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Kaweco Mini-Converters Or Refill Cartridges?


OakIris

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My almost-springtime folly this year is to buy a couple of fountain pens that have been on my wish list for a while: The Kaweco Brass Sport and a Kaweco Liliput* Brass Wave. I will be buying some broad nibs, including a gold BB nib, and a stub for these pens. These lovely pocket pens will be my EDC pens for a while and, given the small capacity of ink they can hold, I imagine I will be refilling them with ink somewhat frequently.

A couple of years ago I bought the Kaweco mini-squeeze converter hoping it might fit another small pocket pen I had (it didn’t) and also in anticipation of someday getting the Brass Sport. It holds .5ml of ink, as does the Kaweco mini-piston converter. Wondering if I should just refill short international cartridges – which hold a whopping .75 ml :rolleyes: - or if the convenience of using a converter is worth having to fill it even more frequently than the cartridge? Also, is the piston converter an improvement over the squeeze converter?

I like gadgets so I will probably get the piston converter anyway, but curious as to what others have found in their cartridge-refilling vs converter experiments.

Holly

*I thought the pen model was named after the land in Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, but if so, why did Kaweco spell Lilliput as “Liliput?” I found this definition of Liliput on Wikipedia, made me laugh:

 

LiLiPUT were a Swiss post-punk band active from 1978 to 1983, initially known as Kleenex

Edited by OakIris
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*snip*

*I thought the pen model was named after the land in Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, but if so, why did Kaweco spell Lilliput as “Liliput?” I found this definition of Liliput on Wikipedia, made me laugh:

 

They are a German company. Apparently Lilliput from Gulliver's travels is (also) translated to german as Liliput, but I have no idea if Kaweco thought about that connection instead of just a word meaning... small or something like that (my german was never any good and by now next to non-existant).

You do not have a right to post. You do not have a right to a lawyer. Do you understands these rights you do not have?

 

Kaweco Supra (titanium B), Al-Sport (steel BB).

Parker: Sonnet (dimonite); Frontier GT; 51 (gray); Vacumatic (amber).

Pelikan: m600 (BB); Rotring ArtPen (1,9mm); Rotring Rive; Cult Pens Mini (the original silver version), Waterman Carene (ultramarine F)

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I have a handful of the mini Kaweco piston converters. They don't hold much ink but I like them better than the squeeze converter.

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I need a piston converter for my Kaweco Sport, where can they be purchased?

Edited by Sinistral1

Breathe. Take one step at a time. Don't sweat the small stuff. You're not getting older, you are only moving through time. Be calm and positive.

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Thank you for your responses. :)

 

I need a piston converter for my Kaweco Sport, where can they be purchased?

The piston mini-converter can be found many places, including, here in the USA, Amazon, Goulet Pens, Jet Pens, Vanness Pens (currently out of stock there though,) etc., etc. They are readily available. I am getting mine from Cult Pens in England because that is where I am purchasing my pens.

 

 

Make a squeeze converter yourself with a cartridge and an ink sac. You can make it as long as the barrel, gaining some ml of ink

That would work, sciumbasci, and easy enough to do, though not sure how much more capacity would be gained. Thank you for the suggestion. :thumbup:

​Holly

 

 

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Thanks, I ordered my mini converter from the Pen Chalet, along with a leather Tomoe River notebook that I decided I needed, too!

Breathe. Take one step at a time. Don't sweat the small stuff. You're not getting older, you are only moving through time. Be calm and positive.

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Thanks, I ordered my mini converter from the Pen Chalet, along with a leather Tomoe River notebook that I decided I needed, too!

 

We are all too easily tempted, aren't we? :D

 

My Kaweco goodness - a couple of pens, the converter, some nibs and ink - is on its way from England. (I placed the order on Wednesday and the package is scheduled to arrive tomorrow; I am rather astonished and quite pleased at the speed of this delivery and wish it was Friday morning instead of Thursday morning, lol.)

 

Holly

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Personally I use a syringe to fill my Kaweco cartridge. I think its less messy. Plus the nib doesn't get ink all over it. Plus I'll get the last drips out of the ink bottle.

Also I can briefly feel like a doctor or a mad scientist as I inject the mysterious green liquid.

My debt he paid, my death he died, that I might live.

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Personally I use a syringe to fill my Kaweco cartridge. I think its less messy. Plus the nib doesn't get ink all over it. Plus I'll get the last drips out of the ink bottle.

Also I can briefly feel like a doctor or a mad scientist as I inject the mysterious green liquid.

 

lol - I can see with your hair all frizzed out and chuckling madly as you prepare the "victim" and fill your syringe with ink...

 

I understand what you mean about it being somewhat messy, but part of the reason to use a converter to fill the pen from a bottle instead of filling a cartridge with a syringe is so that you will have the feed primed and the nib all ready to write when you are done, after a quick wipe off of the section, etc., with a cloth. When I fill cartridges to use a pen that hasn't been in use, I usually have to dip the nib in water or put a drop or two of ink on the feed to get it to start writing. No big deal to have to do that, but there is a reason for getting the nib all covered with ink. :D

 

Holly

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As you state that you will be writing a lot, I would fill a half dozen cartridges 90% full of ink. Install one cartridge into the pen, and carry the others in a metal candy tin. It is cleaner and more convenient than bottle filling.

Auf freiem Grund mit freiem Volke stehn.
Zum Augenblicke dürft ich sagen:
Verweile doch, du bist so schön !

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As you state that you will be writing a lot, I would fill a half dozen cartridges 90% full of ink. Install one cartridge into the pen, and carry the others in a metal candy tin. It is cleaner and more convenient than bottle filling.

 

How do you seal the cartridges up so they won't leak? You can't put the little ball back. Just put some tape on it?

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How do you seal the cartridges up so they won't leak? You can't put the little ball back. Just put some tape on it?

I don't know what method Sasha had in mind, but some people use blob of hot glue.

You do not have a right to post. You do not have a right to a lawyer. Do you understands these rights you do not have?

 

Kaweco Supra (titanium B), Al-Sport (steel BB).

Parker: Sonnet (dimonite); Frontier GT; 51 (gray); Vacumatic (amber).

Pelikan: m600 (BB); Rotring ArtPen (1,9mm); Rotring Rive; Cult Pens Mini (the original silver version), Waterman Carene (ultramarine F)

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I like your idea about carrying filling cartridges and carrying them in a tin. I even have a glue gun ...somewhere...so that I can reseal the cartridges.

 

If anyone is looking for a converter for a Kaweco Liliput, make sure you get the new version of their squeeze converter. I have a Kaweco mini squeeze converter I purchased in 2013 and it does not fit in the Kaweco Liliput. Unlike the newer squeeze converters, which appear to be just a sac attached to a nipple with a metal band and fit in the Liliput, this one has a metal "jacket" and a metal squeeze bar, looks like a Parker or Sheaffer aerometric converter. It looks a lot cooler than the new converters but it is too long for the barrel of the Liliput. It fits in the Sport just fine.

 

Holly

Edited by OakIris
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I also ordered my Stainless Lilliput from Cult, along with a new mini-piston converter. (Ordered on-line Monday & received the package on Friday. Super fast service from across the Pond.)

The tiny converter looked well made & seemed to operate smoothly. I'm curious if it can be taken apart.

 

In practice however, this little converter did not fit into my Lilliput's barrel when the piston bar was fully pulled back (to completely fill the converter). With the piston post fully extended , the mini converter is at least 15 mm. longer than the length of an international short cartridge. There is not much space back there, in the Lilliput's barrel.

 

When I installed the converter into the Lilliput, pulled up a full load of ink, then tried screw the barrel back onto the section, the piston bar bottomed out before I could get the pen fully closed. The converter started pushing ink out of the nib. It was fortunate that I had a blotter underneath. (I did have the converter fully seated in the Lilliput's section.)

 

Perhaps short cartridges are a better way to go for the Lilliputs?

 

Installed into my Kaweco Dia 2 (minus the spring thingy in the back of the barrel) the little mini-piston converter works quite well. The fill is less than a full internat'l short cart, but it's OK for brief writing sessions.

 

It's convenient to use cartridges when I'm not at home. For most of my writing, I use standard sized pens with converters & bottled ink.

The little extra that I pay for sealed, new international cartridges is not a hardship. I feel more confident that a new cart will seat better around my pen's nipple than a reused one.

Edited by tinta

*Sailor 1911S, Black/gold, 14k. 0.8 mm. stub(JM) *1911S blue "Colours", 14k. H-B "M" BLS (PB)

*2 Sailor 1911S Burgundy/gold: 14k. 0.6 mm. "round-nosed" CI (MM) & 14k. 1.1 mm. CI (JM)

*Sailor Pro-Gear Slim Spec. Ed. "Fire",14k. (factory) "H-B"

*Kaweco SPECIAL FP: 14k. "B",-0.6 mm BLS & 14k."M" 0.4 mm. BLS (PB)

*Kaweco Stainless Steel Lilliput, 14k. "M" -0.7 mm.BLS, (PB)

 

 

 

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I finally received my mini converter - boy is it small! It is now snuggled inside my all sport and will start accompanying me to work. I'm curious to see how long the fill will last.

Breathe. Take one step at a time. Don't sweat the small stuff. You're not getting older, you are only moving through time. Be calm and positive.

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I agree that Cult Pens is amazing, tinta. I placed an order with them in February on a Wednesday and received my shipment two days later on Friday - and shipping was free. (In compariison, I am still waiting for a shipment from The Writing Desk, also located in England; the package shipped on February 28th and shipping was not free.)

 

I had read that the piston rod of the mini-converter was slightly too long for the Liliput when fully extended and that one should screw the barrel back on with the bottle of ink open beneath the pen to catch the bit of ink that is expelled when the barrel depresses the rod. Not a major problem, once you are aware of it, lol, but means you can't get a complete fill of the converter, which is already decidedly tiny!

 

@Sinistral1 - The converter holds .5ml of ink when full; an international short cartridge holds .75ml of ink. Guess we will both find out if that .25ml makes a discernable difference when writing with a pocket pen and if the convenience of using a converter is worth having to fill the pen a bit more frequently. :D

 

Holly

Edited by OakIris
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If anyone is looking for a converter for a Kaweco Liliput, make sure you get the new version of their squeeze converter. I have a Kaweco mini squeeze converter I purchased in 2013 and it does not fit in the Kaweco Liliput. Unlike the newer squeeze converters, which appear to be just a sac attached to a nipple with a metal band and fit in the Liliput, this one has a metal "jacket" and a metal squeeze bar, looks like a Parker or Sheaffer aerometric converter. It looks a lot cooler than the new converters but it is too long for the barrel of the Liliput. It fits in the Sport just fine.

 

Holly

 

Update: I tried my aerometric squeeze converter in the Sport today. It fit just fine, nice audible click when it connected to the nib section, but...it doesn't work. I have used this type of fill mechanisms before, both in converter form and "built in" such as that in the Parker 51, so I do know how to use them. No matter how many times I squeezed the converter and patiently kept the nib properly immersed in the ink so the converter would have time to fill, it would only draw in enough ink to fill maybe a quarter inch of the converter, lol I even tried it with the converter dipped directly in the ink, just in case the converter and nib section weren't making a good connection, despite the audible click...nada! Worthless! If I hadn't bought it several years ago, it would be going back to the store. I hope Kaweco's newer squeeze converters work better, but if I decide I want another converter for my Kaweco Sport or Liliput, I will buy another piston converter.

 

Holly

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