Jump to content

What's Your Best Way Of Filling Ink


circlepattern

Recommended Posts

I just wonder what methods people use to fill ink. I assume most of you use bottled ink and some sort of converter, and here is going to be the big question: Do I have to dip my whole nib inside a bottle of ink to draw up like 2/3 of the converter's capacity? Or could I removed the converter and fill it completely without having a messy nib?

 

The second way is how I usually do it, but keep in mind that I use the same ink in the same pen all the time. It draws up more ink and is less messier. The problem is that I never heard of anyone doing it like this, is there an obvious risk that I'm overlooking?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 52
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • circlepattern

    8

  • torstar

    7

  • Pentulant

    3

  • McQ

    3

I've never heard of the second method; I use the first. I think it's because setting the converter in after drawing the ink directly into the converter can make a grand old mess (for people like me). I have trouble with ink getting to places I didn't really mean it to go to in the first place when I'm loading inks. Lamy's blotters around the ink bottles are really helpful.

 

I doubt there are any risks to method 2, and I wish I could do the same, since I usually get a little irritated with 1/3 being empty. But I'm not that deft at handling my inks.

Tes rires retroussés comme à son bord la rose,


Effacent mon dépit de ta métamorphose;


Tu t'éveilles, alors le rêve est oublié.



-Jean Cocteau, from Plaint-Chant, 1923

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a couple of converters that don't fill completely. I've actually filled them with a syringe, as you would an empty cartridge. If you have a pen that is a slow starter, drawing ink up through the nib ensures the feed gets saturated. With a couple pens I have, if I used method 2, by the time the feed took in the ink, my converter would be half empty.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

With a couple pens I have, if I used method 2, by the time the feed took in the ink, my converter would be half empty.

You must be one of the users that like their converter and feed to be completely empty before refilling. I don't usually let my converter go dry and so far the converter filling method worked.

 

I've never heard of the second method; I use the first. I think it's because setting the converter in after drawing the ink directly into the converter can make a grand old mess (for people like me). I have trouble with ink getting to places I didn't really mean it to go to in the first place when I'm loading inks. Lamy's blotters around the ink bottles are really helpful.

 

I doubt there are any risks to method 2, and I wish I could do the same, since I usually get a little irritated with 1/3 being empty. But I'm not that deft at handling my inks.

One tip of not making a mess is inserting the converter UP INTO the feed tube/whatnot. I also leave a tiny space at the top of my converter so that ink does not overflow.

.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I fill a converter with sample inks by using a Pasteur pipette inserted into the converter. I have seen people refill their pens by dipping their converter into a bottle, but I would prefer to get the ink into the pen via the nib. Yeah, I do immerse a lot of the anterior end of the pen.

Jeffery

In the Irish Channel of

New Orleans, LA

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You can remove the converter and fill it directly - thereby avoiding the messy nib. However, the downside of that (and filling with a syringe or pipette) is that you would then have to twist your converter a bit to get the ink flowing through the pen and out the nib. (Or just wait it out.)

 

In other words, the advantage of dipping your pen in and ending up with a messy nib is that you will also end up with a pen that is ready to write.

 

If tidy is more important to you, I'd suggest going with a pipette - I've yet to make a mess of things with this method.

pentulant [adjective]: immodest or wanton in search of all things related to pens<BR> [proper noun]: Christine Witt Visit Pentulant<br>

President, Brush Dance - we make high-quality, mindful Calendars, Planners, Journals, and other fun stuff you'll love

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The point of filling the converter directly from the bottle negates the idea of having a converter and the ink being drawn through the nib / feed in the first place. You may as well just use cartridges.

(Using a syringe / cartridge combo seems a bit "Special Needs" to me and too bothersome.)

 

I can be a bit cack-handed but I have never made a mess and got ink everywhere using a converter filling system. Just tap the nib unit on the side of the bottle to let any excess ink drip back in and wipe with a kitchen towel.

 

Also, if the converter is only 2/3 full, empty it and fill it up again to top it up fully. My converters normally take 2 or 3 goes to get fully loaded.

Edited by Vendome

Long reign the House of Belmont.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The argument against just using cartridges is that the selection of inks in cartridges is more limited than inks in bottles.

 

Another reason to not dip a pen is to avoid any possible contamination - ick from the pen getting into a full bottle of ink.

 

I'm not saying I regularly fill pens using alternative methods - just that I can see the points in doing it.

pentulant [adjective]: immodest or wanton in search of all things related to pens<BR> [proper noun]: Christine Witt Visit Pentulant<br>

President, Brush Dance - we make high-quality, mindful Calendars, Planners, Journals, and other fun stuff you'll love

Link to comment
Share on other sites

for converters I usually remove them and fill with a syringe

 

other times i remove the converter and dip it into the ink, avoid getting the nib messy

 

sometimes I make eyedroppers out of converter/cartridge pens

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I fill the converter with a syringe. I'd rather have to fuss a bit to get the ink to the nib than wipe off the pen.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And some pens won't respond well by removing the converter, then you have to dip the nib into the ink for filling.

 

Trial and error...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow, I had no idea so many people actual refill their pen directly using a converter. I was having doubts about doing it because:

 

 

1. I thought it might eventually make the converter-feed connection loose.

2. Small amount of ink will leak to outside and gum up the feed.

3. Having too much ink will sometimes make the ink drip.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In other words, the advantage of dipping your pen in and ending up with a messy nib is that you will also end up with a pen that is ready to write.

 

It's also good for the nib, especially in pens that go a long time between cleanings. Keeps things lubed up & happy.

 

Wow, I had no idea so many people actual refill their pen directly using a converter. I was having doubts about doing it because:

 

1. I thought it might eventually make the converter-feed connection loose.

 

It can. Some pen people advise never removing the converter--but others say it's not a big deal.

 

If you want a lot of opinions on this, search the archives. There are a number of threads on this topic.

 

best wishes,

eo

Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.

The important thing is not to stop questioning. --Albert Einstein

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My favorite method of getting ink in my pen is by using a syringe to fill the cartridge.

 

I prefer cartridges over converters, because the cartridges I use have a little bead in them that prevents the ink from gathering at the butt end and not budging.

 

I have tried inserting the converter into the ink... but I found it messy. All in all, the syringe method works best for me.

_________________

etherX in To Miasto

Fleekair <--French accent.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My favorite method of getting ink in my pen is by using a syringe to fill the cartridge.

 

I prefer cartridges over converters, because the cartridges I use have a little bead in them that prevents the ink from gathering at the butt end and not budging.

 

I have tried inserting the converter into the ink... but I found it messy. All in all, the syringe method works best for me.

I never heard of a bead inside of a cartridge. But my converter came with a spring thingy that does that very well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What are the archives? Where can I find the archive?

 

I meant old threads in the Forums--you can just search for 'filling method' or something similar. Actually it's probably best to use google to search and, after your search terms, the text "site:www.fountainpennetwork.com" to direct google to look only on the FPN site. With Google you could use, for example, 'ink filling method'--in FPN's own search function, you can't use three-letter words. (Unless that changed with all of the recent changes.)

 

"Archives" wasn't very clear. Sorry about that.

 

best wishes,

eo

Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.

The important thing is not to stop questioning. --Albert Einstein

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for clarifying what the archives are. Got panicky for a moment that I missed out on something called a archive.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Onoto actually recommend filling the converter separately from the bottle and then pushing it into the nib section, having first 'conditioned' the nib by immersing in warm water.

The Good Captain

"Meddler's 'Salamander' - almost as good as the real thing!"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Onoto actually recommend filling the converter separately from the bottle and then pushing it into the nib section, having first 'conditioned' the nib by immersing in warm water.

This sounds like it would work, but the first several lines of written material afterward would be too wet and watered-down, wouldn't they?

 

I usually fill the converter separately, set it in the pen, and then dip most of the nib into the ink bottle just to saturate the feed so it'll write right away. A few taps of the nib on the edge of the bottle and a quick wipe with my ink cloth and I'm good to go without very much mess.

Edited by leftside
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33501
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26627
    5. jar
      jar
      26101
  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o
  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More
  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...