuck a insulin syringe on there and it works great. (You have to shape the opening to fit the pen and shorten it, mine holds half a CC.)

 

Considering that syringes cost next to nothing, I don't think I'll be getting too many more converters from now on.

 

thats how im planing to use my sonnet in its next test except with cartridges and syringes

[79spitfire]

Are you sure it's the converter? All the Parker converters I have work as expected. If I remember correctly, the Sonnet has feed/nib issues. Send it to Parker or a Nibmister and ask them to fix it!

[shamankl]

Are you sure it's the converter? All the Parker converters I have work as expected. If I remember correctly, the Sonnet has feed/nib issues. Send it to Parker or a Nibmister and ask them to fix it!

 

thanks for the reply i going to test cartridges first and if it fails forget the nibster i going back to my usual parker dealer pen seller from france and getting a gold nib the nib is badly made from what i can see anyways

[jar]

Are you sure it's the converter? All the Parker converters I have work as expected. If I remember correctly, the Sonnet has feed/nib issues. Send it to Parker or a Nibmister and ask them to fix it!

 

thanks for the reply i going to test cartridges first and if it fails forget the nibster i going back to my usual parker dealer pen seller from france and getting a gold nib the nib is badly made from what i can see anyways

 

Just changing to a Gold nib is unlikely to solve the problem if it is a feed or manufacture issue.

[WriterJP]

I agree. The converter that came with my Premier Black Edition leaked all of the ink into the pen body after a single week of use. This was the beginning of my findings out that the Premier Black also is built with a defective clip.

[shamankl]

alright ill buy it then send it to nib meister thank, lucky its only my back up pen

 

thank god pelikans don't have problems

[Korybas]

Alas alas, I had to twist the top a little every half a page too, to get ink flowing, in my Parker Duofold Cent converter (2002 Lapis model)....

...

 

Does your nib have a Duofold Arrow with a banner through it saying 'Duofold'? If so, the problem is probably the feed and not the c/c. Parker got the material wrong and the feed doesn't seem to flow as well as it should on those pens.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

 

 

Yes Richard, this is indeed the nib my Duofold has... The thing is that I sent my pen to Parker UK back then, and they said they fixed the problem (they even sent me that roll of paper with the wavy test pattern, proving that my pen has no ink flowing flaws) but.... after awhile the problem persisted.... Shame!

[Eaglewerks]

For many years once Parker had both a converter and a cartridge one of their advertising gimmicks was to advertise that there was a 'warning' that you had to soon get a additional cartridge ready or refill your converter, but that by simply tapping the cartridge or converter with a flick of your finger you cold extend the writing time for a few hundred words. Thus giving you the opportunity to replace or refill at your leasure. Could this "feature" be what so many are complaining about?

[FLZapped]

sadly i have also had issues with parker converters. as for the balls most converters that i have seen in recent pens have them, some have a spring like thingy.

 

sliding converters are the worst among parker converters. i had once asked a leading authorised retailer / repairer to fit the pen with a piston converter while buying.

 

rgds.

 

krishna.

Some of the third party vendors of the slide converters make the ball bearing too small and it will actually close off the opening of the converter. The Parker converters with the spring are the way to go.

 

-Bruce

[BaronWulfraed]

For many years once Parker had both a converter and a cartridge one of their advertising gimmicks was to advertise that there was a 'warning' that you had to soon get a additional cartridge ready or refill your converter, but that by simply tapping the cartridge or converter with a flick of your finger you cold extend the writing time for a few hundred words. Thus giving you the opportunity to replace or refill at your leasure. Could this "feature" be what so many are complaining about?

 

Never heard that for converters... It worked with the cartridges as the internally top half inch was narrower than the main reservoir. That narrowing, with ink surface tension, meant that a few drops would be trapped during normal usage. Flicking the cartridge with a finger-nail snap would break the drops free (just don't put the pen nib-up or they'll fall back into the top of the cartridge).

 

Lamy cartridges also have a narrowed top end, which appears to also hold a few drops of ink.

[welch]

 

Never heard that for converters... It worked with the cartridges as the internally top half inch was narrower than the main reservoir. That narrowing, with ink surface tension, meant that a few drops would be trapped during normal usage. Flicking the cartridge with a finger-nail snap would break the drops free (just don't put the pen nib-up or they'll fall back into the top of the cartridge).

 

Lamy cartridges also have a narrowed top end, which appears to also hold a few drops of ink.

 

And that cartridge feature was called the "tap-a-tank", as best I remember from loooooong ago.

[thx1138]

Holy necro-thread batman. 8 years and it's off and running again.

[inkstainedruth]

Some of the third party vendors of the slide converters make the ball bearing too small and it will actually close off the opening of the converter. The Parker converters with the spring are the way to go.

 

-Bruce

 

Except that the springs make it harder to flush out the converter -- ink gets trapped in the coils. Not an issue if you're using the same ink, but for those of us who like to change things up, ink-wise, it can be a major PITA.

I much prefer the skinnier style of twist converter for my Vectors. And have been trying to source the old style squeeze converters for my 45s on eBay for not too horribly egregious prices (when I can get them for roughly the cost of a modern twist converter -- which I've been able to do a couple of times recently -- I look at the higher price listings and just point and laugh...).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

ETA: At least the connectors fit all modern Parkers (even if sometimes the converter itself won't fit in the barrel of the pen). That's something they did RIGHT. As opposed to Sheaffer....

Edited March 20, 2019 by inkstainedruth

[pajaro]

If you can get a PVC sac, you might resac the old style converter and have it go even for your heirs.

[BaronWulfraed]

ETA: At least the connectors fit all modern Parkers (even if sometimes the converter itself won't fit in the barrel of the pen). That's something they did RIGHT. As opposed to Sheaffer....

Except for the Slim Targa (which I do not own), and maybe one other model of that era, ALL of my Sheaffers use the exact same nipple for converter/cartridges. Only the length of the converter may prevent use in some pens -- and you've admitted that applies to Parker too).

 

There may have been some Sheaffer model released in the last decade or so, which was a German design, and used international standard.

 

The push-button converter from the early 70s fits practically all Sheaffers I own including "School pen" and Lady Sheaffer Skripsert (excluding Touchdown and Snorkel fillers <G>; it even fits in the Intrigue, but since that pen would require one to open the drawer and remove the converter to refill, might as well use a cartridge). The late 70s squeeze converter fits all but the Lady Sheaffer and Intrigue. Current piston converter will not fit the "School pen", Lady Sheaffer, Intrigue but will fit the skinny Fashion II. {Now to find the clutch ring that fell of the "School pen"}

Edited March 20, 2019 by BaronWulfraed

[FLZapped]

 

Except that the springs make it harder to flush out the converter -- ink gets trapped in the coils. Not an issue if you're using the same ink, but for those of us who like to change things up, ink-wise, it can be a major PITA.

I much prefer the skinnier style of twist converter for my Vectors. And have been trying to source the old style squeeze converters for my 45s on eBay for not too horribly egregious prices (when I can get them for roughly the cost of a modern twist converter -- which I've been able to do a couple of times recently -- I look at the higher price listings and just point and laugh...).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

ETA: At least the connectors fit all modern Parkers (even if sometimes the converter itself won't fit in the barrel of the pen). That's something they did RIGHT. As opposed to Sheaffer....

 

 

Never had a problem with anything sticking to the coil.