Portable Inkwell For College Student

[vigilantefridge]

This is my first question on this forum, so I don't know if I'm in the right place.

 

Anyway, I'm a college student that writes exclusively with fountain pens. I prefer piston fillers (my current daily driver is a Reform 1745). Being a student, my budget is very modest, meaning that if I need a portable inkwell, I cannot afford the Visconti Portable Inkwell. Does anybody know of any alternatives, either modern or antique, that could allow me to carry some ink in case I run out?

 

Preferably, it would be reasonably-priced, sturdy enough to keep in a bag, and have a pretty small form factor. It doesn't need to hold a whole lot of ink, just enough to keep me going if I still need to write a page or two more after my ink runs out. Also, I would actually prefer if it wasn't something really fancy looking. I don't want to draw attention to myself by pulling it out in the middle of class.

 

Thanks guys!

[MKeith]

You might look here. Nalgene bottles work well for me, And

 

http://www.containerstore.com/s?q=nalgene&submit=GO

Edited October 2, 2016 by MKeith

[vigilantefridge]

You might look here. Nalgene bottles work well for me, And

 

http://www.containerstore.com/s?q=nalgene&submit=GO

Perfect! Inconspicuous and cheap to boot. Are there any downsides to these that I should be aware of? Do they leak at all?

[kenshiro]

Perfect! Inconspicuous and cheap to boot. Are there any downsides to these that I should be aware of? Do they leak at all?

I use these too. Never once had a leak provided the bottle was properly tightened.

[MKeith]

No, never leaked on me even when flying. But that is for the screw on cap ones. The snap cap ones can leak when squeezed.

Edited October 2, 2016 by MKeith

[vigilantefridge]

Awesome. Thanks a lot guys! I might buy a couple just to see what I like the most.

[OCArt]

You could consider a second pen. There is a Reform 1745 on eBay right now for $10.50 + shipping if that is a pen you really like. Personally I'd pick up a Parker 45 and carry a couple of cartridges.

[vigilantefridge]

You could consider a second pen. There is a Reform 1745 on eBay right now for $10.50 + shipping if that is a pen you really like. Personally I'd pick up a Parker 45 and carry a couple of cartridges.

 

I'd definitely consider that too. I have a 51 Special in the mail that I think I might begin to use as a daily driver if I end up liking it. In that case, I'd carry the Reform in my bag as a backup.

 

As a quick aside, does anybody know if 51 Specials can use modern Quink cartridges? I have several of them sitting unused, and that would be perfect for school. The 51 Spec. I ordered comes with a converter, so I could even make it the only pen I carry if I could just switch the converter for a cartridge when I run out of ink.

[mirosc]

I use these Nalgene bottles, too.

Once I had a crack in the cap, but the ink still didn't get out. (Fell out in the trunk of my car and I dropped about 40 kilos on it).

[kenshiro]

If you only need a small amount of spare ink, I also suggest perhaps just buying some ink samples from Goulet, who use nice FP friendly screw-top vials.

[Calabria]

Those Nalgene bottles look nifty. Personally, I'd go for a Waterman ink bottle - they're pretty much indestructible, won't tip over when you're filling your pen, and look like they actually contain ink rather than an unmarked chemical substance

 

Pretty impressed that you use a piston filling fp in college - I never dared for fear of seeming dorky (which I am, hence the fear)

[vigilantefridge]

Those Nalgene bottles look nifty. Personally, I'd go for a Waterman ink bottle - they're pretty much indestructible, won't tip over when you're filling your pen, and look like they actually contain ink rather than an unmarked chemical substance

 

Pretty impressed that you use a piston filling fp in college - I never dared for fear of seeming dorky (which I am, hence the fear)

 

I have never been made fun of for it, which surprised me. In fact, a lot of my classmates have never seen a fountain pen before, and they ask me what it is. I suppose I get away with it because I already have a bit of a reputation as the "wacky foreigner" because I grew up in Belgium. ( I am American though.)

 

I always let them try it if they ask, and most people say that they're surprised at how nice they are to use. It's a great ice breaker, for sure.

[Sandy1]

 

Hi,

 

For on the fly top-up, I like the 5ml Nalgene screw top.

 

For 'just enough to keep me going if I still need to write a page or two more after my ink runs out', drawing a wee bit of water into the pen will often do the trick - the collector holds some ink, so diluting that ink can bridge the gap. Just write-out the water.

 

Bye,

S1

 

__

Edit to add: If using a 5ml Nalgene, I keep a wad of BluTak in the base, which is used to affix the vial to a surface when topping-up.

Edited October 3, 2016 by Sandy1

[mmg122]

Parker 51 Specials don't take cartridges. Only fill from ink bottle.

 

+4 on Nalgene bottles with screw cap. Never had one leak and have used for years as a traveling ink pot. Make sure you label

it with the brand and color of ink inside (in case you have any ink behavior problems that you don't want to duplicate).

[vigilantefridge]

Parker 51 Specials don't take cartridges. Only fill from ink bottle.

 

+4 on Nalgene bottles with screw cap. Never had one leak and have used for years as a traveling ink pot. Make sure you label

it with the brand and color of ink inside (in case you have any ink behavior problems that you don't want to duplicate).

Thanks for answering so quickly! I jumped on it because it was a good deal and I knew that Parker 51s are generally considered to be quality pens. I didn't plan on using it with cartridges, but it would've been a nice "bonus".

[PS104]

At some point Visconti made 50 ml plastic bottles of ink.

I have a few and use them when traveling. Unbreakable, easy to store in a ziplock bag and they hold enough ink for travel diary and postcards

​Not sure if they are still extant but worth keeping an eye open for

[ac12]

I think you are making it too big of a problem, and approaching it the wrong way. You do not have time to be refilling your pen during class, the prof won't stop his lecture to wait for you. So forget the portable ink well.

 

As OCArt said, carry a 2nd pen. Use the 51 as your primary pen, and carry the 1745 as a backup/spare, and a gel pen or pencil as a backup to that. When the primary pens runs out of ink or stops writing (for whatever reason), just switch to the backup pen and continue on. I college, I carried 2 Parker 45s; primary and backup.

 

At the end of the day, when you finish your homework, FILL the pens. That way you are starting the day with FULL pens.

It is unlikely that you will write through 2 full pens, especially since they are not wet B or italic nibs.

 

If you really want to top off the pens during the day, you can. But in my experience, you do not need to, if you are carrying TWO pens.

Edited October 3, 2016 by ac12

[OCArt]

Wow, What a great tip Sandy. Thanks for posting it.

 

I just want to add that http://xfountainpens.com sells 3ml sample bottles of Chesterfield ink for 99 cents. That's probably cheaper than buying the empty bottle but they also sell 25ml. 50ml. and 100ml empty bottles. Chesterfield ink seems to be Diamine repackaged and comes in some wonderful colors. My current favorite is Capri.

(All the usual disclaimers, I have no affiliation with the seller, just a customer.)

Edit to add: If using a 5ml Nalgene, I keep a wad of BluTak in the base, which is used to affix the vial to a surface when topping-up.

[vigilantefridge]

I just found this Chesterfield ink (http://www.xfountainpens.com/collections/ink-bottles/products/chesterfield-obsidian-bottled-ink) that costs 6 dollars for 50 ml, and it comes in one of those Nalgene bottles. I can't vouch for the quality of the ink, but it seems like a two birds, one stone sorta scenario. Might be a little too big for my bag, but still worth considering if you carry a large bag with you.

Edited October 3, 2016 by vigilantefridge

[sciumbasci]

I use a lab vial. It's just 5ml, but does the job pretty well