Ranting And Raving (Sort Of Disappointed With Pens)

[sirgilbert357]

I will echo what others have said: no flow issues with any of my piston pens...at least not due to surface tension. Every pen I've owned with a Jowo nib, whether piston (TWSBI) or C/C (Franklin Christoph) had flow "tapering off" issues...I would sit to write and by page 2, the pen would be much drier and flow would be seriously low. I had to advance the piston or the converter to flood the feed with ink to get it writing normally again. The issues with air exchange that Fountainbiel wrote about seemed to be my issue there...and I just don't know how one would go about modifying the feed to resolve that, although I've been tempted to pick up a TWSBI again and try.

 

So, my remedy: piston fillers only from now on, and only from brands that either make their own nibs or at least don't use Jowo nib units. I've have no issues since. Pelikans and my Lamy 2000 are among my favorites.

[Karmachanic]

I will echo what others have said: no flow issues with any of my piston pens...at least not due to surface tension. Every pen I've owned with a Jowo nib, whether piston (TWSBI) or C/C (Franklin Christoph) had flow "tapering off" issues...I would sit to write and by page 2, the pen would be much drier and flow would be seriously low. I had to advance the piston or the converter to flood the feed with ink to get it writing normally again. The issues with air exchange that Fountainbiel wrote about seemed to be my issue there...and I just don't know how one would go about modifying the feed to resolve that, although I've been tempted to pick up a TWSBI again and try.

 

So, my remedy: piston fillers only from now on, and only from brands that either make their own nibs or at least don't use Jowo nib units. I've have no issues since. Pelikans and my Lamy 2000 are among my favorites.

 

Link please! I searched "air exchange" and far too many posts showed for me to plow thru' at this point.

Edited April 18, 2018 by kd3

[sirgilbert357]

 

Link please! I searched "air exchange" and far too many posts showed for me to plow thru' at this point.

I did some searching too and I cant find it. It was a link to a write up of his with drawings of a nib and feed (with some cutaways) that showed how air couldnt get through the tiny channel and basically the nib is starved of ink because of it.

 

I dont think the original work was posted here by the man himself. I seem to recall it being a link and a cut and paste job. Sorry I cant be of more help...

[Karmachanic]

Thanks for trying. Your description is helpful

[OMASsimo]

Here is the link to the mentioned thread:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/314414-advantages-integrated-piston-filling-system-over-converter-cartridge/

[Karmachanic]

Thank you! FPN is truly a treasure trove of fp wisdom and kind, helpfull people. Now I know what the problem is with my Opus 88 Koloro ED pen fitted with a Jowo housing.

Edited April 19, 2018 by kd3

[sirgilbert357]

Here is the link to the mentioned thread:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/314414-advantages-integrated-piston-filling-system-over-converter-cartridge/

 

 

OMASsimo, You are AWESOME!!

 

And now I know what I was doing wrong...lol, I spelled his name "Fountainbiel" in all my searches! UGH...guess it wasn't a link either. My memory is terrible, it seems. LOL.

Edited April 19, 2018 by sirgilbert357

[sirgilbert357]

Thank you! FPN is truly a treasure trove of fp wisdom and kind, helpfull people. Now I know what the problem is with my Opus 88 Koloro ED pen fitted with a Jowo housing.

 

You can pull the nib and feed out of the collar and try to make the channel in the feed nipple bigger, but I would just go very slow and re-ink it often to test flow so you don't end up over doing it. This is what I would try if I got another TWSBI or Franklin Christoph. New Jowo nibs are cheap enough that it wouldn't be an expensive fix if you go too far and have to replace the feed.

 

Here's a link to what you'd be looking at if you pull them apart:

 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:JoWo_ink_feed_%26_housing.jpg

Edited April 19, 2018 by sirgilbert357

[Karmachanic]

sirgilbert357. I'll wait until The eyedropper Koloro is out of ink to take it apart and have a good look. I remember a small O ring when I installed a replacement nib. I seem to I remember putting this over the feed nipple. If that is the case I'll leave it the way it is and continue to give it an occasional tap to keep the ink flowing.

 

A Jowo feed/housing is €0.50, and is part of the cost when purchasing a nib from FPnibs.

Edited April 19, 2018 by kd3

[OMASsimo]

 

 

OMASsimo, You are AWESOME!!

 

And now I know what I was doing wrong...lol, I spelled his name "Fountainbiel" in all my searches! UGH...guess it wasn't a link either. My memory is terrible, it seems. LOL.

 

 

You're welcome. I really like the posts of Francis (Fountainbel) which are always full of deep insight. And it's kind of a miracle that I can remember his name. I hope the thread will help you to resolve the issue.

[sirgilbert357]

 

 

You're welcome. I really like the posts of Francis (Fountainbel) which are always full of deep insight. And it's kind of a miracle that I can remember his name. I hope the thread will help you to resolve the issue.

 

 

Yes, he is a genius.

 

And...well...I sort of sold off all the "problem pens", LOL. But if I ever get another pen with a Jowo nib (unlikely to be honest), I will probably attempt to modify it to prevent the ink starvation issues. I prefer my lines quite wet.

[Cassotto]

I understand your frustration and feel very sorry for you. You seem to have a talent for acquiring non-working pens. But I wonder if your Pilot and Pelikan give you as much grieve as the others.

 

:D I've certainly got that talent, though it must be the only one! :D

 

No, the Pilot and Pelikan pens work perfecty. The Pelikan has a piston filler, and the Pilot a sac filler. I'd never liked sacs, since they don't allow seeing how much ink is left, but it's true that all three of my pens using this system (the Pilot and the two Scripto pens) work well.

 

I recently got a Pilot CON-40 piston converter, because I saw it had a few small balls inside, and this had been suggested as a possible. It doesn't work (besides, having a pen that sounds is sort of weird!).

 

 

 

I think that many here would agree that most other filling mechanisms yield better ink flow than c/c. In my opinion, piston fillers are the best in this respect and most top tier makers produce them.

 

I've understood from what you've said that pens are either c/c or piston, and that there's no way to adapt a piston filler to my c/c pens, is it so? Wwould it be possible to find sac fillers for them? I don't really know whether this sort of fillers are removed in the same way as c/c, just pulling them. Or perhaps a c/c pen and a sac pen are completely different things, too.

 

Even if I could use a sac filler with my pens, what I like most about my Waterman is that, being a demonstrator, the ink can be seen from outside, and this would be lost with a sac. For some time, I've been considering the idea of replacing it with a TWSBI Vac 700R, which I suppose wouldn't have these flow issues. But I don't know whether I can risk spending more money on pens, with my luck!

 

 

 

​One alternative for those pens that use standard international C/C, is to re-use the cartridges (by syringe-filling them) as they contain a small plastic bead that's there to help relieve the problem caused by surface tension.

 

It's easy and convenient and retains a converter's ability to use any ink you want. Additionally, if your pen can accommodate the long cartridges (most do), these hold twice as much ink as a converter does.

 

I've recently started trying this... And I've already had two nasty and spectacular accidents when filling the cartridges! Practice makes perfect, so I hope that by the time I've filled one hundred cartridges I'll be able to do so reasonably well!

[Cassotto]

Here is the link to the mentioned thread:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/314414-advantages-integrated-piston-filling-system-over-converter-cartridge/

 

And a very interesting thread it is. Thanks!

[sirgilbert357]

Cassotto: you could certainly try a Vac700, but they use the same Jowo nib and feed that I had problems with on my TWSBI. There are plenty of people who seem to like their TWSBIs just fine, but I like to write - a lot. I can sit and write 10 pages at a time sometimes. The TWSBI and my Franklin Christoph would both experience ink starvation by page 2 at the latest. And the TWSBI was the Diamond Mini, which is a piston filler. The ink never had issues getting to the feed, but the feed couldn't keep up with my writing due to the air exchange issues mentioned in that thread OMASsimo found for us.

 

As for refilling cartridges: I made plenty of messes when I used pipettes! Especially the bigger ones. A syringe is much easier to control for me. Maybe try that if you aren't already using one. I also sometimes used a tall 2oz shot glass to hold the cart so I didn't have to hold it steady. Put the cart in the shot glass, put the shot glass on the counter and hold it by the base, then use the other hand to fill the cart. Any overfill goes into the shot glass instead of on my hands or counter and is easier to clean up.

[OMASsimo]

:D I've certainly got that talent, though it must be the only one! :D

 

Don't be too humble. I've seen your beautiful handwriting and that's certainly another talent.

 

 

No, the Pilot and Pelikan pens work perfecty. The Pelikan has a piston filler, and the Pilot a sac filler. I'd never liked sacs, since they don't allow seeing how much ink is left, but it's true that all three of my pens using this system (the Pilot and the two Scripto pens) work well.

 

 

That's what I'd have assumed. So, at least you have some great working pens.

 

I recently got a Pilot CON-40 piston converter, because I saw it had a few small balls inside, and this had been suggested as a possible. It doesn't work (besides, having a pen that sounds is sort of weird!).

 

This might work, but I think a better solution would be an appropriate surface treatment of the inside of the converter. I think that one of the reasons why cartridges work better is the different material and thus surface.

 

I've understood from what you've said that pens are eithe

r c/c or piston, and that there's no way to adapt a piston filler to my c/c pens, is it so? Wwould it be possible to find sac fillers for them? I don't really know whether this sort of fillers are removed in the same way as c/c, just pulling them. Or perhaps a c/c pen and a sac pen are completely different things, too.

 

Even if I could use a sac filler with my pens, what I like most about my Waterman is that, being a demonstrator, the ink can be seen from outside, and this would be lost with a sac. For some time, I've been considering the idea of replacing it with a TWSBI Vac 700R, which I suppose wouldn't have these flow issues. But I don't know whether I can risk spending more money on pens, with my luck!

 

 

Transforming between different filling mechanisms might be possible but it's never a simple thing. You probably would need a lathe and the according skills to work with it. Anyway, I think the best chance would be to get a better quality converter or find a way to improve it. Unfortunately, I have little experience in this because the few c/c pens I own mostly work great.

[surprise123]

I actually found out a neat trick you can probably do on twist converters. It's called buying a Pilot pen and getting the CON-40 converter, which comes with a great agitator. One of the few companies that do it nowadays...

[Karmachanic]

Didn't understand the source of the problem or the solution before this thread.

I went hunting. Five international sized converters with agitators for $1.50 https://tinyurl.com/y9nwuagb or remove the agitators and place in the converter of choice. Worth a try I'd say.

[Cassotto]

 

As for refilling cartridges: I made plenty of messes when I used pipettes! Especially the bigger ones. A syringe is much easier to control for me. Maybe try that if you aren't already using one.

 

I am! When I decided I'd forget about converters and use cartridges I bought a syringe, and I make messes even that way! That's why I haven't forgotten about converters after all! I'd say I'm still in the middle of the transition.

 

 

 

That's what I'd have assumed. So, at least you have some great working pens.

 

 

Maybe I've got one less... My best Scripto pen is now in quarantine after having had it in water for a couple of days and having started 'bleeding'. I daren't fill it in case my fears are confirmed and I've broken it, but since I posted a message about it and no one's answered, I suppose it's just a silly mishap and nothing else. Maybe I'll try it later today.

 

 

 

Transforming between different filling mechanisms might be possible but it's never a simple thing. You probably would need a lathe and the according skills to work with it. Anyway, I think the best chance would be to get a better quality converter or find a way to improve it. Unfortunately, I have little experience in this because the few c/c pens I own mostly work great.

 

Are different filling mechanisms always incompatible, or are there cases where they might be swapped? I forgot to mention that now I've got two Pilot pens, a 78G with a bag (aerometric, maybe?) filler, and a Custom 74 with a CON-40 converter, and I wonder whether I could just use any of the two filling systems with any of the two pens.

 

 

 

(Please observe where the ink is in the CON-40 converter, in spite of the agitators). As I said, I don't like bags, but if they work better and it were possible, I think I'd buy a CON-20 for the Custom 74. Do converters like the CON-70, with a 'push' piston, work better than the 'screw' CON-40, or do they all pose the same problems? About one year ago I already tried cleaning and treating the inner part of the converters with lots of things people kindly suggested, to no avail.

 

 

 

I actually found out a neat trick you can probably do on twist converters. It's called buying a Pilot pen and getting the CON-40 converter, which comes with a great agitator. One of the few companies that do it nowadays...

 

I've already got one of those. But since I've also got a knack for getting flow issues with my pens, it doesn't work properly, either!

 

 

Didn't understand the source of the problem or the solution before this thread.

I went hunting. Five international sized converters with agitators for $1.50 https://tinyurl.com/y9nwuagb or remove the agitators and place in the converter of choice. Worth a try I'd say.

 

I already tried this, too, but it took me some time, some converters and some money too to find out that not all converters can be disassembled so as to put things inside. I tried with plastic balls taken from empty cartridges.

 

 

Luckily I don't feel too grieved anymore because of this. It's a nuisance, but that's all.

[Ink Stained Wretch]

As for refilling cartridges: I made plenty of messes when I used pipettes! Especially the bigger ones. A syringe is much easier to control for me. Maybe try that if you aren't already using one. I also sometimes used a tall 2oz shot glass to hold the cart so I didn't have to hold it steady. Put the cart in the shot glass, put the shot glass on the counter and hold it by the base, then use the other hand to fill the cart. Any overfill goes into the shot glass instead of on my hands or counter and is easier to clean up.

 

I've been refilling cartridges of various sorts for years. I use a clothes pin, the kind with a spring to keep the jaws together, to stabilize the cartridge. I clamp the cartridge in the clothes pin and stick the needle in the open mouth of the cartridge. It's pretty stable, and I can watch the progress of the refilling process as the ink level rises in the cartridge.

 

My coordination isn't what it used to be , so I don't always keep everything perfectly neat, but any problem comes from dealing with the ink bottle, not with getting the ink from the syringe into the cartridge.

 

Pipettes are useful with Pilot cartridges, which have huge mouths. Just about any eye dropper will work with the Pilot cartridges as well.

[Cassotto]

 

I use a clothes pin, the kind with a spring to keep the jaws together, to stabilize the cartridge.

 

This is a great idea. My coordination is still what it used to be... Which is worrying. I'll try the clothes pin.