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Do You Remove Converters To Refill? Or Dip The Nib And Twist?


Intensity

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I refill through the nib. It's the part of writing with a fountain that I enjoy the most. :)

 

There's nothing wrong with removing the converter, though. Granted, some parts may wear down faster, but not that fast that it will be a major problem.

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I refill through the nib, but sometimes I have to do so twice. That is, if I draw ink up and there is a bubble of air in the converter, I repeat the process without removing the nib from the bottle.

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I dip and fill. The key to getting a good fill was shown to me by Richard Binder and I always use it. Dip and fill the converter by twisting the knob. Without removing the nib from the ink, empty the converter by twisting the other way, then refill the converter.

 

Naturally I would only do this with a good clean pen, but that would be the case any time I dip a nib into a bottle of ink.

Edited by whichwatch
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Pretty much what other people have said. The only reasons I remove the converter:

1. If the ink gets too low in the bottle or sample vial and I can't submerge the nib.

2. When I'm trying to do thorough flushing (particularly with an ink that is slightly more problematic, such as an IG ink) -- and that's merely to get the pen and converter thoroughly cleaned.

Yet another reason why I tend to prefer other fill mechanisms over c/c pens.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

"It's very nice, but frankly, when I signed that list for a P-51, what I had in mind was a fountain pen."

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Thanks everyone for the great responses! So it looks like most fill through the assembled pen by dipping the nib. I do worry about contaminating the ink in the bottle if I use this method to refill a pen with the same ink. Or also if I expell ink back into the bottle to get a better fill. I will try the Pelican method of flipping the pen nib-up.

“I admit it, I'm surprised that fountain pens are a hobby. ... it's a bit like stumbling into a fork convention - when you've used a fork all your life.” 

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Pretty much what other people have said. The only reasons I remove the converter:

1. If the ink gets too low in the bottle or sample vial and I can't submerge the nib.

2. When I'm trying to do thorough flushing (particularly with an ink that is slightly more problematic, such as an IG ink) -- and that's merely to get the pen and converter thoroughly cleaned.

Yet another reason why I tend to prefer other fill mechanisms over c/c pens.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

The other reason is if you are putting fairy shrimp in with the ink. They often get broken is you do it through the nib. But with fairy shrimp you need to leave a little airspace anyway.

 

My Website

 

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Dip the nib. It has always worked well enough for me.

Brad

"Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind" - Rudyard Kipling
"None of us can have as many virtues as the fountain-pen, or half its cussedness; but we can try." - Mark Twain

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For screw/piston converters, as well as syringe fillers like the Ahab, I generally dip and twist. It saturates the feed. I either stop halfway or else I squeeze out about half, turn the nib point up, draw the excess ink from the feed into the converter, tap a time or two, slowly push out the excess air, fill again, squeeze out three or four drops, turn nib point up, and draw ink into converter.

I never fill from the bottle. I always fill from sample vials, and I also dilute many of my (Noodler's) inks.

For squeeze pens, I squeeze, wait five seconds, and repeat, until no bubbles show up in the ink. Then I squeeze out 3-4 drops to desaturate the feed.

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I'm sorry, what does this mean exactly?

 

The vacuum effect, suction if you will, created by twisting the converter to draw up the ink is not great. I've been told that leaving the nib in the ink for a few extra seconds allows more ink to flow up through the feed channel, which not large.

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Thanks again. Great advice, all!

“I admit it, I'm surprised that fountain pens are a hobby. ... it's a bit like stumbling into a fork convention - when you've used a fork all your life.” 

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Dip the nib into the ink. This will give you slightly more pages of writing than filling the convertor with a syringe. The feed holds quite a bit of ink too, and when you fill by dipping the nib into the ink, you fill up the convertor and the feed.

How to get a full fill in the convertor - draw up the ink by screwing the convertor piston 3/4 of the way when the nib is inside the ink bottle. Take the nib out of the ink and for the remaining 1/4, draw in air. This ensures that all the ink in the feed is in the convertor. Now push out all the air until the feed is completely saturated with ink, dip into the bottle and complete the fill.

 

About wasting ink that gets on the section while filling - you'll have more leftover ink in the syringe that you would ever have on the section after filling.

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I fill directly to the converter. Converters are infinitely easier to clean (and replace if necessary) consequently doing so considerably lessens the risk of contaminating the ink. I also tend to get a better fill that way. With my Pelikans I also usually remove the nib and fill by pipette. The only time I'll dunk the nib to fill is if I'm refilling the same color or am feeling particularly lazy.

"What? What's that? WHAT?!!! SPEAK UP, I CAN'T HEAR YOU!!" - Ludwig van Beethoven.

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I always refill a converter pen by dipping the nib, which seems like the whole point of having a converter. That's for piston converters, which is apparently all the OP was thinking of, but also for squeeze, syringe, and vacuum types. The Pilot CON-70 is the only example I know of a vacuum one, Monteverde and Kaweco make syringe types. I can get a complete fill with syringe or vacuum ones; with squeeze types who knows, since the sacs are generally not transparent.

 

But since I frequently use a pen for a while, and then clean it out and put it away, I take the converters out to give everything a more thorough cleaning. And I suppose that could wear them out faster than flushing them by drawing water in through the nib.

"So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable creature, since it enables one to find or make a reason for everything one has a mind to do."

 

- Benjamin Franklin

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I've honestly never thought of the nib being dirty before I dip it.. I can't believe I did not think of that. So far it hasn't proved to be an issue but I will be aware from now on.

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Dip and twist. I keep the nib submerged and empty and refill the converter three times.

 

regards,

Hugo

Thou shalt not stir one foot to seek a foe.

 

 

Eadem Mutata Resurgo.

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I always refill a converter pen by dipping the nib, which seems like the whole point of having a converter. That's for piston converters, which is apparently all the OP was thinking of,

 

That's what I was asking about, because other types of fillers (other than eyedropper) usually require for you to dip the nib into the ink. With the converter (or cartridge), you have the option of filling without dipping the nib.

 

I disagree about you about the "whole point of having a converter", however. A converter is an easily refillable reservoir to hold ink that does not require syringing it in (as an empty cartridge would). No more, no less. How you actually refill a converter can vary.

“I admit it, I'm surprised that fountain pens are a hobby. ... it's a bit like stumbling into a fork convention - when you've used a fork all your life.” 

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The other reason is if you are putting fairy shrimp in with the ink. They often get broken is you do it through the nib. But with fairy shrimp you need to leave a little airspace anyway.

 

Uhhhh....

That's a joke, right? Because I have zero clue what "fairy shrimp" are....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

"It's very nice, but frankly, when I signed that list for a P-51, what I had in mind was a fountain pen."

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Like when you write a cartridge dry, if you take out your converter and fill it from the bottle....cleaning is the same as dipping.................in both cases the feed will be dry.....then what....let out more ink from your converter (having a partial empty converter) or dunk the feed into the bottle of ink??????

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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"fairy shrimp" ....some sort of Glitter ink??? :happyberet:

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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...The key to getting a good fill was shown to me by Richard Binder and I always use it. Dip and fill the converter by twisting the knob. Without removing the nib from the ink, empty the converter by twisting the other way, then refill the converter...

Hi Witchwatch, et al,

 

Check... and double-check. :thumbup:

 

This is the same technique I use... yields a full converter with very few air bubbles... if any. ;)

 

I'm pretty sure Brian Goulet posted a video using the same technique.

 

 

1. If the ink gets too low in the bottle or sample vial and I can't submerge the nib.

Hi Ruth, et al,

 

Get yourself an Ink Miser... it'll be the best $5 you've spent in a long time. :thumbup:

 

 

 

Hi all,

 

For those of you concerned about contaminating your ink by dipping your pen into it; I offer the following suggestions to allay your fears:

 

1. Wipe off your section BEFORE you dip it.

 

2. Add a few drops of phenol to your inks... the old-school antimicrobial... and you won't have to sweat it out.

 

 

Be well and enjoy life... and don't make it any harder than it has to be. :D

 

 

- Anthony

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