Rollers That Use Fountain Pen Ink?

[BillZ]

coondogesq,

I scrolled through the entire thread waiting for someone to mention the Visconti Eco Roller! Thanks. I gave both my daughter and D-I-L one for Xmas last year and they love them. I included thee Levenger sampler pack of cartridges so they could find what they like.

[Rach31]

I bought two of the Noodler's rollerball pens (from Goulet) and the caps are similar to the Creaper, loose and not airtight. I tightened them, but the my dried up in the pen and the rollerball won't move. I have 4 J. Herbin rollerball pens that I love. They have not dried out and they work flawlessly. (They are tiny so if you have larger hands they might not be comfortable.) I have been using the Zebra R-301 rollerball pens for a while and I like them. Since they are less expensive than my Pelikans or even my Safaris I don't have to be scared to carry them around at work all day.

[arcadeflow]

I bought two of the Noodler's rollerball pens (from Goulet) and the caps are similar to the Creaper, loose and not airtight. I tightened them, but the my dried up in the pen and the rollerball won't move. I have 4 J. Herbin rollerball pens that I love. They have not dried out and they work flawlessly. (They are tiny so if you have larger hands they might not be comfortable.) I have been using the Zebra R-301 rollerball pens for a while and I like them. Since they are less expensive than my Pelikans or even my Safaris I don't have to be scared to carry them around at work all day.

 

Do you find the J. Herbin pen durable? I've seen people claiming that all those refillable rollerballs have tips with short lives...

[Mulrich]

Someone gave me a MB rollerball and in an effort to save money on refills I learned how to refill RB cartridges using varieties of ink. Learning about ink quickly led to learning about fountain pens. Learning about fountain pens quickly led to buying fountain pens. I would have saved a lot of money had I just spent the cash on a couple rollerball refills. I have a dozen fountain pens and am on the prowl for my next one.

[Rach31]

Do you find the J. Herbin pen durable? I've seen people claiming that all those refillable rollerballs have tips with short lives...

I have had the J.Herbin pen since last year and it still works fine. I let the Noodler's and J. Herbin both sit with ink in them and a month later only the J.Herbin still worked. I haven't dropped it (I never drop my inexpensive pens, usually it's the nice ones that fall) so I don't have issues with cracked caps or bodies on the pens.

[Drone]

If you're considering the pilot v5/v7 cartridge system, beware that they specifically say that their refills should not be used with a fountain pen which would suggest it's not just fountain pen ink. Also, see this blog post by Cult Pens who experimented with fountain pen ink in the pen: http://www.cultpens.com/news/product-news/q/date/2013/01/30/pilot-v5v7-cartridge-system-experiments

 

Pilot says things like that all the time - and it's often just confusing bunk. Take for example the warnings all over the Pilot Mixable Colour ink cartridges; Pilot warns NOT to use the Mixable Ink in anything but the Pilot Parallel Pen! Nonsense, I have used many of the Pilot Mixable cartridges for ages in Pilot 78G's and Pilot Metropolitan/MR pens all the way up to Pilot 743/823's, and nothing bad has ever happened.

 

So don't put the ink that comes with the V5/V7 in your Pilot fountain pen, but go ahead and put fountain pen ink in the V5/V7. I have done it, and it works. But like any cheap rollerball, don't expect the ball to last forever.

[Karas Kustoms]

http://www.schmidttechnology.de/en/schreibgeraete/produkte/patronen-roller/cartridge-rollerball.htm

 

That Schmidt unit will screw into any pen that uses a Schmidt #5 fountain pen unit. You can then use STD INTL converters or cartridges with the unit. It's quite a handy little piece of equipment.

[Drone]

http://www.schmidttechnology.de/en/schreibgeraete/produkte/patronen-roller/cartridge-rollerball.htm

 

That Schmidt unit will screw into any pen that uses a Schmidt #5 fountain pen unit. You can then use STD INTL converters or cartridges with the unit. It's quite a handy little piece of equipment.

 

I don't think it's that simple...

 

How do you know the Schmidt PRS rollerball converter fits a #5 nib unit (by #5 I assume you are referring to a 5mm diameter feed)? I looked at this PRS rollerball replacement awhile back and came to the conclusion that it is very difficult to tell if it will replace any particular Schmidt fountain pen nib-unit, unless the manufacturer specifically says so.

 

From the PRS purchase page here:

 

http://www.schmidtpenrefills.co.uk/Schmidt-PRS-Cartridge-Rollerball-System-%28PRS%29.htm

 

It says: "You can convert any fountain pen using an Schmidt FH41 or FH241 nib unit to an ink cartridge pen by replacing the nib unit with a PRS unit as they all use a common thread system."

 

As far as I can tell, Schmidt (unfortunately) does not specify nib unit sizes by any sort of modern standard numbering system related to the feed diameter. Also the design of the nib-unit plastic housing that holds the feed and nib varies widely. And if that wasn't enough, then you add-in whether the nib unit has a decorative band or not and what type of decorative band it is.

 

See all the Schmidt fountain pen nib-unit types here (there are lots of them):

 

http://www.schmidtpenrefills.co.uk/Schmidt-Nib-Units-%28SCNUP%29-b.htm

 

For-example the Schmidt FH241 fountain pen nib-unit which is compatible with the PRS rollerball system, is shown here:

 

http://www.schmidtpenrefills.co.uk/Schmidt-FH241-Fountain-Pen-Nib-Unit-%28FH241%29.htm

 

The FH241 page says: "Schmidt FH241 Fountain Pen Unit, without decorative ring, for screw-in assembly in gripper jacket, nib wing span 7.0mm including cap sealing."

 

The description of the PRS compatible FH41 fountain pen-nib unit is quite similar, with no reference to the feed diameter (as if the feed diameter would even matter anyway).

 

So unless you've actually disassembled and measured a 5mm feed diameter in a Schmidt fountain pen nib-unit known to be compatible with the PRS replacement rollerball-unit, I don't think it would be possible to claim the PRS rollerball is compatible with a Schmidt "#5" nib-unit. Actually, there's really no such thing as a "#5" nib-unit in Schmidt nomenclature.

 

To recap: There are a LOT of different Schmidt fountain pen nib units, and Schmidt says the PRS rollerball replacement fits only TWO of them. So there's a very good chance the PRS rollerball-unit will NOT fit in your Schmidt equipped fountain pen, unless the manufacturer specifically says so.

 

As for which manufacturers sell pens compatible with both the PRS and FHS241/FH41 nib-units; I cannot say. I tried Googling around for some sort of answer but came up empty-handed; not that the information can't be found, with more effort - or ask Schmidt perhaps.

 

[usk15]

For-example the Schmidt FH241 fountain pen nib-unit which is compatible with the PRS rollerball system, is shown here:

 

http://www.schmidtpenrefills.co.uk/Schmidt-FH241-Fountain-Pen-Nib-Unit-%28FH241%29.htm

 

The FH241 page says: "Schmidt FH241 Fountain Pen Unit, without decorative ring, for screw-in assembly in gripper jacket, nib wing span 7.0mm including cap sealing."

 

 

 

 

It looks like my Edison #5 nib unit and Online #5 nib unit. I think it's quite possible to work in a pen that accept this kind of #5 screw nib units.

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Online-Piccolo-40076-Fountain-Colours/dp/B00COG1GI8

 

http://www.thewritingdesk.co.uk/showproduct.php?id=11335

[Drone]

 

 

It looks like my Edison #5 nib unit and Online #5 nib unit. I think it's quite possible to work in a pen that accept this kind of #5 screw nib units.

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Online-Piccolo-40076-Fountain-Colours/dp/B00COG1GI8

 

http://www.thewritingdesk.co.uk/showproduct.php?id=11335

 

Maybe yes, maybe no. (In the Edison case probably no.) As I said in my previous post, you have to be VERY careful. The nib-units may appear to match at first-glance, but even the smallest difference means the replacement nib-unit will either not fit properly or it will fit badly. You may even damage your pen.

 

Compare the Edison and Online examples you link to in your post very carefully with the picture of the rollerball nib-unit here:

 

http://www.schmidtpenrefills.co.uk/Schmidt-PRS-Cartridge-Rollerball-System-%28PRS%29.htm

 

The Edison nib unit has a rather large step closer to the flange, the rollerball nib-unit doesn't. Plus the Edison nib-unit has a much larger flange.

 

The Online nib-unit looks like a much better bet than the Edison nib-unit. But again, it's just a bet.

 

I would contact Edison and Online first and ask if the rollerball nib-unit will definately fit in their pens (send them the link and the picture of the rollerball unit). If the answer is no or maybe - then you're on your own and may just have to give it a try. After all, the rollerball nib-unit isn't that expensive and it might be nice to have one around just to try once in awhile (as long as you don't damage the target pen of-course).

Edited November 26, 2015 by Drone

[Karas Kustoms]

Apologies. I was using quick down and dirty language when referring to the FH241/FH41. This unit does indeed work with pens that utilize those nib units. And I was unintentionally being too vague without knowing I needed to go into more detail. We initially designed two fountain pens around the Schmidt FH241, the PRS works quite well in them. Those nibs do in fact come on a 5mm feed. I cannot speak for the other Schmidt fountain pens. Again I apologize for not using proper terminology, I was trying to provide a possible alternative solution.

[toymachine]

So what's the latest and greatest in rollerballs that use FP ink? I'm not happy with the Monteverde Ink Ball, but actually like the J Herbin plastic one. Anything I should try next?

[EBUCKTHORN]

 

Pilot says things like that all the time - and it's often just confusing bunk. Take for example the warnings all over the Pilot Mixable Colour ink cartridges; Pilot warns NOT to use the Mixable Ink in anything but the Pilot Parallel Pen! Nonsense, I have used many of the Pilot Mixable cartridges for ages in Pilot 78G's and Pilot Metropolitan/MR pens all the way up to Pilot 743/823's, and nothing bad has ever happened.

 

So don't put the ink that comes with the V5/V7 in your Pilot fountain pen, but go ahead and put fountain pen ink in the V5/V7. I have done it, and it works. But like any cheap rollerball, don't expect the ball to last forever.

I've been exploring and liking several of the refillable roller balls. They are a great way to reduce single-use plastics, especially if you refill the cartridges with a syringe. Has anyone had enough experience with any brand to be able to comment on its tip's longevity? (And, yes, I know that we're daily faced with much larger examples of single-use plastics, but it's nice to know that one's hobby can be moving in the right direction, however minimally.)

Edited January 19, 2020 by EBUCKTHORN

[WLSpec]

J. Herbin makes one

[BaronWulfraed]

I've been exploring and liking several of the refillable roller balls. They are a great way to reduce single-use plastics, especially if you refill the cartridges with a syringe. Has anyone had enough experience with any brand to be able to comment on its tip's longevity? (And, yes, I know that we're daily faced with much larger examples of single-use plastics, but it's nice to know that one's hobby can be moving in the right direction, however minimally.)

My (duplicating) checkbook carries an old Levenger rollerball that uses International Standard cartridges. The outer finish is quite beat up.

 

I have about 6 replacement ball sections left for it -- having dumped the in-use section about three or four times in its history when I felt the ball had gotten "sloppy" (fountain pen ink doesn't have quite the lubricating qualities as even normal rollerball units). At the time, Levenger sold the sections in an 8 or 10 pack.

[EBUCKTHORN]

My (duplicating) checkbook carries an old Levenger rollerball that uses International Standard cartridges. The outer finish is quite beat up.

 

I have about 6 replacement ball sections left for it -- having dumped the in-use section about three or four times in its history when I felt the ball had gotten "sloppy" (fountain pen ink doesn't have quite the lubricating qualities as even normal rollerball units). At the time, Levenger sold the sections in an 8 or 10 pack.

With regard to lubrication, maybe the Pilot "requirement" that only the special ink cartridges should be used in their V5 & V7 HI-TECPOINT cartridge system roller balls is more than just a marketing ploy. Perhaps that ink does have lubricating qualities not present in other Pilot fountain pen ink cartridges. Any thoughts?

[BaronWulfraed]

Someone owning said cartridges would need to do a comparison -- maybe shake a drop out onto heavy paper and use a toothpick to explore viscosity, spread, etc.