Cleaner And More Convenient Cartridge And Converter Filling

[k3eax]

I've never like the messy and wasteful re-filling process that requires the opening of the ink bottle and dunking the pen. And, even re-filling with a syringe means opening the bottle and clearing the syringe after use. Lately I've seized upon the practice of using a larger, 5ml, syringe, which after filling can be used over time for multiple fillings. Of course it's necessary to improvise a cap for the syringe's end to prevent evaporation. And yes, it should be obvious that I remove the converter from the pen before its filling

Edited September 26, 2015 by k3eax

[Orpilorp]

Wasteful?! How much ink are you talking about, maybe 3 drops? Personally I don't mind changing inks because it's like a little game I play to try to do it as neatly as possible.

 

You should realize that when the pen/converter gets it's ink on you, it's telling you it loves you. Joking aside, if I'm changing several inks or if I am cleaning several pens to take out of rotation, I wear latex or vinyl gloves.

[Charles Rice]

Why stop at 5ml? I've got a 50ml. No need to improvise a cap. They come with a lot of the syringes you get at the drug store.

[k3eax]

Why stop at 5ml? I've got a 50ml. No need to improvise a cap. They come with a lot of the syringes you get at the drug store.

 

Charles, it's the needle that requires capping.

[Pickwick]

The instructions to fill my first pen 70 years ago. "Put the pen in the ink bottle, open and close the lever a few times to release the air in the sac. Remove the pen and wipe it clean with a piece of cloth." Filling empty ink cartridges is optional, they are meant to be disposable.

[k3eax]

The instructions to fill my first pen 70 years ago. "Put the pen in the ink bottle, open and close the lever a few times to release the air in the sac. Remove the pen and wipe it clean with a piece of cloth." Filling empty ink cartridges is optional, they are meant to be disposable.

 

Thank you for strengthening my argument about the messiness conventional of re-filling. Also, the current emphasis on sustainability, the careful use of limited resources and materials, would suggest that re-filling cartridges is an admirable idea.

Edited September 26, 2015 by k3eax

[Charles Rice]

 

Charles, it's the needle that requires capping.

Yup, the needles DO come with a cap. Mine did. Ya just gotta find the right ones.

[fuadhilmy]

I'm wondering that if we remove the cartridge multiple times, the friction fit will become loose and may lead to leakage.

 

And yes, I really hate the idea of wasting ink, especially the expensive one. I use syringes to fill my cartridges, by the way.

[jthole]

I'm wondering that if we remove the cartridge multiple times, the friction fit will become loose and may lead to leakage.

 

That should not be a problem really with long cartridges. I refill them many times before switching to a new cartridge.

[Sasha Royale]

A medical syringe, with a needle, have a cap for the needle. If modified, or resold, the cap may be missing. The surface area of a needle is quite small, and evaporation would be minimal. You can stab a wine bottle cork or pencil eraser.

 

None of my answers are great because I enjoy the ritual of filling my fountain pen.

[k3eax]

Thanks Sasha for the suggestion. Actually, I'm not using a medical needle but rather one that originally came from a computer's printer-cartridge re-fill kit. This syringe/needle was of a greater guage than one put to medical use and did not come with a cap.

[jthole]

Medical syringes are cheap and long lasting. And they come with a cap indeed.

[Ian the Jock]

Although I have 2 or 3 pens which I use re-filled cartridges with, I, like Sasha, enjoy the re-filling ritual, as it's all part of the "gig" after all and having inky fingers on the odd occasion is another part of it.

 

Ian

[fuadhilmy]

Agreed. Inking a pen is an interesting ritual, as well as its disassembly for cleaning.

[zuph]

Lately, I've been filling my pens with a syringe into an old cartridge, mostly because old cartridges hold more ink than converters, but I'm beginning to come around on that again. The cartridges do eventually leak, and it's a pain to re-saturate the feed after cleaning. Sure, there's no problem with preferring to fill cartridges or converters with a syringe, but it certainly isn't wasteful, and not particularly messy to do it the normal way.

[ac12]

I'm wondering that if we remove the cartridge multiple times, the friction fit will become loose and may lead to leakage.

 

 

Feel how tight the cartridge fits onto the nipple.

When it starts to feel loose (goes on easy), change to a newer cartridge.

Until then, keep refilling.

Edited September 29, 2015 by ac12

[fuadhilmy]

 

Feel how tight the cartridge fits onto the nipple.

When it starts to feel loose (goes on easy), change to a newer cartridge.

Until then, keep refilling.

 

What if the nipple itself becomes loose because of constant friction between the cartridge and the nipple...

[k3eax]

The nipple is usually part of the feed rather than a separate item and so is unlike to come loose.

[fuadhilmy]

The nipple is usually part of the feed rather than a separate item and so is unlike to come loose.

Glad to hear that.

[ac12]

 

 

What if the nipple itself becomes loose because of constant friction between the cartridge and the nipple...

 

If the nipple comes loose, you WILL have a MESSY situation.

The only fix is a repair, because it is broken.