Lamy Vista - Piston Filler

[onotopen]

Hi

 

I've always liked the Lamy Vista nib and Feeder/Collector but dislike cartridge fillers. I previously used a Lamy Vista Roller-Ball barrel (without the viewing hole) so that it could be used as an eye-dropper. That was OK, but I really didn't want a large volume of ink, but it was fun trying it out.

 

I decided to see if I could create a piston filler with various bits of pens which I already have; Ihad a Noodlers Konrad brush pen (again I don't get on with it) so I cannibalised the piston unit to fit the Lamy

 

The Lamy Barrel was cut down so that the overall length incl the piston unit was only slightly longer than the existing cartridge pen. The flutes in the end of the barrel needed drilling out so that the Piston umit fits. The excess surround at the base of what was the cartridge input was also cut back to the thead.

 

The piston unit required an o ring fitted between the two existing o rings to get a good seal

 

It hold about 2mL

 

It's really a concept in progress

 

 

[Flounder]

Love it!

[OCArt]

Very ingenious!

[christof]

Now this is fun!

c.

[mehandiratta]

hmmmm....

An engineer

[mooshi]

Neat

[onotopen]

Some random thoughts/observations on the conversion (I was in a rush yesterday evening)

 

1. If the full barrel is used (with just the small ventilated end removed), the volume is about 3mL. The length does make it overly long though.

2. The piston can only extend as far as the screw thread on the Section, there's a reasonable volume between the end of the piston and the beginning of the collector. This is unswept space, to evacuate this space requires more than simply extending the piston to it's fullest extent. To evacuate fully requires the Barrel to be unscrewed from the Section and this remaini g ink emptied by upending the Section (some ink will remain in the collector)

3. The piston unit is just a friction fit, tapping the Barrel is probably not an option - the flat area of the Barrel is quite thin. Only option probably to shelac in place, or possibly pin in place using 1mm carbon fibre pins. Nether option ideal. The piston itself is installed from the Section end of the Barrel, so in theory the piston flange could be shelaced on a semi-permanent basis.

4. A 4mm id x 2mm cross section O ring fits firmly between the two existing Konrad O rings. It did need sanding/buffering down on a Dremel mandrel against an abrasive pad/sheet to enable it to fit the barrel. Maybe 1.5mm cross section would more easily fit the bill. On my 'to do' list.

My other goto solution (I've used it on Kaweco V12 vintage piston pens) is an Onoto seal

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Onoto-Plunger-Washers-/172095641681?var=&hash=item2811b31851:m:mtJHUt2QqHYOo_EOO__pagA

which has can be stretched over seemingly impossible diameters.

The O-ring is probably the ideal solution.

5. Maybe the Section/Barrel screw thread Rosin Sealant. I was always a bit wary of having 4mL of ink reliant upon Silicone Grease and friction to hold it the Eyedropper Conversion.

6. The Barrel could be cut down further, so that it is same or less than the length of existing Lamy Cartridge-filler and still provide about 1.5 mL tank.

7. The Blind cap and filler knob assembly mates well to the Lamy.

8. I wouldn't necessarily advocate buying a Konrad or any other piston filler to do this conversion...but it was fun, and I already had the bits.

I thought originally of using a Reform 1745 piston filler...a relatively cheap pen, but diameter is a bit on small side.

9. The Lamy Piston Filler writes well....and it's, well.... different !

Edited February 23, 2016 by onotopen

[aucheukyan]

Nice

 

It would be a dream on the Kaweco Sport Demonstrator though

[onotopen]

Yes Aucheukyan, I too like the concept of the Kaweco Sport.

 

I did briefly look at it with a view to utilising that 'spare' Reform 1745 piston unit; the diameter is more comparable (relative to Lamy) but the barrel thread to the Section is relatively quite a long way down the Barrel. In consequence, the unswept volume between the existing cartridge 'dock' and the feeder is relatively large. I'm not sure that the Barrel (the bore) is very parallel either...I don't think it is parralel, butwithout cutting the end off the barrel it's difficult to be sure

 

But apart from that it's perfect !

[aucheukyan]

Would like to see it... I would want to do something like this but until I get a job. Poor student here..

[shawndp]

Absolutely Brilliant!

 

A question if I may - how does being a piston affect the flow rate of the Vista compared to C/C format?

[onotopen]

Update

 

The 4mm ID (internal Dia) x 1.5 CS (cross section) O Ring is indeed a perfect fit.

 

Whilst fettling the new O ring, I determined that the unswept volume (the dead-space immediately above the Collector) which was problematic when trying to eject all the ink was due to the cartridge piercing 'spike'. I didn't remove this initially because I thought it had a slot running it's length, but this was an optical illusion...and quite obviously so when seen in daylight. Previously, the ink trapped in this chamber could only be ejected by removing the Section from the Barrel.

 

I drilled out this 'spike' so the connecting hole between the chamber immediately above the Collector and the main Barrel was flush. The ink may now be ejected without removing the section. In order to fill the pen fully, it's necessary to use the method shown on various Youtube videos (often using TWSBIs) whereby the piston sucks up an initial charge of ink, the pen is then upended (nib uppermost) and the air expelled gently from the barrel via the collector and nib (a bit like ejecting air from a hyperdermic syringe), until the ink charge level just touches the collector; the nib is then put back into the ink bottle and the piston withdraws again to suck more ink. I this way I completely filled the Barrel and it holds 2.1mL, with an additional little bit eventually condensing out of the collector back into the Barrel.

[onotopen]

Hi shawndp, the hole from, what was, the cartridge to the feed remains unchanged; I think the Collectors are wonderful in these Lamy's and I believe it's the main ink flow regulator ahead of the nib.

 

I've used it with a half-full reservoir and experienced no problems with flow. I'd like to test how much the pen 'burps' with say 1mL of air in the tank..to see how the Collector copes with temperature rise/air expansion. Of course, in this regard, Piston Pens have an advantage over Vac-Fillers because air may be gently expelled by twisting the filler-knob with the nib uppermost until the ink almost touches the collector.

[Witsius]

That is really cool. Now, I'm afraid you'll have to mass produce these and sell them on the open market so we can all enjoy one.

[onotopen]

I stripped down the Lamy-Piston 'mule' yesterday and measured the Piston-ring diameter using Vernier Gauge; it's exactly 9.0mm, so the Lamy bore is 9mm, less a smidgen (the O-rings are extremely solid) To give you some idea of scale, the TWSBI Vac-Fillers, both models, have a bore of 7.0mm

 

The remaining comments are not Piston-specific, it applies equally to the Cartridge or Eye-Dropper pens too (there'll be a bit more pressure in the case of the Eyedropper by virtue of increased ink capacity - gravity, possibly with 3mL of ink in the Barrel)

 

It was a cold morning here, 5*C outdoor temperature, so I left the pen outside (nib uppermost) for an hour or so to see what real-life temperature effects were upon the ink/air in the Barrel when it was brought into a warm house.

 

The Barrel was about half-full of ink leaving 1mL of air...temperature in the house is 21*C and I commenced writing. After about half an hour there was no evidence of burping (it's a 1.1 stub using Noodler's X Feather); I left the pen with nib down in a glass for another hour, and still no burping - the collector was able to cope with the theoretical 0.048mL expansion of air (1mL of air expands to 1.03mL for 10*C rise in temperature, the ink's theoretical expansion is 1.007mL for 10*C rise, much less significant). The Lamy Vista collector coped with it very well.

 

I think I'll try surrounding the pen Barrel in a plastic bag filled with water at 37*C, blood temp, when I get a moment in order to simulate a hot, sweaty hand !

Edited March 4, 2016 by onotopen

[inotrym]

That is an awesome idea. Perhaps you could do this with a Prera, too? It already has a blind cap, so perhaps there would be no need for cutting down or drilling?