Do You Own Converters For Most Of Your Pens Or Swap Them Between?

[ParkerDuofold]

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Not just any spring but a compression spring. I use the small gold ones used on keyboards.

 

The advantages:

 

• a spring will not block ink flow
• a spring can be inserted without disassembling a pen
• a spring works to keep bubbles from forming in the first place

Hi Jar,

 

Okay. Thank you, very much.

 

 

- Anthony

[French]

I'm in the majority here, one converter per pen plus a spare or two. I tend not to remove the converter as I try to limit the wear and tear on the converter. Granted, they aren't expensive, but, why wear something out due to overzealous maintenance vs. normal use?

 

french

[Runnin_Ute]

I have converters for most. I have more Parker 45's than I have converters for them though. I have been meaning to pick up a few to remedy that.

 

Some people like to have extra converters. I don't see the need. The pen I have had the longest, a Lamy Al Star still has its original converter and I have had it in near continuous use since 1998. It isn't always inked anymore, but until December 2012 it was one of only two pens and was almost always inked. It is as good today as it was then.

Edited January 3, 2018 by Runnin_Ute

[Kelly G]

1 to 1.

[SpecTP]

Hi SpecTP,

 

A spring, not a BB/ball-bearing?

 

Please elucidate... you've piqued my curiosity.

 

 

- Anthony

 

We have had this discussion in detail in other threads https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/318696-adding-a-ball-inside-schmidt-converter/?hl=%2Bkeyboard+%2Bspring&do=findComment&comment=3785825

 

I use compression springs (from mechanical keyboard that I build) https://mechanicalkeyboards.com/shop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=1350

 

mech keyboard users tend to put a lot of wear so the common springs used are stainless steel or gold plated and are resistant to corrosion. I've been doing this for over a year without issue or signs of corrosion.

 

they work incredibly well.

Edited January 4, 2018 by SpecTP

[james3paris]

1 to 1 Quite a few of them came with the pen.

[Inksomnia]

I don't have converters for every c/c pen I own. Most me pens are pistonfillers, so I rarely need converter. I have three Lamys, only two converters. One lamy uses cartridges always, because it uses special edition ink, that was only avaible in cartridges here. I have one Platinum converter, but two pens that use it. Currently both uses cartridges, but I have to get another converter soon. And Pilot vanishing point has it own converter. I try not to have spare ones or extra just in case. Same goes with cartridges, I hate using those.

[mitto]

Beside collecting pens I also collect converters especially the vintage ones. And, hence, I have hundreds of converters in my spare boxes.

[PAKMAN]

If a pen doesn't come with a converter I acquire one right away. So I have a converter for every pen that uses one and it stays in that pen so I can load it up right away when I want to use it. I fill through the nib to minimize removing converters to decrease wear.

[chromantic]

When I first started, yes, one per pen. But after a while I found converters to be a PITA so I switched to just (re)filling cartridges with a syringe.

[inkstainedruth]

When I first started, yes, one per pen. But after a while I found converters to be a PITA so I switched to just (re)filling cartridges with a syringe.

 

Funnily enough, I STOPPED using cartridges for the same reason -- I found that flushing and refilling them was more of a PITA....

I try to have converters for every pen I have that needs them. A couple of times I've had to replace them -- the converter for my Jinhao 599 leaked, but I ended up using the replacement one for a pen I was giving away to someone. So now I'll have to get a replacement.

Most of my c/c pens take proprietary cartridges, so I have to be careful what converters I get.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Noihvo]

 

[Freddy]

Fountain pen converters are cheap................

 

Fred

Stay warm and safe.......................

[austinwft]

Fountain pen converters are cheap................

 

Fred

Stay warm and safe.......................

 

Two is One and One is None...

 

Knowing that I would rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it I will regularly add a converter to an order for ink and/or paper which won't add any additional shipping cost and in some cases bump the order total to the free shipping level.

[The Blue Knight]

It's interesting to see most people do own converters for every pen. I will often switch between cartridges and bottled ink. I never in the past thought to add one onto each pen order which would have been sensible.

[inkstainedruth]

It's interesting to see most people do own converters for every pen. I will often switch between cartridges and bottled ink. I never in the past thought to add one onto each pen order which would have been sensible.

 

Indeed it is sensible. I have a lot of Parker Vectors, and often use them for testing new-to-me inks. Having each one with its own converter just makes sense -- especially when often I have several of them inked up at once.

Compared to the price of pens, converters are cheap.... Even in the case of the Vectors, where the cost of the (better) twist converters could, in some cases add 50-100% to the overall price of the pen.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Ted A]

I frequently just refill cartridges for pens without converters. And it it’s a Pilot, I use the cartridges so I don’t have to refill every day.

[Connly33]

I have a converter for every pen.

Though the 4 or 5 pens that i have bought have come with one. Other than my piston fillers of course.

Though honestly for my Pilot pens i usually refill cartridges for a slightly larger ink capacity.

[Connly33]

 

We have had this discussion in detail in other threads https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/318696-adding-a-ball-inside-schmidt-converter/?hl=%2Bkeyboard+%2Bspring&do=findComment&comment=3785825

 

I use compression springs (from mechanical keyboard that I build) https://mechanicalkeyboards.com/shop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=1350

 

mech keyboard users tend to put a lot of wear so the common springs used are stainless steel or gold plated and are resistant to corrosion. I've been doing this for over a year without issue or signs of corrosion.

 

they work incredibly well.

 

As someone that builds mech keyboards and has a few hundred gold plated springs to mod Cherry mx switches around, im going to have to give this a try for my standard international converters.

[displacermoose]

I generally have a converter for each pen. My mechanical keyboard just died due to cord failure, so I'm thinking I may need to dissect it for donor springs.